Questões de Inglês

TEXT 1

 

'Twerking' bounces into Oxford dictionary

 

LONDON – Twerking, the rump-busting up-and-down dance move long beloved on

America's hip-hop scene, has officially gone mainstream. It's got the English dictionary

entry to prove it.

Britain's Oxford Dictionaries said the rapid-fire gyrations employed by U.S. pop starlet

Miley Cyrus to bounce her way to the top of the charts had become increasingly visible

in the past 12 months and would be added to its publications under the entry: "Twerk,

verb."

Although Cyrus's eye-popping moves at Monday's MTV Video Music Awards may have

been many viewers' first introduction to the practice, Oxford Dictionaries' Katherine

Connor Martin said "twerking" was some two decades old.

"There are many theories about the origin of this word, and since it arose in oral use, we

may never know the answer for sure," Martin said. "We think the most likely theory is

that it is an alteration of work, because that word has a history of being used in similar

ways, with dancers being encouraged to 'work it.' The 't' could be a result of blending

with another word such as twist or twitch."

"Twerk" will be added to the dictionary as part of its quarterly update, which includes

words such as "selfie," the word typically used to describe pouty smartphone self-

portraits, "digital detox" for time spent way from Facebook and Twitter, and "Bitcoin," for

the nationless electronic currency, whose gyrations have also caught the world's eye.

Oxford Dictionaries is responsible for a range of reference works, including Oxford

Dictionaries Online, which focuses on modern usage, and the historically-focused Oxford

English Dictionary, which probably won't be adding "twerk" to its venerable pages any

time soon.

The definition: "Twerk, v.: dance to popular music in a sexually provocative manner

involving thrusting hip movements and a low, squatting stance."

By RAPHAEL SATTER Associated Press (www.mercurynews.com)

Accessed on: august 10th, 2014.

The words in bold: “which” (line 16) and “whose” (line19) are consecutively related to:

1 According to the prevailing wisdom in the West, the

Ukraine crisis can be blamed almost entirely on Russian

aggression. Russian President Vladimir Putin, the argument

4 goes, annexed Crimea out of a long-standing desire to

resuscitate the Soviet empire, and he may eventually go after

the rest of Ukraine, as well as other countries in eastern

7 Europe. In this view, the ouster of Ukrainian President Viktor

Yanukovych in February 2014 merely provided a pretext for

Putin’s decision to order Russian forces to seize part of

10 Ukraine. But this account is wrong: the United States and its

European allies share most of the responsibility for the crisis.

Since the mid-1990s, Russian leaders have adamantly

13 opposed NATO enlargement, and in recent years, they have

made it clear that they would not stand by while their

strategically important neighbor turned into a Western bastion.

Internet: <www.foreignaffairs.com> (adapted).

Choose the option which represents the statement supported by the text.

1 The primary cause for the Arab-Israeli conflict lies in

the claim of two national movements on the same land, and

particularly the Arab refusal to accept Jewish self4

determination to hold part of that land. Furthermore

fundamentalist religious concepts regarding the right of either

side to the entire land have played an increasing role, on the

7 Jewish side particularly in the religious settler movement, on

the Palestinian side in the Hamas and similar groups. But

whereas the settlers received a blow when they failed to

10 prevent the disengagement from the Gaza Strip, Hamas won the

Palestinian elections, and after their breakup with Fatah and

their take-over of the Gaza Strip, they remain a dominant force

13 capable of blocking any peace agreement.

The Arab-Israeli conflict is further complicated by

preconceptions and demonizing of the other by both sides. The

16 Israelis see around them mostly undemocratic Arab states with

underdeveloped economies, backward cultural and social

standards and an aggressive religion inciting to hatred and

19 terrorism. The Arabs consider the Israelis colonial invaders and

conquerors, who are aiming to control the entire Middle East.

Since the Oslo peace process however, a broad

22 consensus has been formed that an independent Palestinian

Arab state should be established within the areas occupied in

1967. Polls on both sides show that majorities among Israelis

25 and Palestinians accept a two-state solution, but Palestinians

almost unanimously stick to the right of return of the refugees

to Israel, and most Israelis oppose a Palestinian capital in East

28 Jerusalem.

Internet: <www.israel-palestina.info> (adapted).

The word “Furthermore” (l.4) means

1 The primary cause for the Arab-Israeli conflict lies in

the claim of two national movements on the same land, and

particularly the Arab refusal to accept Jewish self4

determination to hold part of that land. Furthermore

fundamentalist religious concepts regarding the right of either

side to the entire land have played an increasing role, on the

7 Jewish side particularly in the religious settler movement, on

the Palestinian side in the Hamas and similar groups. But

whereas the settlers received a blow when they failed to

10 prevent the disengagement from the Gaza Strip, Hamas won the

Palestinian elections, and after their breakup with Fatah and

their take-over of the Gaza Strip, they remain a dominant force

13 capable of blocking any peace agreement.

The Arab-Israeli conflict is further complicated by

preconceptions and demonizing of the other by both sides. The

16 Israelis see around them mostly undemocratic Arab states with

underdeveloped economies, backward cultural and social

standards and an aggressive religion inciting to hatred and

19 terrorism. The Arabs consider the Israelis colonial invaders and

conquerors, who are aiming to control the entire Middle East.

Since the Oslo peace process however, a broad

22 consensus has been formed that an independent Palestinian

Arab state should be established within the areas occupied in

1967. Polls on both sides show that majorities among Israelis

25 and Palestinians accept a two-state solution, but Palestinians

almost unanimously stick to the right of return of the refugees

to Israel, and most Israelis oppose a Palestinian capital in East

28 Jerusalem.

Internet: <www.israel-palestina.info> (adapted).

Based on the passage, choose the correct option.

1 Climate change may not be responsible for the recent

skyrocketing cost of natural disasters, but it is very likely that

it will impact future catastrophes. Climate models provide a

4 glimpse of the future, and while they do not agree on all of the

details, most models predict a few general trends. According to

the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an increase of

7 greenhouse gases in the atmosphere will probably boost

temperatures over most land surfaces, though the exact change

will vary regionally. More uncertain — but possible —

10 outcomes of an increase in global temperatures include

increased risk of drought and increased intensity of storms,

including tropical cyclones with higher wind speeds, a wetter

13 Asian monsoon, and, possibly, more intense mid-latitude

storms.

Internet: <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov> (adapted).

Choose the option which best describes the content of this text.

According to the strip: