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2019 ‫מועד אביב‬ - 39 - ‫ פרק ראשון‬- ‫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) Every day, billions of text messages are sent via cellular telephones. Texting has
given birth to a new language, text-speak. This language is elliptic, with many letters in
a word left out and little punctuation. Perhaps the most noticeable feature of all is the
extensive use of abbreviations: single letters, numerals, and symbols that represent

(5) words or parts of words. In text-speak, for instance, "you" is written "u", "before" is
written "b4", and hate is written "h8".

In 2007, the Daily Mail published an article entitled "I h8 txt msgs: How texting is
wrecking our language", in which John Humphrys claimed that texters are vandals who
are destroying English by "pillaging our punctuation [and] savaging our sentences".

(10) Humphrys is not alone. Many linguists and educators warn that the phenomenon of
text-speak is a deadly scourge, a technological virus. They fear that it spells the end of
the English language.

A counter-argument is presented by David Crystal in his 2008 book, aptly entitled
Txtng: The gr8 db8. Crystal claims that text-speak is not the corruption of language,

(15) but rather part of its ongoing evolution. He points out that since ancient times, people
have been manipulating language by shortening words and using symbols. Shakespeare
himself took many liberties with the English language, inventing words and introducing
unusual syntax. Crystal goes so far as to argue that texting can even improve
communication, quoting several studies which show that it encourages creativity and

(20) enhances verbal skills. In order to compose a text message that can easily be
understood by others, the texter must have an excellent grasp of spelling, grammar, and
sentence structure. Crystal concludes that though many people dislike texting, it is
merely the latest manifestation of our ability to adapt language to the ever-changing
circumstances of the human condition.

Questions

13. The main purpose of the text is to discuss -

(1) how texting improves communication
(2) the characteristics of text-speak
(3) a debate on the effects of text-speak
(4) the evolution of language

)‫© 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