Questões de Inglês

TEXTO:

Music may someday help repair the brain

    The music that makes the foot tap, the fingers
snap, and the pulse quicken stirs the brain at its most
fundamental levels, suggesting that scientists one day
may be able to retune damaged minds by exploiting
[5] rhythm, harmony, and melody, according to new
research. “Undeniably, there is a biology of music,”
said Harvard University Medical School neurobiologist
Mark Tramo. “Music is biologically part of human life,
just as music is esthetically part of human life.”

[10]     Researchers found that the brain:
     • Responds directly to harmony. Neuroscientists
discovered that different parts of the brain involved in
emotion are activated depending on whether the music
is pleasant or unpleasant. 

[15]     • Interprets written music in an area on the brain’s
right side. That region corresponds to an area on the
opposite side of the brain known to handle written
words and letters. So, researchers uncovered an
anatomical link between music and language.
[20]     • Grows in response to musical training. In a
study of classically trained musicians, researchers
discovered that male musicians have significantly
larger brains than men who have not had extensive
musical training.
[25]     Overall, music seems to involve the brain at
almost every level, and researchers are already
looking for ways to harness the power of music
to change the brain. Preliminary research also
suggests that music may play some role in enhancing
[30] intelligence. Indeed, so seductive is the possibility that
music can boost a child’s IQ that some politicians are
lobbying for schoolchildren to be exposed regularly to
Mozart sonatas, although such research has yet to be
confirmed.
[35]     The scientists said the new research could help
the clinical practice of neurology, including cognitive
rehabilitation. As a therapeutic tool, for example, some
doctors already use music to help rehabilitate stroke
patients. Surprisingly, some stroke patients who have

[40] lost their ability to speak retain their ability to sing,
and that opens an avenue for therapists to retrain the
brain’s speech centers.

RICHARDS, J.; SANDY, C. Passages: an upper-level multi-skills course. [New York], C.U.P. , s.d. p. 36.

After wreaking havoc in Africa, 'impossible to kill' crop-destroying worm reaches Asia

By Swati Gupta,

CNN August 14, 2018

After leaving a trail of ruined crops in Africa and the Americas, an invasive worm has been found in India, prompting concern that it could
have a devastating effect on the country's agriculture.

Fall armyworm, a pest which feeds on maize and other key crops, has been detected in the state of Karnataka, according to officials. In
neighboring Tamil Nadu, about 15% to 20% of the maize crops on the campus of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University showed evidence of
[05] the worm.

It has already ravaged a dozen or so countries in Africa, with some areas of Zimbabwe suffering up to 70% crop destruction. According
to the Center for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) and the UK's Department for International Development, African nations
stand to lose between $2.4 billion and $6.1 billion due to the worm.
Indian officials and observers are fearing a similar effect on the subcontinent. "This will certainly spread to India's neighbors to the east,"
[10] said Roger Day, program executive of Action on Invasives at CABI. He said that East and Southeast Asia has plenty of "environmentally
suitable" areas where the pest can thrive, including Bangladesh, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, and China.
And there's little anyone can do about it. Previous and costly attempts to stop the worm have been largely unsuccessful. With the worm
detected in at least two states so far, SK Jalali, a scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), said he and his colleagues
are bracing themselves for the worst. "How the worm will spread, we do not know yet," Jalali said. Labs across India have been alerted
[15] and told to do surveys of their own, but it may be too late to stop the worm's expansion.
"It looks like that it has already been present for a while. I would not be surprised if it has already spread past Karnataka," said Day. The
Indian infestation is being monitored by multiple international organizations, including CABI and the United Nations' Food and Agricultural
Organization.
The goal, Day said, should be control rather than eradication. Scientists and researchers have formulated ways to slow the spread or to
[20] fight the infestation using bio-pesticides. However, Jalali warned that with the infestation still in its early stages, "we don't know what will
work on it." Due to the speed at which the pest multiplies, India will have to move faster in evaluating the impact and helping farmers.

(Retrieved and adapted from: https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/14/asia/india-armyworm-crop-infestation-intl/index.html?utm_content=2018-08-15T11%3A30%3A08&utm_source=fbCNNi&utm_term= link&utm_medium=social. Access on August 18th, 2018.)

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HEALTH

PEOPLE WITH A SENSE OF PURPOSE LIVE LONGER,

STUDY SUGGESTS

BY KASHMIRA GANDER ON 5/24/19 AT 11:10 AM EDT

People who have a sense of purpose in life appear to live longer, according to the  latest research linking this outlook to a person’s quality of life and to better physical and mental health. 

The authors of the study published in the journal JAMA Network Open  looked at data collected from 6,985 adults who were signed up to the Health and Retirement Study on people ages 50 and above in the US. The team looked at a group who completed a questionnaire in 2006 about their purpose in life, and used it to come up with a score. On average, the participants were 68.6 years old. Next, the scientists looked at causes of death in the group between 2006 and 2010. Variables included their demographic, marital status, race  and education level. Lifestyle choices like smoking and drinking were also noted. Purpose was defined by the authors as a selforganizing life aim that stimulates goals,  promotes healthy behaviors and gives meaning to life.

The data revealed that the stronger the participants felt they had a purpose in life, the lower their risk of dying. This result remained even when the scientists adjusted their calculations for factors that could affect their score, such as a participants’ sociodemographic status and their health.

But scientists don’t know why there seems to be a link between purposefulness and the length of life. One explanation is that the attitude and overall wellbeing could prevent genes linked with inflammation from being expressed in the body. Meanwhile, lacking a purpose could dampen a person’s motivation to be healthy and active, the authors suggested.

Andrew Oswald, a professor of economics and behavioral science at the University of Warwick, in the U.K., who studies human happiness, told Newsweek: “It is as though the mind and body can draw on a pool of immune responses, and a healthy mind allows the body more immune response, in some way that we simply do not understand in 2019. Remarkably, a number of studies seem to show that happy people and people with a sense of purpose live longer.”

<https://tinyurl.com/yykc8uu4> Acesso em: 27.05.2019. Adaptado.

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HEALTH

PEOPLE WITH A SENSE OF PURPOSE LIVE LONGER,

STUDY SUGGESTS

BY KASHMIRA GANDER ON 5/24/19 AT 11:10 AM EDT

People who have a sense of purpose in life appear to live longer, according to the  latest research linking this outlook to a person’s quality of life and to better physical and mental health. 

The authors of the study published in the journal JAMA Network Open  looked at data collected from 6,985 adults who were signed up to the Health and Retirement Study on people ages 50 and above in the US. The team looked at a group who completed a questionnaire in 2006 about their purpose in life, and used it to come up with a score. On average, the participants were 68.6 years old. Next, the scientists looked at causes of death in the group between 2006 and 2010. Variables included their demographic, marital status, race  and education level. Lifestyle choices like smoking and drinking were also noted. Purpose was defined by the authors as a selforganizing life aim that stimulates goals,  promotes healthy behaviors and gives meaning to life.

The data revealed that the stronger the participants felt they had a purpose in life, the lower their risk of dying. This result remained even when the scientists adjusted their calculations for factors that could affect their score, such as a participants’ sociodemographic status and their health.

But scientists don’t know why there seems to be a link between purposefulness and the length of life. One explanation is that the attitude and overall wellbeing could prevent genes linked with inflammation from being expressed in the body. Meanwhile, lacking a purpose could dampen a person’s motivation to be healthy and active, the authors suggested.

Andrew Oswald, a professor of economics and behavioral science at the University of Warwick, in the U.K., who studies human happiness, told Newsweek: “It is as though the mind and body can draw on a pool of immune responses, and a healthy mind allows the body more immune response, in some way that we simply do not understand in 2019. Remarkably, a number of studies seem to show that happy people and people with a sense of purpose live longer.”

<https://tinyurl.com/yykc8uu4> Acesso em: 27.05.2019. Adaptado.

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Is alkaline water really better for you?

    Despite the claims, there’s no evidence that water marketed as alkaline is better for your health than tap water. “It’s all about marketing,” said Tanis Fenton, a registered dietitian and epidemiologist at Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. “There is no science to back it up.”

    The pH scale indicates whether a liquid is more acidic (lower pH) or alkaline (higher pH). Pure water has a neutral pH of 7, while tap water has some natural variation depending on its mineral content. Most bottled waters are slightly acidic, and sodas and juices are even more so. Bottled waters marketed as being alkaline typically claim to have a pH between 8 and 10. Some are from springs or artesian wells and are naturally alkaline because of dissolved minerals. Others are made with an ionizing process, and water ionizing machines are also marketed for home use.

    Alkaline water companies make vague claims that it will “energize” and “detoxify” the body and lead to “superior hydration.” And some claim that ionized water can prevent everything from headaches to cancer. Nevertheless, there’s no evidence that drinking water with a higher pH can change the pH of your body, or even that this outcome would provide benefits. Blood is tightly regulated at around pH 7.4, while the stomach, which secretes hydrochloric acid to digest proteins and kill food-borne pathogens, is very acidic, with a pH of 1.5 to 3.5. If you drink water that is slightly alkaline, Dr. Fenton said, the hydrochloric acid in the stomach quickly neutralizes it before it’s absorbed into the blood.

    Several small studies funded by companies that sell alkaline water suggest that it could improve hydration in athletes, but any potential benefits were modest, and an easier way to improve hydration is just to drink more water. And a 2016 review of research by Dr. Fenton and a colleague found no evidence that alkaline water or an alkaline diet could treat or prevent cancer.

    A study published last year found that adopting a plantbased diet and drinking alkaline water worked as well as medications to alleviate the symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux, a severe form of acid reflux in which stomach acid travels all the way up to the throat. “I think that it can be a helpful tool for patients to help with their symptoms while they’re transitioning to a more plant-based diet,” said Dr. Craig Zalvan, the study’s lead author and a laryngologist at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. But he believes that most of the improvement in his patients comes from dietary changes rather than alkaline water. Once symptoms improve, he says there’s no need to keep drinking alkaline water.

(Alice Callahan. www.nytimes.com, 27.04.2018. Adaptado.)

Leia o texto para responder à questão.

Is alkaline water really better for you?

    Despite the claims, there’s no evidence that water marketed as alkaline is better for your health than tap water. “It’s all about marketing,” said Tanis Fenton, a registered dietitian and epidemiologist at Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. “There is no science to back it up.”

    The pH scale indicates whether a liquid is more acidic (lower pH) or alkaline (higher pH). Pure water has a neutral pH of 7, while tap water has some natural variation depending on its mineral content. Most bottled waters are slightly acidic, and sodas and juices are even more so. Bottled waters marketed as being alkaline typically claim to have a pH between 8 and 10. Some are from springs or artesian wells and are naturally alkaline because of dissolved minerals. Others are made with an ionizing process, and water ionizing machines are also marketed for home use.

    Alkaline water companies make vague claims that it will “energize” and “detoxify” the body and lead to “superior hydration.” And some claim that ionized water can prevent everything from headaches to cancer. Nevertheless, there’s no evidence that drinking water with a higher pH can change the pH of your body, or even that this outcome would provide benefits. Blood is tightly regulated at around pH 7.4, while the stomach, which secretes hydrochloric acid to digest proteins and kill food-borne pathogens, is very acidic, with a pH of 1.5 to 3.5. If you drink water that is slightly alkaline, Dr. Fenton said, the hydrochloric acid in the stomach quickly neutralizes it before it’s absorbed into the blood.

    Several small studies funded by companies that sell alkaline water suggest that it could improve hydration in athletes, but any potential benefits were modest, and an easier way to improve hydration is just to drink more water. And a 2016 review of research by Dr. Fenton and a colleague found no evidence that alkaline water or an alkaline diet could treat or prevent cancer.

    A study published last year found that adopting a plantbased diet and drinking alkaline water worked as well as medications to alleviate the symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux, a severe form of acid reflux in which stomach acid travels all the way up to the throat. “I think that it can be a helpful tool for patients to help with their symptoms while they’re transitioning to a more plant-based diet,” said Dr. Craig Zalvan, the study’s lead author and a laryngologist at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. But he believes that most of the improvement in his patients comes from dietary changes rather than alkaline water. Once symptoms improve, he says there’s no need to keep drinking alkaline water.

(Alice Callahan. www.nytimes.com, 27.04.2018. Adaptado.)