Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage
Any word, any time — right from this page.
Stretchingstretch (verb)Extending over a distance.≈ Synonym: extending🇺🇿UZ: cho'zilib🇷🇺RU: простираясь for thousands of kilometreskilometre (noun)A unit of distance equal to 1,000 metres.≈ Synonym: km🇺🇿UZ: kilometrlar🇷🇺RU: километры across northern China, the Great Wall is one of the most recognisablerecognisable (adj)Easily identified.≈ Synonym: identifiable🇺🇿UZ: tanib olinadigan🇷🇺RU: узнаваемый man-mademan-made (adj)Made by people, not occurring naturally.≈ Synonym: artificial🇺🇿UZ: sun'iy🇷🇺RU: искусственный structuresstructure (noun)Buildings or other large constructed objects.≈ Synonym: constructions🇺🇿UZ: inshootlar🇷🇺RU: сооружения on Earth. Despite its namename (noun)What a thing is called.≈ Synonym: title🇺🇿UZ: nom🇷🇺RU: название, the wall was never a single, continuouscontinuous (adj)Without interruption; unbroken.≈ Synonym: unbroken🇺🇿UZ: uzluksiz🇷🇺RU: непрерывный constructionconstruction (noun)The building of something.≈ Synonym: structure built🇺🇿UZ: qurilish🇷🇺RU: строение built at one timetime (noun)A particular point or period.≈ Synonym: occasion🇺🇿UZ: vaqt🇷🇺RU: время. Instead, it is better understood as a collectioncollection (noun)A group of things gathered together.≈ Synonym: group🇺🇿UZ: to'plam🇷🇺RU: совокупность of walls, fortificationsfortification (noun)Defensive structures built for protection.≈ Synonym: defensive walls🇺🇿UZ: istehkomlar🇷🇺RU: укрепления, and watchtowers built by different Chinese dynastiesdynasty (noun)Sequences of rulers from the same family.≈ Synonym: ruling families🇺🇿UZ: sulolalar🇷🇺RU: династии over more than two thousand years.
The earliest sections date back to the 7th century BCE, when separate states built individual defensivedefensive (adj)Intended to protect against attack.≈ Synonym: protective🇺🇿UZ: himoya🇷🇺RU: оборонительный walls to protect their territoryterritory (noun)An area of land under the control of a ruler or state.≈ Synonym: land🇺🇿UZ: hudud🇷🇺RU: территория from rival states and nomadicnomadic (adj)Moving from place to place, without a fixed home.≈ Synonym: wandering🇺🇿UZ: ko'chmanchi🇷🇺RU: кочевой groups to the north. These early walls were relatively simple, often made from compactedcompacted (adj)Pressed firmly together.≈ Synonym: pressed tight🇺🇿UZ: siqilgan🇷🇺RU: утрамбованный earth rather than stone. It was only later, particularly under the Qin dynasty around 221 BCE, that some of these separate walls began to be connectedconnect (verb)Joined together.≈ Synonym: linked🇺🇿UZ: bog'langan🇷🇺RU: соединены into a more unified defensive line.
The version of the wall most visitors recognise today, with its impressive stone and brickbrick (noun)A block of baked clay used in building.≈ Synonym: block🇺🇿UZ: g'isht🇷🇺RU: кирпич construction, was largely built during the Ming dynasty between the 14th and 17th centuries CE. Facing repeated threats from northernnorthern (adj)Situated in or coming from the north.≈ Synonym: situated in the north🇺🇿UZ: shimoliy🇷🇺RU: северный tribes, the Ming rulers invested heavily in rebuildingrebuild (verb)Constructing something again after damage.≈ Synonym: reconstructing🇺🇿UZ: qayta qurish🇷🇺RU: восстановление and strengtheningstrengthen (verb)Making something more solid or powerful.≈ Synonym: reinforcing🇺🇿UZ: mustahkamlash🇷🇺RU: укрепление the wall, adding watchtowers roughly every few hundred metres to allow soldiers to communicate quickly using smoke or fire signalssignal (noun)Gestures or sounds used to convey information.≈ Synonym: messages🇺🇿UZ: signallar🇷🇺RU: сигналы.
Despite its enormous scale, historians generally agree that the wall was only ever partiallypartially (adverb)To some extent; not completely.≈ Synonym: partly🇺🇿UZ: qisman🇷🇺RU: частично effective as a military defence. Determined invading forces sometimes found ways around, over, or through it, and in several notable cases, the wall's gates were simply openedopen (verb)Made accessible; unblocked.≈ Synonym: unlocked🇺🇿UZ: ochilgan🇷🇺RU: открыты by guards, whether through briberybribery (noun)The act of giving money to influence someone dishonestly.≈ Synonym: corruption🇺🇿UZ: poraxo'rlik🇷🇺RU: взяточничество or betrayal. Its role was arguably as much about controlling trade and movementmovement (noun)The act of moving from one place to another.≈ Synonym: motion🇺🇿UZ: harakat🇷🇺RU: передвижение along the border as about stopping large-scale invasion outright.
Today, the Great Wall attracts millions of touriststourist (noun)People travelling for pleasure.≈ Synonym: visitors🇺🇿UZ: sayyohlar🇷🇺RU: туристы every year and stands as a powerful symbolsymbol (noun)A thing that represents an idea or quality.≈ Synonym: emblem🇺🇿UZ: ramz🇷🇺RU: символ of Chinese history and engineering ambition. However, large sections have suffered from centuries of erosionerosion (noun)The gradual wearing away of soil or rock.≈ Synonym: wearing away🇺🇿UZ: eroziya🇷🇺RU: эрозия, weather damage, and, more recently, damage caused by visitors and nearby developmentdevelopment (noun)The process of land being built up or expanded.≈ Synonym: construction🇺🇿UZ: qurilish rivoji🇷🇺RU: застройка. Ongoing conservation efforts aim to protect what remains of this extraordinary structure for future generations to see.