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2014 ‫מועד אפריל‬ - 47 - ‫ פרק שני‬- ‫ אנגלית‬

Reading Comprehension

This part consists of two passages, each followed by several related questions. For each
question, choose the most appropriate answer based on the text.

Text I (Questions 13-17)

(1) Huge stone slabs dot a grassy field. Some of the stones lie fallen, while others
stand upright, forming part of a large circle. For centuries, visitors to this site have
wondered how such mammoth rocks came to be placed there, and why.

This is Stonehenge, a prehistoric monument in southern England. Archeologists
(5) have long searched for clues to its mysterious origins. Various artifacts they have found

there tell us that people began building Stonehenge nearly 5,000 years ago, during the
Late Stone Age. Stones were added to the site over the next 1,500 years, until
Stonehenge was completed in 1600 B.C.E. Two types of stone were used: sandstone
and bluestone. The slabs stand as high as 8 meters and weigh 20-50 metric tons each.
(10) It is believed that the bluestone was transported over water by raft from a distance of
more than 300 kilometers. The sandstone was once thought to have been hauled over
land on wooden rollers. More recently, it has been suggested that the sandstone was
brought to the area by melting glaciers.

Experts are not sure exactly what took place at Stonehenge, but it is likely that
(15) the structure was first built as a place to hold religious ceremonies and bury the dead.

Stonehenge also served as a huge calendar, which was used for predicting the coming of
the seasons and even eclipses of the sun and the moon. The stones were arranged in
line with the position of the sun, so that at sunrise on certain significant days of the year,
such as the vernal equinox (the first day of spring), the sun's rays shone on a specific
(20) stone. The prehistoric inhabitants of the area were farmers; perhaps they used
Stonehenge to time the planting of their crops.

)‫© 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