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2019 מועד אביב - 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) With the advent of Amazon.com and other internet bookstores, the business of
bookselling has been turned on its head. Nevertheless, traditional bookshops are far
from extinct. Many are thriving, particularly those offering lectures, writing workshops,
or other literary activities. Nowhere is this more evident than in the Pioneer Valley, the
(5) region that straddles both sides of the Connecticut River as it meanders through western
Massachusetts.
A visit to the Pioneer Valley is a veritable pilgrimage for bibliophiles. The area
abounds in bookshops, where people not only can purchase books but can also enjoy the
company of other book lovers. A typical outing might include browsing in a dusty
(10) second-hand bookshop, attending a poetry reading or a class on bookbinding, or
chatting with an author while buying a signed copy of his or her work. Nat Herold, who
has been selling books for over thirty years, hosts as many as fifteen author nights a
month. The bookcases in his store, Amherst Books, are on wheels so they can be
pushed out of the way to make room for up to a hundred folding chairs.
(15) Writers as well as readers contribute to the region's remarkable book culture. New
writers are always arriving in the Valley, increasing the ranks of a surprisingly large
number of local authors. The Amherst Books website features over 150 books by
contemporary local writers, and the list is continually updated. Books by these writers
are displayed prominently in shop windows, proudly bearing the sticker "Local Author".
(20) The Pioneer Valley has been home to some of the most noted writers in American
literature, from the eminent nineteenth-century poet Emily Dickinson to the beloved
twentieth-century children's author Theodor Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. Perhaps
this is why the Pioneer Valley has become one of the most author-saturated, book-
cherishing, literature-celebrating places in the United States. For Bonnie Isman,
(25) director of Amherst's Jones Library, the explanation is much simpler: books are just
what people in the Pioneer Valley do for fun.
Questions
13. An appropriate title for this text would be -
(1) The Pioneer Valley: A Book Lover's Dream
(2) The Pioneer Valley's Most Eminent Authors
(3) The Pioneer Valley: The Birthplace of American Literature
(4) The Pioneer Valley's Literary History
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