Questões de Inglês

TEXTO 

 

    Lua de mel! Lua de fel. Bebi meu cálice de amargura, cumprindo cada uma das estações da dor. Fui para a cama com um rapaz decente, um amigo fiel, porém insípido, insosso, desenxabido como a sopa que agora engulo todas as noites. Enquanto isso, perto dali, o homem pelo qual meu corpo inteiro latejava, que eu queria e que me desejava, entrava debaixo dos lençóis de outra mulher, minha irmã. Amor, paixão, revolta. Ódio. Com que fúria maldisse meu pai, minha mãe. Ana Alice, minha irmã, tão apaixonada pelo Vítor quanto eu, e com a vantagem daquele odioso arzinho de fragilidade, o trunfo que acabou lhe garantindo a vitória. Na batalha da força contra a fraqueza, a última saiu vitoriosa. Quem diria! Com tão escassa munição, a sonsa Ana Alice venceu a peleja.

    O castigo tem pressa, não se faz esperar. Aqui se faz, aqui se paga. O preço foi alto; durante anos, minha irmã permaneceu chafurdada no inferno do ciúme. Chamuscou na labareda da inveja a pureza de suas lindas asas de anjo. Encontrou, um dia, a felicidade? Não encontrou? Uma coisa é certa: ninguém pode dizer que Ana Alice tenha sido rejeitada. E, ao seu modo, talvez tenha sido feliz sim, não sei. No final, acomodou-se nos braços de um amor maduro, se morno ou não, quem há de saber? Morreu tranquila ao lado do marido. Naqueles tempos em que a palavra dada tinha peso de assinatura, ninguém ponderou a força da paixão que unia o Vítor a mim. Não avaliaram a ameaça que representava nossa cumplicidade, o gosto pelas mesmas coisas, um amor jovem demais desabrochado na clandestinidade. No início de nossos casamentos, resistimos. Permanecemos aparentemente acomodados em nossos compromissos arranjados. Antes de tudo, vinha a arraigada convicção de que era necessário manter as aparências.

(BARROS, Adelice da Silveira.  Mesa  dos inocentes. Goiânia: Kelps, 2010. p. 19.)

    In the following excerpt from Text 4, we note the narrator’s acute awareness of social expectations with regards to marriage and adhering to these social norms: “Permanecemos aparentemente acomodados em nossos compromissos arranjados. Antes de tudo, vinha a arraigada convicção de que era necessário manter as aparências”. “Manter as aparências” or “to keep up appearances” is an idiom in English that means, according to the MacGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs (2002), to make things look alright whether they are or not.

 

    When we consider other common idioms such as, for example, “let the cat out of the bag”, “break a leg”, and “you can’t judge a book by its cover”, which of the following sentences best defines “idiom” in the English language:

Nessun Dorma by Pavarotti

 

A Look at Luciano Pavarotti's Performance of "Nessun Dorma"

 

    Luciano Pavarotti was certainly no one hit wonder, but for many people outside of the classical music world, it's his performance of "Nessun Dorma" that they know. Why? Most likely because of his performance of the aria from Puccini’s opera, Turandot, during the 1990 FIFA World Cup, which was the tournament's theme song. Millions of people had tuned in to see the event, and besides getting an eyeful of soccer, they got an earful of Luciano Pavarotti.

 

    Most people, even those who know nothing about classical music and opera, if given recordings of three different tenors without knowing who's who, will pick Pavarotti as the best singer hands down. "Nessun Dorma" is a difficult song to sing, but Pavarotti sure had an easy time doing it. He sings it with such ease, such clarity, it's unreal. Other singers just don't measure up. Need proof? Check it out on YouTube videos of various singers and Pavarotti. Listen for the differences among Paul Potts, Andrea Bocelli, Jussi Bjorling and Franco Corelli.

Let's start with Paul Potts' performance on the popular television show, Britain's Got Talent.

 

    Apart from the apparent lack of training, he has a lovely voice, but that's just not enough to do justice to such a beautiful and powerful aria. It's like if "Nessun Dorma" was a diamond ring, he just delivered it to you in a brown paper sack filled with mud. Andre Bocelli, a singer to whom Pavarotti gave his personal approval, has a beautiful voice with clarity and warm tone, however, his performance lacks energy, as if it's without life or meaning. Jussi Bjorling's performance is probably the second best I've heard. His voice is just as bright as Pavarotti's, but his phrasing isn't as good. Franco Corelli, too, has a beautiful voice with a well-rounded tone, but his vowels are much darker. There's also heaviness to his voice, which sometimes pulls his notes slightly under pitch. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but it's hard to say Pavarotti's performance isn't anything short of amazing.

Text by - Classical Music Expert Disponível em: Acesso em: 13/04/2015, às 10h (fins pedagógicos – adaptado).

 

According to the text, check the alternative that states what makes Pavarotti's "Nessun Dorma" so special.

Read the following text to answer question.

 

Why Ebola is so dangerous

 

July 31, 2014

    The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world’s deadliest to date. According to the UN, 729 people have died as health officials in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone struggle to control the virus.

●  What is Ebola?

    Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that is just the beginning: subsequent stages are vomiting, diarrhea and – in some cases – both internal and external bleeding.

    The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope. It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

    The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines.

    Healthcare workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus – in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.

●  What can be done if I catch it?

    You must keep yourself isolated and seek professional help. Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment. There are no vaccines, though some are being tested, along with new drug therapies.

    Patients frequently become dehydrated. They should drink solutions containing electrolytes or receive intravenous fluids.

    MSF (Doctors without Borders) says this outbreak comes from the deadliest and most aggressive strain of the virus, which kills more than 90% of patients. Other strains are less virulent and have a survival rate of up to 75%. However, it is not known which factors allow some people to recover while most succumb.

(www.bbc.com. Adapted.)

People infected with Ebola should

Read the following text to answer question.

 

Why Ebola is so dangerous

 

July 31, 2014

    The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world’s deadliest to date. According to the UN, 729 people have died as health officials in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone struggle to control the virus.

●  What is Ebola?

    Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that is just the beginning: subsequent stages are vomiting, diarrhea and – in some cases – both internal and external bleeding.

    The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope. It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

    The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines.

    Healthcare workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus – in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.

●  What can be done if I catch it?

    You must keep yourself isolated and seek professional help. Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment. There are no vaccines, though some are being tested, along with new drug therapies.

    Patients frequently become dehydrated. They should drink solutions containing electrolytes or receive intravenous fluids.

    MSF (Doctors without Borders) says this outbreak comes from the deadliest and most aggressive strain of the virus, which kills more than 90% of patients. Other strains are less virulent and have a survival rate of up to 75%. However, it is not known which factors allow some people to recover while most succumb.

(www.bbc.com. Adapted.)

In the sentence from the first paragraph “as health officials in … struggle to control the virus.” the word “struggle” can be replaced, with no change in the sense of the sentence, by

Read the following text to answer question.

 

Why Ebola is so dangerous

 

July 31, 2014

    The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world’s deadliest to date. According to the UN, 729 people have died as health officials in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone struggle to control the virus.

●  What is Ebola?

    Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that is just the beginning: subsequent stages are vomiting, diarrhea and – in some cases – both internal and external bleeding.

    The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope. It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased.

    The incubation period can last from two days to three weeks, and diagnosis is difficult. The human disease has so far been mostly limited to Africa, although one strain has cropped up in the Philippines.

    Healthcare workers are at risk if they treat patients without taking the right precautions to avoid infection. People are infectious as long as their blood and secretions contain the virus – in some cases, up to seven weeks after they recover.

●  What can be done if I catch it?

    You must keep yourself isolated and seek professional help. Patients have a better chance of survival if they receive early treatment. There are no vaccines, though some are being tested, along with new drug therapies.

    Patients frequently become dehydrated. They should drink solutions containing electrolytes or receive intravenous fluids.

    MSF (Doctors without Borders) says this outbreak comes from the deadliest and most aggressive strain of the virus, which kills more than 90% of patients. Other strains are less virulent and have a survival rate of up to 75%. However, it is not known which factors allow some people to recover while most succumb.

(www.bbc.com. Adapted.)

Ebola infection

Read the following text to answer question.

 

MERS may be airborne, scientists say

 

By Felix Gussone
July 22, 2014

 

    The Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus, better known as MERS, may be an airborne virus, according to an observation paper published Tuesday in the journal mBio.

    There have been 836 laboratory-confirmed cases of MERS infection since its first appearance in 2012, according to the latest numbers provided by the World Health Organization. At least 288 related deaths have officially been reported to the WHO.

    Scientists are still trying to figure out how the deadly virus is transmitted. Researchers from King Fahd Medical Research Center in Saudi Arabia collected three air samples from a camel barn. Previously, they had found MERS in a camel from that barn and in its infected owner, who later died from the condition. After analyzing the air sample, the scientists found one strain of MERS RNA, the viral genome. Interestingly, the barn air tested positive for MERS on the exact same day that one of the nine camels in the barn tested positive for MERS. Also, the virus from the air sample was identical to the virus found in nasal samples from the infected camel and its owner. “These data show evidence for the presence of the airborne MERS in the same barn that was owned by the patient and sheltered the infected camel,” the study authors write.

    But does that mean MERS is easily transmitted through the air? “What they say is that virus particles can be airborne, but it’s premature to conclude that MERS is transmitted through aerosols,” said Dr. Mark Denison, a professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee. The key point is the difference between dead virus particles and a viable virus. “I could take billions of particles of dead viruses and could still find the RNA. That doesn’t mean that there are infectious aerosols,” Denison said.

    Kevin Olival, a senior research scientist at EcoHealth Alliance, agrees on that distinction. “We know that MERS is found in nasal secretion of camels, so virus particles being spread out in a barn is not a surprise,” he said. “Whether or not you can get infected, and if it’s a cause for concern, is still an open question.”

    However, previous studies have suggested that there must be a way MERS is shed into the environment. Several reports in the past have shown MERS infection of those in close contact with infected patients. The exact pathways of infections are unclear.

    “Do we still need to consider the possibility of airborne transmission? Yes, of course,” Denison said. But in order to fully understand whether airborne transmission plays a role in MERS, further research is needed, Denison and Olival conclude.

(www.cnn.com. Adapted.)

The two last paragraphs can be understood as saying that