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2020 ‫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) In 1887, Britain celebrated Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee, marking fifty years of
her reign. One of the attractions from the U.S. was Buffalo Bill's Wild West show,
featuring cowboys, sharpshooters, and highly skilled horseback riders. Given the
history of tensions between the two countries, the presence of this thoroughly American

(5) spectacle at the decidedly English celebrations was a matter of some consequence.
Even more significant was the show's overwhelming success: by the time it left
London, over a million people had attended.

Intrigued by reports of the colourful spectacle, Queen Victoria expressed her desire
to have the show brought to Buckingham Palace, which she had rarely left since the

(10) death of her husband twenty-five years earlier. When it was explained to her that the
palace could not accommodate the massive production, the Queen surprised everyone
by deciding to travel to Earl's Court arena for a command performance.

It was a splendid occasion. The performance began with a Grand Entry, in which
horsemen carrying American flags trotted into the arena. As they passed, Her Majesty

(15) rose and, with a simple, elegant bow, paid her respects to the American flag – the first
time in history that a supreme sovereign of the British Empire had honoured the colours
of the former British colony.

Queen Victoria's attendance made news everywhere in the English-speaking world
and helped Buffalo Bill's Wild West to become an international phenomenon. For over

(20) twenty years, the show attracted enthusiastic audiences throughout Europe and beyond.
Moreover, the show established a vivid, if inaccurate, image of American culture and
history that would endure for generations.

Questions

13. It can be understood from the first paragraph that the Wild West show's participation in

Queen Victoria's Jubilee celebrations was -

(1) surprising
(2) disappointing
(3) embarrassing
(4) challenging

)‫© 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