Science · Level 2 · 124 words

The Endless Journey of Water

Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.

The water in a puddle today may have floated in a cloud last week and rushed down a river last year. Water travels through the world in a repeating path called the water cycle.

The Sun heats oceans, lakes, and rivers, turning some of the water into an invisible gas called vapor that rises into the sky. High up, where the air is cooler, the vapor turns back into tiny droplets that gather to form clouds. When the droplets grow heavy enough, they fall as rain or snow. That water flows back into rivers and seas, and the journey starts over.

No new water is made and none is lost; the same water has been moving in this circle for a very long time.

Comprehension questions

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4 questions
1. In this passage, 'vapor' is best described as

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B. water in the form of gas
The text calls vapor 'an invisible gas' that water turns into when heated.

2. According to the text, what makes water rise into the sky?

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B. Heat from the Sun
The passage says 'The Sun heats oceans, lakes, and rivers,' turning water into vapor that rises.

3. The passage mainly explains that water

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B. moves in a repeating cycle
The whole passage describes the water cycle as a repeating path, and notes no water is made or lost.

4. Based on the passage, which statement about the water you drink today is most likely true?

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B. It has likely traveled the water cycle many times
The text says "no new water is made and none is lost," and the same water has been moving in this circle for a very long time, so today's water has gone around many times.

Source: Written for Fluency. Original passage © Studio AM, written for Fluency.