Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage
Any word, any time — right from this page.
The Amazon Rainforest is the largest rainforestrainforestA large, thick forest that gets a lot of rain all year.≈ Synonym: jungle🇺🇿UZ: yomg'orzor o'rmon🇷🇺RU: тропический лес on Earth. It covers about 5.5 million square kilometers and stretchesstretch (verb)Extends or spreads over a large area.≈ Synonym: extends🇺🇿UZ: cho'ziladi, yoyiladi🇷🇺RU: простирается across nine countries in South America, including Brazil, Peru, and Colombia. Because of its huge size, people often call it the "lungs of the planetlungs of the planetA nickname meaning something that produces a lot of the world's oxygen.≈ Synonym: planet's oxygen source🇺🇿UZ: sayyoraning o'pkasi🇷🇺RU: лёгкие планеты." Millions of trees grow there, and the forest is home to an incredibleincredible (adj)Very impressive or hard to believe.≈ Synonym: amazing🇺🇿UZ: ajoyib, ishonib bo'lmaydigan🇷🇺RU: невероятный varietyvariety (noun)A number of different types of something.≈ Synonym: range🇺🇿UZ: xilma-xillik🇷🇺RU: разнообразие of life.
One of the most amazing things about the Amazon is its biodiversitybiodiversity (noun)The wide variety of plants, animals, and other living things in a place.≈ Synonym: variety of life🇺🇿UZ: biologik xilma-xillik🇷🇺RU: биоразнообразие. Scientists believe the rainforest contains about 10 percent of all known speciesspecies (noun)A group of living things that share the same basic features.≈ Synonym: kind of organism🇺🇿UZ: tur🇷🇺RU: вид on Earth. Jaguarsjaguar (noun)Large wild cats found in Central and South America.≈ Synonym: big cats🇺🇿UZ: yaguarlar🇷🇺RU: ягуары, slothssloth (noun)Slow-moving mammals that live in trees in Central and South America.≈ Synonym: slow-moving mammals🇺🇿UZ: tanballar🇷🇺RU: ленивцы, poison dart frogspoison dart frogSmall, brightly colored frogs whose skin contains dangerous toxins.≈ Synonym: toxic frogs🇺🇿UZ: zaharli o'q qurbaqalari🇷🇺RU: ядовитые древолазы, and thousands of types of birds and insects live among the trees. Many of these plants and animals cannot be found anywhere else in the world, which makes the rainforest a uniqueunique (adj)Being the only one of its kind; very special.≈ Synonym: one-of-a-kind🇺🇿UZ: noyob, o'ziga xos🇷🇺RU: уникальный and fragilefragile (adj)Easily damaged or broken.≈ Synonym: delicate🇺🇿UZ: nozik, mo'rt🇷🇺RU: хрупкий ecosystemecosystem (noun)A community of living things together with their environment.≈ Synonym: natural system🇺🇿UZ: ekotizim🇷🇺RU: экосистема.
The Amazon also plays a crucialcrucial (adj)Extremely important; necessary for something to happen.≈ Synonym: essential🇺🇿UZ: hal qiluvchi, muhim🇷🇺RU: решающий, важнейший role in keeping our planet healthy. Through photosynthesisphotosynthesis (noun)The process plants use to turn sunlight into energy and release oxygen.≈ Synonym: light-to-energy process🇺🇿UZ: fotosintez🇷🇺RU: фотосинтез, its trees absorbabsorb (verb)To take in a substance or form of energy.≈ Synonym: take in🇺🇿UZ: yutish, so'rish🇷🇺RU: поглощать huge amounts of carbon dioxidecarbon dioxide (noun)A gas in the air that plants take in and animals breathe out.≈ Synonym: CO2🇺🇿UZ: uglerod dioksidi🇷🇺RU: углекислый газ and release oxygen into the atmosphereatmosphere (noun)The layer of gases surrounding the Earth.≈ Synonym: air layer🇺🇿UZ: atmosfera🇷🇺RU: атмосфера. This process helps to slow down climate change by storing carbon that would otherwise trap heattrap heatTo hold heat in a place instead of letting it escape.≈ Synonym: hold in heat🇺🇿UZ: issiqlikni ushlab qolish🇷🇺RU: удерживать тепло in the air. In addition, the rainforest influencesinfluence (verb)Has an effect on something or someone.≈ Synonym: affects🇺🇿UZ: ta'sir qiladi🇷🇺RU: влияет rainfall patternsrainfall patternThe typical way and amount that rain falls in a region over time.≈ Synonym: rain trends🇺🇿UZ: yog'ingarchilik naqshlari🇷🇺RU: режимы выпадения осадков far beyond South America.
Sadly, the Amazon faces a serious threat from deforestationdeforestation (noun)The cutting down or clearing of large areas of forest.≈ Synonym: forest clearing🇺🇿UZ: o'rmonlarni kesish🇷🇺RU: вырубка лесов. Large areas of forest are cut down or burned every year to create space for farms, cattle ranchescattle ranchLarge farms where cows are raised for meat or milk.≈ Synonym: cattle farms🇺🇿UZ: chorva fermalari🇷🇺RU: скотоводческие ранчо, and roads. This destructiondestruction (noun)The act of damaging or ruining something completely.≈ Synonym: damage🇺🇿UZ: vayronagarchilik🇷🇺RU: разрушение not only kills wildlifewildlife (noun)Wild animals living in their natural environment.≈ Synonym: wild animals🇺🇿UZ: yovvoyi tabiat🇷🇺RU: дикая природа but also releases stored carbon back into the atmosphere, making global warming worse. Indigenous communitiesindigenous communityGroups of people who are the original inhabitants of a region.≈ Synonym: native peoples🇺🇿UZ: mahalliy jamoalar🇷🇺RU: коренные общины who depend on the forest for their way of life are also affected.
Many organizations and governments are now working together to protect the Amazon. They promote sustainable farmingsustainable farmingGrowing food in ways that protect the environment for the future.≈ Synonym: eco-friendly agriculture🇺🇿UZ: barqaror dehqonchilik🇷🇺RU: устойчивое сельское хозяйство, support indigenous land rightsland rightThe legal ability of a person or group to own or use land.≈ Synonym: land ownership rights🇺🇿UZ: yer huquqlari🇷🇺RU: права на землю, and try to stop illegal loggingillegal loggingCutting down trees without legal permission.≈ Synonym: unlawful tree-cutting🇺🇿UZ: noqonuniy yog'ochkesarlik🇷🇺RU: незаконная вырубка леса. Protecting this remarkableremarkable (adj)Worthy of attention because it is unusual or special.≈ Synonym: extraordinary🇺🇿UZ: ajoyib, e'tiborga loyiq🇷🇺RU: замечательный rainforest is essential, not just for South America, but for the health of the entire planet.