Download The Lungs - mrspilkington

Name: ___________________________
Date: _____________________
Section: ____
Learning Strategies
The Airways
Air enters your body through the nose or the mouth. This is the beginning
of the upper respiratory tract.
1
The next passage for the air going down to your lungs is the pharynx. The
upper part of the pharynx is called the nasopharynx. The lower part of the
pharynx is called the oropharynx, or throat. What job does your throat have? Well, it works
for both the respiratory system and the digestive system. It is a passageway for food and
drink. Of course, air is also swallowed.
2
Below the pharynx is the larynx, or voice box. It is also a passageway for air flowing into
the lower respiratory system. When food enters the throat, it heads toward the esophagus.
The epiglottis covers the larynx so you don't choke.
3
Now, of course, your larynx, or voice box, has a very definite use. Your vocal cords
vibrate very fast in your airstreams and make a noise. While the main job of the respiratory
system has always been to get oxygen from the air you breathe into your body's blood. Its
secondary function has been to help you make the words, laughter, sobs, screams, and hums
to communicate your thoughts and feelings.
4
The larynx is made of nine stiff, curved plates of cartilage. Your vocal cords are usually
apart for normal breathing. To make a sound, though, they move together. The vocal cords
are usually shorter and floppier for low, deep sounds and longer and tighter for higherpitched sounds.
5
After air passes through the pharynx and larynx, it goes to the trachea, or windpipe,
which begins the lower respiratory system. An adult's trachea is approximately 4 inches long
and around ¾ inch wide. It is kept open by between 16 and 20 rings of cartilage. These rings
allow the trachea to bend when you move your neck and chest. The trachea's job is to let air
pass up and down, to and from your lungs.
6
The trachea has a lining of microscopic hairs called cilia. Cilia move the mucus along
and capture dust and dirt, pushing everything along itself toward the throat. The mucus sand
dirt can be swallowed into the esophagus, keeping your airways clear.
7
Copyright © 2009 edHelper
The Airways
1. The next passage, after your nose, in the
upper respiratory tract is the
___________.
Pharynx
Trachea
Larynx
3. Another word for your voice box is
____________.
Pharynx
Trachea
Larynx
5. The ________ is made of 9 plates of
cartilage.
Pharynx
Trachea
Larynx
2. Another word for your throat is
___________.
Trachea
Larynx
Pharynx
4. A function of your respiratory system is
to communicate with words.
False
True
6. Another word for your windpipe is the
____________.
Trachea
Larynx
Pharynx
7. The lower part of your respiratory system 8. Trapping dirt in your trachea helps keep
begins with the ___________.
Trachea
Larynx
Pharynx
your airways clear.
False
True
Name: ___________________________
Date: _____________________
Section: ____
Learning Strategies
The Airways - Answer Key
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Pharynx
Pharynx
Larynx
True
Larynx
Trachea
Trachea
True