Questões de Inglês

Not far from the tree

By Mariana de Viveiros

 

They say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. So, the son of a circus performer is likely to be also an artist himself. 12-year-old Matheus Felipe Jesus Silva was born in the circus. That is, ever since he was a baby, he’s lived in a trailer (a mobile home pulled by a car or a truck). His mother is a ballet dancer at CircoSpacial, where Matheus himself is also a performer since the age of 3. He started doing presentations with clowns and nowadays he is a trapeze artist (just like his dad, who works in Europe), equilibrist and acrobat.

As the circus travels all over Brazil, Matheus changes schools very often. He studies in the morning, has rehearsals in the afternoon and, at weekends, he performs in the circus ring. He says that this routine doesn’t disturb his studies and he wants to graduate in Physical Education. “But I want to work in the circus forever.” On account of the mobility of his life and his outgoing nature, Matheus makes new friends wherever he goes and keeps in touch with them through the internet. “Kids think that I have a peculiar way of life and come to the circus to watch my show,” he adds. On his days off, he likes to go to the movies, to the mall and to shows. Read on to see his favorite film, book, CD and website.

Revista TAM Kids, julho/agosto 2011.

Which means of communication does Matheus usually use to get in touch with his pals?

Text I

Go easy on yourself!

Do you treat yourself as well as you treat your friends or your family?

 

That simple question is the basis of new area of psychological research called self-compassion – how kindly people view themselves. People who find it easy to be supportive and understanding to others often score surprisingly low on self-compassion tests. They get angry with themselves for perceived failures like being overweight or not exercising.

 

Anxious

The research suggests that accepting our imperfections may be the first step toward better health. People who score high on tests of self-compassion have less depression and anxiety, and tend to be happier and more optimistic. Preliminary data suggest that self-compassion can even influence how much we eat and may help some people lose weight.

 

This idea does to contrast with the advice of many doctors and self-help books, which suggest that willpower and self-discipline are the keys to better health. But Kristin Neff, a pioneer in the field says self-compassion is not to be confused with self-indulgence or lower standards.

 

“I found in my research that the biggest reason people aren’t more self-compassionate is that they are afraid they’ll become self-indulgent,” said Dr. Neff, an associate professor of human development at the University of Texas at Austin. “They believe self-criticism is what keeps them in line. Most people have gotten it wrong because our culture says being hard on yourself is the way to be.”(…)

(FONTE: SpeakUp Magazine #288 page36)

The research mentioned in the text suggests

Scared fit

My body was telling me things I did not want to hear. In February 2010, my doctor confirmed what my body was telling me. My not feeling well was a result of years of neglecting my body and diet. At 62, I had developed high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and my cholesterol was going through the roof. At 4’ 10” and weighing 227 pounds, the problem was in the mirror looking back at me. My doctor said, “lose weight, start eating healthy, and start exercising if you want to live to a ripe old age”. Needless to say, I was scared I wouldn’t see my grandkids and great-grandkids grow up.

PAZ, A. Disponível em: www.healthandfitnessmag.com. Acesso em: 28 fev. 2012.

No texto Scared fit, que relata a experiência de Amanda de la Paz relacionada aos cuidados com a saúde, a palavra scared faz referência ao seu medo de

Home is where the heart is 

 

    The heart of psychosocial care is to be found in the home and it is here that the main trust of external  efforts to improve the wellbeing of vulnerable children must be directed. The best way to support the wellbeing  of young children affected by HIV/AIDS is to strengthen and reinforce the circles of care that surround children.  Some children — especially those living outside families, on the streets or institutions, with chronically ill caregivers,  and orphans — are more vulnerable and especially require psychosocial care and support. However, this social  support needs to be provided in family settings, with the same characteristics of commitment, stability, and  individualized affectionate care. The primary aim of all psychosocial support programmes should be an encouraging  and enabling family support, including foster care, and placing and maintaining young children in stable and  affectionate family environments. Only secondarily should direct services be provided to affected children. 

RICHTER, L.; FOSTER, G.; SHERR, L. Where the heart is: meeting the psychosocial needs of young children in the context of HIV/AIDS. Holanda: Bernard van Leer Foundation, 2006 (adaptado).

 

Ao tratar dos problemas psicossociais dos portadores do vírus HIV/AIDS, o texto argumenta que

Com base nas informações verbais e no contexto social da tirinha, infere-se que o cliente

SHARKS - THE ADAPTABLE OLD-TIMERS

By Peter T. Pugliese and John Heinerman

 

Sharks are cartilaginous fish (i.e., having a skeleton wholly or largely composed of cartilage). They vary greatly in size, behavior, and in the way they reproduce. They are found at all depths in all the oceans of the world except the Antarctic. However, they are most abundant in tropical and subtropical waters. A few species of shark inhabit freshwater lakes and rivers, and some migrate regularly from salt to freshwater.

Sharks are remarkably successful animals, with few parasites or diseases and almost no enemies except other sharks. As predators and scavengers, sharks play a major role in the ecosystems of the world‟s oceans.

Paleontologists believe that sharks evolved from some primitive, heavily armored, sluggish placoderm that became extinct about 350 million years ago, at the end of the Devonian era. This is approximately when the first shark-like creatures appeared. Sharks almost identical to those living today evolved about 160 million years ago, during the Jurassic period (same time period as represented in the movie Jurassic Park). His species has survived unchanged for 160 million years. In contrast, we poor Homo Sapiens have been around for less than one million years.

Well-attuned to most of the waters of the world, sharks appear to dominate the depths. Swimmers, water skiers, snorkelers, scuba divers, and sea fishermen are invading their habitats in ever-increasing numbers. Sharks have responded with predictable reflex reactions: they have attacked. The resulting notoriety has given sharks a bad reputation. The mass media have embellished the image, and now most people react with alarm to the word “shark”. However, the facts don‟t support this dread of sharks. Of the 100 or so unprovoked attacks that occur worldwide every year, fewer than 35 are fatal.

Internally, sharks are different than bony fish. Sharks have cartilaginous skeletons, skulls without sutures, no air ladder, and reserve rows of teeth attached to the skin of the jaws. Sharks‟ teeth are often found in the wounds of those attacked. An abundance of fossil teeth does not necessarily indicate the presence of multitudes of sharks. Instead, it may indicate multitudes of teeth that were frequently lost and replaced.

From Devour Disease with shark liver oil. Green Bay: IMAKT, 1999.

Sharks are very important to the ecosystems of the world‟s oceans because they