Page 48 - index

2012 ‫מועד פברואר‬ - 47 - ‫ פרק שנ י‬- ‫ אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 23-27)

(1) Deep in the Ugandan rain forest, a male silver-backed gorilla concentrates on
chewing a thick piece of bamboo. Nearby, a female gorilla plays with her baby. Hidden
in the grass a short distance away, four people silently watch the gorillas' activities.
These people are among the many tourists who pay large sums of money to enjoy the

(5) natural beauty and exotic wildlife of remote areas.

Such "wilderness tourism" is a thriving business and the fastest-growing sector of
the tourism industry. Most of the fifteen million visitors to Africa in 2000 took part in
wildlife and nature safaris. It is estimated that 30 million people – many of them
wilderness tourists – visited Africa in the year 2010. Most wilderness tourists are

(10) fascinated by wildlife, such as the gorillas of central Africa or the wildebeests of South
Africa. The same interest also prompts thousands of people to visit Asia.

Money from wilderness tourism can help fund local conservation projects and
provide much-needed revenue for developing countries. Supporters of wilderness

tourism claim that groups of people walking through a forest cause less damage than do
(15) the mining and logging industries, which are common sources of income in these

countries.

But planeloads of tourists bring problems as well as cash. Panos, an international
conservation organization, warns that the large number of visitors can harm the
environment by disturbing wildlife and damaging plants and soil. The organization also

(20) points out that local communities may not benefit from wilderness tourism as much as
they should. The international airlines and foreign companies involved in wilderness
tourism often make huge profits – but the local people do not. In Nepal, for example,
out of every dollar spent by foreign visitors who come to climb the Himalayas, only
fifteen cents reaches local residents.

Questions

23. The main purpose of the first paragraph is to describe -

(1) an experience that wilderness tourists might have
(2) the natural beauty of the Ugandan rain forest
(3) the typical behavior of silver-backed gorillas
(4) a project to help save silver-backed gorillas

24. The "same interest" (line 11) refers to an interest in -

(1) wildlife
(2) the tourism industry
(3) silver-backed gorillas
(4) Asia

)‫© כל הזכויות שמורות למרכז ארצי לבחינות ולהערכה (ע"ר‬

.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬