Questões de Inglês - Interpretação de texto | Reading comprehension para Concurso

O texto a seguir é referência para as questões de 11 a 13.

We are accustomed to thinking of military success as determined by quality of weaponry, rather than by food supply. But a clear example of how improvements in food supply may decisively increase military success comes from the history of Maori New Zealand. The Maori are the Polynesian people who were the first to settle New Zealand. Traditionally, they fought frequent fierce wars against each other, but only against closely neighboring tribes. Those wars were limited by the modest productivity of their agriculture, whose staple crop was sweet potatoes. It was not possible to grow enough sweet potatoes to feed an army in the field for a long time or on distant marches. When Europeans arrived in New Zealand, they brought potatoes, which beginning around 1815 considerably increased Maori crop yields. Maori could now grow enough food to supply armies in the field for many weeks. The result was a 15-year period in Maori history, from 1818 until 1833, when Maori tribes that had acquired potatoes and guns from the English sent armies out on raids to attack tribes hundreds of miles away that had not yet acquired potatoes and guns. Thus, the potato’s productivity relieved previous limitations on Maori warfare, similar to the limitations that low-productivity corn agriculture imposed on Maya warfare.

(Diamond, J. (2006). Collapse. London: Penguin.)

Leia o texto para responder às questões de números 49 e 50.

Food Supply Worries ofan Agricultural Scientist — Climate Change

People involved in world agriculture have no patience with the supposed “debate” about climate change. We are already seeing the effects, and the projections for the future are not encouraging.

The most troubling feature of this phenomenon (and one that occurs even if you don't believe that it is human-driven) is that we are facing increasing variation in climatic events. The yearly changes in average temperature or even annual rainfall may not be dramatic, but what we are anticipating is that there will be more extreme weather events.

(www.sustainablog.org/category/climate-change/01.10.2009. Adaptado)

Para responder às questões de números 47 e 48, leia o texto.

Petrobras" investments are guaranteed until 2013

SÃO PAULO, 6/30/09 — The financial and investor relations director of Brazilian mixed-capital oil giant Petrobras, Almir Barbassa, said Monday that the company's investment plan is guaranteed until 2013.

Barbassa also mentioned that the company has been cutting down on costs and investments in order to ensure the exploration of the subsalt reserves. The executive pointed out that Petrobras” operating costs fell by 30% in the final quarter of 2008.

“We are also trying to cut down the equipment that will be used in the subsalt platform and lower labor costs by investing in automation”, Barbassa added.

Petrobras already has over US$30 billion in financing for its future oil and gas exploration and refining and gas transport infrastructure projects. “Petrobras expects to produce 5.7 million barrels of oil equivalent a day (boed) by 2020”, he added.

The 2009 production target is 2.7 million boed.

(www.indexet.investimentosenoticias.com.br/arquivo/2009/06/30/26/Petrobras-investments-are-guaranteed-until-2013.html)