Grade 8 (A2) · Fact text · 225 words

A Day on the Space Station

A fact text about life on the space station: sleeping, working, eating, exercising and the view from the window.

Tap any word to hear it · dotted words have a definition in the glossary

🎧 Listen

1Imagine waking up in a small room that flies around the Earth. For the astronauts on the International Space Station, this is normal life. The station circles our planet about sixteen times a day, so the can see many sunrises and sunsets in one day.

2Because there is almost no on the station, everything — including people. Astronauts sleep in small sleeping bags that are tied to the wall, so they don't float around and bump into things at night.

3After breakfast, the starts work. They do science , fix machines and talk to the team on the ground. Most of their food comes in packets, and they add water to some of it. Salt and pepper come as liquids, because tiny grains could float away and get into the .

4Exercise is a very important part of the day. In space, and bones become weaker because they don't have to work against . For this reason, astronauts usually exercise for about two hours every day on special machines.

5Life on the station is not always easy. The is far from family and friends, and there is little . Still, many astronauts say that looking down at the Earth from the window is the best part of their job. It reminds them how beautiful — and how small — our planet is.

📘 Glossary

gravity - the force that pulls things down to the Earth
floats - moves slowly in the air without falling
crew - a group of people who work together
experiments - scientific tests
equipment - tools and machines used for a job
muscles - the parts of the body that make you move
privacy - time and space to be alone

Questions

Finding details
1. How many times a day does the station circle the Earth?
Making inferences
2. Why are the sleeping bags tied to the wall?
Finding details
3. Write TWO things the crew does at work.
Finding details
4. Why do salt and pepper come as liquids?
Reference words
5. In paragraph 4, the word "they" in "because they don't have to work against gravity" refers to…
Finding details
6. Complete the sentence: Astronauts exercise for about two hours a day because…
Word meaning
7. In paragraph 5, "there is little privacy" means that…
Finding details
8. What do many astronauts say is the best part of their job?
Main idea
9. What is the text mainly about?

Answer every question to get a score (0/9)

More Grade 8 passages

Fact text · 205 words · 9 questionsFrom Bitter Drink to Sweet BarA fact text about the history of chocolate, from the bitter drink of the Maya and Aztecs to the first chocolate bar.Personal story · 202 words · 9 questionsSeven Days, Zero ScreensA personal story about a girl who took part in a class challenge of a week without screens, and what she discovered along the way.News report · 201 words · 9 questionsGirl Finds 2,000-Year-Old Coin on Family HikeA news report about a girl who found a coin from the time of the Great Revolt on a family hike and gave it to the Antiquities Authority.Opinion article · 198 words · 9 questionsWhy I Like Wearing the Same Shirt Every DayAn opinion article by a student who supports the school shirt and explains her reasons.Fact text · 189 words · 9 questionsFrom Running Machine to Racing BikeAn informative text about the history of the bicycle, from the early running machine with no pedals to the modern bike.Interview · 207 words · 9 questionsThinking Five Moves AheadAn interview with Mia, a 14-year-old who plays in chess tournaments, about how she started, how she deals with losing and what chess taught her.Opinion article · 199 words · 9 questionsGive Us a Longer Break!An opinion article by a student who asks for a longer long break, with her arguments, a counter-argument and a practical suggestion.Story · 202 words · 8 questionsThe Recipe BookA story about Hila, who finds her grandmother's recipe notebook and discovers much more than recipes in it.Fact text · 216 words · 9 questionsDrop by DropA fact text about drip irrigation, an idea developed in Israel: how it began, how it works and how it helps farmers save water.Opinion article · 195 words · 9 questionsLet Our Weekends Be FreeAn opinion article by a student who wants schools to stop giving weekend homework, with her arguments, the opposing view and her suggestion.Story · 227 words · 9 questionsThe Sound of the SeaA story about Maya, who gets lost in the alleys of old Akko on a class trip and finds her way thanks to the guide's advice.Interview · 221 words · 9 questionsOne Hour a WeekAn interview with Jonathan, a 15-year-old who visits elderly neighbours living alone every week: how he started, what he does and what he learned.Fact text · 198 words · 9 questionsThe Mystery of the YawnA fact text about yawning: the explanations scientists have suggested, which one is probably wrong, why yawns are contagious, and why scientists are still not sure.News report · 209 words · 9 questionsStudents Clean Beach — and Learn a LessonA news report about eighth graders from Nahariya who cleaned a beach, recorded every item they collected and found out what really pollutes the shore.Diary · 218 words · 9 questionsMy First Week on the DrumsA diary of Maya's first week of drum lessons: the difficulty, the wish to give up and the moment the beat finally worked.Fact text · 216 words · 9 questionsFrom Sand to GlassA fact text about how sand becomes glass: heating, shaping, cooling and recycling.Story · 218 words · 9 questionsTwo Ideas, One RobotA story about Noa and Shira, who built a robot together for a competition, argued three days before it and discovered that each of them was partly right.Book review · 224 words · 9 questionsThe Clock in the Attic — A Book ReviewA book review by Yuval about a novel in which Maya finds an old clock and travels back a hundred years: what she liked, what she liked less and who she recommends it to.Advertisement · 201 words · 9 questionsA New Cycling Path in TownA city notice about the opening of a new cycling path in the park: who it is for, the safety rules and who will help new riders.Fact text · 212 words · 9 questionsDogs with a JobA fact text about assistance dogs, including guide dogs, hearing dogs and dogs for people in wheelchairs, how they are trained and how to behave around them.Opinion article · 198 words · 9 questionsLeave the Phone at HomeAn opinion article by a student who was first angry about the ban on phones during the school trip and then changed her mind.Personal story · 227 words · 9 questionsGrandpa's Olive TreeA personal story about Shira, who planted an olive tree with her grandfather on Tu BiShvat, forgot about it and returned to it nine years later.Fact text · 213 words · 9 questionsThe Pencil That Has No LeadA fact text about the history of the pencil, from the discovery of graphite in England to the eraser on the end, and why there is no lead in it at all.Personal story · 239 words · 9 questionsMy Four-Legged BusinessA personal story about a teenage girl who started a small business walking dogs in her neighborhood.Fact text · 241 words · 9 questionsHow Lighthouses WorkA fact text about lighthouses, how they work and how sailors recognize each one.Human-interest article · 231 words · 9 questionsNever Too Old to LearnA human-interest article about a 78-year-old grandmother who learned to use a smartphone with her grandson's help.Review · 245 words · 9 questionsA Day at the Science MuseumA student's review of a class visit to a science museum, with what was great and what was not.Opinion article · 245 words · 9 questionsLet Teenagers Sleep!A student's opinion article about why sleep is important for teenagers and what can be done to get more of it.News report · 240 words · 9 questionsLost Violin Finds Its Way HomeA news-style report about a violin left at the central bus station and returned to its owner thanks to honest workers.

← All Grade 8 passages · All reading comprehension