אנגלית במכינה הטכנולוגית — קיץ 2024 מועד ב' (99911)

Part I – READING COMPREHENSION (A) Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions in English (35 points). קראו את הקטע שלפניכם וענו על השאלות שאחריו באנגלית. اقرأ القطعة التي أمامك وأجب عن الأسئلة التي تليها بالإنجليزية.

Smart Technologies for Disabled People

I There are more than 2.5 billion disabled people in the world. Some of them cannot do daily tasks without help. In addition, many disabled people cannot get jobs because of their disability. Today there are AI (artificial intelligence)* programs that help disabled people. Some AI programs use computer vision to “see” the world. These programs can help blind students or workers by reading 5 texts aloud from books or screens. In addition, these programs can recognize other people’s faces and emotions and describe them to the blind person. This can be useful for social interactions.

*AI (artificial intelligence) בינה מלאכותית الذكاء الاصطناعي

II People with speech disabilities can benefit from AI voice programs. For example, disabled people can type what they want to say, and a voice program can read it aloud. Some people with brain injuries can talk, but their speech is unclear. A program called Parrotron can help. It studies the 10 disabled person’s way of talking by listening to how he or she speaks for a period of time. As a result, it knows how to translate the person’s unclear speech into clear speech that other people can easily understand.

III AI can also help people with hearing disabilities. GnoSys is an application that instantly translates sign language** into text or speech. Another AI tool can do lip-reading. The system learned how to 15 understand speech from lip movements by watching over 5000 hours of TV programs and analyzing 118,000 sentences. People with hearing disabilities can use the system to understand what people around them are saying, especially in challenging situations such as busy social events. The system reads people’s lips and tells the disabled person what they are saying.

**sign language שפת הסימנים لغة الإشارات

IV Moreover, people who cannot walk may benefit from living in a smart house. In a smart house, the 20 disabled person can activate lights, appliances, and thermostats by just saying a word or two. With the help of such technologies, disabled people can become more independent at home, earn more money, and enjoy a better social life.

Adapted from: https://smartclick.ai/articles/how-ai-can-improve-the-lives-of-people-with-disabilities/#:~:text=With%20the%20big%20potential%20to,major%20difference%20in%20the

Answer the following questions in English (35 points). ענו על השאלות הבאות באנגלית. أجب عن الأسئلة التالية بالإنجليزية .

Part II – READING COMPREHENSION (B) Read the following passage carefully and answer in ENGLISH (25 points). קראו את הקטע שלפניכם וענו על השאלות שאחריו באנגלית. اقرأ القطعة التي أمامك، وأجب عن الأسئلة التي تليها.

Flooding in a Warm World

I As the planet becomes warmer, there is more rain and higher risk of flooding. Since 1880, the planet has become about 1°C warmer. By the end of the 21st century, the number of places in the USA at risk of flooding will grow by 50%. In Europe, around 170,000 people are at risk yearly because of floods, and this could increase to 480,000 by the end of the century.

II 5 There are ways to reduce the risks of flooding. The city of Milan, Italy, built a large system of canals* which drains a lot of the rain that falls in the city, and the region of Navarre, Spain, developed an early warning system that allows residents in risky areas to escape before a flood arrives.

*canals תעלות قنوات

III A good way to reduce flooding from rivers is to plant bamboo near the river. The roots of the 10 bamboo hold the soil near the river in place, so the river does not flood. Bamboo plants grow big enough to reduce flooding very soon after they are planted. This is because bamboo grows 4 cm every hour. We must continue looking for creative ways to reduce flooding in a warming world.

Adapted from: https://www.nrdc.org/stories/flooding-and-climate-change-everything-you-need-know#climate

Answer the following questions in English (25 points). קראו את הקטע שלפניכם וענו על השאלות שאחריו באנגלית. اقرأ القطعة التي أمامك، وأجب عن الأسئلة التي تليها.

Part III- Vocabulary and Unscrambling Sentences Total Points: (24 points)

Part A (18 points) In each question match three items 1-6 to the definitions in the table below. Write the number of the item next to its definition (3 points each).

בכל שאלה התאימו שלושה פריטים 1-6 להגדרות שבטבלה למטה. כתבו את מספר הפריט ליד ההגדרה שלו (3 נק' לכל אחד). في كل سؤال، لائم ثلاثة عناصر 1-6 مع التعريفات الموجودة في الجدول أدناه. اكتب رقم العنصر بجوار تعريفه (3 درجات لكل منها).

1. similarity
2. expensive
3. plenty
4. unusual
5. century
6. speed