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2015 ‫מועד פברואר‬ - 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) The water clock was one of the earliest devices for measuring time. Unlike the
sundial, it did not depend on the observation of the sun or other celestial bodies. The
water clock appears to have originated in Egypt around 2000 B.C.E. and was later used
in ancient Greece and Rome. The Greeks named the device clepsydra, meaning "water

(5) thief."

A simple clepsydra consisted of a stone container with sloping sides and a small
hole in the base through which water dripped at a constant rate. As the water level
dropped, the passage of time was measured by means of markings on the inside walls of
the container. The "drip-drip" of water from the bottom of the clepsydra was the

(10) ancient forerunner of the "tick-tock" of today's clocks. More complex clepsydras were
developed over time. One type had two containers, one inside the other. Time was
measured as the inner container filled with water from the larger one inside which it was
placed.

Between 100 B.C.E. and 500 C.E., horologists and astronomers developed more
(15) sophisticated, mechanized water clocks. These devices regulated the water pressure in order

to make the flow of water steadier. New ways were found to display time: ringing
bells, pointers and dials, little doors and windows that opened and shut. One of the most
remarkable clepsydras was built in China by imperial astronomer Su Sung in the eleventh
century C.E. Over 10 meters tall, the clock tower featured an automatically rotating globe
(20) and five front panels that opened to reveal a series of figures holding tablets indicating the
hour.

Questions

13. According to the first paragraph, water clocks -

(1) could be used only when the sun was shining
(2) were probably first used in Egypt
(3) were not as reliable as the observation of celestial bodies
(4) were the earliest method of keeping time

)‫© 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