Questões de Inglês - Grammar

PASSAGE

2020 VISION: WHAT THE NEXT FIVE YEARS WILL BRING IN NEW TECHNOLOGY SELF-DRIVING CARS WITH A MORAL CODE? WEARABLE DEVICES THAT MONITOR YOUR HEALTH BY THE SECOND? WELCOME TO A RADICALLY DIFFERENT LIFE IN 2020.

Rod ChesterNews Corp Australia Network

OCTOBER 12, 2015 8:32 AM

     Predict the future and you can be certain of one thing: in the future, you’ll be embarrassed by your
mistakes. Pitch your prediction too far and it’s science fiction that’s forgot before the due date. Pitch it too soon
and all you’re doing is taking today’s tech and giving it a once over. Predictions are easy to make but easy to
make wrong.
[05]    Bill Gates, in his 1999 book Business@ the Speed of Thought, predicted people would carry around small
devices for news, commerce and communication (smartphones), people would pay their bills online, and friends
would make social plans through online communication. But then again he predicted the future of computing
would be tablet devices (right) running Windows (not so right). His friend, and successor as Microsoft CEO, Steve
Balmer, famously said “there’s no chance that the iPhone is going to get any significant market share”. IBM
[10] chairman Thomas Watson famously predicted, in 1943, there “there is a world market for maybe five
computers”.
     So, what will the world look like in 2020? Here is a snapshot of predictions by various technology experts.
There will be self-driving cars on Australian roads. Our homes and lives will be organised by connected
smart devices interacting with our personal digital assistants. We will wear sensors, perhaps as contact lenses or
[15] even tattoos, that will monitor our body and report irregularities to our doctor. Some of us will wear clothing
with digital sensors, that will do everything from monitor the way particular muscles work during exercise to
control social interactions, such as communicating with the clothes of friends and acquaintances. Manufacturing
will be revolutionised by 3D printing and autonomous delivery, be it through self-driving cars or drones, and 3D
printing will also be used to make human tissues and organs. Passwords will be a thing of the past, with
[20] biometrics replacing them.
     It’s one thing to make predictions, it’s another to ponder what it all means. 

Availableat:http://www.news.com.au/technology/gadgets/2020-vision-what-the-next-five-years-will-bring-in-new-technology/newsstory/618c170f3903a3e20efb1804066f51fa. (Adapted)

TEXT

        Memory Loss on Your Mind?
    The good news is that your occasional memory loss is probably nothing to worry about
It's an all-too-common scenario: You've lost your keys (again!), don't remember where you left your glasses, or, for
the life of you, can't recall the name of that darn movie. And your first reaction is "Sheesh — I must be getting old.
[5] I'm losing my memory!"
Well, the reassuring news is that these so-called senior moments have nothing to do with your brain getting old,
says Pierce J. Howard, Ph.D., director of research at the Center for Applied Cognitive Sciences in Charlotte, North
Carolina, and the author of The Owner's Manual for the Brain. Chances are your (very normal) memory snafus are
associated not with age but with experience.
[10] Memory Rivalry
Try this brainteaser: Off the top of your head, name ten things that are the color red. Not as easy as it sounds, is
it? When you were 5 years old, you could probably have completed this task easily, but by the time you reach your
"seasoned" years, your brain is filled with some 6,000 objects that are red. And because we have so many things in
brain storage bins that fit the description — what scientists refer to as rivals — we struggle when we try to
[15] remember the name of a red object.
"Your mind will cycle through hundreds of candidates before you come up with the right ones," explains Howard.
"And it might take longer than you expect. That's not a memory lapse. It's simply trying to recall a memory that's in
storage." Ever notice your computer slowing down when the hard drive gets too full? It's akin to what happens with
the human mind — as it gets fuller, it takes more time to sift through everything. "Aging is a misnomer here," says
[20] Howard. "It's not getting old that causes the sluggishness of memory — it's simply a crowded memory bank. By
now, you've got so many associations that it's just a competition in your mind for the correct memory to surface."
[...]
In addition, certain substances can damage neurons, as can lifestyle choices and health problems, including the
following:
[25] Too much caffeine. A dehydrating agent, caffeine can, over time, make your neural membranes brittle. It's a double
whammy, too: It can affect your ability to recall because it encourages the production of excess cortisol, the stress
chemical that prepares you for "fight or flight." Too much cortisol can shrink the size of your hippocampus, which
is where memories are stored in the brain. Howard says it's best not to exceed one dose of caffeine every seven
hours. (A dose is one milligram per pound of body weight.) In such moderate amounts, however, some studies have
[30] shown that caffeine can, in fact, offer health benefits — just be sure not to overdo it!
Heavy alcohol consumption. Because alcohol is also a diuretic, it can cause dehydration, producing symptoms such
as confusion and memory problems. So for every ounce of alcohol you consume, drink a glass of water, says
Howard. Alcohol may also directly lead to neuronal degeneration.
A sedentary lifestyle and untreated high blood pressure. Both can make you susceptible to memory lapses. A rule
[35] of thumb worth following: Anything that's good for the heart is good for the mind. That's because mental activity is
dependent on blood flow (among other factors), which also supplies essential oxygen to the brain.
Prolonged stress and illness. Both of these can wreak havoc on mental as well as physical functioning.
Resting on your laurels. This is no time to be complacent or lazy. It's important to keep stimulating your mind to
learn new things and take on new challenges. Follow the slogan Use it or lose it!
[40] [...]
By JANENE MASCARELLA 

(Source: https://www.everydayhealth.com/longevity/mental-fitness/memory-loss.aspx retrieved on September9, 2019)

Leia o texto a seguir para responder a questão.

    The Brazilian culture is one of the world’s most varied and diverse. This is due to its being a melting pot of nationalities, as a result of centuries of European domination as well as slavery, which brought hordes of African migrants across Brazil’s borders to live in and influence the local cultures with their ancient customs and ideas. The European settlers also brought ideas, innovations and belief systems with them, shaping the local societies significantly. All of these different influences have meant that the modern-day Brazilian culture is unique and very complex. 

    At present, Brazil has a population of about 190 million people. Of these, more than half are white (which includes Portuguese, Italian, German, Polish etc... individuals), just fewer than 40% are mixed Afro-Brazilian and white and less than 10% are Afro-Brazilian.

    Brazilians, as a nation, focus much importance on the family structure and the values that are entrenched within that institution. Families are usually large, and even extended family members are close with one another, providing much-needed help and support to each other whenever and however necessary.

    Brazilians are usually rather affectionate, tactile people. Men shake hands with one another, while women are going to kiss each others’ cheeks in greeting. They are going to start with the left cheek and then kiss the right. In business relationships, Brazilian businessmen are going to know one another before committing to long-term business dealings, as they want to know those with whom they deal.

(Texto Adaptado. Disponível em: https://www.brazil.org.za/brazil-culture.html#:~:text=Th e%20Brazilian%20culture%20is%20one%20of%20the%20wo rld's%20most%20varied%20and%20diverse.&text=At%20pr esent%2C%20Brazil%20has%20a,less%20than%2010%25% 20are%20black.. Acesso em: 15 dez. 2020).

INSTRUCTION: Answer question according to text.

TEXT

As the familiar story goes, not long ago there was an
orphan who on his 11th birthday discovered he had
a gift that set him apart from his preteen peers. Over
the years he endured the usual adolescent challenges
[5] – maturation, relationships, social conflicts, general
teenage neuroses. He also faced the less common
challenge of battling a murderous, psychopathic
wizard set on establishing a eugenic police state.
I’m referring to the young wizard Harry Potter, the
[10] protagonist in author JK Rowling’s wildly popular
fantasy book series; his nemesis is Lord Voldemort,
the story’s malevolent antagonist. And new research
suggests that Rowling’s world of house-elves, half-

giants and three-headed dogs has the potential to
[15] make us nicer people.

For decades it’s been known that an effective means of
improving negative attitudes and prejudices between
differing groups of people is through intergroup contact
– particularly through contact between “in-groups,”
[20] or a social group to which someone identifies, and
“out-groups,” or a group they don’t identify with or
perceive as threatening. Even reading short stories
about friendship between in- and out-group characters
is enough to improve attitudes toward stigmatized
[25] groups in children. A new study ______ in the Journal
of Applied Social Psychology ______ that reading
the Harry Potter books in particular _______ similar
effects, likely in part because Potter is continually in
contact with stigmatized groups. The “muggles” get no
[30] respect in the wizarding world as they lack any magical
ability. The “half-bloods,” or “mud-bloods” – wizards
and witches descended from only one magical parent
– don’t fare much better, while the Lord Voldemort
character believes that power should only be held by
[35] “pure-blood” wizards. He’s Hitler in a cloak.

Sep 9, 2014, By Bret Stetka http://www.scientificamerican.com/author/bret-stetka/ (adapted)

WHAT IS WORLD CHALLENGE?

Now in its fourth year, World Challenge 08 is a global competition aimed at finding projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level. World Challenge 08 is brought to you by BBC World News and Newsweek, in association with Shell, and is about championing and rewarding projects and business which really make a difference. The winner will receive a grant of USD $20 000 to put back into their project/business, and two runners up will each receive USD $10 000. One representative from each of the three finalists will be flown to The Hague, The Netherlands to attend the award ceremony in December 2008.

2008 Finalist Projects - Comunidade Film

Oficinas Querô – Brazil

Young people in the slums of Santos have a shot at a better future thanks to filmmaker Carlos Cortez and his Oficinas Querô film academy.

Oficinas Querô has its roots in a filmmaker's search for young actors among the slum-dwellers of Santos.

Carlos Cortez was struck by the positive effect that the production experience had on his young cast.

Carlos resolved to make this life-changing experience available to more young people. He teamed up with UNICEF to create a formal education programme for 40 students at a time.

Over the course of a year, the students are expected to write, finance and produce three short feature films. The experience immerses them in the techniques of filmmaking, with top professionals from the Brazilian film industry available for help and advice. The films are publicly screened at the end of the course.

Several students have gone on to forge professional careers in Brazil's TV and film industries, but the aim of the course is designed not so much to find the next Walter Salles as to use the power of cinema to put young people on the right course. As Carlos explains, "The students are learning not only to deal with the tools for audio and visual production, but also teamwork and reflecting on their realities. They are preparing themselves to achieve things."

(http://www.theworldchallenge.co.uk/html/home.html, acessado em 01/12/2008.)