Unit 5.

Respiratory System

1. Label the picture with the following words:

Nasal cavity

Nostril Pharynx

*Epiglottis Larynx
Trachea Bronchioles
Lungs

Bronchi Alveoli

Diaphragm

* Epiglottis is a cartilaginous valve that covers the trachea during swallowing,

preventing the entrance of food and drink into the larynx.

Vocabulary
Alveolae/alveoli = Alvèol/alvèol, alveolo/alveolos.
Breathe = Respirar.
Bronchus/bronchi = Broqui/bronquis, Bronquio/bronquios.
Brochiol = Bronquíol/bronquiolo.
Nostril = Orifici nasal/orificio nasal.

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2. Read the text and answer the questions:
The respiratory system is the group of tissues and organs in your body that allow you
to breathe. This system includes your airways, your lungs, and the blood vessels and
muscles attached to them that work together so you can breathe. The respiratory
system’s main function is to supply oxygen to all the parts of your body. It does this
through breathing: inhaling oxygen-rich air and exhaling air filled with carbon
dioxide, which is a waste gas.
This is how the respiratory system works: first you breathe air in through your nose
and mouth, which wet and warm the air so it won’t irritate your lungs. Then the air
travels through your voice box (larynx), down your windpipe (trachea), and though
two bronchi (bronchial tubes) into your lungs. Cilia, tiny mucous-covered hairs, in
your airways trap foreign particles and germs to filter the air that you breathe. You
then cough or sneeze the particles out of your body.
The diaphragm, abdominal muscles, and intercostal muscles help your lungs expand
and contract so you can inhale and exhale. When you inhale, the air goes through the
bronchi in your lungs to blood vessels that connect to veins and arteries. These veins
and arteries carry the blood throughout your body. When you exhale, the carbon
dioxide goes out the same way, exiting your body through your nose and mouth. If
you can’t breathe or can’t breathe well, your body won’t receive enough oxygen to
keep it running, and it will also be poisoned by the carbon dioxide that is produced in
your cells.
Fun Fact: You breathe in and out anywhere from 15 to 25 times per minute!
Questions:
a) What are the main parts of the respiratory system? The main parts of the
respiratory system are the airways, the lungs, the blood vessels and the muscles.
b) What is the main function of the respiratory system? The main function of the
respiratory system is to supply oxygen to all parts of the body.
c) What is the function of the airways cilia and mucus? They trap foreign particles
and germs to filter the air that you can breathe.
d) What is the job of the respiratory muscles? The job of the respiratory muscles is
to expand and contract so you can inhale and exhale
e) What happens if you can’t breathe? If you can’t breathe your body won’t receive
enough oxygen to keep to running.

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3. Complete the text with the words given:

three blood heart spongy left two lungs lobes

The lungs are the organs of respiration. The right lung is a little bigger that the left
lung because the left lung has to fit around the heart making it slightly smaller. The
lungs are split into lobes The left lung is split into two lobes while the right lung is
split into three lobes. Lungs have a very spongy texture and a large surface area (80
m2) approximately in order to increase the gas exchange between the alveoli and the
blood.

4. Circle true or false.

1. The respiratory system obtains oxygen and expels carbon dioxide. T
2. When we inhale, the air leaves our lungs. F
3. When we exhale, the air goes out of the lungs. T
4. Air passes through the pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchi and bronchioles on its way
to the lungs. T
5. Smoking is good for our lungs. F
6. When we run, our breathing is slower. F

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5. Order these sentences:
7 When we exhale, the air goes out of the lungs.
3 After the pharynx, the air goes through the larynx.
5 The air goes into the bronchi. It takes the air into the lungs.
6 In the lungs, the air goes into the alveoli.
4 The air goes through the trachea.
1 When we inhale, the air goes through the nose and the nasal cavity.
2 The air goes through the pharynx.

6. Experiment.
Measure your chest when:
- You inhale air
- You exhale air
- You inhale deeply
Write the results in the table.

Breathing Chest size

Inhale air 92 cm
Exhale air 90 cm
Inhale deeply 95 cm

7. Answer the questions:

a. What happens when you inhale air? Are your lungs bigger or smaller? If I inhale
air my lungs are biggers
b. And when you exhale air? When I exhale air my lungs are smallers
c. What happens when you inhale deeply? If I inhale deeply air my lungs are so
much bigger that if I inhale normally.

8. Complete the text with the words given:

Out, lungs, carbon dioxide, air, in

When breathing in we take oxygen from the air . This oxygen goes to our lungs and
distributed around the body. Then we breathe out and we expirate carbon dioxide.

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9. There must be an order!
First, allow me to list the structures and organs that together make up the respiratory
system. Your job is to write them down in the order that air passes through them as it
is inhaled. OK?

Nostril, nasal cavity, pharynx, larynx, trachea, bronchus, bronchiole, alveoli

10. Air breathed in and breathed out. Complete the following table:

Air breathed in Air breathed out

It contains more O2 It contains less O2
It contains less CO2 It contains more CO2
It contains the same nitrogen It contains the same nitrogen
It contains less water vapour It contains more water vapour
It is dirtier It is cleaner
It is colder It is warmer

Use words from the list:

cleaner; O2; water vapour (x2); CO2; nitrogen (x2); warmer; colder

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11. Puffing and Panting.

We call “Breathing rate” the number of times we

breathe per minute. Do you think that you change
your breathing rate depending on your activity? Let’s
see it.
Get ready to follow next step:
a. Sit still and count how many times you breathe out
in 1 minute. Try to make “normal” breathings. That
will be your breathing rate at rest.

b. Copy this table and fill in your breathing rate at rest

Breathing rate at rest Breathing rate after Breathing rate after

(breathing per minute) light exercise heavy exercise
(breaths per minute) (breaths per minute)

c. Now do step-ups for 1 minute (light exercise). As soon as you have

finished, sit down and measure your breathing rate. Write it down in your
table.

d. Now do step-ups as quickly as you can for 3 minutes (heavy exercise). As soon as
you have finished, sit down and measure your breathing rate.
Write it down in your table.

e. Draw a bar diagram to show your breathing rate at rest, after light exercise and after
heavy exercise.

f. Answer those questions:

- After exercising your breathing rate: increased or decreased?

- What happens to the size of each breath in the investigation?

- What do you think affects your breathing rate and your depth of breathing?

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12. Copy and complete the following text with words from the box:

We breathe in air containing nitrogen, oxygen and some carbon dioxide.

The air that we breathe out contains the same amount of nitrogen,
less oxygen and more carbon dioxide. The air we breathe out also
contains more water vapour, it is at a higher temperature
and it is cleaner

more; nitrogen; cleaner; water; out; oxygen; oxygen; higher;

13. Read the sentences from the box and write the airway in the correct order.
enters the body through the lungs
goes into the lungs through small tubes called the trachea
travels from the nose to the bronchioles
The air goes from the trachea to two tubes called the bronchi
passes into the blood through the alveoli
arrives in two spongy organs called the nasal cavity

1 The air enters the body through the nasal cavity

2 The air travels from the nose to the trachea
3 The air goes from the trachea to two tubes called bronchi
4 The air goes into the lungs through small tubes called bronchioles
5 The air passes into the blood through the alveoli
6 The air arrives in two spongy organs called lungs

14. Find the words related to the topic:

LUNGS NOSE TRACHEA BRONCHI BRONCHIOLE ALVEOLI

BREATHE DIAPHRAGM OXYGEN AIR

O U Z Y L D V M F F L A A B
J T I Q P J L U N G S Z B R
Q R V N C N K J F G F Y Q E
Y E K A Q R U V D E V C I A
K K D L G W I L J Y G C E T
U Y D I A P H R A G M B A H
B R O N C H I O L E Z R I E
Q C T R A C H E A E E O R R
H A G I E G S K P A V N D O
R C E A C X O D V G C C Q F
A L V E O L I C N V M H F Q
R N H G S Y P K O Z N I D A
Y R Z Y G X U K S G L Q D K
Q I O X Y G E N E N D D R P

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15. Read the text and answer the questions:

Gas exchange is the process of oxygen and carbon dioxide moving between the lungs
and the blood. It takes place in the alveoli.
The alveoli are adapted to make gas exchange in lungs happen easily and efficiently.
The gases move by diffusion. Diffusion is the process by which gases move from a
high concentration to a low concentration. Oxygen diffuses from the air in the alveoli
into the blood. Carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood into the air in the alveoli.

1. What is gas exchange? Gas exchange is the process of oxygen and carbon
moving between the lungs and the blood.
2. Where gas exchange occur? It takes place in the alveoli.
3. How do the gases move? Oxygen passes from the air in the alveoli into the
blood. Carbon dioxide passes from the blood into the air in the alveoli.

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 The body The body

The air enters The air leaves

Inspiration Expiration

movements

RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

Is made up of
lungs
Airways

are are made up of

Nasal cavity Trachea Bronchi Bronchioles alveoli

Its job is
Their functions are

Transporting , filtering and warming up the air Gases exchanging between air and blood

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RESPIRATORY SYSTEM SELF-ASSESSMENT Read and write a cross
YES NO NOT
☺  YET
Label the main parts of the x
respiratory system
Explain the function of the airways x
and lungs.
I CAN ... Explain the respiratory movements x
Calculate the breathing rate at rest x
and after doing exercise.
Explain the gas exchange. x
Distinguish inhalation an exhalation. x
write the respiratory parts down in x
the order that air passes through
them

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