PART I: WRITTEN RECEPTION (70 points)

(ACCESS TO INFORMATION FROM WRITTEN TEXTS)

Read the article below and then answer questions 1–9.
A glossary of the <u>underlined</u> words (numbers 1–8) is provided on the next page.

PREVENTING <u>FLOODS</u>¹ IN CITIES

I In recent years, cities all over the world have suffered badly from the effects of climate
change. One of the worst effects is the powerful storms that can occur at any time of the year. Huge
amounts of rain fall in a very short time, causing serious floods. As a result, cities are left without
electricity for days or weeks, homes and businesses are destroyed, and lives are <u>endangered</u>².
5 According to experts, as climate change continues, storms will become more frequent and bring
even greater amounts of rain.
II Cities normally rely on <u>drains</u>³ to carry all the rain away from the streets. However, the
drains are not built to cope with enormous amounts of rain that suddenly fill the streets. "Sometimes
you get the amount of rain of several weeks in only a few hours," says engineer Anna Cooper.
10 "And when rain cannot flow into the drains, it has nowhere else to go. This is because <u>pavements</u>⁴
and roads in most cities are made from <u>concrete</u>⁵ and <u>asphalt</u>⁶. These surfaces prevent rain from
passing through them into the earth below, and the water that remains on them floods the streets
and buildings."
III Cities have therefore begun to use more effective methods of removing rain from the
15 streets. One such method is to build roads and pavements using new <u>materials</u>⁷ with tiny holes
in them. Through these holes, water can flow down into the earth below. "Today many cities are
digging up old asphalt and concrete surfaces, and replacing them with the new materials," says
Cooper. "This means that roads are closed for weeks or even months. Obviously, <u>residents</u>⁸ hate
the noise, the dust and the traffic jams. But they know that when the work is finished, they'll be
20 better protected against a very serious risk."
IV Some cities are also planting "rain gardens" – gardens that are specifically designed
to absorb large amounts of rain quickly. Cities such as Portland in the USA have planted gardens
in all available spaces. Other cities, such as Wuhan in China, use another method to achieve
the same goal: They have covered the roofs of many buildings with earth and planted grass there.
25 "All these 'green' roofs and rain gardens also attract birds and insects and help them survive in the
urban environment," says Cooper. "And of course, green spaces are beautiful. So residents not only
get greater safety but can also enjoy their city more."

GLOSSARY

<small>בטופס המקורי המילון מופיע גם בספרדית, ברוסית, בצרפתית, באמהרית ובערבית.</small>

<u>QUESTIONS</u> (70 points)
Answer questions 1–9 in English according to the article. In questions 1, 3, 7, and 9, circle the number of the correct answer. In the other questions, follow the instructions.