Questões de Inglês - Vocabulary - Social issues
Texto - Influence on Others - Part I
Not only was Pelé a symbol of Brazil, he was a symbol within the
structures of Brazilian society. At this time in Brazil as Galeano descri-
bes, “in the global social pyramid, blacks are at the bottom and whites
are at the top. In Brazil this 1s called “racial democracy” (1) This social
hierarchy was rigid in Brazil, like in so many countries, and few of those
born on the lower end of the chain were able to navigate their way to
the top. Some of the rare few who could climb the social ladder were
athletes who gained fame and status, both social and economic, through
their athletic prowess.
Clearly Pelé was such an athlete. Galeano comments: “With the
passage of time, the old soccer mutilated by racism gave way to splen-
dor of its diverse colors. And after so many years it is obvious that
Brazil's best players have always been blacks or mulattos. All of them
came up from poverty, soccer offers a shot at social mobility for a poor
child”(2) Pelé's ascent from birth into a poor Brazilian family to beco-
ming an international superstar was evidence of the socially-mobilizing
tool of football.
To other poor Brazilians, Pelé was a source of hope and confidence
that they too could overcome their hardships. Journalist Joao Luiz de
Albuquerque said of Pelé's impact: “He was the light at the end of the
tunnel. All the poor said, “hey, this guy made it, I can make it.” He
brought the rest of Brazil with him:”(3).
• (1) Galeano, Eduardo. Soccer in Sun and Shadow. London UK: Verso 1998. Page 43.
• (2) Galeano 43
• (3)Kirby espn.com. Also on this topic: Murray, Bill. The World's Game: A history of Soccer. University of Illinois Press: Chicago 1996. Page 120.
From: https://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/rescarch-projects/brazil/pele/influence-on-others/. Accessed on 01/11/2023
A rigidez da hierarquia social no Brasil tem feito com que:
Observe o contexto semântico das palavras a seguir, inseridas no texto, e assinale sua tradução, na ordem em que se apresentam.
Warming
Changes
Increased
[1] In the minds of many, the words Brazil and culture
conjure up images of beaches, footballers and dancers in
vivid carnival costumes. Filmmaking and cinema, on the
[4] other hand, haven’t always figured amongst Brazil’s cultural
staples.
Repressed and censored by a military dictatorship
[7] throughout much of the 1970s and 1980s, Brazilian
filmmakers struggled to make an impact on audiences abroad.
Shortly after the country’s return to democracy, the Ministry
[10] of Culture was closed and the state-supported film industry
crumbled almost overnight. The consequent lack of funding
caused Brazilian cinema to reach a low point in the early
[13] 1990s. Today, less than two decades after the collapse of the
industry, Brazilian cinema is enjoying a renaissance, wowing
audiences and critics alike.
[16] So, why all the excitement over Brazilian cinema now?
Since the start of 2008 Brazilian films have gone from
strength to strength on the festival circuit.
[19] In February 2008, director Jose Padilha’s controversial
drama about police violence and corruption, Elite Squad, took
Berlin Film Festival’s top award, the Golden Bear.
[22] Another triumph followed at Cannes Film Festival
in April. Sandra Corvelloni won the best actress award for
her role in Walter Salles’ Linha de Passe. She plays a
[25] heavily pregnant, chain-smoking mother of four boys who
are all in their own ways attempting to transcend their
working-class lives.
[28] Salles’ film was also nominated for the prestigious
Palme d’Or, as was Blindness, the latest offering from
fellow Brazilian and director of City of God, Fernando Meirelles.
[31] Brazilian films are all about favelas and violence, then?
Indeed, one of the most celebrated Brazilian releases of the
past years, 2003’s City of God, as well as this year’s Elite
[34] Squad, feature ultra-violent narratives set mainly in slums,
or favelas, as they are known in Brazil. Both of these films,
incidentally, were scripted by screenwriter Braulio Mantovani.
[37] Both films were widely acclaimed for their honesty and
gripping storytelling, but condemned by certain critics for
excessive depictions of violence.
[40] At the time of its release, City of God — which has
inspired a whole genre of imitators with its fast-paced editing
and bright colors — was accused of glamorizing cruelty.
[43] Similarly, Elite Squad has been said to promote
fascism, as it depicts the often-brutal methods employed by
Brazil’s special police force in the ongoing battle with drug
[46] gangs in the favelas. Variety magazine even dubbed
Padilha’s oeuvre “a recruitment film for fascist thugs”, with
Rambo style heroes.
[49] But Padilha defends the film’s violent tone, insisting
that it was necessary in order to drive home its message.
“The bottom line is we are trying to say that the whole
[52] violence that goes on in Rio is mainly caused by ourselves
and we can possibly undo that”, he told CNN.
Other Brazilian directors are taking a less bloody
[55] approach in telling the stories, of the working classes. Lucia
Murat’s Mare, Nossa História de Amor, for example, is a
musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet set in one of Rio’s
[58] hillside shantytowns — a novelty in Brazilian cinema.
Internet: (adapted).
In the text,
“thugs” (l.47) is the same as criminals.
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Why do so many families make the difficult and dangerous journey to migrate to the USA?
I have spent much of the last decade conducting on-the-ground fieldwork along the migration paths through Mexico, seeking answers to this question. The region‘s extreme poverty and violent impunity are central factors that drive migration.
Yet every migrant‘s story is unique. Some simply seek the chance to earn enough money to ensure a better future for themselves or their children. Others flee persecution at the hands of gangs, organized crime or corrupt state officials. For others, insecurity and poverty are so intertwined that drawing them apart becomes impossible.
"Falling deeper into debt‟
Extreme poverty and inequality haunt the region. Today, about half of all Central Americans – and two-thirds of the rural populations of Guatemala and Honduras – survive below the international poverty line.
Meanwhile, throughout the 21st century, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have consistently counted among the most murderous nations in the world. Many Central American migrants are simply desperate to find work that pays enough to feed their families. U.S. asylum law provides no relief for these "economic refugees."
I met Roberto Quijones in a migrant shelter in the Mexican state of Tabasco, about 25 mile north of the Mexico‘s southern border with Guatemala. We spoke as he soaked his blistered feet and tried to mend his busted shoes with duct tape.
Roberto is from a rural town in northwestern El Salvador near the border with Honduras and Guatemala, and had been out of work for two years. For more than a year, he and his wife and their 2-year-old daughter had been living with an aunt. Their welcome had worn thin.
And even for those who can find work, extremely low wages cannot cover families‘ basic needs, destroying hope for a better future.
Ethics and survival
The images and stories of Central Americans caged at the border awaiting processing expose how the U.S. immigration system was never designed to deal with this many people fleeing these kinds of problems.
In the hopes of getting better treatment at the border, some migrants have resorted to pretending to be part of family units, or lying about their age. This kind of "gaming the system" may be ethically questionable, but viewed from the perspective of survival, it makes perfect sense.
Such strategies speak most of all of collective desperation, begging a question posed by many of the Central American migrants I have met over the years: "If you were me, what would you do?"
Disponível em: https://theconversation.com/migrants-stories-why-they-flee114725. Acesso em 21 Mar. 2022.[Adaptado]
Learning grammar is important part of acquiring a language. Which of the following options is correct?
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Sickle cell anemia1 – past and present stories
Thousands of years ago, a special child was born in the Sahara. At the time, this was not a desert; it was a green belt of savannas, woodlands, lakes and rivers. Bands of hunter-gatherers prospered there, catching fish and hippos. A genetic mutation had altered the child’s hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that carries oxygen through the body. It was not harmful; there are two copies of every gene, and the child’s other hemoglobin gene was normal. The child survived, had a family and passed down the mutation to future generations.
As the greenery turned to desert, the descendants of the hunter-gatherers became farmers, and moved to other parts of Africa. The mutation endured over generations, and for good reason. People who carried one mutated gene were protected against one of the biggest threats to humans in the region: malaria.
There was just one problem with this genetic advantage: From time to time, two descendants of that child would meet and start a family. Some of their children inherited two copies of the mutant hemoglobin gene instead of one. These children could no longer produce normal hemoglobin; as a result, their red cells became defective and blocked their blood vessels. The condition, now known as ‘sickle cell anemia’, leads to extreme pain, difficulty with breathing, kidney failure and even strokes.
Today, over 250 generations later, the mutation has been inherited by millions of people. While the majority of carriers live in Africa, many others live in southern Europe, the Near East and India. Those carriers have about 300,000 children each year with sickle cell anemia.
How humans got the sickle cell mutation is a saga that emerges from new research carried out at the Center for Research on Genomics and Global Health. The researchers analyzed the genomes of nearly 3,000 people to reconstruct the genetic history of the disease. They conclude that the mutation arose roughly 7,300 years ago in West Africa. Later, migrants spread the mutation across much of Africa and then to other parts of the world. Wherever people suffered from malaria, the protective gene developed thrived — but brought sickle cell anemia with it.
Today, sickle cell anemia remains a heavy burden on public health. In many poor countries, most children with the disease still die young. In the United States, the average life span of sufferers has been extended into the early 40s. According to the researchers, an improved understanding of the history of sickle cell anemia could lead to better medical care at a global level.
(Carl Zimmer. www.nytimes.com, 08.03.2018. Adaptado.)
1sickle cell anemia: anemia falciforme.
No trecho do último parágrafo “In many poor countries, most children with the disease still die young”, a expressão sublinhada pode ser traduzida por
Brazil stops demarcating land for indigenous people: ex-government agency official says
Home to the world’s largest tropical forest, Brazil has lost about one fifth of the Amazon rainforest in the last 50 years, according to the World Wildlife Fund. Research by the U.S.-based World Resources Institute shows that deforestation rates on land formally owned by indigenous peoples are about 2.5 times lower than other areas since they are more likely to conserve the forest than other users.
But politicians representing rural voters1 oppose demarcating new territories for indigenous groups, saying the land ought to be used for farming or cattle ranching to boost economic growth in the recession-hit country. Marcio Santilli, former FUNAI president, said rural politicians were proposing new steps to the demarcation process, which would make it “virtually endless”. He also said they were also proposing that Congress, rather than FUNAI or the Justice Ministry, make decisions on which lands are demarcated to indigenous groups.
(Chris Arsenault. www.reuters.com, 11.01.2017. Adaptado.)
1 Politicians representing rural voters: bancada ruralista no Congresso Nacional.
No trecho do primeiro parágrafo “they are more likely to conserve the forest”, a expressão em destaque tem sentido equivalente, em português, a
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