IXL | Read along about science and nature

Listen and read along with the passage about sneezing.

Everyone sneezes from time to time. Even small babies sneeze. But have you ever wondered why you sneeze?

Sneezing is your body's way of protecting itself. You sneeze to help keep harmful things, like dirt and dust, out of your body. Sneezing is something that your body does to stop you from getting sick.

Your nose works like a small guard for your body. It is lined with many tiny hairs. The hairs help trap small things that enter your nose when you breathe in.

When something gets stuck on a hair, a signal is sent to your brain to tell you to sneeze. When you sneeze, air rushes out of your nose. And so does whatever was trapped on the hair!

Why do people sneeze?

Sneezing helps the nose get rid of bad smells.

Sneezing tells other people that you need help.

Sneezing helps keep bad things out of your body.

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Learn with an example

question

Listen and read along with the passage about slingshots.

Slingshots are simple machines that throw things through the air.

Some slingshots are small enough to hold in your hand. They can be used for throwing little things, like seeds. Other slingshots are large enough to throw huge things, like pumpkins. But no matter the size, every slingshot works the same way.

All slingshots have a stretchy band, called a sling. The sling is tied between two posts. An object, like a seed or pumpkin, is placed in the middle of the sling. Then, the sling is pulled back tight.

When a person lets go of the sling, the sling springs forward. This sends the object flying through the air. The farther back a person pulls the sling, the farther forward the object will fly.

What kind of machines are slingshots?

tiny machines

heavy machines

simple machines

solution

The passage says slingshots are simple machines that throw things through the air. This tells you what kind of machines slingshots are.

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