Planes, Trains, and Snowmobiles by Jennifer Estabrooks HOUGHTON MIFFLIN HarcOUrt
Planes, Trains, and Snowmobiles by Jennifer Estabrooks PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover (r) HMH, (l) Jupiterimages/Getty Images, (b) Jason Lindsey/Alamy, (bg) Alamy; 1 (l) Jupiterimages/Getty Images; 1 (c) HMH; 1 (r) Jason Lindsey/Alamy; 4 Kevin Foy/Alamy; 5 Alistair Laming/Alamy; 6 Flyver/Alamy; 7 Danita Delimont/Alamy; 8 Joan Gravell/Alamy; 9 Andria Patino/Corbis; 10 Gavin Hellier/Robert Harding World Imagery/Corbis; 11 Chris Howes/Wild Places Photography/Alamy; 12 Corbis; 13 Patrick Ward/Corbis; 14 Shout/Alamy. Copyright by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. Requests for permission to make copies of any part of the work should be addressed to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, Attn: Contracts, Copyrights, and Licensing, 9400 South Park Center Loop, Orlando, Florida 32819. Printed in the U.S.A. ISBN: 978-0-547-89086-9 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 XXXX 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 4500000000 A B C D E F G If you have received these materials as examination copies free of charge, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company retains title to the materials and they may not be resold. Resale of examination copies is strictly prohibited. Possession of this publication in print format does not entitle users to convert this publication, or any portion of it, into electronic format.
T hroughout the world, people use many different types of transportation to go to work, school, and other places. Some people travel by land. Others travel by sea or air. Some people travel in ways that may be very familiar to you. Others travel in ways that might surprise you. People use many types of transportation. 3
By Land Traveling by land is the most common way to get around, but not every vehicle travels above the ground. A subway is a type of train found in many large cities. It actually carries passengers underground throughout a system of tunnels. Subways make it possible for people to leave their cars at home. 4
In London, the subway is called The Tube. The world s first subway opened in London, England, in 1863. The city of Boston, Massachusetts, is home to the first subway system in the United States. The oldest subway system in Latin America can be found in Buenos Aires (BWAY-nos EYE-rays), Argentina. You can also get around by riding subways in Moscow, Russia; Paris, France; and Tokyo (TOH-kee-oh), Japan. 5
Lapland is a northern region that lies within the Arctic Circle. Imagine living in a remote place where the ground is covered in deep snow all winter. If the roads become impassable by car or truck, how would you get around? Try a snowmobile! In Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police patrol the countryside on snowmobiles. In an area of the world known as Lapland, some native people preserve a long tradition of herding reindeer. But today they use modern snowmobiles to herd. 6
With its three large wheels and handlebars, a pedicab looks like an overgrown tricycle. In countries such as Bangladesh and China, pedicabs are used in cities as taxis. Some U.S. cities have pedicabs, too, but they are mostly used for taking tourists around. A pedicab doesn t run on gasoline. Instead, the driver has to pedal it. Does a pedicab driver need to obtain a license? In some cities, the answer is yes. 7
By Sea In places with many bodies of water, traveling by boat is sometimes the best option for getting from here to there. A ferry is a large boat that can transport passengers across rivers and bays when a bridge isn t available. Some ferries are large enough to carry automobiles as well. People can drive right onto a car ferry and then enjoy the voyage from the top deck. 8
Such a deal! The Staten Island ferry is free to ride. Each weekday morning, more than 60,000 people who live on Staten Island in New York board a ferry. The ferry s destination is across the bay in Manhattan, where many of the passengers work. During the thirty-minute ride, passengers can have a cup of coffee, devour a donut, or check out the Statue of Liberty as they pass by. 9
10 Merchants sell flowers and fruit from flat boats in Bangkok. The city of Bangkok, Thailand (TIE-land), has a virtual maze of canals flowing through it. Before gas-powered boats took over the canals, people paddled flat boats to get around. Today, merchants still use flat boats to create a floating market where you can buy fresh mangoes, sticky rice, noodle soup, and other popular Thai foods.
By Air Take a look at the photo of this unusual vehicle. Is it a boat or is it a plane? The answer is a little of both. This is a vehicle called a seaplane. It flies through the air like a regular plane, but it can take off and land on water. It can also stay afloat like a boat. A seaplane takes off from the water. 11
Seaplanes are ideal for transporting people to islands that don t have airports. The country of Greece, for example, is made up of hundreds of small islands surrounding a mainland. Many avid island hoppers prefer taking seaplanes to get from island to island because flying is faster than going by boat. This seaplane flies from one island to another. 12
This air ambulance transports a patient to a city hospital. This kind of helicopter is an air ambulance. Like traditional ambulances, an air ambulance has equipment and medical personnel onboard. Like all helicopters, an air ambulance can go straight up and down. This makes it perfect for taking off and landing in tight spots. An air ambulance can pick up a patient from the scene of a highway accident, fly above traffic, and land on the rooftop of a hospital. 13
On the other extreme, an air ambulance can get access to areas that can t be reached by other forms of transportation. In 2011, a woman was touring an isolated area on the coast of England known for its steep cliffs. The woman slipped and broke her leg. She may not have known that air ambulances existed before that day, but she must have been very relieved to see one coming to her rescue! This air ambulance goes to the rescue! 14
Responding TARGET VOCABULARY Word Builder When the prefix im- is added to a root word, it changes the word to mean not. The word impassable means not passable. Think of other words with the prefix im- and their meanings, and add them to the chart. Word with imimpassable?? Meaning not passable?? Write About It Text to Self If you could try any of the methods of transportation described in the selection, which would you choose? Write a paragraph about what you would experience on your journey. Include at least one word from the Word Builder. 15
TARGET VOCABULARY access avid devour extremes impassable isolated obtain preserve remote virtual TARGET STRATEGY Visualize Use text details to form pictures in your mind of what you are reading. I mean distant, or I can be used to change the channel from a distance. What am I? 16
Level: P DRA: 38 Social Studies Strategy: Visualize Word Count: 692 4.1.3 Build Vocabulary Houghton Mifflin Online Leveled Books 9 0 0 0 0 9 7 8 0 5 4 7 8 9 0 8 6 9 1508058