Questões de Inglês

Healthy choices

How do we reduce waistlines in a country where we traditionally do not like telling individuals what to do? 

 

By Telegraph View

22 Aug 2014

Every new piece of information about Britain’s weight problem makes for ever more depressing reading. Duncan Selbie, the Chief Executive of Public Health England, today tells us that by 2034 some six million Britons will suffer from diabetes. Of course, many people develop diabetes through no fault of their own. But Mr Selbie’s research concludes that if the levels of obesity returned to their 1994 levels, 1.7 million fewer people would suffer from the condition. 

Given that fighting diabetes already drains the National Health Service (NHS) by more than £1.5 million, or 10 per cent of its budget for England, the impact upon the Treasury in 20 years’ time from unhealthy lifestyles could be catastrophic. Bad health not only impacts on the individual but also on the rest of the community. 

Diagnosis of the challenge is straightforward. The tougher question is what to do about reducing waistlines in a country where we traditionally do not like telling individuals what to do. 

It is interesting to note that Mr Selbie does not ascribe to the Big Brother approach of ceaseless legislation and nannying. Rather, he is keen to promote choices – making the case passionately that people should be encouraged to embrace good health. One of his suggestions is that parents feed their children from smaller plates. That way the child can clear his or her plate, as ordered, without actually consuming too much. Like all good ideas, this is rooted in common sense. 

(www.telegraph.co.uk. Adaptado.)

According to the text, Mr Duncan Selbie concluded that

Kiss or kill: what robots can do for humanity

A human kiss can be delivered long-distance by a humanoid go-between… if it doesn't decide to blow you to

pieces first. Those are just some of the innovations in robotics showcased at a festival in Sheffield this week

 

 

Nicola Davis

The Observer, Sunday 14 September 2014

In: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/14/robots-sheffield-new-age-of-robotics?guni=Keyword:news-grid%20main2%20(Discover)%20Pickable%20with%20editabl20override:Pickable%20with%20editable%20override:Position1:anchor%20image

1 - F r o m t e c h n o - sheepdogs to android b e d f e l l o w s , t h e promise of robotics and the lure of artificial intelligence appears to know no bounds. But will we ever be able to have a proper natter with a robot? And just what will they look like? Now is your chance to find out.

2- Experts will be sharing the latest news in a series of talks and demos under the banner of The New Age of Robotics as part of Sheffield's wide-ranging Festival of the Mind, which starts on 18 September.

3- “Science fiction robots are very different from real robots, and we want to show people what technologies are available now, what might be round the corner, and discuss the societal issues around those,” says Tony Prescott, director of the Sheffield Centre for Robotics and professor of cognitive neuroscience.

4- Acollaboration between Sheffield University and the city, the festival will delve into the pros and cons of emerging technology. Among the talks, Professor Adrian Cheok from City University London will share a romantic vision of the future in his adults-only “X lecture”, explaining how “digital intimacy” could let us share physical sensations, from hugs to smells. His team has developed the “Kissenger”, a method for transmitting a long-distance smooch using a pair of devices that capture and replicate lip movement.

5- More cautious about embracing a techno-future, Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at Sheffield University and co-founder of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control, will explore the potential dangers of robo-warfare.  “Robot weapons pose a new and terrifying threat to humanity,” he says. “They will select their own targets and attack them without human involvement.”

6- More likely to amuse t h a n u n n e r v e , however, are two robots on show as part o f t h e f e s t i v a l ' s interactive exhibition. Able to display a range of emotions, the stateof-the-art humanoid, Zeno, is keen to challenge visitors to a game of Simon says, while Paro, a robo-seal developed in Japan, showcases one of the burgeoning applications for robots in health and social care. Prescott explains: “In our research we are looking at how useful this is – how effective it might be – in actually calming down people with Alzheimer's, which is one of the applications. And we're looking at how people with different personalities might respond to those kinds of robots.”

7- There's little doubt that as technology develops so too will the ethical and social dilemmas. But while some view a future “singularity” – the point where artificial intelligence exceeds our own – as spelling the end of mankind, Prescott has a more sanguine outlook. “I think our job as technologists is to think about those futures and to see what we can start to do now to ensure that we end up with the more optimistic scenarios being realized and avoiding the dangerous ones.

8- “This Festival of the Mind is one small part of that – engaging with people about things they are worried about, and then, in our research programmes, making sure that we anticipate those things.”

No parágrafo 7, Prescott apresenta uma visão

Kiss or kill: what robots can do for humanity

A human kiss can be delivered long-distance by a humanoid go-between… if it doesn't decide to blow you to

pieces first. Those are just some of the innovations in robotics showcased at a festival in Sheffield this week

 

 

Nicola Davis

The Observer, Sunday 14 September 2014

In: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/14/robots-sheffield-new-age-of-robotics?guni=Keyword:news-grid%20main2%20(Discover)%20Pickable%20with%20editabl20override:Pickable%20with%20editable%20override:Position1:anchor%20image

1 - F r o m t e c h n o - sheepdogs to android b e d f e l l o w s , t h e promise of robotics and the lure of artificial intelligence appears to know no bounds. But will we ever be able to have a proper natter with a robot? And just what will they look like? Now is your chance to find out.

2- Experts will be sharing the latest news in a series of talks and demos under the banner of The New Age of Robotics as part of Sheffield's wide-ranging Festival of the Mind, which starts on 18 September.

3- “Science fiction robots are very different from real robots, and we want to show people what technologies are available now, what might be round the corner, and discuss the societal issues around those,” says Tony Prescott, director of the Sheffield Centre for Robotics and professor of cognitive neuroscience.

4- Acollaboration between Sheffield University and the city, the festival will delve into the pros and cons of emerging technology. Among the talks, Professor Adrian Cheok from City University London will share a romantic vision of the future in his adults-only “X lecture”, explaining how “digital intimacy” could let us share physical sensations, from hugs to smells. His team has developed the “Kissenger”, a method for transmitting a long-distance smooch using a pair of devices that capture and replicate lip movement.

5- More cautious about embracing a techno-future, Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at Sheffield University and co-founder of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control, will explore the potential dangers of robo-warfare.  “Robot weapons pose a new and terrifying threat to humanity,” he says. “They will select their own targets and attack them without human involvement.”

6- More likely to amuse t h a n u n n e r v e , however, are two robots on show as part o f t h e f e s t i v a l ' s interactive exhibition. Able to display a range of emotions, the stateof-the-art humanoid, Zeno, is keen to challenge visitors to a game of Simon says, while Paro, a robo-seal developed in Japan, showcases one of the burgeoning applications for robots in health and social care. Prescott explains: “In our research we are looking at how useful this is – how effective it might be – in actually calming down people with Alzheimer's, which is one of the applications. And we're looking at how people with different personalities might respond to those kinds of robots.”

7- There's little doubt that as technology develops so too will the ethical and social dilemmas. But while some view a future “singularity” – the point where artificial intelligence exceeds our own – as spelling the end of mankind, Prescott has a more sanguine outlook. “I think our job as technologists is to think about those futures and to see what we can start to do now to ensure that we end up with the more optimistic scenarios being realized and avoiding the dangerous ones.

8- “This Festival of the Mind is one small part of that – engaging with people about things they are worried about, and then, in our research programmes, making sure that we anticipate those things.”

No parágrafo 6, na sentença "Paro, a robo-seal developed in Japan, showcases one of the burgeoning applications for robots in health and social care", a expressão burgeoning applications significa

Kiss or kill: what robots can do for humanity

A human kiss can be delivered long-distance by a humanoid go-between… if it doesn't decide to blow you to

pieces first. Those are just some of the innovations in robotics showcased at a festival in Sheffield this week

 

 

Nicola Davis

The Observer, Sunday 14 September 2014

In: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/sep/14/robots-sheffield-new-age-of-robotics?guni=Keyword:news-grid%20main2%20(Discover)%20Pickable%20with%20editabl20override:Pickable%20with%20editable%20override:Position1:anchor%20image

1 - F r o m t e c h n o - sheepdogs to android b e d f e l l o w s , t h e promise of robotics and the lure of artificial intelligence appears to know no bounds. But will we ever be able to have a proper natter with a robot? And just what will they look like? Now is your chance to find out.

2- Experts will be sharing the latest news in a series of talks and demos under the banner of The New Age of Robotics as part of Sheffield's wide-ranging Festival of the Mind, which starts on 18 September.

3- “Science fiction robots are very different from real robots, and we want to show people what technologies are available now, what might be round the corner, and discuss the societal issues around those,” says Tony Prescott, director of the Sheffield Centre for Robotics and professor of cognitive neuroscience.

4- Acollaboration between Sheffield University and the city, the festival will delve into the pros and cons of emerging technology. Among the talks, Professor Adrian Cheok from City University London will share a romantic vision of the future in his adults-only “X lecture”, explaining how “digital intimacy” could let us share physical sensations, from hugs to smells. His team has developed the “Kissenger”, a method for transmitting a long-distance smooch using a pair of devices that capture and replicate lip movement.

5- More cautious about embracing a techno-future, Noel Sharkey, professor of artificial intelligence and robotics at Sheffield University and co-founder of the International Committee for Robot Arms Control, will explore the potential dangers of robo-warfare.  “Robot weapons pose a new and terrifying threat to humanity,” he says. “They will select their own targets and attack them without human involvement.”

6- More likely to amuse t h a n u n n e r v e , however, are two robots on show as part o f t h e f e s t i v a l ' s interactive exhibition. Able to display a range of emotions, the stateof-the-art humanoid, Zeno, is keen to challenge visitors to a game of Simon says, while Paro, a robo-seal developed in Japan, showcases one of the burgeoning applications for robots in health and social care. Prescott explains: “In our research we are looking at how useful this is – how effective it might be – in actually calming down people with Alzheimer's, which is one of the applications. And we're looking at how people with different personalities might respond to those kinds of robots.”

7- There's little doubt that as technology develops so too will the ethical and social dilemmas. But while some view a future “singularity” – the point where artificial intelligence exceeds our own – as spelling the end of mankind, Prescott has a more sanguine outlook. “I think our job as technologists is to think about those futures and to see what we can start to do now to ensure that we end up with the more optimistic scenarios being realized and avoiding the dangerous ones.

8- “This Festival of the Mind is one small part of that – engaging with people about things they are worried about, and then, in our research programmes, making sure that we anticipate those things.”

In paragraph 1, the question "But will we ever be able to have a proper natter with a robot?" means:

1 Passing clouds: One of the pleasures of flying is seeing clouds close up. Even though they seem insubstantial, they carry a considerable weight of water – around 500 tones in a small cumulus cloud. And water is denser than air. So why don’t clouds fall out of the sky like rain? They do. But the droplets take a long time to sink. An average cloud would take a year to fall one meter.  

2 There’s life out there: Apart from clouds and other planes, we don’t expect to see much directly outside a flying aircraft’s window, but the air is seething with bacterial life – as many as 1,800 different types of bacteria have been detected over cities and they can reach twice the cruising height of a plane.  

3 Turbulence terror: Even the most experienced flyer can be turned green by turbulence. The outcome can be anything from repeated bumping to sudden, dramatic plunges. The good news for nervous flyers is that no modern airliner has ever been brought down by turbulence. People have been injured and occasionally killed when they are not strapped in, or get struck by poorly secured luggage – but the plane is not going to be knocked out of the sky.  

4 You can’t cure jet lag: The world is divided into time zones. The result is that long-haul travel results in a difference between local time and your body’s time, causing jet lag. ____________, its effects can be minimized by keeping food bland for 24 hours before travel, drinking plenty of fluids and living on your destination time from the moment you reach the aircraft.  

5 Flying through time: Time zones provide an artificial journey through time – but special relativity means that a flight involves actual time travel. It’s so minimal, though, that crossing the Atlantic weekly for 40 years would only move you 1/1,000th of a second into the future.  

© Guardian News and Media 2014 First published in The Guardian, 06/07/14 Disponível em: . Acesso em: 15/09/2014, às 16h (fins pedagógicos – Adaptado). 

 

Check the alternative that completes the gap in the text correctly.

1 Passing clouds: One of the pleasures of flying is seeing clouds close up. Even though they seem insubstantial, they carry a considerable weight of water – around 500 tones in a small cumulus cloud. And water is denser than air. So why don’t clouds fall out of the sky like rain? They do. But the droplets take a long time to sink. An average cloud would take a year to fall one meter.  

2 There’s life out there: Apart from clouds and other planes, we don’t expect to see much directly outside a flying aircraft’s window, but the air is seething with bacterial life – as many as 1,800 different types of bacteria have been detected over cities and they can reach twice the cruising height of a plane.  

3 Turbulence terror: Even the most experienced flyer can be turned green by turbulence. The outcome can be anything from repeated bumping to sudden, dramatic plunges. The good news for nervous flyers is that no modern airliner has ever been brought down by turbulence. People have been injured and occasionally killed when they are not strapped in, or get struck by poorly secured luggage – but the plane is not going to be knocked out of the sky.  

4 You can’t cure jet lag: The world is divided into time zones. The result is that long-haul travel results in a difference between local time and your body’s time, causing jet lag. ____________, its effects can be minimized by keeping food bland for 24 hours before travel, drinking plenty of fluids and living on your destination time from the moment you reach the aircraft.  

5 Flying through time: Time zones provide an artificial journey through time – but special relativity means that a flight involves actual time travel. It’s so minimal, though, that crossing the Atlantic weekly for 40 years would only move you 1/1,000th of a second into the future.  

© Guardian News and Media 2014 First published in The Guardian, 06/07/14 Disponível em: . Acesso em: 15/09/2014, às 16h (fins pedagógicos – Adaptado). 

 

Check the alternative that doesn’t correspond to the text.