Passage 403 Fluency Practice Passage

Blankets of Air Above Us

0 Blankets on our beds help keep us warm at night. Our earth has
13 blankets of air that do the same thing. In the atmosphere above us, there
27 are four blankets of air that help keep us warm and safe on Earth.
41 The first blanket of air closest to Earth is called the troposphere.
53 The troposphere is where we live. It contains the air we breathe and the
67 warmth we need. The troposphere has most of our weather in it. Seventy-
80 five percent of the atmosphere’s total mass is found in this layer. It also
94 has most of the water vapor of the atmosphere. The seasons of the earth
108 occur in this first layer.
113 The second blanket of air in our atmosphere is the stratosphere. The
125 stratosphere has a very important part that protects us. That part is the
138 ozone layer. The ozone part of the stratosphere keeps the sun’s harmful
150 rays away from the earth. The stratosphere does not have much moisture.
162 Therefore, it does not have many clouds. For that reason, airline pilots
174 like to fly in the stratosphere.
180 The third blanket of air is the coldest layer in the atmosphere. It is
194 called the mesosphere. Its name means “in between.” The mesosphere
204 becomes colder as its altitude increases. There are many strong winds in
216 the mesosphere. These winds blow from west to east in the winter. In the
230 summer, they blow from east to west.
237 The last layer of air around our earth is called the thermosphere.
249 Its name means “warm place.” It is the highest and the largest layer. This
263 layer is very hot. Its temperature can be thousands and thousands of
275 degrees. It is made up of gases. These gases have temperatures that vary.
288 At the top of the thermosphere is where space begins.
298 The atmosphere of our earth is made up of these four blankets of
311 air. Each one of them is important for life on Earth.
322
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e SOLUTION: Fluency, Vocabulary, and Comprehension  •  Student Level 4 3
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