Questões de Inglês

Leia o texto para responder à questão.

 

What is organized crime?

 

    Organized crime was characterised by the United Nations, in 1994, as: “group organization to commit crime; hierarchical links or personal relationships which permit leaders to control the group: violence, intimidation and corruption used to earn profits or control territories or markets; laundering of illicit proceeds both in furtherance of criminal activity and to infiltrate the legitimate economy; the potential for expansion into any new activities and beyond national borders; and cooperation with other organized transnational criminal groups.”

    It is increasingly global. Although links between, for example, mafia groups in Italy and the USA have existed for decades, new and rapid means of communication have facilitated the development of international networks. Some build on shared linguistic or cultural ties, such as a network trafficking drugs and human organs, which links criminal gangs in Mozambique, Portugal, Brazil, Pakistan, Dubai and South Africa. Others bring together much less likely groups, such as those trafficking arms, drugs and people between South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan and Russia, or those linking the Russian mafia with Colombian cocaine cartels or North American criminal gangs with the Japanese Yakuza. Trafficked commodities may pass from group to group along the supply chain; for instance heroin in Italy has traditionally been produced in Afghanistan, transported by Turks, distributed by Albanians, and sold by Italians.

    Organized crime exploits profit opportunities wherever they arise. Globalization of financial markets, with free movement of goods and capital, has facilitated smuggling of counterfeit goods (in part a reflection of the creation of global brands), internet fraud, and money-laundering. On the other hand, organized crime also takes advantage of the barriers to free movement of people across national borders and the laws against non-medicinal use of narcotics: accordingly it earns vast profits in smuggling migrants and psychoactive drugs. Briquet and Favarel have identified deregulation and the “rolling back of the state” in some countries as creating lacunae that have been occupied by profiteers. The political changes in Europe in the late 1980s fuelled the growth in criminal networks, often involving former law enforcement officers. Failed states, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo or Sierra Leone, have provided further opportunities as criminal gangs smuggle arms in and commodities out, for example diamonds, gold, and rare earth metals, often generating violence against those involved in the trade and in the surrounding communities. Finally, there are a few states, such as the Democratic Republic of Korea and Burma and Guinea-Bissau (once described as a narco-state) where politicians have been alleged to have played an active role in international crime.

    Organized criminal gangs have strong incentives. Compared with legitimate producers, they have lower costs of production due to the ability to disregard quality and safety standards, tax obligations, minimum wages or employee benefits. Once established, they may threaten or use violence to eliminate competitors, and can obtain favourable treatment by regulatory authorities either through bribes or threats.

(www.globalizationandhealth.com. Adaptado)

De acordo com o texto, uma das características do crime organizado, segundo a ONU, é

Leia o texto para responder à questão.

 

Violence Prevention Among Young People in Brazil

 

    Crime and violence have increased dramatically in Brazil in recent decades, particularly in large urban areas, leading to more intense public debate on causes and solutions. The right to life is the most fundamental of all rights. Having security means living without fearing the risk of violation of one’s life, liberty, physical integrity or property. Security means not only to be free from actual risks, but also to be able to enjoy the feeling of security. In this respect, human rights are systematically undermined by violence and insecurity.

    UNESCO expects to play a primary role in supporting actions of social inclusion to help in the prevention of violence, especially among young people. The attributes and resources to be found in the heart of the Organization’s different areas will be grouped around this objective.

    Violence is seen as a violation of fundamental human rights, as a threat to the respect for the principles of liberty and equality. An approach focused on the access to quality education, to decent jobs, to cultural, sports and leisure activities, to digital inclusion and the protection and promotion of human rights and of the environment will be implemented as a response to the challenge of preventing violence among youths. Such approach should also help in creating real opportunities for young people to improve their life conditions and develop their citizenship.

(www.unesco.org. Adaptado)

No segundo parágrafo this objective refere-se, no texto,

Leia o texto para responder à questão.

 

Violence Prevention Among Young People in Brazil

 

    Crime and violence have increased dramatically in Brazil in recent decades, particularly in large urban areas, leading to more intense public debate on causes and solutions. The right to life is the most fundamental of all rights. Having security means living without fearing the risk of violation of one’s life, liberty, physical integrity or property. Security means not only to be free from actual risks, but also to be able to enjoy the feeling of security. In this respect, human rights are systematically undermined by violence and insecurity.

    UNESCO expects to play a primary role in supporting actions of social inclusion to help in the prevention of violence, especially among young people. The attributes and resources to be found in the heart of the Organization’s different areas will be grouped around this objective.

    Violence is seen as a violation of fundamental human rights, as a threat to the respect for the principles of liberty and equality. An approach focused on the access to quality education, to decent jobs, to cultural, sports and leisure activities, to digital inclusion and the protection and promotion of human rights and of the environment will be implemented as a response to the challenge of preventing violence among youths. Such approach should also help in creating real opportunities for young people to improve their life conditions and develop their citizenship.

(www.unesco.org. Adaptado)

The text presents the idea that the rise in crime and violence menaces

Leia atentamente o texto abaixo para responder à questão.

texto

Though most people are using some sort of cloud technology — that is, Internet-based technology, such as listening to music via Pandora — most don’t seem to be aware of it, a survey this week found. The national survey by Wakefield Research and commissioned by Santa Clara’s Citrix reported that 97 percent were using some sort of cloud technology, but that many of them seem to believe the cloud has something to do with the weather or that fluffy white thing in the sky. Only 16 percent identified it as “a computer network to store, access and share data from Internet-connected devices.” Certainly the “cloud” has become a popular tech buzzword, particularly as services such as Dropbox and Apple’s iCloud become mainstream and people store more and more of their personal data online. Then again, just how important is it for consumers to know such a geeky term?

Source: From Foggy about the cloud; posted on Thursday, August 30, 2012; at http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/

 

Glossário:

Be aware of: ter consciência

Survey: pesquisa

Mainstream: principais (empresas)

Geeky: relacionado aos “nerds” ou intelectuais

No trecho, ‘Certainly the “cloud” has become a popular tech buzzword’, a palavra destacada significa:

Observe atentamente a charge abaixo para responder à questão.

 

As tecnologias do mundo moderno têm afetado de maneira significativa a vida das pessoas, como mostra a charge.

 

Nela é discutido:

Reading Comprehension

 

Shipping industry faces new risks, says Allianz.

Increasing ship sizes, human error and the challenge
of shipping in arctic waters are among the biggest
risks facing the modern maritime industry, according
to Allianz Global Corporate and Speciality. 

[05] The challenge of shipping in arctic waters is among
the biggest challenges facing the modern maritime
industry, the report said. 

Marking 100 years since the sinking of Titanic, the
insurers yesterday published a report which noted
[10] that, while the world commercial shipping fleet has
trebled to over 100,000 vessels over that period,
overall shipping loss rates have declined
significantly. In 1912, they were one ship per 100 per
year; in 2009 they had fallen to one ship per 670 per
[15] year. 

Despite this, Safety and shipping 1912-2012: from
Titanic to Costa Concordia, based on research from
Cardiff University, said the industry faced several
key challenges. These include the growing trend to
[20] ‘super-size’ ships and cost pressures which are
forcing ship-owners to source crews from emerging
economies where training standards can be
inconsistent. 

Other emerging risks include reduced crew numbers,
[25] which can compromise safety and encourage human
error, increasing bureaucracy on board ships and the
increased threat of piracy in Somalia and elsewhere.
The emergence of ‘ice shipping’ and its associated
navigational and environmental complications also
[30] poses a risk, the report said. 

Dr Sven Gerhard, AGCS’s global product leader
for hull & marine liabilities, said the industry
needed to address the new risks facing them
proactively. 

[35] ‘For example, ultra-large ships pose challenges
for insurers due to their sheer size and value,
while others raise concerns on structural integrity
and failure. While scale alone does not make
these ships riskier, the increased sizes introduce
[40] specific risks that need to be addressed, such as
salvage and recovery considerations and
emergency handling,’ he said. 

AGCS noted that, despite hundreds of years of
improvements in safety, human error remained a
[45] challenge. According to the report, over 75% of
marine losses can be attributed to a wide range of
‘human error’ factors, including fatigue,
inadequate risk management and competitive
pressures, as well as potential deficiencies in
[50] training and crewing levels. 

Dr Gerhard said: ‘As technological
improvements reduce risk, so does the weakest
link in the system – the human factor – become
more important. This is where the industry
[55] should focus most closely, so that best practice
risk management and a culture of safety becomes
second nature across the world fleet.’ 

Allianz did, however, note that major accidents
have often been the catalysts for key changes in
[60] maritime industry safety. In light of this, Dr
Gerhard said the Costa Concordia disaster earlier
this year was likely to be ‘no different’,
regardless of the outcome of investigations into
the incident itself.

(The Actuary Newsdesk: Nick Mann 27/Mar 2012)

I - Jack is __________ charge of the marketing department.

II - Thanks for looking _________ me when I was ill.

III - He is ________ his third year in the company.

IV - She used to be a dancer, but now she works _________a sales manager.