Questões de Inglês

Japan harnesses fashion power of gals

By Mariko

Oi BBC News, Tokyo

29 August 2012 Last updated at 23:52 GMT

In every country, there are sub-cultures who define themselves through fashion. The West has goths, hippies and grunge, for example. Japan has gals.

They are young girls who look, act and speak very differently from the traditional image of Japanese women.

Since they emerged as a group in the mid-90s, their looks have evolved. But a few elements have remained constant - short skirts, massive heels and big, big eyes.

This type of rebellion has been frowned on in the past. But now these gals are being courted - for their spending power, their adventurous mindset and even as a cultural export.

Gals, named for the Japanese pronunciation of girl - gyaru, were the product of the boom years - urban teens with a disposable income who were keen to stand out.

Their fashion went through various stages - big socks, foot-high wedge heels, silver hair, deep bronze skin.

The wildest of all was a group called Yamamba, who wore large circles of unnaturally white eyeshadow, giving a reverse panda-eye effect.

Changing tastes

Gals\\' spending power has been in the spotlight before. Their desire to keep up with the latest fad meant that they spent a lot of money on clothes and shoes. "Their fashions changed very fast, and gals followed each trend religiously," said Nobuko Yabe of gals\\' magazine Popteen.

Their favourite shopping centre, Shibuya\\'s 109 store, saw its sales double between 1995 and 2008, as other department stores struggled with falling sales.

But gals could not shield 109 from the impact of the global financial crisis. As hard times hit, they started to shop at slightly cheaper global brands, such as H&M and Zara. And the economic crunch has curtailed their fashion ambitions to an extent.

"We are seeing a slowdown in gals\\' evolution and today we see fewer obvious gals," says Ms Yabe. But they remain an important sub-culture - and one that Japan\\'s government wants to exploit.

The cabinet has approved plans to recreate fashionable districts of Tokyo in foreign cities and it hopes to export four trillion yen ($51bn; £32bn) worth of "Cool Japan" fashion by 2020. So the one-time rebels have found their place in society.

"These gal-mama may look rebellious," said Ms Yamashita of I Love Mama magazine. "But the advice that they gave me when I became a mother myself really showed that they contribute to society no matter how they dress."

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19332694)

No que se refere a hábitos de consumo, de acordo com o texto,

Japan harnesses fashion power of gals

By Mariko

Oi BBC News, Tokyo

29 August 2012 Last updated at 23:52 GMT

In every country, there are sub-cultures who define themselves through fashion. The West has goths, hippies and grunge, for example. Japan has gals.

They are young girls who look, act and speak very differently from the traditional image of Japanese women.

Since they emerged as a group in the mid-90s, their looks have evolved. But a few elements have remained constant - short skirts, massive heels and big, big eyes.

This type of rebellion has been frowned on in the past. But now these gals are being courted - for their spending power, their adventurous mindset and even as a cultural export.

Gals, named for the Japanese pronunciation of girl - gyaru, were the product of the boom years - urban teens with a disposable income who were keen to stand out.

Their fashion went through various stages - big socks, foot-high wedge heels, silver hair, deep bronze skin.

The wildest of all was a group called Yamamba, who wore large circles of unnaturally white eyeshadow, giving a reverse panda-eye effect.

Changing tastes

Gals\\' spending power has been in the spotlight before. Their desire to keep up with the latest fad meant that they spent a lot of money on clothes and shoes. "Their fashions changed very fast, and gals followed each trend religiously," said Nobuko Yabe of gals\\' magazine Popteen.

Their favourite shopping centre, Shibuya\\'s 109 store, saw its sales double between 1995 and 2008, as other department stores struggled with falling sales.

But gals could not shield 109 from the impact of the global financial crisis. As hard times hit, they started to shop at slightly cheaper global brands, such as H&M and Zara. And the economic crunch has curtailed their fashion ambitions to an extent.

"We are seeing a slowdown in gals\\' evolution and today we see fewer obvious gals," says Ms Yabe. But they remain an important sub-culture - and one that Japan\\'s government wants to exploit.

The cabinet has approved plans to recreate fashionable districts of Tokyo in foreign cities and it hopes to export four trillion yen ($51bn; £32bn) worth of "Cool Japan" fashion by 2020. So the one-time rebels have found their place in society.

"These gal-mama may look rebellious," said Ms Yamashita of I Love Mama magazine. "But the advice that they gave me when I became a mother myself really showed that they contribute to society no matter how they dress."

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19332694)

As gals apresentam-se com

Japan harnesses fashion power of gals

By Mariko

Oi BBC News, Tokyo

29 August 2012 Last updated at 23:52 GMT

In every country, there are sub-cultures who define themselves through fashion. The West has goths, hippies and grunge, for example. Japan has gals.

They are young girls who look, act and speak very differently from the traditional image of Japanese women.

Since they emerged as a group in the mid-90s, their looks have evolved. But a few elements have remained constant - short skirts, massive heels and big, big eyes.

This type of rebellion has been frowned on in the past. But now these gals are being courted - for their spending power, their adventurous mindset and even as a cultural export.

Gals, named for the Japanese pronunciation of girl - gyaru, were the product of the boom years - urban teens with a disposable income who were keen to stand out.

Their fashion went through various stages - big socks, foot-high wedge heels, silver hair, deep bronze skin.

The wildest of all was a group called Yamamba, who wore large circles of unnaturally white eyeshadow, giving a reverse panda-eye effect.

Changing tastes

Gals\\' spending power has been in the spotlight before. Their desire to keep up with the latest fad meant that they spent a lot of money on clothes and shoes. "Their fashions changed very fast, and gals followed each trend religiously," said Nobuko Yabe of gals\\' magazine Popteen.

Their favourite shopping centre, Shibuya\\'s 109 store, saw its sales double between 1995 and 2008, as other department stores struggled with falling sales.

But gals could not shield 109 from the impact of the global financial crisis. As hard times hit, they started to shop at slightly cheaper global brands, such as H&M and Zara. And the economic crunch has curtailed their fashion ambitions to an extent.

"We are seeing a slowdown in gals\\' evolution and today we see fewer obvious gals," says Ms Yabe. But they remain an important sub-culture - and one that Japan\\'s government wants to exploit.

The cabinet has approved plans to recreate fashionable districts of Tokyo in foreign cities and it hopes to export four trillion yen ($51bn; £32bn) worth of "Cool Japan" fashion by 2020. So the one-time rebels have found their place in society.

"These gal-mama may look rebellious," said Ms Yamashita of I Love Mama magazine. "But the advice that they gave me when I became a mother myself really showed that they contribute to society no matter how they dress."

(http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-19332694)

Segundo o texto, as gals

A recent study challenged an enduring belief that women were less successful than men in quitting smoking.

The study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, found convincing evidence that across all of the age

groups, “there [is] relatively little difference in cessation between the sexes.” The researchers used data from

major national surveys in the United States, Canada, and England to approximate the rates of smoking cessation

by age in men and women. They did find a pattern of sex differences in smoking cessation which was consistent

across all surveyed countries. According to the study, “below age 50, women were more likely to have given up

smoking completely compared to men, while among older age groups, men were more likely to have quit than

women.” Different age groups had sex differences in smoking cessation but the authors are not sure what

accounted for the finding.

This most recent study is the largest epidemiological study to date, and the authors have found no solid

evidence to support the longstanding claims that smoking cessation is more difficult for women. According to

the study, “The myth of female disadvantage at quitting smoking is bad, first and foremost, for women,”

because they may get discouraged quickly and end their efforts prematurely. But the authors also expressed that

it is detrimental for men who may think they are at an advantage and then not put forth the proper effort to end

their smoking habit. The study claims, “it is time to put aside the idea that women are less successful than men

at giving up smoking.”

Despite the findings of this new study, the difficulty of smoking cessation based on sex should not be

discounted. According to several studies, women experience more severe withdrawal symptoms than men when

quitting smoking, which can make the act of quitting much harder and more uncomfortable for women. In

addition, women are less likely than men to benefit from nicotine replacement therapies, which also contribute

to the difficulty some of them experience when trying to quit.

Kicking the smoking habit is the most important step a smoker can take to improve the length and quality of

his or her life. There are an abundance of options available to help both men and women quit their nicotine

addictions. It is also important to note that women who quit smoking relapse for different reasons than men.

Weight control, stress, and negative emotions are all reasons cited by women who have relapsed and these

issues need to be taken into account for any successful cessation program.

While it is important to note that the majority of tobacco smokers quit on their own without using evidencebased

cessation treatments, some effective methods to do so recommended by CDC for women are: proper

weight management, emotional and psychological support should also be applied to cessation efforts and can

facilitate a smoke-free lifestyle long-term. Whether male or female, smoking cessation is a challenge, but one

that can be overcome and lead to tremendous improvement in one’s quality of life and overall health.

 

(Extraído de: <http://www.womenshealthresearch.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=13593>)

Mark the correct statement concerning reference:

A recent study challenged an enduring belief that women were less successful than men in quitting smoking.

The study, published in the journal Tobacco Control, found convincing evidence that across all of the age

groups, “there [is] relatively little difference in cessation between the sexes.” The researchers used data from

major national surveys in the United States, Canada, and England to approximate the rates of smoking cessation

by age in men and women. They did find a pattern of sex differences in smoking cessation which was consistent

across all surveyed countries. According to the study, “below age 50, women were more likely to have given up

smoking completely compared to men, while among older age groups, men were more likely to have quit than

women.” Different age groups had sex differences in smoking cessation but the authors are not sure what

accounted for the finding.

This most recent study is the largest epidemiological study to date, and the authors have found no solid

evidence to support the longstanding claims that smoking cessation is more difficult for women. According to

the study, “The myth of female disadvantage at quitting smoking is bad, first and foremost, for women,”

because they may get discouraged quickly and end their efforts prematurely. But the authors also expressed that

it is detrimental for men who may think they are at an advantage and then not put forth the proper effort to end

their smoking habit. The study claims, “it is time to put aside the idea that women are less successful than men

at giving up smoking.”

Despite the findings of this new study, the difficulty of smoking cessation based on sex should not be

discounted. According to several studies, women experience more severe withdrawal symptoms than men when

quitting smoking, which can make the act of quitting much harder and more uncomfortable for women. In

addition, women are less likely than men to benefit from nicotine replacement therapies, which also contribute

to the difficulty some of them experience when trying to quit.

Kicking the smoking habit is the most important step a smoker can take to improve the length and quality of

his or her life. There are an abundance of options available to help both men and women quit their nicotine

addictions. It is also important to note that women who quit smoking relapse for different reasons than men.

Weight control, stress, and negative emotions are all reasons cited by women who have relapsed and these

issues need to be taken into account for any successful cessation program.

While it is important to note that the majority of tobacco smokers quit on their own without using evidencebased

cessation treatments, some effective methods to do so recommended by CDC for women are: proper

weight management, emotional and psychological support should also be applied to cessation efforts and can

facilitate a smoke-free lifestyle long-term. Whether male or female, smoking cessation is a challenge, but one

that can be overcome and lead to tremendous improvement in one’s quality of life and overall health.

 

(Extraído de: <http://www.womenshealthresearch.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=13593>)

According to the text:

The term “biodiversity” refers to the variety of life forms in a

habitat, whether it‟s a local environment or an entire planet.

Most of the species making up our planetary biodiversity

are still poorly studied or completely unknown; experts

estimate that there may be at least four times as many

complex species alive on our planet as the 1.9 million that

have already been discovered and named, possibly more.

Even as we are becoming aware of the massive

biodiversity of Earth, we are also in the midst of a

biodiversity crisis, with species going extinct at rates

rivaling those of the major mass extinctions of Earth‟s

history. Therefore, while the definition of the term

“biodiversity” is simple, it in fact encompasses some of

humanity‟s (and science‟s) biggest challenges.

There are a number of reasons why understanding and

preserving biological diversity is important. Above all, every

species is unique in its combination of evolutionary history

and ecological role, so taken together they are a global

resource – like a library preserving the heritage of life

itself.

[… ]

Intrinsic value

Some believe in the philosophical and ethical principle that

nonhuman living things have intrinsic value in and of

themselves, independent of their usefulness to humans.

From a conservation standpoint, this means that humans

have a responsibility to protect the right of other species to

exist on our planet. From a scientific standpoint, it means

that other species are worthy of study simply because their

status as living things makes them relevant.

Photo credit: David Spier, Bombycilla cedrorum and Acer saccharinum, CC BY-NC-SA (Retrieved and adapted from http://eol.org/info/about_biodiversity. Access on May 02nd, 2013)

 

Consider the statements:

 

I. It‟s not complex to provide a definition for biodiversity.

II. To defend and preserve the biodiversity is a responsibility and a challenge for humans.

III. The preservation of biological diversity is not worthy for humans because we are also in the midst of a biodiversity crisis.

It is possible to affirm the true statements are: