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Day 5 · History & Culture · B1 Level

The History of Writing

Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage

⏱ Time target: 4-5 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

Writing is one of the most important inventionsinvention (noun)Things created or designed for the first time.≈ Synonym: creations🇺🇿UZ: ixtirolar🇷🇺RU: изобретения in humanhuman (adj)Relating to people.🇺🇿UZ: insoniy, inson🇷🇺RU: человеческий history. Before writing, people could only shareshare (verb)To give information or ideas to other people.≈ Synonym: pass on🇺🇿UZ: bo'lishmoq, ulashmoq🇷🇺RU: делиться ideas by speaking or using picturespicture (noun)A drawing, painting or photo.≈ Synonym: image🇺🇿UZ: rasm🇷🇺RU: картинка, рисунок. This workedwork (verb)To be successful; to have the result you want.≈ Synonym: succeed🇺🇿UZ: ish bermoq, natija bermoq🇷🇺RU: работать, срабатывать well for simple messages, but it was hard to remember everything. People needed a better way to recordrecord (verb)To write down information so it can be used or seen later.≈ Synonym: write down🇺🇿UZ: yozib qo'ymoq, qayd etmoq🇷🇺RU: записывать informationinformation (noun)Facts or details about something.≈ Synonym: facts🇺🇿UZ: ma'lumot🇷🇺RU: информация, and this is how writing beganbegin (verb)Started to exist or happen.≈ Synonym: started🇺🇿UZ: boshlandi🇷🇺RU: началось.

The first writing systemssystem (noun)Organized sets of methods or rules for doing something.≈ Synonym: methods🇺🇿UZ: tizimlar🇷🇺RU: системы appearedappear (verb)Came into existence or became visible for the first time.≈ Synonym: emerged🇺🇿UZ: paydo bo'ldi🇷🇺RU: появились over 5,000 years ago. One of the oldestold (adj)Existing for the longest amount of time.≈ Synonym: most ancient🇺🇿UZ: eng qadimgi🇷🇺RU: самый древний was used in ancientancient (adj)Belonging to a time very long ago.≈ Synonym: very old🇺🇿UZ: qadimiy🇷🇺RU: древний Mesopotamia, where people wrote on clay tabletsclay tabletFlat pieces of dried clay used for writing in ancient times.≈ Synonym: clay writing boards🇺🇿UZ: loydan yasalgan taxtachalar🇷🇺RU: глиняные таблички using a tooltool (noun)An object you hold and use to do a particular job.≈ Synonym: instrument🇺🇿UZ: asbob🇷🇺RU: инструмент called a stylusstylus (noun)A pointed tool used for writing or scratching marks onto a surface.≈ Synonym: writing tool🇺🇿UZ: yozuv tayoqchasi🇷🇺RU: стило. Their writing was made up of small marksmark (noun)Small lines, dots, or shapes made on a surface.≈ Synonym: symbols🇺🇿UZ: belgilar🇷🇺RU: знаки, отметки and shapes. Around the same time, the ancient Egyptians createdcreate (verb)To make something new.≈ Synonym: make🇺🇿UZ: yaratmoq🇷🇺RU: создавать hieroglyphicshieroglyphics (noun)A writing system that uses pictures and symbols, used in ancient Egypt.≈ Synonym: picture writing🇺🇿UZ: ierogliflar🇷🇺RU: иероглифы. These were pictures that showed objectsobject (noun)Things that can be seen and touched.≈ Synonym: things🇺🇿UZ: narsalar, buyumlar🇷🇺RU: предметы, ideas, or sounds.

Writing made it possiblepossible (adj)Able to happen, exist, or be done.≈ Synonym: achievable🇺🇿UZ: mumkin bo'lgan🇷🇺RU: возможный to keep recordsrecord (verb)To write down information so it can be used or seen later.≈ Synonym: write down🇺🇿UZ: yozib qo'ymoq, qayd etmoq🇷🇺RU: записывать of tradetrade (noun)The activity of buying and selling goods.≈ Synonym: commerce🇺🇿UZ: savdo🇷🇺RU: торговля, lawslaw (noun)Official rules made by a government that people must follow.≈ Synonym: rules🇺🇿UZ: qonunlar🇷🇺RU: законы, and stories. It helped people remember important factsfact (noun)Pieces of information known to be true.≈ Synonym: information🇺🇿UZ: faktlar🇷🇺RU: факты and share knowledge with others. For example, ancient kingsking (noun)Male rulers of a country, usually inheriting the position.≈ Synonym: monarchs🇺🇿UZ: shohlar, podshohlar🇷🇺RU: короли used writing to give ordersorder (noun)Official instructions to do something.≈ Synonym: commands🇺🇿UZ: buyruqlar🇷🇺RU: приказы, and traderstrader (noun)People who buy and sell goods.≈ Synonym: merchants🇺🇿UZ: savdogarlar🇷🇺RU: торговцы used it to list goodsgoods (noun)Things that are made or grown to be sold.≈ Synonym: products🇺🇿UZ: tovarlar🇷🇺RU: товары they wanted to buybuy (verb)To get something by paying money.≈ Synonym: purchase🇺🇿UZ: sotib olmoq🇷🇺RU: покупать or sellsell (verb)To give something to someone for money.🇺🇿UZ: sotmoq🇷🇺RU: продавать. Later, people began to write down poemspoem (noun)Pieces of writing that express feelings or ideas, often with rhythm.≈ Synonym: verses🇺🇿UZ: she'rlar🇷🇺RU: стихи, songs, and historieshistory (noun)Written accounts of past events.≈ Synonym: chronicles🇺🇿UZ: tarixiy hikoyalar🇷🇺RU: исторические повествования.

Over time, writing systems became easier to use. The alphabetalphabet (noun)A set of letters used to write the sounds of a language.≈ Synonym: letter system🇺🇿UZ: alifbo🇷🇺RU: алфавит was one of the biggest changeschange (noun)When something becomes different.🇺🇿UZ: o'zgarish🇷🇺RU: изменение. It used simple lettersletter (noun)Written symbols that represent the sounds of a language.≈ Synonym: characters🇺🇿UZ: harflar🇷🇺RU: буквы to show sounds, and people could learn it more easily than systems with hundreds of symbolssymbol (noun)Signs or marks that represent something else.≈ Synonym: signs🇺🇿UZ: belgilar, ramzlar🇷🇺RU: символы. Today, we use alphabets and other writing systems all over the world.

Writing has changed human life forever. It allows us to share ideas across time and distancedistance (noun)The amount of space between two points in place or time.≈ Synonym: span🇺🇿UZ: masofa🇷🇺RU: расстояние. From ancient clay tablets to modernmodern (adj)Belonging to the present time; new and up to date.≈ Synonym: contemporary🇺🇿UZ: zamonaviy🇷🇺RU: современный emailsemail (noun)A message sent from one computer or phone to another.🇺🇿UZ: elektron xat🇷🇺RU: электронное письмо, writing continuescontinue (verb)To keep happening or doing something.≈ Synonym: go on🇺🇿UZ: davom etmoq🇷🇺RU: продолжать(ся) to connectconnect (verb)To join or link people or things together.≈ Synonym: link🇺🇿UZ: bog'lamoq🇷🇺RU: связывать people everywhere.

✍ Summarize the Story

In your own words, write a short summary of what you just read (70–100 words). Don't copy sentences — explain the main ideas.

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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
      inventionnoun
      ixtirolarизобретенияThe printing press was one of the greatest inventions in history.
      2
      humanadjective
      insoniy, insonчеловеческийThe human body is about 60% water.
      3
      shareverb
      bo'lishmoq, ulashmoqделитьсяMy friends and I share everything — even our secrets.
      4
      picturenoun
      rasmкартинка, рисунокThe children drew pictures of their families.
      5
      workverb
      ish bermoq, natija bermoqработать, срабатыватьMy plan worked — we arrived on time.
      6
      recordverb
      yozib qo'ymoq, qayd etmoqзаписыватьThe nurse recorded my height and weight.
      7
      informationnoun
      ma'lumotинформацияYou can find more information on our website.
      8
      beginverb
      boshlandiначалосьThe concert will begin at seven o'clock.
      9
      systemnoun
      tizimlarсистемыOur school has a new online system for homework.
      10
      appearverb
      paydo bo'ldiпоявилисьA rainbow appeared in the sky after the storm.
      11
      oldadjective
      eng qadimgiсамый древнийThis is one of the oldest mosques in Bukhara.
      12
      ancientadjective
      qadimiyдревнийWe visited the ancient city of Afrosiyob.
      13
      clay tablet
      loydan yasalgan taxtachalarглиняные табличкиSome clay tablets are over four thousand years old.
      14
      toolnoun
      asbobинструментA good knife is the most important tool in a kitchen.
      15
      stylusnoun
      yozuv tayoqchasiстилоYou can draw on this tablet with a stylus.
      16
      marknoun
      belgilarзнаки, отметкиThe teacher put a red mark next to my mistake.
      17
      createverb
      yaratmoqсоздаватьShe created a beautiful painting for her mother.
      18
      hieroglyphicsnoun
      ierogliflarиероглифыWe couldn't read the hieroglyphics on the wall.
      19
      objectnoun
      narsalar, buyumlarпредметыThere were strange objects on the museum shelves.
      20
      possibleadjective
      mumkin bo'lganвозможныйIs it possible to change my ticket?
      21
      tradenoun
      savdoторговляThe Silk Road was important for trade between East and West.
      22
      lawnoun
      qonunlarзаконыIn many countries, it's against the law to drive without a licence.
      23
      factnoun
      faktlarфактыIt's a fact that water boils at 100 degrees.
      24
      kingnoun
      shohlar, podshohlarкоролиThe king lived in a huge palace.
      25
      ordernoun
      buyruqlarприказыThe captain gave orders to his men.
      26
      tradernoun
      savdogarlarторговцыTraders from China sold silk in Samarkand.
      27
      goodsnoun
      tovarlarтоварыThe shop sells household goods at low prices.
      28
      buyverb
      sotib olmoqпокупатьI want to buy a new phone.
      29
      sellverb
      sotmoqпродаватьThey sell fresh bread at the corner shop.
      30
      poemnoun
      she'rlarстихиAlisher Navoi wrote thousands of beautiful poems.
      31
      historynoun
      tarixiy hikoyalarисторические повествованияMy grandfather loves reading about Uzbek history.
      32
      alphabetnoun
      alifboалфавитThe English alphabet has twenty-six letters.
      33
      changenoun
      o'zgarishизменениеThere have been many changes in our town.
      34
      letternoun
      harflarбуквыWrite your name in capital letters.
      35
      symbolnoun
      belgilar, ramzlarсимволыThe symbol “+” means “plus.”
      36
      distancenoun
      masofaрасстояниеWe could see the mountains in the distance.
      37
      modernadjective
      zamonaviyсовременныйTashkent has many modern buildings.
      38
      emailnoun
      elektron xatэлектронное письмоI get about twenty emails every day.
      39
      continueverb
      davom etmoqпродолжать(ся)The rain continued all day.
      40
      connectverb
      bog'lamoqсвязыватьThe new bridge connects the two parts of the city.