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Bones
The bones in our body form our skeleton. They help to support our body and protect
important organs. Bones also store nutrients and minerals, and they are places where
WORDS blood cells are made. Humans have more than 200 bones in their bodies – all of different
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attach = connect shapes and sizes. Like other parts of our body bones keep changing all the time. They
billion = a thousand million are alive and grow, especially when you are young.
blood cell =one of the cells in
your body with blood; there are Parts of a bone
red and white blood cells
blood vessel = a tube that car-
ries blood from one part of your The outer surface of a bone is called the periosteum. It is a very thin membrane
body to another that has nerves and blood vessels in it. They carry nutrients to the bones.
brain = the organ inside your
head that controls how you think
The compact bone is the smooth and very hard part of the bone. It is the part you
and feel
cage =a structure which protects see when you look at a skeleton.
something
chest = the front part of your Spongy bone is lighter than compact bone but it is still very strong. It looks like a
body between your neck and your
stomach sponge or honeycomb with a lot of spaces in between.
chew = to bite many times
disappear = to go away so that The inside parts of a bone are hollow. They are filled with a jelly called bone
you don’t see it marrow. In adults the long bones of the legs and arms are filled with yellow mar-
disc = a round flat object
row. The ends have red marrow. It is the place where billions of new blood cells
especially= above all, mainly
grown-up = an adult are produced every day.
hollow = empty inside
honeycomb = the place where When a child is born it has about 300 “soft” bones . As it grows up some of these bones
bees put their honey. It has six grow together to form the 206 bones that a normal grown-up has. During childhood
sides and holes in between bones grow with the help of calcium. By the time you are about 20, bones stop growing.
keep in place = in the correct
position
The Spine and Chest
jawbone = one of the bones that
your teeth are in The spine is a special part of our skeleton. It has 26 small bones that look like rings and
jelly =material that is very soft
and moves easily when you touch are linked together. These rings are called vertebrae. The spine lets you twist and bend
it your body and it holds your body upright. It also supports your head so that it can’t fall
liver = the part of your body that down. The spine protects the spinal cords which are the nerves that send information to
cleans your blood the rest of your body.
membrane = a very thin piece of
skin that connects parts of your
Between each ring there are small soft discs. They keep the vertebrae from rubbing
body
nutrient =a food or chemical that against each other and act as a pillow, so when you jump into the air and come to the
gives people, animals or plants ground again it doesn’t hurt.
what they need to grow
pillow =a soft material that pro- Ribs are a cage of bones that protect the most important organs: your heart, lungs, liver
tects something and others. You can feel your ribs by touching your chest.
protect =defend, guard
rub =to press something against Most people have twelve pairs of ribs that look the same on the right and left side. They
something else
shape = what something looks
are attached to the spine in the back. In the centre of your chest there is a strong bone
like = form called the sternum. It keeps your ribs in place, so that they
skull = the bones of your head don’t fall apart.
smooth = flat, even
space =room, gap Skull
spinal cord = the nerves that are
in your spine The bones in your head make up your skull. They protect
spine = the row of bones down your brain. Some bones in your skull are fixed, so that you
the middle of your back can’t move them. Others, like your jawbone can be moved.
sponge = something that is soft
and full of holes
It opens and closes your mouth when you eat, talk or chew
store =keep, save food.
support = to hold something up
surface =the top layer of an ob- Babies are born with spaces between the bones in their
ject skull. As a baby grows the spaces disappear and the bones
twist = move, turn grow together.
upright =standing straight
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Bones
Arms and hands
WORDS Your arms and hands make up a total of about 54 bones. They let you write, pick up
q things or throw a ball. Each arm is attached to a shoulder blade. There are two long
ankle = a joint that connects the
bones in your arm which are connected through your elbow. These bones are wider at
foot to the leg
the ends and thinner in the middle.
attach = connect to
attract =to be a magnet for The wrist connects the lower part of your arm with your hand. It is very flexible so you
femur =the main bone in the can twist it and turn it around in many directions. The hand is made up of small sepa-
upper part of your leg rate bones. Each finger has three bones, only your thumb has two.
balance =keep steady
bend = turn Legs
calcium = a chemical element A leg is made up of three bones. They are very large and strong and help support the
that is soft and white. It is found
in bones, teeth and chalk weight of your body. They are connected to a group of bones called the pelvis, which
supports the upper part of your body.
curved =bent, rounded
dairy products = food that comes The longest bone of our body is the femur. It runs from the pelvis to the knee. The knee
from the cow like milk, cheese,
butter
itself is protected by the kneecap. The ankle connects the lower part of your leg with
your foot. The bones in your feet help you stand and balance your body.
disease = illness
elderly = older Joints
flexible = easy to bend and turn
A joint is a place that holds two bones together. Fixed joints don’t move at all. Some of
fluid =liquid, something watery
them are in your skull and in other parts of your body.
heal = to become healthy again
impossible = you cannot do it Moving joints allow you to twist, bend and move different parts of your body. Some of
inflammation = part of the body them let you move in only one direction, others allow you to move freely in many direc-
becomes red and swollen when it tions. Joints have fluids in them, so they can work more easily and don’t hurt.
is hurt
it takes longer =you need more Diseases and injuries
time
joint = a place that holds two Like all parts of the body our bones can also suffer from
bones together certain diseases. Bones need calcium to make them
kneecap = small bone that covers hard. If your body does not get enough vitamin D bones
the front of the knee don’t have enough calcium, they become soft and
osteoporosis = when bones be- curved. People suffer from osteoporosis when they
come weak and break easily have weak bones.
pad = thick soft material that you
can wear on your knees or el- Bones can also break. In babies and young children bro-
bows—it protects your joints ken bones grow together quickly, but when people get
pelvis =the curved bones which older it takes longer for bones to be repaired. In eld-
connect your body with your legs
erly people bones heal very slowly – sometimes not at
protect =defend, guard all.
separate =single
shoulder blade = a flat bone at Joints also attract diseases when a person gets older.
the top of your back Arthritis is an inflammation of the joint that hurts and
strengthen = to make stronger sometimes makes it impossible for you to move.
skull = the bones of your head
Taking care of bones
suffer =to feel pain
support = to hold something up Protect your skull bones by wearing a helmet when you ride your bike or do other
thumb = short thick finger at the sports.
side of the hand
twist = move, turn Wear elbow and knee pads when you go skating.
weight =how heavy something is
wide =broad Strengthen your bones by drinking milk and eating dairy products like cheese and
wrist = joint between the hand yoghurt. They all have calcium in them, which makes bones harder.
and the arm
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Bones
skull
shoulder vertrebra
ribs
elbow
spine
wrist pelvis
femur
knee
ankle