Page 40 - index

2022 ‫מועד סתיו‬ - 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) On some cold, clear nights, a curtain of light shimmers across the sky in the
northern regions of the world. This spectacle, known as the aurora borealis or northern
lights, can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours. The northern lights are
constantly in motion, changing in shape and color. Most often, the lights are white

(5) and green, but they may also be red, blue, or violet. Sometimes they form waves of
color, dancing brightly; at other times, they may simply glow. Towards dawn, the lights
fade, leaving wispy patches in the sky.

Scientists explain that the aurora borealis is caused by a stream of electrically
charged particles emitted by the sun. When these enter the earth's magnetic field,

(10) they are diverted towards the North Pole, where they collide with gas molecules,
causing energy to be released into the atmosphere. Some of this energy takes the form
of light.

The native peoples of the northern regions have their own explanations for the
aurora borealis. The Inuit, for example, believe that these lights are produced by the

(15) spirits of the dead as they play akraurak, a traditional game similar to soccer. Inuit
storyteller Michael Kusugak explains: "We believe that when you die, your soul goes
up into the heavens. That is what the northern lights are: the trails of the souls of the
dead playing soccer in the sky."

Scientists and storytellers do agree, however, that the aurora borealis is a
(20) breathtaking sight. In his "Ballad of the Northern Lights", poet Robert Service captures

the awe felt by all who see it: "And the skies of night were alive with light, with a
throbbing, thrilling flame."

Questions

13. An appropriate title for this text would be -

(1) Constantly Changing: The Many Forms of the Northern Lights
(2) The Northern Lights in Native Traditions
(3) The Aurora Borealis and Its Symbolic Meanings
(4) The Aurora Borealis: Science and Legend

)‫© 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