Questões de Inglês

[1] Teflon was Invented by Accident 

 

  Today I found out Teflon was invented by accident.  

  The man who accidentally invented it was Dr. Roy Plunkett. After receiving his BA, MS, and eventually PhD in  

[5] organic chemistry, Dr. Plunkett took a job with DuPont, in Jackson New Jersey. He was subsequently assigned to work  

on synthesizing various new forms of refrigerant, trying to find a non-toxic alternative to refrigerants like sulfur dioxide and  

ammonia.  

  According to DuPont, in 1938, 27 year old Dr. Plunkett and his assistant, Jack Rebok, were experimenting with  

one such potential alternative refrigerant, tetrafluorethylene (TFE). Dr. Plunkett subsequently created around 100 pounds  

[10] of TFE and stored the gas in small cylinders.  

  On April 6, 1938, upon opening the valve on one of the pressurized cylinders of TFE that had previously been  

frozen, nothing came out, even though by its weight, it seemed to still be full. Dr. Plunkett and Jack Rebok then decided  

to investigate further by cutting the cylinder open. Once they managed to get it open, they discovered that the TFE gas  

inside had polymerized into a waxy white powder, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resin.  

[15]   Ever the scientist, Plunkett then proceeded to run tests on this new substance to see if it had any unique or useful  

properties. Four of the most important properties of this substance discovered were that it was extremely slippery (one of  

the slipperiest substances known to man), non-corrosive, chemically stable, and that it had an extremely high melting  

point. These properties were deemed interesting enough that the study of the substance was transferred to DuPont’s  

Central Research Department and assigned to chemists that had special experience in polymer research and  

[20] development, while Dr. Plunkett was then promoted and transferred to a separate division that produced tetraethyl (sic),  

used to boost gasoline octane levels.  

  Three years later, the process and name of Teflon were patented and trademarked. Four years after that, Teflon  

first began being sold, initially only used for various industrial and military applications due to the expense of producing  

TFE. By the 1960s, various forms of Teflon were being used in a variety of applications, such as stain repellant in fabrics  

[25] and electrical wire insulation. It was also in the 1960s that Teflon began being used in its most publicly known application,  

as a coating for non-stick pans. Today, Teflon or other brands of the same product are also used in windshield wipers;  

carpets and furniture (as a stain repellant); light bulbs; coating on glasses; in various hair products; in semiconductor  

manufacturing; automotive lubricant; igniters for solid-fuel rocket propellants; and in infrared decoy flares, among other  

things.  

Adaptado de www.todayIfoundout.com (acesso em 19/07/2015).  

 

Dentre as propriedades da resina PTFE citadas no texto, não se inclui a  

[1] Teflon was Invented by Accident 

 

  Today I found out Teflon was invented by accident.  

  The man who accidentally invented it was Dr. Roy Plunkett. After receiving his BA, MS, and eventually PhD in  

[5] organic chemistry, Dr. Plunkett took a job with DuPont, in Jackson New Jersey. He was subsequently assigned to work  

on synthesizing various new forms of refrigerant, trying to find a non-toxic alternative to refrigerants like sulfur dioxide and  

ammonia.  

  According to DuPont, in 1938, 27 year old Dr. Plunkett and his assistant, Jack Rebok, were experimenting with  

one such potential alternative refrigerant, tetrafluorethylene (TFE). Dr. Plunkett subsequently created around 100 pounds  

[10] of TFE and stored the gas in small cylinders.  

  On April 6, 1938, upon opening the valve on one of the pressurized cylinders of TFE that had previously been  

frozen, nothing came out, even though by its weight, it seemed to still be full. Dr. Plunkett and Jack Rebok then decided  

to investigate further by cutting the cylinder open. Once they managed to get it open, they discovered that the TFE gas  

inside had polymerized into a waxy white powder, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) resin.  

[15]   Ever the scientist, Plunkett then proceeded to run tests on this new substance to see if it had any unique or useful  

properties. Four of the most important properties of this substance discovered were that it was extremely slippery (one of  

the slipperiest substances known to man), non-corrosive, chemically stable, and that it had an extremely high melting  

point. These properties were deemed interesting enough that the study of the substance was transferred to DuPont’s  

Central Research Department and assigned to chemists that had special experience in polymer research and  

[20] development, while Dr. Plunkett was then promoted and transferred to a separate division that produced tetraethyl (sic),  

used to boost gasoline octane levels.  

  Three years later, the process and name of Teflon were patented and trademarked. Four years after that, Teflon  

first began being sold, initially only used for various industrial and military applications due to the expense of producing  

TFE. By the 1960s, various forms of Teflon were being used in a variety of applications, such as stain repellant in fabrics  

[25] and electrical wire insulation. It was also in the 1960s that Teflon began being used in its most publicly known application,  

as a coating for non-stick pans. Today, Teflon or other brands of the same product are also used in windshield wipers;  

carpets and furniture (as a stain repellant); light bulbs; coating on glasses; in various hair products; in semiconductor  

manufacturing; automotive lubricant; igniters for solid-fuel rocket propellants; and in infrared decoy flares, among other  

things.  

Adaptado de www.todayIfoundout.com (acesso em 19/07/2015).  

 

De acordo com o texto, pode-se afirmar que Dr. Roy Plunkett 

De acordo com a descrição dos tipos de inteligência apresentados na figura,

TEXTO:

[1]   Scientists may be on top in the battle against

bedbugs. These insects are one of the most difficult to

control. But research, from the journal Scientific Reports,

could help scientists to develop new, improved control

[5] methods.

  They feast on our blood while we sleep — leaving

itchy, red welts as their calling card. Bedbugs are an

insect that many would like to see the back of. But in

North America, Europe and Australia, infestations are on

[10] the rise — and our insecticides are losing their bite.

  Researchers at the University of Kentucky in the

US have found 14 genes associated with resistance to

these chemicals. They’re causing a number of biological

changes in the bedbugs. These include the development

[15] of a thicker skin that stops the poisons from penetrating

and mutations within the insects’ bodies that prevent the

toxins from hitting the nervous system.

  The genes linked to these changes are active in

the insect’s tough outer shell - creating a formidable first

[20] line of defense. These findings could help scientists to

develop new insecticides that could either turn these

genes off or bypass the pest’s molecular shields. But

until these substances are developed, exterminators are

having to resort to more primitive tactics.

MORELLE, Rebeca. Disponível em: <www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/ learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2013/03/13 0315_witn_ bed_bugs.shtml>. Acesso em: 2 fev. 2016.

The only alternative in which the word or expression from the text has not been correctly defined is 

TEXTO:

[1]   Scientists may be on top in the battle against

bedbugs. These insects are one of the most difficult to

control. But research, from the journal Scientific Reports,

could help scientists to develop new, improved control

[5] methods.

  They feast on our blood while we sleep — leaving

itchy, red welts as their calling card. Bedbugs are an

insect that many would like to see the back of. But in

North America, Europe and Australia, infestations are on

[10] the rise — and our insecticides are losing their bite.

  Researchers at the University of Kentucky in the

US have found 14 genes associated with resistance to

these chemicals. They’re causing a number of biological

changes in the bedbugs. These include the development

[15] of a thicker skin that stops the poisons from penetrating

and mutations within the insects’ bodies that prevent the

toxins from hitting the nervous system.

  The genes linked to these changes are active in

the insect’s tough outer shell - creating a formidable first

[20] line of defense. These findings could help scientists to

develop new insecticides that could either turn these

genes off or bypass the pest’s molecular shields. But

until these substances are developed, exterminators are

having to resort to more primitive tactics.

MORELLE, Rebeca. Disponível em: <www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/ learningenglish/language/wordsinthenews/2013/03/13 0315_witn_ bed_bugs.shtml>. Acesso em: 2 fev. 2016.

Fill in the parentheses with T (True) or F (False). It’s stated in the text:

 

( ) Scientists have finally succeeded in exterminating bedbugs.

( ) Bedbugs suck people’s blood, especially when they’re in bed.

( ) Bedbugs’ bite hurts people’s skin, which makes you want to scratch it.

( ) Infestations by bedbugs are decreasing in most parts of the world.

 

The correct sequence, from top to bottom, is

TEXTO:

[1]   A new species of giant carnivorous plant has been

discovered in eastern Minas Gerais. It is the largest of

its kind ever discovered in the Americas. The novelty also

applies to the way it has been found: by means of a

[5] photo published on Facebook.

  Reginaldo Vasconcelos, an orchid grower and

enthusiast of native flora, took a photo of the plant during

his wanderings in the mountains near his hometown of

Governador Valadares (MG). Specialists in carnivorous

[10] plants, Paulo Gonella and Fernando Rivadavia saw the

publication on Facebook, identified it as a new species

and made an expedition to study it.

  The article that reported the discovery was published

in the renowned scientific journal “Phytotaxa” by a group

[15] of botanists from Brazil, United States and Germany. “It

is the first plant to be discovered on Facebook,” says

Andreas Fleischmann, of the Botanical Garden of Munich

(Germany), one of the authors.

  Known as “sundew” (sundew genus, droseraceae

[20] family), the now named Drosera Magnifica is almost one

five feet long. It produces long, slender leaves, covered

with glands or “tentacles”, which secrete droplets of a

viscous and sticky mucilage.

  These red and glittering tentacles are visually

[25] attractive, and represent a death trap especially for small

flying insects. The sundew genus is the largest group of

carnivorous plants, with about 250 species distributed

throughout the world, mainly in tropical areas of Australia,

South Africa and Brazil.

[30]   Facebook has become one of the most important

tools for the discovery of new species, according to the

authors of the article. One group, DetWeb, brings together

over 5,000 botanists and enthusiasts from Brazil.

By Cláudia Collucci Translated by Cristiane Costa Lima. Disponível em: <www1.folha.uol.com.br/internacional/en/science andhealth/2015/07/ 1662281-biologists-discover-new-species-of-giant-c arnivorousplant. shtml>. Acesso em:

It’s stated in the text that species that belong to the sundew genus