Part I – READING COMPREHENSION (A)

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions in ENGLISH except for question J. Answers in Hebrew or Arabic will not be accepted on this part of the test except for question J. (44 points) קראו את הקטע שלפניכם וענו על השאלות שאחריו באנגלית. תשובות בעברית או ערבית לא יתקבלו בחלק הזה, פרט לשאלה J. اقرأ القطعة التي أمامك وأجب عن الأسئلة التي تليها بالإنجليزية. لن تقبل في هذا القسم، الإجابات المصاغة بالعبرية والعربية، ما عدا السؤال J.

E-Waste: A Global Problem

I Many electric devices like mobile phones, TVs, watches, health trackers and more come, in and out of our lives. When electronic devices are thrown away, they become e-waste (electronic waste) which endangers the environment and us. Why? These devices are full of chemical compounds and heavy metals. When the chemicals and heavy metals leak out of the devices, they poison the 5 environment and the people who come in contact with them.

II What happens to e-waste? Most of the e-waste is put into landfills. Over time, the chemicals leak into the ground (some enter the water supply) or escape as gas into the atmosphere. This affects the health of people living in nearby neighborhoods. The rest is exported to developing countries where it is recycled. In the recycling process, chemicals enter drinking-water sources in the same way they enter 10 landfills. In addition, working with the recycled materials often seriously affects workers’ health. It is done in unsafe conditions in which the workers physically touch the materials or breathe in fumes.

III This poisoning of the environment is dangerous. When we drink, eat or breathe in a lot of poisoned food, water or air, the chances are greater of getting sick with cancer. Our bodies can’t get rid of 15 the poisons that build up in our bodies fast enough. One example of this is the fish food chain: when we eat fish from the sea, we eat fish that ate smaller fish. They ate even smaller fish which ate plankton (a small sea plant). Many of them grow in poisoned water. If some or all of the fish and plankton contain poisons, people, at the top of the food chain, eat all of it. The same goes for birds and land animals.

IV 20 Today, people know about the danger of e-waste and the need to prevent it. Governments around the world are starting to pass laws to limit e-waste, and industries are working on ways to reduce it. Let’s hope these steps aren’t too late.

Adapted from: https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/e-waste-recycling-process.php

QUESTIONS 1. Answer the following questions in English. HEBREW or ARABIC will not be accepted, except for question J. (44 points) ענו על השאלות הבאות באנגלית. תשובות בעברית או בערבית לא יתקבלו פרט לשאלה J. أجب عن الأسئلة التالية بالإنجليزية، لن تقبل في هذا القسم، الإجابات المصاغة بالعبرية والعربية، ما عدا السؤال J.