Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage
Any word, any time — right from this page.
When most people hear the word "Vikings," they imagine fiercefierce (adj)Very aggressive or violent in behavior.≈ Synonym: aggressive🇺🇿UZ: shafqatsiz, vahshiy🇷🇺RU: свирепый warriors raidingraid (verb)Attacking a place suddenly to steal things.≈ Synonym: attacking🇺🇿UZ: bosqinchilik qilish🇷🇺RU: совершая набеги villages along the coasts of Europe. This image is not entirely wrong, but it is only part of the story. The Vikings were people from ScandinaviaScandinavia (noun)A region in northern Europe that includes Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.≈ Synonym: Nordic region🇺🇿UZ: Skandinaviya🇷🇺RU: Скандинавия — modern-day Norway, Sweden, and Denmark — who were also skilledskilled (adj)Having the ability and training to do something well.≈ Synonym: capable🇺🇿UZ: malakali🇷🇺RU: квалифицированный, умелый farmers, traders, and explorers between the eighth and eleventh centuries.
One reason the Vikings could travel so far was their remarkableremarkable (adj)Very impressive or unusual, worth noticing.≈ Synonym: impressive🇺🇿UZ: ajoyib, ajablanarli🇷🇺RU: замечательный ships. Viking longshipslongship (noun)Long, narrow wooden ships used by the Vikings for war and travel.≈ Synonym: Viking ships🇺🇿UZ: uzun kemalar🇷🇺RU: длинные корабли (драккары) were long, narrow, and light, with a shallowshallow (adj)Not deep; having little depth.≈ Synonym: not deep🇺🇿UZ: sayoz🇷🇺RU: мелкий (неглубокий) bottom that allowed them to sail across open oceans as well as up narrow rivers. These ships were fast and flexibleflexible (adj)Able to change or adapt easily to different situations.≈ Synonym: adaptable🇺🇿UZ: moslashuvchan🇷🇺RU: гибкий, giving Viking sailors an enormous advantageadvantage (noun)A condition or factor that gives someone a better chance of success.≈ Synonym: benefit🇺🇿UZ: afzallik🇷🇺RU: преимущество when raiding, trading, or exploring unknown coastlinescoastline (noun)The land along the edge of a sea or ocean.≈ Synonym: shores🇺🇿UZ: sohillar🇷🇺RU: береговые линии.
While raids brought the Vikings a fearsome reputationreputation (noun)The general opinion that people have about someone or something.≈ Synonym: image🇺🇿UZ: obro', shuhrat🇷🇺RU: репутация, trade was just as important to their society. Viking merchants traveled vast distancesvast distance (noun)Very large distances between places.≈ Synonym: great distances🇺🇿UZ: katta masofalar🇷🇺RU: огромные расстояния, exchangingexchange (verb)Giving one thing and receiving another in return.≈ Synonym: trading🇺🇿UZ: almashtirish🇷🇺RU: обменивая fursfur (noun)The soft, thick hair of certain animals, used to make clothing.≈ Synonym: pelts🇺🇿UZ: mo'ynalar🇷🇺RU: меха, timbertimber (noun)Wood that is used for building or making things.≈ Synonym: wood🇺🇿UZ: yog'och🇷🇺RU: древесина, and iron for silver, silk, and spices from places as far away as Baghdad and Constantinople. Viking trading routestrading route (noun)Paths regularly used by merchants to carry goods between places.≈ Synonym: trade paths🇺🇿UZ: savdo yo'llari🇷🇺RU: торговые пути connected Scandinavia to much of Europe, the Middle East, and even Central AsiaCentral Asia (noun)A region of Asia that includes countries such as Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan.≈ Synonym: the region including Uzbekistan🇺🇿UZ: Markaziy Osiyo🇷🇺RU: Центральная Азия.
The Vikings were also remarkable explorers. They settledsettle (verb)Moved to a new place to live there permanently.≈ Synonym: colonized🇺🇿UZ: joylashdilar, o'rnashdilar🇷🇺RU: поселились in Iceland and later Greenland, and archaeological evidencearchaeological evidence (noun)Physical objects or remains found by scientists that prove something happened in the past.≈ Synonym: historical proof🇺🇿UZ: arxeologik dalillar🇷🇺RU: археологические свидетельства shows that a Viking named Leif Erikson reached the coast of North America around the year 1000 — nearly five hundred years before Christopher Columbus. This journeyjourney (noun)A trip from one place to another, especially a long one.≈ Synonym: trip🇺🇿UZ: sayohat🇷🇺RU: путешествие proves that Vikings crossed the Atlantic Ocean long before Europeans thought such a voyagevoyage (noun)A long journey, especially by sea.≈ Synonym: sea journey🇺🇿UZ: dengiz safari🇷🇺RU: плавание, вояж was possible.
Today, historians see the Vikings as a far more complexcomplex (adj)Made up of many different parts; not simple.≈ Synonym: complicated🇺🇿UZ: murakkab🇷🇺RU: сложный people than the old stereotypestereotype (noun)A fixed, often unfair, general idea about a group of people.≈ Synonym: fixed image🇺🇿UZ: stereotip🇷🇺RU: стереотип of savagesavage (adj)Fierce, wild, and uncontrolled.≈ Synonym: brutal🇺🇿UZ: vahshiy🇷🇺RU: дикий, жестокий warriors. They were skilled shipbuildersshipbuilder (noun)People who design and build ships.≈ Synonym: ship makers🇺🇿UZ: kema quruvchilar🇷🇺RU: кораблестроители, determineddetermined (adj)Having a firm decision to achieve something despite difficulty.≈ Synonym: resolute🇺🇿UZ: qat'iyatli🇷🇺RU: решительный traders, and boldbold (adj)Willing to take risks; confident and brave.≈ Synonym: brave🇺🇿UZ: jasur🇷🇺RU: смелый explorers who left a lasting marklasting mark (noun)A permanent or long-remembered effect on something.≈ Synonym: permanent impact🇺🇿UZ: chuqur iz🇷🇺RU: долговременный след on the regions they touched. Their combination of couragecourage (noun)The ability to face danger or difficulty without fear.≈ Synonym: bravery🇺🇿UZ: jasorat🇷🇺RU: смелость and curiositycuriosity (noun)A strong desire to learn or know about something.≈ Synonym: inquisitiveness🇺🇿UZ: qiziquvchanlik🇷🇺RU: любопытство helped shape the history of medieval Europe and beyond.