Questões de Inglês

Read the text before answering the question:

    Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (an excerpt)

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.
However little known the feelings or views of such a man may be on his first entering a neighbourhood, this truth is so well fixed in the minds of the surrounding families, that he is considered as the rightful property of some one or other of their daughters.

(...)

”Do not you want to know who has taken it?’’ cried his wife impatiently.
“You want to tell me, and I have no objection to hearing it.’’
“Why, my dear, you must know, Mrs. Long says that Netherfield is taken by a young man of large fortune from the north of England (...)
“What is his name?’’
“Bingley.’’
“Is he married or single?’’
“Oh! single, my dear, to be sure! A single man of large fortune; four or five thousand a year. What a fine thing for our girls!’’
“How so? how can it affect them?’’
“My dear Mr. Bennet,’’ replied his wife, “how can you be so tiresome! You must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them.’’
“Mr. Bennet, how can you abuse your own children in such way? You take delight in vexing me. You have no compassion on my poor nerves.’’
“You mistake me, my dear. I have a high respect for your nerves. They are my old friends. I have heard you mention them with consideration these twenty years at least.’’
“Ah! you do not know what I suffer.’’
“But I hope you will get over it, and live to see many young men of four thousand a year come into the neighbourhood.’’
“It will be no use to us if twenty such should come, since you will not visit them.’’
“Depend upon it, my dear, that when there are twenty I will visit them all.’’
Mr. Bennet was so odd a mixture of quick parts, sarcastic humour, reserve, and caprice, that the experience of three and twenty years had been insufficient to make his wife understand his character. Her mind was less difficult to develop. She was a woman of mean understanding, little information, and uncertain temper. When she was discontented, she fancied herself nervous. The business of her life was to get her daughters married; its solace was visiting and news.

From: AUSTEN, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. https://www.janeausten.org/pride-and-prejudice/chapter-1.asp

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Switzerland’s mysterious fourth language

    Despite Romansh being one of Switzerland’s four national languages, less than 0.5% percent of Swiss can answer that question – “Do you speak Romansh?” – with a “yes”. Romansh is a Romance language indigenous to Switzerland’s largest canton, Graubünden, located in the south-eastern corner of the country. In the last one hundred years, the number of Romansh speakers has fallen 50% to a meagre 60,000. Travellers in the canton can still see Romansh on street signs, or hear it in restaurants when they’re greeted with “Allegra!” (Welcome in). But nearly 40% of Romansh speakers have left the area for better job opportunities and it’s rare that you will see or hear Romansh outside the canton. In such a small country, can a language spoken by just a sliver of the population survive, or is it as doomed as the dinosaur and dodo?

    Language exists to convey a people’s culture to the next generation, so it makes sense that the Swiss are protective of Romansh. When the world loses a language, as it does every two weeks, we collectively lose the knowledge from past generations. “Language is a salient and important expression of cultural identity, and without language you will lose many aspects of the culture,” said Dr Gregory Anderson, Director of the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages.

    Without the Romansh language, who is to say if customs like Chalandamarz, an ancient festival held each 1 March to celebrate the end of winter and coming of spring, will endure; or if traditional local recipes like capuns – spätzle wrapped in greens – will be forgotten? “Romansh contributes in its own way to a multilingual Switzerland,” says Daniel Telli, head of the Unit Lingua. “And on a different level, the death of a language implies the loss of a unique way to see and describe the world.”

(Dena Roché. www.bbc.com, 28.06.2018. Adaptado.)

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    Plenty of opportunities exist to study and work abroad. But some early-career scientists might face challenges adjusting to different communication styles and different workplace and academic hierarchies.

    It is important both to be sensitive to cultural differences and to avoid inadvertently stereotyping; also, assumptions should not be made about students solely on the basis of their culture. A wealthy Chinese student from Hong Kong, for example, could see things differently from one who comes from a rural area on the mainland. And individual perceptions can vary too: one student may personally encounter directness more often in the United Kingdom than in the United States, but others might not have experienced this. The relationship between researcher and supervisor is influenced by many factors including personality, previous experiences and the workplace culture.

    One point of difference that can arise is the appropriate level of deference to supervisors. Some Nigerian, Egyptian and Chinese international students report that, in their home nations, a large power differential between students and teachers is common, and that students generally follow instructions without arguing. But a supervisor from a country where debate is expected might sometimes incorrectly interpret a lack of questioning from the student as a lack of interest in the work. The absence of a strictly defined hierarchy can encourage freer communication, says Salim Reza, a radiation-detector scientist. When he moved from his native Bangladesh to Sweden for graduate studies, he learnt that he did not need to address faculty members as ‘sir’ or ‘professor’ or remain standing in their offices. This informality made it easier for him to approach professors to clarify a topic or to propose a new research angle.

    Sometimes, though, misunderstandings can stem from differences in communication style. In some countries, the ‘feedback sandwich’ is common: start with praise, suggest improvements and end with encouragement. Students from countries where this format is less common might think that, because comments were mostly positive, the suggestions are optional and can be ignored. Conversely, a student who is accustomed to gentler feedback might be ‘traumatized’ by cultural tendencies in other countries, such as Germany or the Netherlands, to give more direct criticism. Senior researchers could smooth over differences by freely discussing how the student prefers to receive comments. Students could also talk to lab mates about the feedback; hearing others’ stories could help them overcome discouragement.

    Whether they are welcoming international students or starting work in new countries, scientists can ease the transition by remaining non-judgemental. People sometimes brush off a student from another country as ‘rude’, but “in their culture, they’re not”. Researchers should also remember that their nation’s customs aren’t necessarily best. “When you come from a small country, you don’t assume everybody should be doing things your way,” says a Croatian student. “I never cared if somebody was different than me as long as it didn’t seriously affect the rest of the lab.”

(Roberta Kwok. www.nature.com, 23.05.2018. Adaptado.)

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    Plenty of opportunities exist to study and work abroad. But some early-career scientists might face challenges adjusting to different communication styles and different workplace and academic hierarchies.

    It is important both to be sensitive to cultural differences and to avoid inadvertently stereotyping; also, assumptions should not be made about students solely on the basis of their culture. A wealthy Chinese student from Hong Kong, for example, could see things differently from one who comes from a rural area on the mainland. And individual perceptions can vary too: one student may personally encounter directness more often in the United Kingdom than in the United States, but others might not have experienced this. The relationship between researcher and supervisor is influenced by many factors including personality, previous experiences and the workplace culture.

    One point of difference that can arise is the appropriate level of deference to supervisors. Some Nigerian, Egyptian and Chinese international students report that, in their home nations, a large power differential between students and teachers is common, and that students generally follow instructions without arguing. But a supervisor from a country where debate is expected might sometimes incorrectly interpret a lack of questioning from the student as a lack of interest in the work. The absence of a strictly defined hierarchy can encourage freer communication, says Salim Reza, a radiation-detector scientist. When he moved from his native Bangladesh to Sweden for graduate studies, he learnt that he did not need to address faculty members as ‘sir’ or ‘professor’ or remain standing in their offices. This informality made it easier for him to approach professors to clarify a topic or to propose a new research angle.

    Sometimes, though, misunderstandings can stem from differences in communication style. In some countries, the ‘feedback sandwich’ is common: start with praise, suggest improvements and end with encouragement. Students from countries where this format is less common might think that, because comments were mostly positive, the suggestions are optional and can be ignored. Conversely, a student who is accustomed to gentler feedback might be ‘traumatized’ by cultural tendencies in other countries, such as Germany or the Netherlands, to give more direct criticism. Senior researchers could smooth over differences by freely discussing how the student prefers to receive comments. Students could also talk to lab mates about the feedback; hearing others’ stories could help them overcome discouragement.

    Whether they are welcoming international students or starting work in new countries, scientists can ease the transition by remaining non-judgemental. People sometimes brush off a student from another country as ‘rude’, but “in their culture, they’re not”. Researchers should also remember that their nation’s customs aren’t necessarily best. “When you come from a small country, you don’t assume everybody should be doing things your way,” says a Croatian student. “I never cared if somebody was different than me as long as it didn’t seriously affect the rest of the lab.”

(Roberta Kwok. www.nature.com, 23.05.2018. Adaptado.)

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The Most Important Skill For 21st–Century Success
By Kevin H. Johnson

The world of work is changing so rapidly, as emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation change job requirements. As technologies continue to evolve and business conditions shift, employees must stay in learning mode so their skills don’t lose currency.

It’s one thing to keep up with skills as they’re changing in the here and now. It’s a whole different challenge to prepare yourself for tools and technologies that may exist only in the minds of engineers, if at all.

There’s so much uncertainty and ambiguity around the future of work, it doesn’t matter your industry or job function. That’s why, when anyone asks what the next “hot” skill will be, I say it’s the same skill that will serve people today, tomorrow, and far into the future — the ability to learn.

When people embrace lifelong learning, assimilating new skills isn’t a source of fear and stress — it’s just another part of their career journey. Separating process from outcome will make you a better learner too, as you get less fixated on immediate mastery of a skill and more appreciative of how moving outside your comfort zone helps you grow as a person.

A learning mindset also makes it less likely you’ll be thrown off or immobilized when a project changes scope or a job function undergoes transformation. While others scramble to figure out where to go from here, lifelong learners maintain momentum and productivity.

https://tinyurl.com/ya42xtrr Acesso em: 15.03.2019. Adaptado. Original colorido.

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The Most Important Skill For 21st–Century Success
By Kevin H. Johnson

The world of work is changing so rapidly, as emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, machine learning, and automation change job requirements. As technologies continue to evolve and business conditions shift, employees must stay in learning mode so their skills don’t lose currency.

It’s one thing to keep up with skills as they’re changing in the here and now. It’s a whole different challenge to prepare yourself for tools and technologies that may exist only in the minds of engineers, if at all.

There’s so much uncertainty and ambiguity around the future of work, it doesn’t matter your industry or job function. That’s why, when anyone asks what the next “hot” skill will be, I say it’s the same skill that will serve people today, tomorrow, and far into the future — the ability to learn.

When people embrace lifelong learning, assimilating new skills isn’t a source of fear and stress — it’s just another part of their career journey. Separating process from outcome will make you a better learner too, as you get less fixated on immediate mastery of a skill and more appreciative of how moving outside your comfort zone helps you grow as a person.

A learning mindset also makes it less likely you’ll be thrown off or immobilized when a project changes scope or a job function undergoes transformation. While others scramble to figure out where to go from here, lifelong learners maintain momentum and productivity.

https://tinyurl.com/ya42xtrr Acesso em: 15.03.2019. Adaptado. Original colorido.