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Tasbaqa: Central Asian Tortoise on the Ustyurt Plateau — Level A1 — Oddly shaped rocks dot a dry, desert landscape.

Tasbaqa: Central Asian Tortoise on the Ustyurt PlateauCEFR A1

31 Aug 2025

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Adapted from Vlast.kz, Global Voices • CC BY 3.0

Photo by GWANGJIN GO, Unsplash

Level A1 – Beginner
2 min
77 words
  • The Ustyurt Plateau is a clay desert.
  • It crosses Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and western Kazakhstan.
  • The Central Asian tortoise lives on the plateau.
  • People call this tortoise Tasbaqa in Kazakh.
  • Humans now are the main threat to tortoises.
  • Tortoises are traded, sometimes killed, or trapped.
  • Saxon Bosworth made the short film called TASBAQA.
  • He first saw the plateau in 2020 in Karakalpak.
  • A day in the film stands for months.
  • The film wants to raise support for conservation.

Difficult words

  • tortoise — A slow-moving land animal with a shell.
    tortoises
  • humans — People, individuals who have human qualities.
  • catch — To grab or seize something.
  • kill — To cause to die.
  • accident — An unexpected event that causes harm.
  • plateau — A flat, elevated area of land.
  • live — To exist or be alive.
    lives
  • large — Big in size or amount.

Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.

Discussion questions

  • Why do you think humans harm tortoises?
  • What makes Ustyurt a special place for tortoises?
  • How can we protect tortoises?

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