Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage
Any word, any time — right from this page.
The Silk Road was not a single road, but a huge networknetwork (noun)A group of interconnected paths or systems.≈ Synonym: system🇺🇿UZ: tarmoq🇷🇺RU: сеть of trade routestrade route (noun)Paths used to transport goods for trade.≈ Synonym: commercial paths🇺🇿UZ: savdo yo'li🇷🇺RU: торговый путь that connected China to Europe, passing throughpass through (phrasal verb)To go through a place without stopping for long.≈ Synonym: travel through🇺🇿UZ: orqali o'tmoq🇷🇺RU: проезжать через Central Asia, Persia, and the Middle East. For more than 1,500 years, merchantsmerchant (noun)People who buy and sell goods for profit.≈ Synonym: traders🇺🇿UZ: savdogar, tojir🇷🇺RU: купец, торговец used these routes to carrycarry (verb)To take something from one place to another.≈ Synonym: transport🇺🇿UZ: tashimoq, olib yurmoq🇷🇺RU: перевозить, нести goods, ideas, and culturesculture (noun)The customs and beliefs of particular societies.≈ Synonym: civilisations🇺🇿UZ: madaniyat🇷🇺RU: культура between distant civilisationscivilisation (noun)Complex societies with developed cultures.≈ Synonym: societies🇺🇿UZ: sivilizatsiya, tamaddun🇷🇺RU: цивилизация that would otherwiseotherwise (adv)In a different situation; if not.≈ Synonym: or else🇺🇿UZ: aks holda🇷🇺RU: иначе never have made contactcontact (noun)Communication or connection with someone.≈ Synonym: connection🇺🇿UZ: aloqa🇷🇺RU: контакт.
The route gets its name from one of its most valuable goods: silk. Chinese producersproducer (noun)People or groups that make goods.≈ Synonym: makers🇺🇿UZ: ishlab chiqaruvchi🇷🇺RU: производитель kept the processprocess (noun)A series of actions to achieve a result.≈ Synonym: method🇺🇿UZ: jarayon🇷🇺RU: процесс of making silk a closely guardedclosely guarded (phr)Kept very secret or protected.≈ Synonym: well-kept🇺🇿UZ: qattiq sir saqlangan🇷🇺RU: тщательно охраняемый secretsecret (noun)Information kept hidden from others.≈ Synonym: hidden knowledge🇺🇿UZ: sir🇷🇺RU: секрет for centuries, which made the fabricfabric (noun)Cloth used for making clothes.≈ Synonym: cloth🇺🇿UZ: mato🇷🇺RU: ткань extremely valuablevaluable (adj)Worth a great deal of money.≈ Synonym: precious🇺🇿UZ: qimmatbaho🇷🇺RU: ценный in Europe and the Middle East. In exchangeexchange (noun)The act of giving and receiving things mutually.≈ Synonym: swap🇺🇿UZ: almashuv; evaziga🇷🇺RU: обмен; взамен, traderstrader (noun)A person who buys and sells goods.≈ Synonym: merchant🇺🇿UZ: savdogar🇷🇺RU: торговец brought back preciousprecious (adj)Of great value; rare.≈ Synonym: valuable🇺🇿UZ: qimmatbaho, nodir🇷🇺RU: драгоценный stones, glass, spices, and horseshorse (noun)Large animals used for riding and transport.≈ Synonym: steeds🇺🇿UZ: ot🇷🇺RU: лошадь from other regions.
But the Silk Road carried far more than physicalphysical (adj)Relating to the body or material things.≈ Synonym: material🇺🇿UZ: moddiy, jismoniy🇷🇺RU: материальный, физический goods. Along these routes, religionsreligion (noun)Systems of belief in a god or gods.≈ Synonym: faiths🇺🇿UZ: din🇷🇺RU: религия such as Buddhism and Islam spread to new regions, and inventionsinvention (noun)Things created or designed for the first time.≈ Synonym: creations🇺🇿UZ: ixtiro🇷🇺RU: изобретение like papermaking and gunpowder travelled from China to the rest of the world. Languageslanguage (noun)Systems of communication used by people.≈ Synonym: tongues🇺🇿UZ: til🇷🇺RU: язык, artart (noun)The expression of creative skill and imagination.≈ Synonym: creative work🇺🇿UZ: san'at🇷🇺RU: искусство styles, and scientificscientific (adj)Relating to science.≈ Synonym: technical🇺🇿UZ: ilmiy🇷🇺RU: научный knowledge also passed between cultures, making the Silk Road one of history's greatest enginesengine (noun)Things that drive or power a process.≈ Synonym: drivers🇺🇿UZ: harakatlantiruvchi kuch; dvigatel🇷🇺RU: двигатель, движущая сила of culturalcultural (adj)Relating to the arts and customs of a society.≈ Synonym: artistic🇺🇿UZ: madaniy🇷🇺RU: культурный exchange.
Travelling the Silk Road was far from easy. Merchants faced harshharsh (adj)Very difficult or unpleasant.≈ Synonym: severe🇺🇿UZ: og'ir, qattiq🇷🇺RU: суровый desertsdesert (noun)Large areas of dry, sandy land.≈ Synonym: arid regions🇺🇿UZ: cho'l, sahro🇷🇺RU: пустыня, tall mountain rangesmountain range (noun)Series of connected mountains.≈ Synonym: mountain chains🇺🇿UZ: tog' tizmasi🇷🇺RU: горный хребет, and the constantconstant (adj)Happening all the time.≈ Synonym: continuous🇺🇿UZ: doimiy🇷🇺RU: постоянный riskrisk (noun)The possibility of something harmful happening.≈ Synonym: danger🇺🇿UZ: xavf🇷🇺RU: риск of banditsbandit (noun)Robbers, especially in wild or remote areas.≈ Synonym: robbers🇺🇿UZ: qaroqchi, bosqinchi🇷🇺RU: разбойник. Because of these dangers, few traders travelled the entire route themselves. Instead, goods were usually passed from one group of merchants to the next, changing hands many times before reaching their final destinationdestination (noun)The place to which someone travels.≈ Synonym: endpoint🇺🇿UZ: manzil🇷🇺RU: пункт назначения.
The Silk Road began to declinedecline (verb)To become less or weaker.≈ Synonym: decrease🇺🇿UZ: pasaymoq, so'nmoq🇷🇺RU: приходить в упадок, снижаться in importance after the 15th century, as sea routes became fasterfast (adj)Moving or happening quickly; quicker.≈ Synonym: quicker🇺🇿UZ: tez🇷🇺RU: быстрый and safer for moving large amounts of goods. However, its legacylegacy (noun)Something handed down from the past.≈ Synonym: inheritance🇺🇿UZ: meros🇷🇺RU: наследие remains enormous. Today, historians see the Silk Road as an early example of globalisationglobalisation (noun)The process by which the world becomes interconnected.≈ Synonym: global integration🇺🇿UZ: globallashuv🇷🇺RU: глобализация — proofproof (noun)Facts that show something is true.≈ Synonym: evidence🇺🇿UZ: isbot, dalil🇷🇺RU: доказательство that even in the ancient world, distant peoples were far more connectedconnected (adj)Joined or linked together.≈ Synonym: linked🇺🇿UZ: bog'langan🇷🇺RU: связанный than we might imagine.
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 | networknoun | tarmoq | сеть | The city has a good network of buses and metro lines. |
| 2 | trade routenoun | savdo yo'li | торговый путь | Bukhara grew rich because it was on major trade routes. |
| 3 | pass throughphrasal verb | orqali o'tmoq | проезжать через | We passed through Jizzakh on the way to Samarkand. |
| 4 | merchantnoun | savdogar, tojir | купец, торговец | Merchants sold silk and spices at the bazaar. |
| 5 | carryverb | tashimoq, olib yurmoq | перевозить, нести | Camels can carry heavy loads across the desert. |
| 6 | culturenoun | madaniyat | культура | Tashkent is a city where many cultures meet. |
| 7 | civilisationnoun | sivilizatsiya, tamaddun | цивилизация | Ancient Egypt was one of the first great civilisations. |
| 8 | otherwiseadverb | aks holda | иначе | Write it down; otherwise you'll forget. |
| 9 | contactnoun | aloqa | контакт | I lost contact with my school friends. |
| 10 | producernoun | ishlab chiqaruvchi | производитель | China is the world's biggest producer of silk. |
| 11 | processnoun | jarayon | процесс | Applying for a visa is a long process. |
| 12 | closely guardedphrase | qattiq sir saqlangan | тщательно охраняемый | The recipe is a closely guarded family secret. |
| 13 | secretnoun | sir | секрет | Can you keep a secret? |
| 14 | fabricnoun | mato | ткань | Adras is a traditional Uzbek fabric. |
| 15 | valuableadjective | qimmatbaho | ценный | This old carpet is very valuable. |
| 16 | exchangenoun | almashuv; evaziga | обмен; взамен | I gave him my book in exchange for his. |
| 17 | tradernoun | savdogar | торговец | Traders from India came to Samarkand. |
| 18 | preciousadjective | qimmatbaho, nodir | драгоценный | Gold and silver are precious metals. |
| 19 | horsenoun | ot | лошадь | Central Asia has a long history of breeding horses. |
| 20 | physicaladjective | moddiy, jismoniy | материальный, физический | Do you prefer physical books or e-books? |
| 21 | religionnoun | din | религия | Islam is the main religion in Uzbekistan. |
| 22 | inventionnoun | ixtiro | изобретение | Paper was a Chinese invention. |
| 23 | languagenoun | til | язык | How many languages do you speak? |
| 24 | artnoun | san'at | искусство | The museum has a fine collection of Islamic art. |
| 25 | scientificadjective | ilmiy | научный | Ulugbek made important scientific discoveries. |
| 26 | enginenoun | harakatlantiruvchi kuch; dvigatel | двигатель, движущая сила | Small businesses are the engine of the economy. |
| 27 | culturaladjective | madaniy | культурный | Navruz is an important cultural event. |
| 28 | harshadjective | og'ir, qattiq | суровый | The winters here are long and harsh. |
| 29 | desertnoun | cho'l, sahro | пустыня | The Kyzylkum is a huge desert. |
| 30 | mountain rangenoun | tog' tizmasi | горный хребет | The Tian Shan is a long mountain range. |
| 31 | constantadjective | doimiy | постоянный | The constant noise from the road kept me awake. |
| 32 | risknoun | xavf | риск | Smoking increases the risk of cancer. |
| 33 | banditnoun | qaroqchi, bosqinchi | разбойник | The caravan was attacked by bandits. |
| 34 | destinationnoun | manzil | пункт назначения | Our final destination was Khiva. |
| 35 | declineverb | pasaymoq, so'nmoq | приходить в упадок, снижаться | The number of smokers has declined. |
| 36 | fastadjective | tez | быстрый | Planes are faster than trains. |
| 37 | legacynoun | meros | наследие | The Timurids left a rich architectural legacy. |
| 38 | globalisationnoun | globallashuv | глобализация | Globalisation has made the world feel smaller. |
| 39 | proofnoun | isbot, dalil | доказательство | Do you have any proof of your address? |
| 40 | connectedadjective | bog'langan | связанный | Everything in nature is connected. |