The Journey of Water

Can you imagine a world without water? Do not think about the oceans and lakes only. Think about the water you use daily; for drinking, shower, washing the dishes and clothes. We need fresh water to do all of these, and the seas and oceans are not the sources of fresh water. But then where all the water come from? A quick answer to that is the mountains. They provide fresh water for over half of all people in the world. That’s about the population of China; three-and-a-half-billion people.

Water travels around the world in its own path. 1_________ When the sun warms water in rivers and ocean, the liquid is transformed into water vapour that rises into the air. 2__________ When enough water vapour cools and small drops of water are formed. 3_________. The drops of water turn into clouds. In the clouds, small drops of water join to make larger drops. When those drops become too heavy, they are released as rain or snow. Some rain soaks into the ground, and some of the rain runs over the ground into streams, rivers, lakes and the ocean. 4_________.

The water cycle is also affected by the mountains. Some mountains, depending on their sizes and shapes, push the water vapour up toward the mountaintop. When water drops fall on mountains, most of the water is stored as snow and as ice in glaciers. When the snow melts in spring, the water flows down the slopes into streams, waterfalls, and rivers, which are the sources of fresh water.

Next time, think about how water travels to your faucet and do not waste it!