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.

Supersonic Flight

I Sound travels through Earth’s atmosphere at a speed of between 1,060 kilometers per hour and 1,280 kilometers per hour, depending on how dry the air is and on the temperature of the air. Supersonic flight is when an airplane travels faster than the speed of sound. The first supersonic airplane was an American military airplane, which broke the sound barrier in October 1947, reaching a top speed of 1,126 kilometers per hour. The first civilian supersonic airplane was a Russian airplane for delivering mail that operated from June 1969 until June 1999. It could fly up to 2,443 kilometers per hour.

II The only supersonic airplane for carrying passengers was the Concorde, which first flew in 1973. The Concorde was 62 meters long, almost the same as a Boeing 747 jet airplane*, but it was only 2.7 meters wide, while the Boeing 747 is 6.1 meters wide. This design allowed the Concorde to fly at supersonic speeds, but it also meant that it could only hold up to 100 passengers, compared to the 416-passenger capacity of a Boeing 747. In 2003, the Concorde stopped flying. Nowadays, many countries have supersonic military airplanes, but supersonic flight is not used to transport passengers.

*Boeing 747 jet airplane 747 מטוס סילון של בואינג 747 طائرة نفاثة بوينغ

Adapted from: https://www.britannica.com/technology/supersonic-flight

Answer the following questions in English. (25 points) ענו על השאלות הבאות באנגלית. أجب عن الأسئلة التالية بالإنجليزية .