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Day 43 · Health & Medicine · B2 Level

Understanding Food Allergies

Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage

⏱ Time target: 5-6 minutes 📖 Reading + Vocabulary ✅ 10 True / False questions
How to use this page: Highlighted words are key vocabulary. On a computer, hover your mouse over a highlighted word — on phone or tablet, tap the word — to see its English definition, a synonym, and its Uzbek 🇺🇿 and Russian 🇷🇺 meaning. Tap 🇬🇧 UK or 🇺🇸 US to hear it pronounced in either accent.
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Reading Passage

A food allergyallergy (noun)A harmful immune reaction to a normally harmless substance.≈ Synonym: hypersensitivity🇺🇿UZ: allergiya🇷🇺RU: аллергия occursoccur (verb)Happens or takes place.≈ Synonym: happens🇺🇿UZ: sodir bo'lmoq🇷🇺RU: происходить when the body's immune systemimmune system (noun)The body's defence system against disease.≈ Synonym: body's defences🇺🇿UZ: immunitet tizimi🇷🇺RU: иммунная система mistakenlymistakenly (adverb)In a way that is incorrect due to an error.≈ Synonym: incorrectly🇺🇿UZ: xato bilan, adashib🇷🇺RU: ошибочно identifiesidentify (verb)To recognise what something is.≈ Synonym: recognise🇺🇿UZ: aniqlamoq, tanimoq🇷🇺RU: определять, распознавать a harmlessharmless (adj)Not able to cause damage or injury.≈ Synonym: safe🇺🇿UZ: zararsiz🇷🇺RU: безвредный food as a threatthreat (noun)Something perceived as dangerous.≈ Synonym: danger🇺🇿UZ: tahdid🇷🇺RU: угроза and reacts as though it were dangerous. This reactionreaction (noun)A response to a stimulus, such as a substance.≈ Synonym: response🇺🇿UZ: reaksiya🇷🇺RU: реакция can range from mild symptomssymptom (noun)Signs indicating the presence of a condition.≈ Synonym: signs🇺🇿UZ: belgi, alomat🇷🇺RU: симптом, such as an itchyitchy (adj)Making you want to scratch your skin.🇺🇿UZ: qichishadigan🇷🇺RU: зудящий mouth or mild rashrash (noun)An area of red, irritated skin.≈ Synonym: skin irritation🇺🇿UZ: toshma🇷🇺RU: сыпь, to a severesevere (adj)Very serious or bad.≈ Synonym: serious🇺🇿UZ: og'ir, jiddiy🇷🇺RU: тяжёлый, сильный and life-threateninglife-threatening (adj)Capable of causing death.≈ Synonym: fatal🇺🇿UZ: hayot uchun xavfli🇷🇺RU: опасный для жизни reaction called anaphylaxisanaphylaxis (noun)A severe, potentially fatal allergic reaction.≈ Synonym: severe allergic shock🇺🇿UZ: anafilaksiya (kuchli allergik shok)🇷🇺RU: анафилаксия, which can affect breathing and requires immediateimmediate (adj)Happening now, without delay.≈ Synonym: instant🇺🇿UZ: zudlik bilan, darhol🇷🇺RU: немедленный emergencyemergency (adj)Relating to a sudden, serious situation.≈ Synonym: urgent🇺🇿UZ: shoshilinch, favqulodda🇷🇺RU: экстренный treatment.

Some foods are far more likelylikely (adj)Probable; expected to happen.≈ Synonym: probable🇺🇿UZ: ehtimoli bor🇷🇺RU: вероятный to cause allergic reactions than others. In many countries, the most common triggerstrigger (noun)Things that cause a particular reaction.≈ Synonym: causes🇺🇿UZ: qo'zg'atuvchi omil🇷🇺RU: провоцирующий фактор include peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, shellfishshellfish (noun)Sea creatures with a shell, such as crabs or mussels.≈ Synonym: crustaceans🇺🇿UZ: qisqichbaqasimonlar🇷🇺RU: моллюски, and wheat. Interestingly, ratesrate (noun)Measures of how often something occurs.≈ Synonym: frequencies🇺🇿UZ: darajasi, ko'rsatkich🇷🇺RU: уровень, показатель of food allergies have been rising in many parts of the world over recent decades, particularly among children, though scientists are still working to fully understand why this increaseincrease (noun)A rise in amount or level.≈ Synonym: rise🇺🇿UZ: o'sish🇷🇺RU: рост is happening.

Diagnosingdiagnose (verb)To find out what illness someone has.≈ Synonym: identify🇺🇿UZ: tashxis qo'ymoq🇷🇺RU: ставить диагноз a food allergy usually involves a combination of a detailed medical historyhistory (noun)A record of past events, e.g. relating to health.≈ Synonym: record🇺🇿UZ: kasallik tarixi (tibbiy)🇷🇺RU: история болезни, анамнез, skin-prickskin-prick test (noun)A test that checks for allergic reactions on the skin.≈ Synonym: allergy skin test🇺🇿UZ: teriga igna bilan allergiya sinovi🇷🇺RU: кожная проба (скарификационный тест) tests, and sometimes blood tests that measure the immune system's response to specific foods. In some cases, doctors may also carry out a supervisedsupervised (adj)Watched by someone responsible.≈ Synonym: monitored🇺🇿UZ: nazorat ostidagi🇷🇺RU: под наблюдением food challengechallenge (noun)A supervised test where a patient eats a suspected allergen.≈ Synonym: supervised food test🇺🇿UZ: (tibbiy) nazorat ostidagi sinov🇷🇺RU: провокационная проба, where a patient eats small, carefully controlled amounts of a suspectedsuspected (adj)Believed to be something, but not proved.≈ Synonym: possible🇺🇿UZ: gumon qilingan🇷🇺RU: предполагаемый allergenallergen (noun)A substance that causes an allergy.🇺🇿UZ: allergen🇷🇺RU: аллерген under close medical observationobservation (noun)The action of closely watching something.≈ Synonym: monitoring🇺🇿UZ: kuzatuv🇷🇺RU: наблюдение.

Currently, there is no curecure (noun)A treatment that completely resolves an illness.≈ Synonym: remedy🇺🇿UZ: davo🇷🇺RU: лекарство (излечение) for food allergies, so the main approach to management is strict avoidanceavoidance (noun)The act of staying away from something.≈ Synonym: steering clear🇺🇿UZ: chetlab o'tish, qochish🇷🇺RU: избегание of the trigger food. This can be more difficult than it sounds, since allergens are sometimes present in unexpected products or introduced through cross-contamination during food preparationpreparation (noun)The process of making something ready.≈ Synonym: readying🇺🇿UZ: tayyorlash🇷🇺RU: приготовление. People with severe allergies often carry emergency medicationmedication (noun)Medicine used to treat illness.≈ Synonym: medicine🇺🇿UZ: dori🇷🇺RU: лекарство, such as an adrenalineadrenaline (noun)A hormone used as emergency medicine for severe reactions.≈ Synonym: epinephrine🇺🇿UZ: adrenalin🇷🇺RU: адреналин injector, in case of accidental exposureexposure (noun)Being in contact with something harmful.≈ Synonym: contact🇺🇿UZ: ta'sirga uchrash🇷🇺RU: воздействие, контакт.

Living with a food allergy affects far more than mealtimes. It can influence socialsocial (adj)Relating to activities with other people.≈ Synonym: communal🇺🇿UZ: ijtimoiy🇷🇺RU: социальный situations, travel, and school or workplace life, requiring constant awareness and careful planningplanning (noun)The process of deciding how to do something in advance.≈ Synonym: organising🇺🇿UZ: rejalashtirish🇷🇺RU: планирование. Fortunately, growing public awareness, clearer food labellinglabelling (noun)The information printed on product packaging.≈ Synonym: packaging information🇺🇿UZ: yorliqlash, tamg'alash🇷🇺RU: маркировка laws, and ongoing medical research into potential treatments are gradually making life somewhat easier and safer for people managing this often invisibleinvisible (adj)Not able to be seen.≈ Synonym: unseen🇺🇿UZ: ko'rinmas🇷🇺RU: невидимый but serious conditioncondition (noun)A state of health, whether good or bad.≈ Synonym: ailment🇺🇿UZ: kasallik, holat🇷🇺RU: заболевание, состояние.

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      Check Your Understanding — True / False

      Word List — 40 words

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      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
      allergynoun
      allergiyaаллергияI have an allergy to cats.
      2
      occurverb
      sodir bo'lmoqпроисходитьThe reaction usually occurs within minutes.
      3
      immune systemnoun
      immunitet tizimiиммунная системаStress can weaken your immune system.
      4
      mistakenlyadverb
      xato bilan, adashibошибочноI mistakenly sent the message to my boss.
      5
      identifyverb
      aniqlamoq, tanimoqопределять, распознаватьThe app identifies plants from a photo.
      6
      harmlessadjective
      zararsizбезвредныйMost spiders are harmless.
      7
      threatnoun
      tahdidугрозаThe body sees the food as a threat.
      8
      reactionnoun
      reaksiyaреакцияShe had a bad reaction to the medicine.
      9
      symptomnoun
      belgi, alomatсимптомFever is a common symptom of flu.
      10
      itchyadjective
      qichishadiganзудящийMosquito bites are very itchy.
      11
      rashnoun
      toshmaсыпьHe got a red rash after eating strawberries.
      12
      severeadjective
      og'ir, jiddiyтяжёлый, сильныйHe has severe back pain.
      13
      life-threateningadjective
      hayot uchun xavfliопасный для жизниA peanut allergy can be life-threatening.
      14
      anaphylaxisnoun
      anafilaksiya (kuchli allergik shok)анафилаксияAnaphylaxis needs emergency treatment.
      15
      immediateadjective
      zudlik bilan, darholнемедленныйThe problem needs immediate action.
      16
      emergencyadjective
      shoshilinch, favquloddaэкстренныйHe was taken to the emergency room.
      17
      likelyadjective
      ehtimoli borвероятныйChildren are more likely to have food allergies.
      18
      triggernoun
      qo'zg'atuvchi omilпровоцирующий факторDust is a common trigger for asthma.
      19
      shellfishnoun
      qisqichbaqasimonlarмоллюскиPrawns and crabs are types of shellfish.
      20
      ratenoun
      darajasi, ko'rsatkichуровень, показательRates of obesity are rising.
      21
      increasenoun
      o'sishростThere has been an increase in prices.
      22
      diagnoseverb
      tashxis qo'ymoqставить диагнозThe doctor diagnosed a broken arm.
      23
      historynoun
      kasallik tarixi (tibbiy)история болезни, анамнезThe doctor asked about my medical history.
      24
      skin-prick testnoun
      teriga igna bilan allergiya sinoviкожная проба (скарификационный тест)A skin-prick test showed she was allergic to nuts.
      25
      supervisedadjective
      nazorat ostidagiпод наблюдениемChildren can swim only in supervised areas.
      26
      challengenoun
      (tibbiy) nazorat ostidagi sinovпровокационная пробаThe doctor did a food challenge to check the allergy.
      27
      suspectedadjective
      gumon qilinganпредполагаемыйHe was taken to hospital with a suspected heart attack.
      28
      allergennoun
      allergenаллергенPollen is a common allergen.
      29
      observationnoun
      kuzatuvнаблюдениеThe patient stayed in hospital for observation.
      30
      curenoun
      davoлекарство (излечение)There is no cure for the common cold.
      31
      avoidancenoun
      chetlab o'tish, qochishизбеганиеAvoidance of sugar helped him lose weight.
      32
      preparationnoun
      tayyorlashприготовлениеFood preparation takes a long time in Uzbek kitchens.
      33
      medicationnoun
      doriлекарствоKeep all medication away from children.
      34
      adrenalinenoun
      adrenalinадреналинAdrenaline gives you energy when you're scared.
      35
      exposurenoun
      ta'sirga uchrashвоздействие, контактLong exposure to the sun can damage your skin.
      36
      socialadjective
      ijtimoiyсоциальныйA party is a social event.
      37
      planningnoun
      rejalashtirishпланированиеThe trip needs careful planning.
      38
      labellingnoun
      yorliqlash, tamg'alashмаркировкаClear food labelling helps people with allergies.
      39
      invisibleadjective
      ko'rinmasневидимыйSome illnesses are invisible to other people.
      40
      conditionnoun
      kasallik, holatзаболевание, состояниеDiabetes is a serious condition.