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Day 13 · Nature & Adventure · B1 Level

The First Journey to the South Pole

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

For centuriescenturyA period of 100 years.≈ Synonym: hundreds of years🇺🇿UZ: asrlar, yuz yillik🇷🇺RU: века, столетия, people dreamed of reaching the South Pole — one of the most remoteremote (adj)Far away from other places; hard to reach.≈ Synonym: isolated🇺🇿UZ: chekka, uzoq🇷🇺RU: отдалённый and dangerousdangerous (adj)Able to cause harm or injury.≈ Synonym: risky🇺🇿UZ: xavfli🇷🇺RU: опасный places on Earth. The South Pole is at the bottombottom (noun)The lowest part of something.≈ Synonym: base🇺🇿UZ: tub, pastki qism🇷🇺RU: дно, низ of the world, in the middlemiddle (noun)The centre of something.≈ Synonym: centre🇺🇿UZ: o'rta🇷🇺RU: середина of a frozenfreeze (adj)Covered with, or turned into, ice because of very cold temperatures.≈ Synonym: icy🇺🇿UZ: muzlagan🇷🇺RU: замёрзший land called Antarctica. It is a place of ice, snow, and strong winds, where temperaturestemperatureHow hot or cold something is, measured in degrees.≈ Synonym: degrees🇺🇿UZ: harorat🇷🇺RU: температура can fall below -50°C.

The first person to leadlead (verb)To be in charge of a group of people.≈ Synonym: guide🇺🇿UZ: boshqarmoq, yetaklamoq🇷🇺RU: вести, руководить a team to the South Pole was Roald Amundsen, an explorerexplorerA person who travels to find out about unknown places.≈ Synonym: adventurer🇺🇿UZ: sayohatchi, tadqiqotchi🇷🇺RU: исследователь, путешественник from Norway. Amundsen and his men made historymake history (verb)To do something so important that people remember it forever.≈ Synonym: achieve something historic🇺🇿UZ: tarix yaratmoq🇷🇺RU: войти в историю in 1911, after a long and difficult journeyjourney (noun)A long trip from one place to another.≈ Synonym: trip🇺🇿UZ: sayohat, safar🇷🇺RU: путешествие. They travelledtravel (verb)Went from one place to another, especially over a long distance.≈ Synonym: journeyed🇺🇿UZ: sayohat qildi, yo'l bosib o'tdi🇷🇺RU: путешествовали over 1,400 kilometreskilometreA unit for measuring distance, equal to 1,000 metres.≈ Synonym: km🇺🇿UZ: kilometr🇷🇺RU: километр across ice and snow, using skisski (noun)Long, flat pieces of equipment fixed to boots for moving over snow.≈ Synonym: snow skis🇺🇿UZ: chang'i🇷🇺RU: лыжи and dog sledsdog sled (noun)A vehicle without wheels, pulled by dogs, used for travelling over snow.≈ Synonym: sledges pulled by dogs🇺🇿UZ: it chana🇷🇺RU: собачья упряжка. The team had to deal withdeal with (verb)To handle or manage a difficult situation.≈ Synonym: cope with🇺🇿UZ: hal qilmoq, kurashmoq🇷🇺RU: справляться с freezingfreezing (adj)Extremely cold.≈ Synonym: icy cold🇺🇿UZ: muzlatuvchi, juda sovuq🇷🇺RU: ледяной, морозный winds, dangerous crackscrack (noun)Narrow openings or splits in something, such as ice.≈ Synonym: splits🇺🇿UZ: yoriqlar🇷🇺RU: трещины in the ice, and the riskrisk (noun)The possibility that something bad or dangerous might happen.≈ Synonym: danger🇺🇿UZ: xavf, tavakkal🇷🇺RU: риск of running out ofrun out of (verb)To have no more of something left.≈ Synonym: using up all of🇺🇿UZ: tugab qolmoq🇷🇺RU: заканчиваться, израсходовать food.

Amundsen plannedplan (verb)Thought about and arranged the details of something in advance.≈ Synonym: organized🇺🇿UZ: rejalashtirdi🇷🇺RU: планировал the trip carefullycarefully (adv)With a lot of attention, to avoid mistakes.🇺🇿UZ: ehtiyotkorlik bilan, puxta🇷🇺RU: тщательно, осторожно. He chose strong, experiencedexperienced (adj)Having done something many times and knowing a lot about it.≈ Synonym: skilled🇺🇿UZ: tajribali🇷🇺RU: опытный men and trainedtrain (verb)Taught or prepared someone to do something through practice.≈ Synonym: prepared, coached🇺🇿UZ: mashq qildirdi, o'qitdi🇷🇺RU: тренировал, обучал them for the harshharsh (adj)Very difficult, severe, or unpleasant.≈ Synonym: severe🇺🇿UZ: og'ir, shafqatsiz🇷🇺RU: суровый conditionscondition (noun)The situation in which people live or work.≈ Synonym: circumstances🇺🇿UZ: sharoit🇷🇺RU: условия. The team set upset up (verb)To build or arrange something so it is ready to use.≈ Synonym: establish🇺🇿UZ: o'rnatmoq, tashkil qilmoq🇷🇺RU: устанавливать, разбивать campscamp (noun)Temporary places to live or stay outdoors, often with tents.≈ Synonym: campsites🇺🇿UZ: lagerlar🇷🇺RU: лагеря along the way to storestore (verb)To keep something in a safe place until it is needed.≈ Synonym: keep, save🇺🇿UZ: saqlamoq🇷🇺RU: хранить food and suppliessupply (noun)Food, equipment, or other things needed for a journey or activity.≈ Synonym: provisions🇺🇿UZ: zaxira, ta'minot🇷🇺RU: припасы. They also used sled dogs, which helped pullpull (verb)To move something towards you or behind you.≈ Synonym: drag🇺🇿UZ: tortmoq🇷🇺RU: тянуть their equipmentequipment (noun)The tools or items needed for a particular purpose or activity.≈ Synonym: gear🇺🇿UZ: jihoz, anjomlar🇷🇺RU: оборудование, снаряжение and could survivesurvive (verb)To continue to live despite danger or difficulty.≈ Synonym: stay alive🇺🇿UZ: omon qolmoq, yashab qolmoq🇷🇺RU: выживать the extremeextreme (adj)Very great in degree; far beyond what is usual.≈ Synonym: very intense🇺🇿UZ: haddan tashqari, keskin🇷🇺RU: экстремальный, крайний cold.

On 14 December 1911, after nearly two months of travel, Amundsen and his team reached the South Pole. They plantedplant (verb)Put something firmly into the ground or a fixed place.≈ Synonym: put up, set in place🇺🇿UZ: o'rnatdi (bayroqni)🇷🇺RU: водрузил(и) the Norwegian flag and took photographs to proveprove (verb)To show that something is true.≈ Synonym: show🇺🇿UZ: isbotlamoq🇷🇺RU: доказывать their success. Amundsen later wrote about the journey, saying that careful planning and teamworkteamwork (noun)The combined effort of a group working together.≈ Synonym: cooperation🇺🇿UZ: jamoaviy ish🇷🇺RU: командная работа helped them succeedsucceed (verb)To do what you tried to do.≈ Synonym: do well🇺🇿UZ: muvaffaqiyatga erishmoq🇷🇺RU: добиться успеха.

Another team, led by British explorer Robert Scott, arrived at the South Pole about a month later. Sadly, Scott and his men died on the way back.

Amundsen’s journey showed the world what people can achieve with couragecourage (noun)The ability to do something that frightens you.≈ Synonym: bravery🇺🇿UZ: jasorat🇷🇺RU: смелость, мужество, skill, and determinationdetermination (noun)The quality of not giving up.≈ Synonym: persistence🇺🇿UZ: qat'iyat🇷🇺RU: решимость. His story continues to inspire explorers today.

✍ Summarize the Story

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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
      century
      asrlar, yuz yillikвека, столетияThis bridge was built in the nineteenth century.
      2
      remoteadjective
      chekka, uzoqотдалённыйThey live in a remote village high in the mountains.
      3
      dangerousadjective
      xavfliопасныйDriving on icy roads is very dangerous.
      4
      bottomnoun
      tub, pastki qismдно, низWrite your name at the bottom of the page.
      5
      middlenoun
      o'rtaсерединаThere is a fountain in the middle of the park.
      6
      freezeadjective
      muzlaganзамёрзшийThe lake freezes in January.
      7
      temperature
      haroratтемператураCheck the baby's temperature — she feels hot.
      8
      leadverb
      boshqarmoq, yetaklamoqвести, руководитьShe leads a team of ten engineers.
      9
      explorer
      sayohatchi, tadqiqotchiисследователь, путешественникThe explorer wrote a book about his travels in Africa.
      10
      make historyverb
      tarix yaratmoqвойти в историюShe made history as the first woman to win the race.
      11
      journeynoun
      sayohat, safarпутешествиеThe journey across the desert took three days.
      12
      travelverb
      sayohat qildi, yo'l bosib o'tdiпутешествовалиWe travelled through five countries by train.
      13
      kilometre
      kilometrкилометрI run five kilometres every morning.
      14
      skinoun
      chang'iлыжиHe broke his leg while skiing in Chimgan.
      15
      dog slednoun
      it chanaсобачья упряжкаIn the far north, people still travel by dog sled.
      16
      deal withverb
      hal qilmoq, kurashmoqсправляться сOur teacher knows how to deal with difficult students.
      17
      freezingadjective
      muzlatuvchi, juda sovuqледяной, морозныйThe water in the mountain lake was freezing.
      18
      cracknoun
      yoriqlarтрещиныThere's a long crack in the wall after the earthquake.
      19
      risknoun
      xavf, tavakkalрискThere's a risk of rain this afternoon.
      20
      run out ofverb
      tugab qolmoqзаканчиваться, израсходоватьWe ran out of milk, so I went to the shop.
      21
      planverb
      rejalashtirdiпланировалWe planned our trip to Bukhara very carefully.
      22
      carefullyadverb
      ehtiyotkorlik bilan, puxtaтщательно, осторожноRead the questions carefully before you answer.
      23
      experiencedadjective
      tajribaliопытныйWe need an experienced driver for the mountain roads.
      24
      trainverb
      mashq qildirdi, o'qitdiтренировал, обучалThe coach trains the team three times a week.
      25
      harshadjective
      og'ir, shafqatsizсуровыйThe winters in Siberia are long and harsh.
      26
      conditionnoun
      sharoitусловияWorkers there live in very poor conditions.
      27
      set upverb
      o'rnatmoq, tashkil qilmoqустанавливать, разбиватьWe set up our tent next to the river.
      28
      campnoun
      lagerlarлагеряThe soldiers built a camp near the river.
      29
      storeverb
      saqlamoqхранитьWe store potatoes in a cool, dark place.
      30
      supplynoun
      zaxira, ta'minotприпасыThe village gets its water supply from the mountains.
      31
      pullverb
      tortmoqтянутьTwo horses pulled the cart.
      32
      equipmentnoun
      jihoz, anjomlarоборудование, снаряжениеYou need special equipment to go diving.
      33
      surviveverb
      omon qolmoq, yashab qolmoqвыживатьCamels can survive for weeks without water.
      34
      extremeadjective
      haddan tashqari, keskinэкстремальный, крайнийSome animals can live in extreme heat.
      35
      plantverb
      o'rnatdi (bayroqni)водрузил(и)The climbers planted a flag at the top of the mountain.
      36
      proveverb
      isbotlamoqдоказыватьCan you prove that you were at home?
      37
      teamworknoun
      jamoaviy ishкомандная работаGood teamwork helped us win the competition.
      38
      succeedverb
      muvaffaqiyatga erishmoqдобиться успехаIf you work hard, you will succeed.
      39
      couragenoun
      jasoratсмелость, мужествоIt takes courage to speak in front of a big audience.
      40
      determinationnoun
      qat'iyatрешимостьWith determination, you can learn any language.