To find the area of this shape, which consists of a rectangle and two semicircles, we can break down the problem into two parts: the area of the rectangle and the combined area of the semicircles (which together form a full circle).

1. Area of the Rectangle:

   • The length of the rectangle is $12$ units.
   • The height (or width) of the rectangle is $4$ units.
   • Area of the rectangle $= \text{length} \times \text{width} = 12 \times 4 = 48$ square units.

2. Area of the Circle (formed by two semicircles):

   • The diameter of each semicircle is equal to the height of the rectangle, which is $4$ units. Therefore, the radius $r$ is $\frac{4}{2} = 2$ units.
   • Area of a full circle $= \pi r^2 = \pi (2)^2 = 4\pi$.
   • Approximating $\pi \approx 3.14$, we get the area of the circle as $4 \times 3.14 = 12.56$ square units.

3. Total Area of the Shape:

   • Total area $=$ area of the rectangle $+$ area of the circle $= 48 + 12.56 = 60.6$ square units (rounded to the nearest tenth).

Final Answer:

The area of the shape is approximately 60.6 square units.

Would you like further details or have any questions?

Here are some related questions to consider:

1. How would the area change if the rectangle's length was altered?
2. What if the radius of the semicircles was different?
3. How do we calculate the perimeter of this shape?
4. What are the units for area in this problem?
5. How would this problem change if the semicircles were on the shorter sides of the rectangle?

Tip: When calculating areas of composite shapes, break them down into simpler shapes you can handle individually.