Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage
Any word, any time — right from this page.
The discovery of penicillin is one of the greatest medical breakthroughsbreakthrough (noun)Important discoveries or achievements.≈ Synonym: advances🇺🇿UZ: katta yutuq, kashfiyot🇷🇺RU: прорыв in history. It changed the way doctors treattreat (verb)To give medical care to someone.≈ Synonym: cure🇺🇿UZ: davolamoq🇷🇺RU: лечить infectionsinfection (noun)Illnesses caused by germs entering the body.≈ Synonym: illnesses🇺🇿UZ: infeksiya, yuqumli kasallik🇷🇺RU: инфекция and has saved millions of lives. What makes this discovery even more interesting is that it happened almost by accidentaccident (noun)An unexpected event happening by chance.≈ Synonym: chance event🇺🇿UZ: tasodif; baxtsiz hodisa🇷🇺RU: случайность; авария.
In 1928, a scientist named Alexander Fleming was working in his laboratorylaboratory (noun)A room used for scientific research.≈ Synonym: lab🇺🇿UZ: laboratoriya🇷🇺RU: лаборатория in London. Fleming was studying bacteriabacteria (noun)Microscopic living organisms, some causing disease.≈ Synonym: microbes🇺🇿UZ: bakteriya🇷🇺RU: бактерии, trying to understand how they grow and how to stop them. One day, before going on holiday, he left some platesplate (noun)Shallow dishes used to grow bacteria in a lab.≈ Synonym: petri dishes🇺🇿UZ: laboratoriya likopchasi; likopcha🇷🇺RU: чашка Петри; тарелка with bacteria on his workbenchworkbench (noun)A sturdy table used for practical work.≈ Synonym: work table🇺🇿UZ: ish stoli (ustaxonada)🇷🇺RU: верстак, рабочий стол. When he returnedreturn (verb)To come or go back.≈ Synonym: come back🇺🇿UZ: qaytmoq🇷🇺RU: возвращаться, he noticednotice (verb)To see or become aware of something.≈ Synonym: spot🇺🇿UZ: payqamoq🇷🇺RU: замечать something strangestrange (adj)Unusual or unexpected.≈ Synonym: odd🇺🇿UZ: g'alati🇷🇺RU: странный. On one of the plates, a mouldmould (noun)A furry growth of fungus.≈ Synonym: fungus🇺🇿UZ: mog'or🇷🇺RU: плесень had started to grow. What caught his attentionattention (noun)Interest or careful thought; noticing something.≈ Synonym: notice🇺🇿UZ: e'tibor🇷🇺RU: внимание was that no bacteria were growing near the mould. It seemed as if the mould was killingkill (verb)Causing something to die.≈ Synonym: destroying🇺🇿UZ: o'ldirmoq🇷🇺RU: убивать them.
Fleming decided to study this furtherfurther (adv)More; in more detail.≈ Synonym: more🇺🇿UZ: yanada, batafsilroq🇷🇺RU: дальше, подробнее. He found that the mould producedproduce (verb)Made or generated something.≈ Synonym: generated🇺🇿UZ: ishlab chiqarmoq🇷🇺RU: производить a substancesubstance (noun)A particular kind of matter.≈ Synonym: material🇺🇿UZ: modda🇷🇺RU: вещество that stopped the growthgrowth (noun)An increase in size or amount.≈ Synonym: increase🇺🇿UZ: o'sish🇷🇺RU: рост of bacteria. He named this substance penicillin, after the type of mould, Penicillium. However, while Fleming realisedrealise (verb)Became aware of something.≈ Synonym: understood🇺🇿UZ: anglamoq, tushunib yetmoq🇷🇺RU: осознавать penicillin's power, he was unableunable (adj)Not able to do something.≈ Synonym: incapable🇺🇿UZ: qodir emas, ...a olmaydigan🇷🇺RU: неспособный to produce it in large amountsamount (noun)Quantities of something.≈ Synonym: quantities🇺🇿UZ: miqdor🇷🇺RU: количество or turn it into a medicinemedicine (noun)A substance used to treat illness.≈ Synonym: drug🇺🇿UZ: dori🇷🇺RU: лекарство.
The next step came about 10 years later. A teamteam (noun)A group of people working together.≈ Synonym: group🇺🇿UZ: jamoa🇷🇺RU: команда of scientists in Oxford, led byled by (phr)With a particular person as the leader.≈ Synonym: headed by🇺🇿UZ: ...boshchiligida🇷🇺RU: во главе с, под руководством Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, took Fleming's discovery and found a way to turn penicillin into a drugdrug (noun)A substance used as a medicine.≈ Synonym: medication🇺🇿UZ: dori, preparat🇷🇺RU: лекарство, препарат that could be used to treat people. During World War II, penicillin was used to treat soldiers' woundswound (noun)Injuries in which the skin is broken.≈ Synonym: injuries🇺🇿UZ: yara, jarohat🇷🇺RU: рана and infections. It became known as the "wonder drugwonder drug (noun)A medicine seen as remarkably effective.≈ Synonym: miracle drug🇺🇿UZ: mo'jizaviy dori🇷🇺RU: чудо-лекарство" because it was so effectiveeffective (adj)Producing the intended result.≈ Synonym: successful🇺🇿UZ: samarali🇷🇺RU: эффективный.
Penicillin was the first antibioticantibiotic (noun)A medicine that fights bacterial infections.≈ Synonym: antibacterial drug🇺🇿UZ: antibiotik🇷🇺RU: антибиотик, a type of medicine that fightsfight (verb)To try to stop or destroy something.≈ Synonym: combat🇺🇿UZ: qarshi kurashmoq🇷🇺RU: бороться infections caused by bacteria. Before penicillin, people often died from simplesimple (adj)Not complicated; easy.≈ Synonym: basic🇺🇿UZ: oddiy🇷🇺RU: простой infections or injuriesinjury (noun)Physical harm done to the body.≈ Synonym: wounds🇺🇿UZ: jarohat, shikast🇷🇺RU: травма. Today, antibiotics have become a key part of modernmodern (adj)Relating to the present or recent times.≈ Synonym: contemporary🇺🇿UZ: zamonaviy🇷🇺RU: современный medicine.
However, penicillin also reminds us of the importanceimportance (noun)The quality of being important.≈ Synonym: significance🇺🇿UZ: ahamiyat🇷🇺RU: важность of using antibiotics carefullycarefully (adverb)With close attention; cautiously.≈ Synonym: cautiously🇺🇿UZ: ehtiyotkorlik bilan🇷🇺RU: осторожно. Overuseoveruse (noun)Excessive or too-frequent use of something.≈ Synonym: excessive use🇺🇿UZ: haddan tashqari ko'p ishlatish🇷🇺RU: чрезмерное использование has led to some bacteria becoming resistantresistant (adj)Not affected or harmed by something.≈ Synonym: immune🇺🇿UZ: chidamli, ta'sir qilmaydigan🇷🇺RU: устойчивый, meaning the drugs no longerno longer (phr)Not now, although it was true before.≈ Synonym: not any more🇺🇿UZ: endi ... emas🇷🇺RU: больше не work against them. Scientists continue to searchsearch (for) (verb)To try to find something.≈ Synonym: look for🇺🇿UZ: qidirmoq🇷🇺RU: искать for new antibiotics to deal withdeal with (phrasal verb)To take action to solve a problem.≈ Synonym: handle🇺🇿UZ: hal qilmoq, uddalamoq🇷🇺RU: справляться с this problem.
In your own words, write a short summary of what you just read (90–120+ words). Don't copy sentences — explain the main ideas.
Every highlighted word from this story with its meaning in Uzbek 🇺🇿 and Russian 🇷🇺, and an example. Tap 🇬🇧 or 🇺🇸 to hear the word or the sentence in a British or American accent.
| # | 🇬🇧 | 🇺🇿 | 🇷🇺 | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | breakthroughnoun | katta yutuq, kashfiyot | прорыв | The new vaccine was a major breakthrough. |
| 2 | treatverb | davolamoq | лечить | Doctors treat this illness with simple medicine. |
| 3 | infectionnoun | infeksiya, yuqumli kasallik | инфекция | Wash the cut to prevent infection. |
| 4 | accidentnoun | tasodif; baxtsiz hodisa | случайность; авария | We met by accident at the airport. |
| 5 | laboratorynoun | laboratoriya | лаборатория | The samples were sent to a laboratory. |
| 6 | bacterianoun | bakteriya | бактерии | Some bacteria are good for your stomach. |
| 7 | platenoun | laboratoriya likopchasi; likopcha | чашка Петри; тарелка | The scientist put the sample on a glass plate. |
| 8 | workbenchnoun | ish stoli (ustaxonada) | верстак, рабочий стол | My father keeps his tools on the workbench. |
| 9 | returnverb | qaytmoq | возвращаться | She returned from Seoul last week. |
| 10 | noticeverb | payqamoq | замечать | I noticed a small mistake in your essay. |
| 11 | strangeadjective | g'alati | странный | I heard a strange noise in the night. |
| 12 | mouldnoun | mog'or | плесень | There's mould on this bread — throw it away. |
| 13 | attentionnoun | e'tibor | внимание | The bright colours caught my attention. |
| 14 | killverb | o'ldirmoq | убивать | This spray kills 99% of germs. |
| 15 | furtheradverb | yanada, batafsilroq | дальше, подробнее | We need to discuss this further. |
| 16 | produceverb | ishlab chiqarmoq | производить | The factory produces cotton fabric. |
| 17 | substancenoun | modda | вещество | The police found a strange substance in the bag. |
| 18 | growthnoun | o'sish | рост | Sleep is important for a child's growth. |
| 19 | realiseverb | anglamoq, tushunib yetmoq | осознавать | I realised I had left my keys at home. |
| 20 | unableadjective | qodir emas, ...a olmaydigan | неспособный | I was unable to sleep last night. |
| 21 | amountnoun | miqdor | количество | Drink a large amount of water in hot weather. |
| 22 | medicinenoun | dori | лекарство | Take this medicine three times a day. |
| 23 | teamnoun | jamoa | команда | Our team won the match 3–1. |
| 24 | led byphrase | ...boshchiligida | во главе с, под руководством | The team was led by a young engineer. |
| 25 | drugnoun | dori, preparat | лекарство, препарат | This new drug can treat the disease. |
| 26 | woundnoun | yara, jarohat | рана | The doctor cleaned the wound. |
| 27 | wonder drugnoun | mo'jizaviy dori | чудо-лекарство | Some people call aspirin a wonder drug. |
| 28 | effectiveadjective | samarali | эффективный | This is the most effective way to learn vocabulary. |
| 29 | antibioticnoun | antibiotik | антибиотик | The doctor gave me an antibiotic for my throat infection. |
| 30 | fightverb | qarshi kurashmoq | бороться | This medicine fights infection. |
| 31 | simpleadjective | oddiy | простой | The instructions are very simple. |
| 32 | injurynoun | jarohat, shikast | травма | He missed the match because of a knee injury. |
| 33 | modernadjective | zamonaviy | современный | Modern medicine has helped people live longer. |
| 34 | importancenoun | ahamiyat | важность | Never forget the importance of sleep. |
| 35 | carefullyadverb | ehtiyotkorlik bilan | осторожно | Drive carefully — the roads are icy. |
| 36 | overusenoun | haddan tashqari ko'p ishlatish | чрезмерное использование | Overuse of phones can hurt your eyes. |
| 37 | resistantadjective | chidamli, ta'sir qilmaydigan | устойчивый | This watch is resistant to water. |
| 38 | no longerphrase | endi ... emas | больше не | He no longer lives in Tashkent. |
| 39 | search (for)verb | qidirmoq | искать | They are searching for a new flat. |
| 40 | deal withphrasal verb | hal qilmoq, uddalamoq | справляться с | The government must deal with unemployment. |