Water

In its purest form, it's odorless, nearly colorless and tasteless. It's in your body, the food you eat and the beverages you drink. You use it to clean yourself, your clothes, your dishes, your car and everything else around you. You can travel on it or jump in it to cool off on hot summer days. Many of the products that you use every day contain it or were manufactured using it. All forms of life need it, and if they don't get enough of it, they die.

Water is the only substance that occurs naturally as a solid (ice), a liquid and a gas (water vapor). It covers about 70 percent of the Earth for a total of approximately 332.5 million cubic miles (1,386 million cubic kilometers) [source: U.S. Geological Survey]. If you're familiar with the lines "Water, water, everywhere, nor any drop to drink" from the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," you'll understand that most of this water -- 97 percent of it -- is undrinkable because it's saltwater. Only 3 percent of the world's water supply is freshwater, and 77 percent of that is frozen. Of the 23 percent that is not frozen, only a half a percent is available to supply every plant, animal and person on Earth with all the water they need to survive [source: National Geographic].

Read much more about water at How Stuff Works.

Water Facts

Looking at water, you might think that it's the most simple thing around. Pure water is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. But it's not at all simple and plain and it is vital for all life on Earth. Where there is water there is life, and where water is scarce, life has to struggle or just "throw in the towel." So what is it about water that makes it so important to us? And what is it about water that makes it water?

Find out all about water at the US Geological Service Water Science page.

What is Your Water IQ?

Take this quiz on Planet Green to see how much you really know about the water we use.

Quantifiers Quiz

Go to English Club and check out your knowledge of quantifiers.

9 Great Reasons to Drink Water

We all know that water is good for us, but often the reasons are a little fuzzy. And even if we know why we should drink water, it's not a habit that many people form. But there are some very powerful reasons to drink lots of water every day, and forming the habit isn't hard, with a little focus.

 ...read more at Dumb Little Man, Tips for Life

Water Solutions for Kenya

Without access to clean water, Kenya's Kakamega Forest village is particularly vulnerable to disease and hardship. Vestergaard Frandsen's landmark CARBON FOR WATER initiative has provided more than 1 million free Lifestraw family water filters to locals. Learn how clean water is helping a community in Kenya thrive, one drink at a time.

Containers

Many items that we buy come in containers. Containers may have a specific name depending on their shape and the material they are made of.

Look at the lesson on containers on elearnenglishlanguage In this lesson, you will learn the vocabulary for various containers and you can click on each link to listen to the sound file. Further down, find the same vocabulary with corresponding photos.

Then try the container vocabulary quiz on learnenglishfeelgood.