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Day 18 · Environment & Planet · B2 Level

The Causes and Effects of Deforestation

Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage

⏱ Time target: 6-7 minutes 📖 Reading + Vocabulary ✅ 10 True / False questions
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Reading Passage

Forests cover about 30% of the Earth's surfacesurface (noun)The outer or top layer of something.Synonym: exterior🇺🇿UZ: yuza🇷🇺RU: поверхность, but they are disappearingdisappear (verb)Ceasing to exist or be seen.Synonym: vanishing🇺🇿UZ: yo'qolib borayotgan🇷🇺RU: исчезающий at an alarmingalarming (adj)Causing worry or fear.Synonym: worrying🇺🇿UZ: xavotirli🇷🇺RU: тревожный raterate (noun)A measure of how quickly something happens.Synonym: speed🇺🇿UZ: sur'at🇷🇺RU: темп. Every year, millions of trees are cut down or burned, a process known as deforestationdeforestation (noun)The clearing of forests, usually for other land use.Synonym: forest clearance🇺🇿UZ: o'rmonlarni yo'q qilish🇷🇺RU: вырубка лесов. This problem affects not only the land where the trees once stood, but also the whole planetplanet (noun)A large body in space, such as Earth.Synonym: world🇺🇿UZ: sayyora🇷🇺RU: планета.

There are several main causescause (noun)Things that produce an effect or result.Synonym: reasons🇺🇿UZ: sabablar🇷🇺RU: причины of deforestation. One of the biggest is farmingfarming (noun)The practice of growing crops or raising animals.Synonym: agriculture🇺🇿UZ: dehqonchilik🇷🇺RU: сельское хозяйство. As the world's populationpopulation (noun)The people living in a particular area.Synonym: inhabitants🇺🇿UZ: aholi🇷🇺RU: население grows, more land is needed to grow cropscrop (noun)Plants grown in large amounts for food.Synonym: produce🇺🇿UZ: hosil🇷🇺RU: урожай and raise animals. In places like the Amazon rainforestrainforest (noun)A dense forest found in a wet tropical region.Synonym: tropical forest🇺🇿UZ: yomg'ir o'rmoni🇷🇺RU: тропический лес, large areas of trees are clearedclear (verb)Removed trees or plants from land.Synonym: removed🇺🇿UZ: tozalangan🇷🇺RU: расчищены to make space for farms or cattlecattle (noun)Cows and bulls raised for meat or milk.Synonym: livestock🇺🇿UZ: qoramol🇷🇺RU: крупный рогатый скот. Logginglogging (noun)The cutting down of trees for timber.Synonym: tree-felling🇺🇿UZ: yog'och tayyorlash🇷🇺RU: лесозаготовка is another cause. Trees are cut down for their woodwood (noun)The hard material of a tree's trunk.Synonym: timber🇺🇿UZ: yog'och🇷🇺RU: древесина, which is used to build houses, make furniturefurniture (noun)Movable objects for use in a room, such as tables.Synonym: household items🇺🇿UZ: mebel🇷🇺RU: мебель, or produce paper. In some cases, forests are cleared to make way for cities, roads, or factoriesfactory (noun)Buildings where goods are manufactured.Synonym: plants🇺🇿UZ: fabrikalar🇷🇺RU: фабрики.

Sometimes deforestation happens because of naturalnatural (adj)Existing in nature; not caused by people.Synonym: not man-made🇺🇿UZ: tabiiy🇷🇺RU: естественный causes, such as wildfireswildfire (noun)Large, fast-spreading fires in the countryside.Synonym: forest fires🇺🇿UZ: yovvoyi yong'inlar🇷🇺RU: лесные пожары. But in most cases, it is human activityactivity (noun)Something done for a particular purpose.Synonym: action🇺🇿UZ: faoliyat🇷🇺RU: деятельность that is to blame.

The effects of deforestation are seriousserious (adj)Significant or worrying in nature.Synonym: grave🇺🇿UZ: jiddiy🇷🇺RU: серьёзный and far-reachingfar-reaching (adj)Having a wide-ranging influence or effect.Synonym: extensive🇺🇿UZ: keng qamrovli🇷🇺RU: далеко идущий. One major effect is the lossloss (noun)The state of no longer having something.Synonym: reduction🇺🇿UZ: yo'qotish🇷🇺RU: потеря of biodiversitybiodiversity (noun)The variety of plant and animal life in an area.Synonym: biological diversity🇺🇿UZ: biologik xilma-xillik🇷🇺RU: биоразнообразие. Forests are home to more than half of the world's animal and plant speciesspecies (noun)Groups of animals or plants with shared characteristics.Synonym: kinds🇺🇿UZ: turlar🇷🇺RU: виды. When forests are destroyeddestroy (verb)Damaged something so badly it ceases to exist.Synonym: ruined🇺🇿UZ: yo'q qilingan🇷🇺RU: уничтожены, these species lose their homes. Some may die outdie out (phrasal verb)To become extinct.Synonym: become extinct🇺🇿UZ: qirilib ketmoq🇷🇺RU: вымирать completely.

Deforestation also contributescontribute (verb)Plays a part in causing something.Synonym: adds to🇺🇿UZ: hissa qo'shadi🇷🇺RU: способствует to climate changeclimate change (noun)Long-term changes in Earth's climate patterns.Synonym: global warming🇺🇿UZ: iqlim o'zgarishi🇷🇺RU: изменение климата. Trees absorbabsorb (verb)To take in a substance gradually.Synonym: take in🇺🇿UZ: yutmoq🇷🇺RU: поглощать carbon dioxidecarbon dioxide (noun)A gas produced by burning and breathing, a cause of warming.Synonym: CO2🇺🇿UZ: uglerod dioksidi🇷🇺RU: углекислый газ, a gas that causes global warmingglobal warming (noun)The gradual rise in Earth's average temperature.Synonym: climate warming🇺🇿UZ: global isish🇷🇺RU: глобальное потепление. When trees are cut down, they can no longer take in carbon dioxide. In addition, when trees are burned or left to rotrot (verb)To decay naturally.Synonym: decompose🇺🇿UZ: chirimoq🇷🇺RU: гнить, they releaserelease (verb)To let out or send out something.Synonym: emit🇺🇿UZ: chiqarmoq🇷🇺RU: выделять carboncarbon (noun)A chemical element present in all living things.Synonym: carbon element🇺🇿UZ: uglerod🇷🇺RU: углерод into the atmosphere. This adds to the greenhouse gasesgreenhouse gases (noun)Gases that trap heat in Earth's atmosphere.Synonym: warming gases🇺🇿UZ: issiqxona gazlari🇷🇺RU: парниковые газы that are heating up the planet.

Forests also play a key role in protecting the soilsoil (noun)The top layer of earth in which plants grow.Synonym: earth🇺🇿UZ: tuproq🇷🇺RU: почва. Their rootsroot (noun)The parts of a plant that grow underground.Synonym: plant base🇺🇿UZ: ildizlar🇷🇺RU: корни hold the ground together and help prevent erosionerosion (noun)The gradual wearing away of soil or rock.Synonym: wearing away🇺🇿UZ: eroziya🇷🇺RU: эрозия. Without trees, the soil can wash away in heavy rains, which can lead to floodsflood (noun)Overflows of water onto normally dry land.Synonym: inundations🇺🇿UZ: toshqinlar🇷🇺RU: наводнения and landslideslandslide (noun)Masses of earth or rock sliding down a slope.Synonym: rockslides🇺🇿UZ: ko'chkilar🇷🇺RU: оползни.

There are ways to reduce deforestation. Governments can pass lawslaw (noun)Official rules made by a government.Synonym: legislation🇺🇿UZ: qonunlar🇷🇺RU: законы to protect forests. Companies can choose to use wood and paper from sustainablesustainable (adj)Able to continue over time without harming resources.Synonym: renewable🇺🇿UZ: barqaror🇷🇺RU: устойчивый sources. Individualsindividual (noun)Single people, as opposed to groups.Synonym: single people🇺🇿UZ: shaxslar🇷🇺RU: отдельные лица can help by using less paper, recycling, and supporting products that do not harm forests.

In conclusion, deforestation is a problem that affects us all. By working together, we can find solutionssolution (noun)Ways of solving a problem.Synonym: answers🇺🇿UZ: yechimlar🇷🇺RU: решения that protect forests and the many benefits they provide.

◆ Micro-task Write what this text is mainly about.

Check Your Understanding — True / False