A Boat Takes the Water Stairs
How can a boat go up a hill? It can take the water stairs!
The Panama Canal is a waterway in Panama. Boats use it to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.
Part of the canal is higher than the sea. Boats cannot sail up a hill, so they use locks. A lock is a space in the waterway with gates at each end.
Think of a boat coming from the sea. First, a gate opens, and the boat sails into a lock. The gate closes behind it.
Next, water flows into the lock. As the water rises, the boat rises with it. The boat floats higher and higher.
When the water in the lock is as high as the water ahead, the next gate opens. The boat can sail out. It may enter another lock and rise again, like taking another step up a set of stairs.
Later, the boat must go down to the sea. It enters a lock, and the gate closes behind it. This time, water flows out of the lock.
The water level drops, and the boat drops with it. When the water is as low as the water ahead, the next gate opens. The boat sails on.
The Panama Canal opened on August 15, 1914. Its locks still help boats go up and down along the way.
- waterway:
- A path of water that boats can travel on.
- gates:
- Doors that open and close to control a way through.
- flows:
- Moves along, as water does.
- floats:
- Stays on top of water.
- level:
- The height of something, such as water.
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- 2Where is the Panama Canal?
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About this explanatory article passage for Lower Elementary
“A Boat Takes the Water Stairs” is a explanatory article reading passage about Canal locks, written for Lower Elementary. It takes about 1 minute to read (224 words) and comes with an interactive quiz and a printable worksheet with comprehension questions and an answer key.