Where Did These Sounds Come From? (Grades 3 to 5)

Where Did These Sounds Come From? (Grades 3 to 5)

Where Did These Sounds Come From? (Grades 3 to 5)
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 3 to 5
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	4.95

Vocabulary

challenging words:

intake, mucus, therefore, system, swallowed, actually, lower, winds, yawn, hurricane, rear, otherwise, however, carbon, dioxide, rattle

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Where Did These Sounds Come From?
By Jennifer Kenny

¹     Did you know that your respiratory system has the job of bringing oxygen into your body and then to every cell in your body? You probably did. Did you know, though, that your respiratory system is responsible as well for some of the strange noises your body makes? Two of these make sense when you think of the respiratory system – a cough and a sneeze. Three of the noises, though, may not make you think of the respiratory system – yawns, hiccups, and snoring.

²     A cough occurs when air is blasted from your lungs and lower airways and out your mouth. It is sudden and noisy. A cough gets rid of extra mucus and dust. You will also cough if food enters your air passages by mistake. For a cough to happen, you must first breathe in. Then the muscles of the pharynx and larynx close so air can't escape. Meanwhile, muscles in your abdomen become tight. The air pressure rises. When the pharynx and larynx open, the air rushes out quickly. In fact, air rushes out at about 60 miles per hour. As the air rushes out, it rattles the vocal cords. This rush, meanwhile, pushes mucus into the pharynx to be swallowed.

³     A sneeze is also sudden and noisy. When you sneeze, your body gets rid of excess mucus or dust from your upper airways. The air comes out of your nose at 100 miles per hour. That's faster than the winds of a hurricane. When your body sneezes, the back of your tongue blocks your airway. The abdomen muscles raise air pressure in the chest. This time the air does not rattle your vocal cords. Instead, the air blasts out through your nasal cavity. A sneeze carries mucus out of the body. This mucus carries germs. That's why you should always sneeze into a tissue.

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