● Beginning Critical Reading - Water
Water is the most common liquid in the world. Lakes contain water. Rivers contain
water. Ponds contain water. Canals contain water. Oceans contain water. The water in rivers,
ponds, and canals is fresh water. The water in oceans is salt water.
About 70% of the world is covered by water. About 97% of water in the world is salt
5 water. Only 3% of the world’s water is fresh water. Fresh water is not salty.
People usually think of water as a liquid. But water freezes to form a solid. The solid is
called ice. And water boils to form a gas. The gas is called steam or vapor.
Clouds are made of water. Water falls from clouds as rain. When it is cold, water falls as
snow. Sometimes water falls as sleet. Sleet is partly water and partly ice. Sometimes water falls
10 as hail. Hail is ice.
People need water to live. Animals need water to live. Insects need water to live. Plants
need water to live. All living things in the world need water to live.
People all over the world need to drink clean water to live. About one billion people in
the world do not have clean drinking water. The largest cause of preventable human death in the
15 world is drinking water that is unsanitary.
Questions
1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is/are true?
I) Ninety-seven percent of snow is made of salt water.
II) The largest cause of preventable human death is drinking water that is unsanitary..
III) About 1,000,000,000 people in the world do not have clean water to drink.
A) I only
B) II only
C) III only
D) I and II only
E) II and III only
2. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A) Fresh water is necessary for life.
B) Most water in the world is salt water.
C) Water is the most common liquid in the world.
D) People cannot drink most of the world’s water.
E) Only 3% of the world’s water is not salt water.
3. In line 15, unsanitary most closely means
A) not available
B) not clean
C) not in liquid form
D) used for another purpose
E) salty