Two Texts About Rain and Water

Text A: Water on the Move

1Water never stays in one place for long. It moves in a loop called the water cycle. The cycle has no real start or end, so we can begin anywhere. Let us follow one drop of water that begins in the ocean.

2First, the sun warms the ocean. The heat turns some of the liquid water into water vapor, which is a gas. The vapor rises into the air. This step is called evaporation.

3Next, the water vapor rises high into the sky, where the air is cold. The cold air cools the vapor, and it changes back into tiny drops of liquid water. This step is called condensation. Millions of tiny drops gather together to form a cloud.

4After that, the drops in the cloud join together and grow heavy. When they are too heavy to stay up in the air, they fall to the ground as rain. In very cold air, they may fall as snow. This step is called precipitation.

5Finally, the water collects. Some of it runs into streams and rivers, and some soaks into the soil. Many rivers flow back to the ocean. There, the sun warms the water, and the cycle begins again.

Text B: Too Much Rain, Too Little Rain

1Rain helps plants grow, and it fills rivers and lakes. Sometimes, though, a place gets far too much rain or far too little. Floods and droughts are two kinds of weather trouble. They look very different, yet they have some things in common.

2A flood happens when more water falls than the land can hold. Heavy rain may pour down for hours or for days. Rivers rise over their banks, and water spreads across fields and streets. Some floods come very quickly.

3A drought is a long time with very little rain. Rivers and lakes shrink, and the soil dries out and may crack. Unlike a flood, a drought builds slowly, over many weeks or months. Plants turn brown, and wells can run low.

4Floods and droughts are alike in some ways. Both can harm farms, because crops need just the right amount of water. Both can also make life hard for people and animals. In contrast, the two begin in opposite ways. A flood begins with sudden heavy rain, while a drought begins with a long stretch of dry weather.