BR 2-18 THE HEART

    I read "THE HEART", so I will tell you about story of the book. The heart is one of the most important organs in the human body. It's a muscle that works like a pump, sending blood to every part of the body. It takes 20 seconds for the heart to pump blood to every cell in the body. The heart can be found in the middle of the chest, behind the ribs. The ribs help to keep the heart safe. The heart has four places that hold blood. It has two large places on the bottom. These are called the right ventricle and left ventricle. It has two smaller places on the top. These are called the right atrium and left atrium. There are four valves in the heart. The valves stop the blood going back the wrong way. The blood takes important things like oxygen and food to every part of the body. Without oxygen and food, the body's cells begin to die. The blood also takes away things the body doesn't need. After the blood has been pumped around the body, it comes back to the heart. When the blood reaches the heart, it goes into the right atrium. The right atrium then pumped the blood into the right ventricle. Before the blood can be pumped around the body again, it needs more oxygen. The right ventricle pushes the blood into the lungs so it can pick up the oxygen it needs. After the blood gets this oxygen, it becomes bright red. When the blood leaves the lungs, it goes back to the left atrium. From here the blood is pumped into the left ventricle. The left ventricle then pumps it around the body. The way you move and the food you eat has a lot of do with how well your heart works. In a lifetime, the heart beats about 2.5 billion times. This is an amazing job for an organ that is only about the size of a fist.

FAST FORWARD text by Alan Trussell- Cullen First published in 2007

346 words