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2016 ‫מועד יולי‬ - 49 - ‫ פרק שני‬- ‫ אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) In the early 20th century, industrialist Henry Ford revolutionized American society
by mass producing low-priced automobiles. In 1927, Ford, who was always trying to
cut costs, came up with the idea of producing the rubber required for his cars himself
rather than relying on suppliers. He envisioned a giant rubber plantation in the heart of

(5) the Amazon rainforest that would not only meet his company's rubber needs, but also
provide an ideal living environment for his employees. In exchange for a percentage of
the anticipated profits, the Brazilian government gave Ford a huge piece of land on
which he built "Fordlandia" in 1928.

The project was doomed to failure. Notoriously mistrustful of experts, Ford
(10) neglected to hire a single horticulturalist, agronomist, microbiologist, or botanist. As a

result, there was no one to advise him about cultivating rubber trees or protecting them
from insects and diseases native to the region. Thousands of rubber trees were planted
too close together, creating conditions that allowed caterpillars to thrive and destroy the
trees.

(15) Fordlandia was a flop in more ways than one. Ford, believing that he was providing
his workers with the best of everything, built an entire American-style town, complete
with schools, hospitals, restaurants, and shops. Unfortunately, Ford did not take the
cultural divide into account: much about the town was unsuited to the culture of the
local Brazilian laborers he employed. For example, Ford enforced U.S. Prohibition

(20) laws, though drinking was legal in Brazil. In addition, the workers found it very hard to
work from 6 AM until 3 PM, without their customary break during the hottest midday
hours. The Americans who managed the plantation fared no better. They could not
adjust to the heat and humidity of the jungle.

Over a period of 17 years, Ford invested $20 million in Fordlandia. In the end, he
(25) sold the plantation to the Brazilian government for a mere one percent of that sum.

Even more telling is that not a single bit of rubber grown on the plantation was ever
used in the manufacture of a Ford automobile.

Questions

18. An appropriate title for the text would be -

(1) Henry Ford's Disastrous Experiment
(2) Henry Ford's Greatest Accomplishment
(3) How Henry Ford Changed the Rubber Industry
(4) Fordlandia: The Ideal Working Environment

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