Questões de Inglês

Brazil’s Rousseff woos investors for infrastructure plan

 

By Luciana Lopez and Alonso Soto

NEW YORK/BRASILIA, Sept 25 | Wed Sep 25, 2013 3:46pm EDT

 

(Reuters) – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and her economic team courted Wall Street on Wednesday for investment in a massive plan to upgrade roads, airports and other infrastructure that has gotten off to a rocky start.

 

Investments to improve dilapidated roads, ports,

railways and airports are crucial for Rousseff’s

strategy to recover confidence in Brazil and bolster

an economy that has struggled to grow over the last

three years.

Her government is worried by the initial lack of

interest in concessions being offered to private

companies, which appear reluctant to commit to

the projects due to fears of excessive government

intervention.

Rousseff assured investors at a Goldman Sachs

event that her country has never broken a contract

and never will do so.

“I believe Brazil can offer opportunities that very

few countries in the world can,” she told an audience

of bankers and business people. “Legal risk does not

exist in Brazil.”

Brazil is scrambling to lift anemic investment levels

that have kept its economy stagnant, but concerns

that the government is meddling in contracts has

dented investors’ appetite for logistics tenders that

started last week.

A deserted highway tender, a last-minute

postponement in a high-speed train concession and

disappointing participation in the upcoming auction

for the huge Libra offshore oil prospect have cast

doubt on Brazil’s ability to draw investors.

 

(Fonte: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/25/brazil-economyinvestors-idUSL2N0HL0YD20130925. Acesso em 3 out. 2013.)

A infraestrutura mencionada no texto envolve

Brazil’s Rousseff woos investors for infrastructure plan

 

By Luciana Lopez and Alonso Soto

NEW YORK/BRASILIA, Sept 25 | Wed Sep 25, 2013 3:46pm EDT

 

(Reuters) – Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff and her economic team courted Wall Street on Wednesday for investment in a massive plan to upgrade roads, airports and other infrastructure that has gotten off to a rocky start.

 

Investments to improve dilapidated roads, ports,

railways and airports are crucial for Rousseff’s

strategy to recover confidence in Brazil and bolster

an economy that has struggled to grow over the last

three years.

Her government is worried by the initial lack of

interest in concessions being offered to private

companies, which appear reluctant to commit to

the projects due to fears of excessive government

intervention.

Rousseff assured investors at a Goldman Sachs

event that her country has never broken a contract

and never will do so.

“I believe Brazil can offer opportunities that very

few countries in the world can,” she told an audience

of bankers and business people. “Legal risk does not

exist in Brazil.”

Brazil is scrambling to lift anemic investment levels

that have kept its economy stagnant, but concerns

that the government is meddling in contracts has

dented investors’ appetite for logistics tenders that

started last week.

A deserted highway tender, a last-minute

postponement in a high-speed train concession and

disappointing participation in the upcoming auction

for the huge Libra offshore oil prospect have cast

doubt on Brazil’s ability to draw investors.

 

(Fonte: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/09/25/brazil-economyinvestors-idUSL2N0HL0YD20130925. Acesso em 3 out. 2013.)

“Woos” (título) e “meddle in” (linha 20) significam, respectivamente,

A demographic revolution is taking place in the world. We are witnessing the perks of improved healthcare

and living standards as longevity rises across the globe. The number of people over the age of 60 is expected to

increase to 2 billion by 2050, from about 600 million in 2000. This change will be most dramatic in countries in

the global south, where the number of older people is expected to triple during the next 40 years. However, as

often happens with demographic change, social attitudes and legal protection lag behind. Those in charge of

making policies are left scrambling to keep up with the transforming landscape.

With global aging of the population, there is an urgent need to reassess what role individual societies give to

older people to make sure that they are capable of enjoying a decent standard of living and can continue to

contribute to society as long as they wish. Shunting older people to the sidelines of our communities is not only

unjust, it makes little sense for countries to miss out on the huge opportunities that longer life brings, and the asset

that older people represent. Many older people keep on working and, in so doing, important knowledge and skills

are passed on to younger generations, and to others who act as carers to their family. In most countries, it is still

considered acceptable to deny people work, access to healthcare, education or the right to participate in government

purely because of their age.

Indeed, except for migrant workers and their families, international human rights conventions do not

recognise specifically that age discrimination should not be allowed. Human rights are, of course, universal, and,

there fore, older people\\'s rights are protected in a general sense by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

but the absence of an explicit mandate against age discrimination allows the issue to slip under the net and

continue as acceptable practice. Age International is thus pushing for progress towards a new UN convention on

the rights of the elderly, to clarify how rights can work better for people in later life. We have learned from the

experience of human rights conventions for children, women and people with disabilities, that giving

governments greater guidance on how to protect the rights of people in specific circumstances can have a huge

impact on their wellbeing. What it means to be "human" and to live with dignity, respect and security requires

different responses from society, depending on our age and physical circumstances. This is widely accepted for

other demographic groups, and should be the basis for our approach to older people. Older people are not a

homogenous group – differences in how we age, our economic status and social standing underline the arbitrary

nature of age discrimination. Around the world, the debate about how to adapt to a changing demographic has

been framed in terms of how working-age people will cope with the "burden" of an ageing population, rather than

recognising the value and potential older people bring to their communities when they live healthier, longer,

active lives. Experience shows us that if discrimination is made legally unacceptable, impetus is given to a

societal shift in attitude – witness, for example, the transformation of women\\'s lives in some countries where sex

discrimination laws have been passed. The need to make older people\\'s rights clearer in law is increasingly

important in many developing countries, where the impact of HIV, conflict and parents seeking work in cities

have often meant grandparents are taking on the care of their grandchildren at a time in their lives when they

most need support. Thus, the enshrinement of the rights of the elderly in a UN convention, not only would we

ensure that all individuals are granted security and dignity in old age, but that those caring for the next generation

are given the best possible environment to raise happy, healthy, productive future adults. Governments need to

approach these issues head on and make sure that global human rights legislation is fit for the future and able to

respond to the opportunities and challenges of ageing in the 21st century.

Disponível em: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jul/31/ageism-human-rights-older-people.

 

According to the text,

A demographic revolution is taking place in the world. We are witnessing the perks of improved healthcare

and living standards as longevity rises across the globe. The number of people over the age of 60 is expected to

increase to 2 billion by 2050, from about 600 million in 2000. This change will be most dramatic in countries in

the global south, where the number of older people is expected to triple during the next 40 years. However, as

often happens with demographic change, social attitudes and legal protection lag behind. Those in charge of

making policies are left scrambling to keep up with the transforming landscape.

With global aging of the population, there is an urgent need to reassess what role individual societies give to

older people to make sure that they are capable of enjoying a decent standard of living and can continue to

contribute to society as long as they wish. Shunting older people to the sidelines of our communities is not only

unjust, it makes little sense for countries to miss out on the huge opportunities that longer life brings, and the asset

that older people represent. Many older people keep on working and, in so doing, important knowledge and skills

are passed on to younger generations, and to others who act as carers to their family. In most countries, it is still

considered acceptable to deny people work, access to healthcare, education or the right to participate in government

purely because of their age.

Indeed, except for migrant workers and their families, international human rights conventions do not

recognise specifically that age discrimination should not be allowed. Human rights are, of course, universal, and,

there fore, older people\\'s rights are protected in a general sense by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

but the absence of an explicit mandate against age discrimination allows the issue to slip under the net and

continue as acceptable practice. Age International is thus pushing for progress towards a new UN convention on

the rights of the elderly, to clarify how rights can work better for people in later life. We have learned from the

experience of human rights conventions for children, women and people with disabilities, that giving

governments greater guidance on how to protect the rights of people in specific circumstances can have a huge

impact on their wellbeing. What it means to be "human" and to live with dignity, respect and security requires

different responses from society, depending on our age and physical circumstances. This is widely accepted for

other demographic groups, and should be the basis for our approach to older people. Older people are not a

homogenous group – differences in how we age, our economic status and social standing underline the arbitrary

nature of age discrimination. Around the world, the debate about how to adapt to a changing demographic has

been framed in terms of how working-age people will cope with the "burden" of an ageing population, rather than

recognising the value and potential older people bring to their communities when they live healthier, longer,

active lives. Experience shows us that if discrimination is made legally unacceptable, impetus is given to a

societal shift in attitude – witness, for example, the transformation of women\\'s lives in some countries where sex

discrimination laws have been passed. The need to make older people\\'s rights clearer in law is increasingly

important in many developing countries, where the impact of HIV, conflict and parents seeking work in cities

have often meant grandparents are taking on the care of their grandchildren at a time in their lives when they

most need support. Thus, the enshrinement of the rights of the elderly in a UN convention, not only would we

ensure that all individuals are granted security and dignity in old age, but that those caring for the next generation

are given the best possible environment to raise happy, healthy, productive future adults. Governments need to

approach these issues head on and make sure that global human rights legislation is fit for the future and able to

respond to the opportunities and challenges of ageing in the 21st century.

Disponível em: http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/jul/31/ageism-human-rights-older-people.

 

According to the text,

Looking up. After failing to a low of just 50 in 1996, the West African giraffe population is growing again, aided by conservation efforts and the absence of predators able to target the world’s tallest terrestrial animal. Temporary groups forage at night, their long necks suited to reaching choice leaves. But to drink or feed on low vegetation, they are obliged to spread their front legs wide, and when fully asleep they curve their necks at

 

extreme angles to rest their heads on a hip or upper rear leg while sitting. Room to stretch out is in short supply due to loss and fragmentation of habitat, and their comeback is far from certain.

As we see it, we can help make the world a better place. Raising awareness of endangered species is just one of the ways we at Canon are taking action – for the good of the planet we call home. Visit canon.com/environment to learn more.

(National Geographic magazine. Volume 224, n. 3 , September, 2013. Adaptado.)

 

Das alternativas abaixo, apenas uma está CORRETA quanto às informações do texto. Assinale-a.

(National Geographic magazine. Volume 224, n. 3, September, 2013. Adaptado.)

 

Looking up. After failing to a low of just 50 in 1996, the West African giraffe population is growing again, aided by conservation efforts and the absence of predators able to target the world’s tallest terrestrial animal. Temporary groups forage at night, their long necks suited to reaching choice leaves. But to drink or feed on low vegetation, they are obliged to spread their front legs wide, and when fully asleep they curve their necks at extreme angles to rest their heads on a hip or upper rear leg while sitting. Room to stretch out is in short supply due to loss and fragmentation of habitat, and their comeback is far from certain.

As we see it, we can help make the world a better place. Raising awareness of endangered species is just one of the ways we at Canon are taking action – for the good of the planet we call home. Visit canon.com/environment to learn more. 

 

Na linha 1, há um phrasal verb: ‘looking up’; este verbo confere um efeito interessante ao texto.

 

Seu significado, nesse caso, é