Properties of Water
Matter and Energy
It Is Hot…But Not That Hot
Lexile 800L
1
When Lina stepped out of her house, she could tell that it
was going to be a hot day. The sun was shining brightly,
and the seat of her bicycle was almost too hot to touch.
She tried to beat the heat by riding furiously. By the time
she got to school, she was worn out and sweaty. “It is
boiling out there,” she said to her teacher.
2
Her teacher smiled and said, “It is certainly warm, but it is
not quite boiling. In fact, if you look at the thermometer,
you can see exactly how warm it is.”
3
Lina walked over to the window and read the thermometer.
It was already 91 degrees – and it was only 8 o’clock in the
morning! “Oh no, only nine more degrees, and it will be boiling. Help!” she screamed.
“We are all going to melt!”
4
As the class laughed, Lina’s teacher tried to settle her down. “Take it easy there, little one.
You would be right to be worried if you were reading the temperature in degrees Celsius.
This thermometer is in degrees Fahrenheit. Both of them are based on the freezing point
and boiling point of water, but there is a big difference between them.”
5
“The Celsius scale sets the point where water freezes at zero degrees, while the Fahrenheit
scale sets it at 32 degrees. Meanwhile, the Celsius scale sets the point where water boils at
100 degrees, while the Fahrenheit scale sets it at 212 degrees. Most of the world uses the
Celsius scale, but in the United States, we use the Fahrenheit scale.”
6
“That is weird,” Lina said. “Why doesn’t everyone just use the same scale?”
7
“I am not sure,” said her teacher. “It would certainly make it easier for people in different
countries to communicate. So far, people here have not wanted to change.”
8
Then, he walked over to the window, “At any rate, let us take a look at these two
thermometers to see the difference. The one you were looking at earlier used the Fahrenheit
scale. How hot does that one say it is right now?”
9
“It is 93 degrees now,” Lina said. “It is definitely getting hotter, but we still have a long way to
go before we could boil water outside. In fact, according to the Fahrenheit scale, it would
have to be 212 degrees before we could do that.”
1
Properties of Water
Matter and Energy
Continued
10
“That is right,” her teacher said. “And now look at this one. What is the temperature
according to the Celsius scale?”
11
Lina found where the red line stopped and then looked at the numbers. “It is almost
34 degrees Celsius. Again, there is still a long way to go before water would boil.”
12
“Right,” her teacher said. “Because, according to the Celsius scale, the boiling point
of water is 100 degrees.”
13
“I get it,” Lina said. “Before, I thought it was boiling because I confused the
Fahrenheit scale with the Celsius scale.”
14
“Exactly,” her teacher said. “They are two different ways of measuring the
temperature. They both mean the same thing, but they say it in a different way
because they use different scales. That is why it is always important to know which
unit of measurement you are using. I mean, you would not want to scare the rest of
the class by telling them it is boiling, would you?”
15
“No,” Lina said with a wink, as she went back to her seat. “I would never want to
scare anyone.”
2
Properties of Water
Matter and Energy
1
2
3
This passage is mainly about…
A
How Lina likes to scare people
B
The various types of thermometers through history
C
The work of Galileo
D
The difference between the Fahrenheit and Celsius scales
What is the boiling point of water?
A
10º C
B
0º C
C
100º C
D
212º C
What is the temperature when Lina looks at the Celsius scale (paragraph
11)?
A
93º
B
100º
C
34º
D
212º
3
Properties of Water
Matter and Energy
4
5
The author says that Lina rode her bike furiously (paragraph 1). What does
this word mean in this passage?
A
She was angry.
B
She went fast.
C
Her bike had fur on it.
D
There was a storm.
Which of the following statements is true:
A
The Celsius scale is better than the Fahrenheit scale.
B
The Fahrenheit scale is better than the Celsius scale.
C
Water boils at 212º Fahrenheit.
D
Water boils at 212º Celsius.
4