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2015 ‫מועד ספטמבר‬ - 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 1935, a new kind of book appeared that revolutionised the way people bought –
and thought about – books. It was the brainchild of Allen Lane, director of the Bodley

Head, a small British publishing company. One day, while waiting for a train, Lane
went over to the station's bookstall in the hope of finding something to read.
(5) Disappointed by the poor selection, he realised that fine literature was sold only in
well-established, expensive bookstores. Cheap paperback books did exist, but their low
price was matched by the poor quality of their content and production. Convinced that
people should be able "to acquire excellent reading in a quality format for no more than
the price of a pack of cigarettes", Lane determined to make the best writing in the world
(10) both accessible and affordable. Penguin Books was thus born.

The first books, featuring the company's dignified yet playful penguin logo on their
front cover and spine, came on the market the very next summer. Among them were
works by such respected authors as Ernest Hemingway and Agatha Christie. The
colours of the book covers indicated the different categories of literature: orange for

(15) general fiction, green for crime and mystery, and blue for biography. The books were
sold not only in bookshops, but also in department stores and railroad station bookstalls.
Moreover, in keeping with Lane's philosophy, they cost just sixpence apiece – the same
as a pack of cigarettes. At first, there were doubts as to whether the low price would
cover production costs. However, the fledgling company sold a staggering three million

(20) books within the first twelve months, turning a substantial profit.

Few publishers become legendary; Allen Lane, considered by some the greatest
publisher of the twentieth century, is one who did. His Penguins are, to this day, the
most readily available and recognisable books in the world. Almost single-handedly,
Lane shaped the intellectual and cultural landscape of the reading public in the

(25) twentieth century.

Questions

13. The first paragraph mainly discusses -

(1) the cost of books in Britain in the 1930s
(2) Lane's early career as a publisher
(3) how Lane's idea took shape
(4) the types of books available at train stations

)‫© 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