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Day 50 · Environment & Planet · B2 Level

Urban Farming: Growing Food in the City

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

As cities around the world continue to expandexpand (verb)To become larger.≈ Synonym: grow🇺🇿UZ: kengaymoq, o'smoq🇷🇺RU: расширяться, an unexpectedunexpected (adj)Not anticipated; surprising.≈ Synonym: surprising🇺🇿UZ: kutilmagan🇷🇺RU: неожиданный trend has begun to take roottake root (phrase)To become established.≈ Synonym: become established🇺🇿UZ: ildiz otmoq, o'rnashmoq🇷🇺RU: укореняться within them: farming. Urban farmingurban farming (noun)The practice of growing food within a city.≈ Synonym: city agriculture🇺🇿UZ: shahar dehqonchiligi🇷🇺RU: городское фермерство refers to the practice of growing food within city boundariesboundary (noun)Lines marking the limits of an area.≈ Synonym: limits🇺🇿UZ: chegara🇷🇺RU: граница, using spaces such as rooftops, vacantvacant (adj)Not occupied or in use.≈ Synonym: empty🇺🇿UZ: bo'sh, egasiz🇷🇺RU: пустующий, свободный lotslot (noun)An area of land, often empty.≈ Synonym: plot🇺🇿UZ: yer uchastkasi🇷🇺RU: участок (земли), community gardens, and even convertedconvert (verb)Changed the form or use of something.≈ Synonym: transformed🇺🇿UZ: aylantirmoq, qayta jihozlamoq🇷🇺RU: переоборудовать shipping containerscontainer (noun)Large boxes used for transporting goods, sometimes reused.≈ Synonym: boxes🇺🇿UZ: konteyner, idish🇷🇺RU: контейнер. Once seen as nicheniche (adj)Relating to a small, specialised area of interest.≈ Synonym: specialised🇺🇿UZ: tor doiradagi🇷🇺RU: нишевый, узкоспециальный or purely symbolicsymbolic (adj)Representing an idea rather than being practically significant.≈ Synonym: representative🇺🇿UZ: ramziy🇷🇺RU: символический, urban farming is increasingly viewed as a serious part of the solution to feeding growing city populations.

One major advantageadvantage (noun)A beneficial feature of something.≈ Synonym: benefit🇺🇿UZ: afzallik🇷🇺RU: преимущество of urban farming is proximityproximity (noun)Nearness in space or time.≈ Synonym: closeness🇺🇿UZ: yaqinlik🇷🇺RU: близость. Food grown within or near a city can reach consumers much more quickly than produce shippedship (verb)Transported goods, especially over distance.≈ Synonym: transported🇺🇿UZ: jo'natmoq, tashimoq🇷🇺RU: отправлять, перевозить from distant ruralrural (adj)Relating to the countryside.≈ Synonym: countryside-related🇺🇿UZ: qishloqqa oid🇷🇺RU: сельский areas, reducing both transporttransport (noun)The means of moving goods or people.≈ Synonym: transportation🇺🇿UZ: transport🇷🇺RU: транспорт costs and the emissions associated with long-distance food deliverydelivery (noun)The act of bringing goods to a destination.≈ Synonym: shipment🇺🇿UZ: yetkazib berish🇷🇺RU: доставка. This also means fruits and vegetables can be harvestedharvest (verb)To collect crops from the fields.≈ Synonym: gather🇺🇿UZ: hosil yig'moq🇷🇺RU: собирать урожай closer to their peakpeak (noun)The highest or best point.≈ Synonym: top🇺🇿UZ: cho'qqi, eng yuqori nuqta🇷🇺RU: пик ripenessripeness (noun)Being ready to eat (of fruit).🇺🇿UZ: pishganlik🇷🇺RU: спелость, often resulting in fresher, more nutritiousnutritious (adj)Containing substances the body needs to be healthy.≈ Synonym: nourishing🇺🇿UZ: to'yimli🇷🇺RU: питательный produce.

Urban farming takes many different formsform (noun)Different types or varieties of something.≈ Synonym: types🇺🇿UZ: shakl, ko'rinish🇷🇺RU: форма, вид. Some projects are small-scale community gardens run largely by volunteersvolunteer (noun)A person who works without pay to help others.🇺🇿UZ: ko'ngilli🇷🇺RU: волонтёр, providing fresh produce and a shared green space for local residents. Others are highly technical operations, using methods such as hydroponicshydroponics (noun)Growing plants in water rather than soil.≈ Synonym: soil-free growing🇺🇿UZ: gidroponika (tuproqsiz o'stirish)🇷🇺RU: гидропоника — growing plants in nutrient-rich water without soil — or vertical farmingvertical farming (noun)Growing crops in stacked layers to save space.≈ Synonym: stacked crop growing🇺🇿UZ: vertikal dehqonchilik🇷🇺RU: вертикальное земледелие, which stacksstack (verb)To put things one on top of another.≈ Synonym: pile🇺🇿UZ: taxlamoq, ustma-ust qo'ymoq🇷🇺RU: складывать стопкой growing layers on top of each other to maximisemaximise (verb)To make something as large as possible.≈ Synonym: increase🇺🇿UZ: maksimal darajaga yetkazmoq🇷🇺RU: максимально увеличивать limited spacespace (noun)An amount of available area.≈ Synonym: room🇺🇿UZ: joy, makon🇷🇺RU: место, пространство inside buildings.

Beyond food production itself, urban farms often provide wider socialsocial (adj)Relating to society and interaction with others.≈ Synonym: societal🇺🇿UZ: ijtimoiy🇷🇺RU: социальный and environmentalenvironmental (adj)Relating to the natural world.≈ Synonym: ecological🇺🇿UZ: ekologik🇷🇺RU: экологический benefits. They can transform unused or neglectedneglected (adj)Not given proper care or attention.≈ Synonym: abandoned🇺🇿UZ: qarovsiz, tashlab qo'yilgan🇷🇺RU: заброшенный land into productive, attractive spaces, while also helping to cool surrounding areas, support local pollinatorspollinator (noun)Animals that carry pollen between flowers.≈ Synonym: pollinating insects🇺🇿UZ: changlatuvchi🇷🇺RU: опылитель, and improve air qualityquality (noun)The standard of something as measured against others.≈ Synonym: standard🇺🇿UZ: sifat🇷🇺RU: качество. Community garden projects in particular have been linked to stronger neighbourhood connections, since they give neighbours a shared reason to work and spend time together.

Despite these benefits, urban farming faces real limitationslimitation (noun)Restrictions on what something can achieve.≈ Synonym: constraints🇺🇿UZ: cheklov🇷🇺RU: ограничение. Land in cities is often expensiveexpensive (adj)Costing a lot of money.≈ Synonym: costly🇺🇿UZ: qimmat🇷🇺RU: дорогой and in high demand for housing or commercialcommercial (adj)Connected with buying and selling.≈ Synonym: business🇺🇿UZ: tijoriy🇷🇺RU: коммерческий development, and not every crop suits an urban environment. Water access, soil contaminationcontamination (noun)The presence of an unwanted, harmful substance.≈ Synonym: pollution🇺🇿UZ: ifloslanish, zaharlanish🇷🇺RU: загрязнение from previous industrial use, and limited natural sunlight in densedense (adj)Having many people or things close together.≈ Synonym: crowded🇺🇿UZ: zich🇷🇺RU: плотный, густой areas can all present significant challenges. Even so, as cities search for ways to become more resilientresilient (adj)Able to recover quickly from difficulties.≈ Synonym: adaptable🇺🇿UZ: chidamli, tez tiklanadigan🇷🇺RU: устойчивый, жизнестойкий and self-sufficientself-sufficient (adj)Able to provide everything you need yourself.≈ Synonym: independent🇺🇿UZ: o'zini o'zi ta'minlaydigan🇷🇺RU: самодостаточный, urban farming looks set to remain a growing part of how we think about feeding the world.

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      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
      expandverb
      kengaymoq, o'smoqрасширятьсяThe company plans to expand into Kazakhstan.
      2
      unexpectedadjective
      kutilmaganнеожиданныйWe had unexpected guests last night.
      3
      take rootphrase
      ildiz otmoq, o'rnashmoqукоренятьсяThe idea of recycling has finally taken root.
      4
      urban farmingnoun
      shahar dehqonchiligiгородское фермерствоUrban farming is becoming popular in big cities.
      5
      boundarynoun
      chegaraграницаThe river marks the boundary of the city.
      6
      vacantadjective
      bo'sh, egasizпустующий, свободныйThere's a vacant seat next to me.
      7
      lotnoun
      yer uchastkasiучасток (земли)They built a playground on the empty lot.
      8
      convertverb
      aylantirmoq, qayta jihozlamoqпереоборудоватьThey converted the old factory into flats.
      9
      containernoun
      konteyner, idishконтейнерKeep the food in an airtight container.
      10
      nicheadjective
      tor doiradagiнишевый, узкоспециальныйIt's a niche market for a small group of buyers.
      11
      symbolicadjective
      ramziyсимволическийThe gift was small but symbolic.
      12
      advantagenoun
      afzallikпреимуществоBeing tall is an advantage in basketball.
      13
      proximitynoun
      yaqinlikблизостьThe hotel's proximity to the beach makes it popular.
      14
      shipverb
      jo'natmoq, tashimoqотправлять, перевозитьThe fruit is shipped to Russia by train.
      15
      ruraladjective
      qishloqqa oidсельскийLife in rural areas is quieter.
      16
      transportnoun
      transportтранспортTransport costs make food more expensive.
      17
      deliverynoun
      yetkazib berishдоставкаFree delivery on orders over 200,000 sum.
      18
      harvestverb
      hosil yig'moqсобирать урожайCotton is harvested in September.
      19
      peaknoun
      cho'qqi, eng yuqori nuqtaпикSummer is the peak season for tourism.
      20
      ripenessnoun
      pishganlikспелостьCheck the ripeness of the melon by smelling it.
      21
      nutritiousadjective
      to'yimliпитательныйFresh vegetables are nutritious and cheap.
      22
      formnoun
      shakl, ko'rinishформа, видExercise can take many forms, from dancing to swimming.
      23
      volunteernoun
      ko'ngilliволонтёрVolunteers cleaned the park on Saturday.
      24
      hydroponicsnoun
      gidroponika (tuproqsiz o'stirish)гидропоникаThese tomatoes are grown using hydroponics.
      25
      vertical farmingnoun
      vertikal dehqonchilikвертикальное земледелиеVertical farming uses very little land.
      26
      stackverb
      taxlamoq, ustma-ust qo'ymoqскладывать стопкойShe stacked the plates in the cupboard.
      27
      maximiseverb
      maksimal darajaga yetkazmoqмаксимально увеличиватьWe need to maximise our profits.
      28
      spacenoun
      joy, makonместо, пространствоThere isn't enough space in the car for all our bags.
      29
      socialadjective
      ijtimoiyсоциальныйVolunteering has many social benefits.
      30
      environmentaladjective
      ekologikэкологическийPlastic waste is an environmental disaster.
      31
      neglectedadjective
      qarovsiz, tashlab qo'yilganзаброшенныйThe neglected garden was full of weeds.
      32
      pollinatornoun
      changlatuvchiопылительBees and butterflies are pollinators.
      33
      qualitynoun
      sifatкачествоTrees improve air quality in cities.
      34
      limitationnoun
      cheklovограничениеEvery plan has its limitations.
      35
      expensiveadjective
      qimmatдорогойFlats in the city centre are very expensive.
      36
      commercialadjective
      tijoriyкоммерческийThe ground floor is used for commercial purposes.
      37
      contaminationnoun
      ifloslanish, zaharlanishзагрязнениеThe water was tested for contamination.
      38
      denseadjective
      zichплотный, густойThe forest is very dense.
      39
      resilientadjective
      chidamli, tez tiklanadiganустойчивый, жизнестойкийChildren are often more resilient than adults.
      40
      self-sufficientadjective
      o'zini o'zi ta'minlaydiganсамодостаточныйThe village is almost self-sufficient in food.