Questões de Inglês - Grammar

Leia o texto para responder à questão.

    Because it is locked away inside the skull, the brain is hard to study. Looking at it requires finicky machines which use magnetism or electricity or both to bypass the bone. There is just one tendril of brain tissue that can be seen from outside the body without any mucking about of this sort. That is the retina. Look into someone’s eyes and you are, in some small way, looking at their brain.

    This being so, a group of researchers decided to study the structure of the eye for signs of cognitive decline. Changes in the brain, they reasoned, might lead to changes in the nervous tissue connected to it. They focused on a part of the eye called the retinal nerve-fibre layer (RNFL). This is the lowest layer of the retina and serves to link the light-sensitive tissue above to the synapses which lead to the brain. The team’s results show that people with a thin RNFL are more likely to fail cognitive tests than those with a thick one. They are also more likely to suffer cognitive decline as they age.

(www.economist.com, 30.06.2018. Adaptado.)

Read the text to answer the question.

    Coronavirus: Venice Carnival closes as Italy imposes lockdown
23 February 2020

Italian officials have cut short the Venice Carnival as they try to control what is now the worst outbreak of the coronavirus in Europe.

    Authorities in the Veneto region said the event would end later on Sunday, two days earlier than scheduled. Italy has by far the highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe, with 152. Three people have died.ltaly has imposed strict quarantine restrictions in two norther “hotspot" regions close to Milan and Venice.

    About 50,000 people cannot enter or leave several towns in Veneto and Lombardy for the next two weeks without special permission. Even outside the zone, many businesses and schools have suspended activities, and sporting events have been cancelled. The BBC's Mark Lowen described the situation just outside the zone. In neighbouring Austria, a train from Venice was stopped at the Austrian border after it emerged that two passengers had fever symptoms. Austria's Interior Minister Karl Nehammer later confirmed to the BBC that the pair tested negative for coronavirus.

    “All authorities have acted quickly and with great caution in this case," said Mr Nehammer in a statement. “The reporting chain worked without delay."

Elsewhere, authorities in South Korea and Iran are battling to control rising numbers of infections. South Korea has raised its coronavirus alert to the "highest level",

    The new strain of coronavirus, which originated last year in Hubei province in China, causes a respiratory disease called Covid-19. China has seen more than 16,000 infections and 2,442 deaths.

    What is happening in Italy?

    Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte announced on Saturday that “extraordinary measures" would come into force to try to stem the rising number of coronavirus cases.

    He said the quarantine restrictions could last for weeks. Police, and if necessary the armed forces, will have the authority to ensure the regulations are enforced.

    Angelo Borrelli, the head of Italy's Civil Protection Department, told reporters that 110 of the confirmed cases were in Lombardy, with 21 in Veneto with others in Emilia-Romagna and Lazio. Officials reported a third death on Sunday, an elderly woman from the town of Crema suffering from cancer. Italian officials say they are still trying to trace the source of the outbreak.

    Universities in Milan have been closed and the city's mayor, Giuseppe Sala, said schools would also close their doors while the outbreak continued. "As a precaution I think that the schools have to be closed in Milan. | will propose to the president of the region to enlarge the precaution to the entire metropolitan city area. It is just a precaution, we don't want to create panic," he said.

    Meanwhile Giorgio Armani's fashion show, scheduled to be held _____ (I) Milan _____ (Il) Sunday, went ahead but without any media or buyers present. The show was livestreamed _____ (III) its website, Instagram and Facebook nages.

Adapted from: https://www.bbc.com/newsfworld-europe-51602007

Text

  COPENHAGEN — The Nordic countries regularly appear at the top of an annual list of the world’s happiest nations, but their reputation as “happiness superpowers” masks the difficulties of a significant part of the population, a new analysis shows.

  Finland, Norway, Denmark and Iceland led the 2018 ranking of the World Happiness Report, and Sweden wasn’t far behind, placing ninth. But in the five Nordic countries, an average of 12.3 percent of the population is “struggling” or “suffering,” according to a report by the Nordic Council of Ministers and the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen.

  [...]

  The report, based on research conducted from 2012 to 2016, asked people to assess their satisfaction with life on a scale of zero to 10. Those who answered seven or higher were categorized as “thriving,” those who responded five or six were classified as “struggling,” and those who said four or lower were deemed to be “suffering.” Most respondents in the Nordic countries reported satisfaction of seven to nine.

  The Nordic states have a sophisticated social net that means that young people face less pressure regarding education, health or jobs than do many of their peers elsewhere. The countries have some of the world’s highest taxes, but schools and hospitals are free, parental leave is generous, and unemployment benefits and care for the elderly help those no longer working. But with that security and help come expectations to do well, and pressure to be as happy as one’s peers.

  [...]

  The trends highlighted in the report appear to be backed up by various national studies conducted in the region. In Sweden, the number of people with depression increased 20 percent in 10 years, the national board on health and welfare said last year, a rise that was particularly pronounced among the young. In Denmark, people ages 16 to 24 are more lonely than are people in their grandparents’ generation, a national survey of 180,000 people conducted this year by the Danish Health Authority showed.

  Mr. Birkjaer of the Happiness Research Institute noted that a performance culture and the growing use of social media contributed to depression, loneliness and stress.

  “These problems are difficult to solve,” he said. “Let’s say social media are a major cause, then what do we do? Ban them? Something else would come in their place.” [...]

(Source: https://www.nytimes.com, retrieved on September 15, 2018)

Directions: Read the text below and answer question according to it.

Most Common Prejudices

  What are some of the most common ways

people discriminate against each other? Some of the

areas where people show their intolerance are wellknown,

such as race. But others are less

[5] acknowledged¹, even if more common:

Age: Ageism is more common than you think. Older

people are thought to be inflexible and stuck² in the

past, while younger people are seen as inexperienced

and naive. One-fifth of working adults say they

[10] experience ageism in the workplace.

Class: Classism usually takes the form of

discrimination by wealthier people against those who

are less well off. However, classism goes both ways—

people of lower economic status can see the wealthy

[15] as elite snobs who, while monetarily secure, are

morally bankrupt³.

Color: Different from racism, colorism is discrimination

based only on the color of a person’s skin; how

relatively dark or light they are. Colorism takes place

[20] within and between races. It is common in multi-ethnic

and non-white societies and societies with historical

racial prejudice.

Ability: Usually called ableism, a less well-known form

of prejudice is discrimination against people with visible

[25] disabilities such as those in wheelchairs or with a

learning disability. The disabled face discrimination not

only from their peers⁴, but from institutions, schools,

employers, and landowners⁵ who are hesitant to

accommodate the disabled.

[30] Sex/Gender: Possibly the most universal and long

running prejudice is that based on a person’s gender or

sex. Historically, sexism has placed men in a more

advantageous position than women.

Weight/Size: In short, sizeism is discrimination based

[35] on a person’s body size or weight. Sizeism works with

social standards of beauty and usually takes the form

of discrimination against the overweight — anti-fat

prejudice.

Religion: Religious discrimination and persecution has

[40] been common throughout history. But prejudice based

on religious affiliation doesn’t end with organized

religion; atheists are prone⁶ to discrimination and being

discriminated against.

Sexual Orientation: Most commonly, prejudice based

[45] on sexual orientation includes discrimination against

those of a non-heterosexual orientation. Discrimination

against the non-heterosexual takes many forms

depending on the society. In some societies prejudice

is open and tolerated, but in most Western societies,

[50] bias⁷ against the non-heterosexual is more discreet.

Country of Origin: Nativism is a common form of

discrimination against immigrants to a country. Unlike

many other forms of discrimination, nativism is many

times encouraged and enforced by some public

[55] entities.

Which prejudice do you have? Which prejudice have

you experienced?

Adapted from https://aloftyexistence.wordpress.com

Glossary:

1 - acknowledged – reconhecidos (as)

2 - stuck – presos (as)

3 - bankrupt – falidos (as)

4 - peers - pares; colegas

5 - landowners – proprietários (as)

6 - prone – propensos (as)

7 - bias – julgamento ou opinião parcial