Reading Comprehension • Saddleback Educational Publishing ©2002 57 3 Watson, Irvine, CA 92618•Phone (888)SDL-BACK•www.sdlback.com
Na m e : ___ Date: _
Directions: Read both articles, then write V (Venus), M (Mars), or B (Both) on the blanks below.Put on your detective hat and be on the lookout for
the main idea in paragraphs you read. How will you
recognize it? It will state the topic in a general way.Venus is our nearest planet neighbor. Viewed through a
telescope, all that we can see is a thick blanket of yellow
clouds. For years scientists wondered what might lie beneath
those clouds—could the surface of Venus be like Earth?
The first probe was sent to Venus in the 1960s, and others
followed. The initial data we got back was that the surface
temperature reaches 890°F! Later we learned that the yellow
cloud cover contains deadly sulfuric acid and the atmosphere is
so thick, it would be like looking through soup. It may be the
planet “next door” but Venus is hardly Earth-like.Unlike Venus, the features of Mars are more like those of Earth—there
are mountains, plains, canyons, and volcanoes. Mars has seasons and
an atmosphere (though very thin). So, could there be life like ours on
Mars?
In the 1970s the first probes landed on Mars. They let us know that:
there is no carbon dioxide (necessary for life as we know it), there were
only traces of water (not enough to support life), and there is almost no
oxygen in the atmosphere (the part we need to breathe). It seems our
neighbor, the red planet, has no residents we know of.Venus
Mars
_____ 1. Has surface features similar to Earth’s
_____ 2. The planet closest in distance to Earth
_____ 3. Could not support life as we know it
_____ 4. Has a very thick atmosphere_____ 5. Was probed for information
_____ 6. Surface features can be seen through a telescope
_____ 7. Has known traces of water
_____ 8. Has an atmosphere