Highlighted words are key vocabulary — tap one to see its translation. Colors show the part of speech:
VerbAdjectiveAdverbExpression
Could you believe that the Sahara, the largest desert in the world, was once a green grassland? Today it is covered in endlessstretches of dry sand, yet only a few thousand years ago, lakes and rivers flowed here and hippos lived in the water.
Remarkably, ancient cave paintings in the Sahara even show people swimming. Scholars explain that as the tilt of the Earth slowly shifted, the patterns of the rain clouds changed, and the grassland turned into desert. Interestingly, they believe that in the far future the Sahara may regain its green colour once again.
Vocabulary from this story
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desert
choʻl, sahro
grassland
dasht, yaylov
covered
qoplangan
endless
cheksiz
stretches
kengliklar, choʻzilgan maydonlar
lakes
koʻllar
hippos
begemotlar
Remarkably
ajablanarlisi shundaki
cave paintings
gʻor rasmlari
Scholars
olimlar
shifted
oʻzgardi, siljidi
patterns
yoʻnalishlar, koʻrinishlar
turned into
aylandi
regain
qayta tiklamoq
Grammar from this story
Key patterns that appeared in the text.
once (formerly)
Bir vaqtlar, ilgari (oʻtmishdagi holatni bildiradi).
The Sahara was once a green grassland.
This town was once very small.
turn into + noun
...ga aylanmoq (bir holatdan boshqasiga oʻzgarish).
The grassland turned into a desert.
The rain turned into snow.
Check your understanding
Read the story, then choose the best answer. Tap a choice to check it.
1. What was the Sahara like a few thousand years ago?
Bir necha ming yil avval Saharada koʻllar va daryolar boʻlib, begemotlar yashagan — u yashil dasht boʻlgan.
2. What do the cave paintings of swimmers suggest?
Choʻl oʻrtasidagi suzuvchilar rasmi oʻsha yerda bir vaqtlar suv koʻp boʻlganini koʻrsatadi.
3. According to scholars, why did the grassland become a desert?
Olimlar Yer oʻqining qiyaligi oʻzgarib, yomgʻir bulutlari yoʻnalishi oʻzgargani sabab dasht choʻlga aylandi deb tushuntiradi.
