Questões de Concurso Sobre vocabulário | vocabulary em inglês

Viva La Revolución Energética

Laurie Guevara-Stone Courtesy Mario Alberto Arriastía Avila

Alternatives Journal 34:6 2008

Instruções: Considere o texto a seguir para responder às questões de números 37 a 44.

After nearly a decade of trying, Wal-Mart never cracked the country – failing to become the all-in-one shopping destination for Germans that it is for so many millions of Americans. Wal-Mart's problems are not limited to Germany. The retail giant has struggled in countries like South Korea and Japan as it discovered that its formula for success – low prices, zealous inventory control and a large array of merchandise – did not translate to markets with their own discount chains and shoppers with different habits.

Some of Wal-Mart's problems stem from being a uniquely powerful American enterprise trying to impose its values around the world. At Wal-Mart's headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., however, the message from these missteps is now registering loud and clear.

Among other things, Wal-Mart now cares (37) whether its foreign stores carry the name derived from its founder, Sam Walton, as the German Wal-Marts do. Seventy percent of WalMart's international sales come from outlets with names like Asda in Britain, Seiyu in Japan or Bompreço in Brazil. Far from being chastened by its setbacks, Wal-Mart is forging ahead with an aggressive program of foreign acquisitions. In a single week last fall, Wal-Mart completed the purchase of the Sonae chain in Brazil, bought a controlling stake in Seiyu of Japan, and became a partner in the Carcho chain in Central America.

Starting from scratch 14 years ago, Wal-Mart International [TO GROW] into a $63 billion business. It is the fastest-growing part of Wal-Mart, with nearly 30 percent sales growth in June, compared with the same month last year. Even subtracting one-time gains from acquisitions, it grew at nearly 12 percent, about double the rate of Wal-Mart's American stores.

Sustaining that pace is critical for Wal-Mart, because high fuel prices have helped sap the buying power of Americans. In June, store traffic in its home market declined. Wal-Mart estimated that its sales in the United States in stores open at least one year would increase only 1 percent to 3 percent in July.

Another problem that has afflicted Wal-Mart in several countries is its inability to compete with established discounters. The obvious lesson is to try to bulk up. In Brazil, Wal-Mart opened only 25 stores in its first decade there and struggled to compete against bigger local rivals. Then, in 2004, it bought Bompreço, giving it a presence in the country's poor, but fastgrowing, northeast.

Wal-Mart did not change the names of the stores, which range from neighborhood grocers to large American-style hypermarkets. But with 295 stores in Brazil, Wal-Mart now ranks third in the market, after Carrefour of France and the market leader, Companhia Brasileira de Distribução.

(Adapted from an article by Mark Landler and Michael Barbaro published in the New York Times, August 2, 2006)

Instruções: As questões de números 56 a 60 referem-se ao texto abaixo.

Southwest pilot suspended for slur-laced rant on air-traffic frequency

By Ben Mutzabaugh, USA TODAY

Southwest Airlines says it has suspended a pilot after he went on an obscenity-laden rant from the cockpit, NBC affiliate KPRC Channel 2 of Houston reports.

The March 25 rant was inadvertently broadcast over a Houston air traffic control frequency after the pilot failed to shut off his flight's communications link with air traffic control, a move that also tied up the frequency for other flights in the area, according to NBC 2.

NBC 2 says the unidentified pilot "could be heard talking to his co-pilot in the cockpit, expressing frustration over the airline hiring so many flight attendants that he found to be unsuitable for dating."

An air traffic controller tried to interrupt the pilot's rant several times, though the pilot appeared to be unaware of the attempts.

NBC 2 says the tape became public after "air traffic controllers in Houston first alerted Federal Aviation Administration supervisors on March 25, 2011, around 1:30 p.m. and those supervisors forwarded a tape of the episode to Southwest Airlines to take action against the pilot."

After the rant ended, several other pilots on the frequency were quick to say the rant didn't come from their flight.

Speaking about the incident, the FAA issued a statement to NBC 2 saying "the incident occurred during a phase of flight in which personal conversations are permitted in the cockpit."

However, the FAA did not appear to be pleased with what had happened.

"Nevertheless, the FAA expects a higher level of professionalism from flight crews, regardless of the circumstances," the statement concluded.

(Adapted from: http://travel.usatoday.com/flights/post/2011/06/ southwest-pilot/175250/1)

Instruções: As questões de números 53 a 55 referem-se ao texto abaixo.

Cumulonimbus (Cb)

Cumulonimbus is a heavy and dense cloud of considerable vertical extent in the form of a mountain or huge tower, often associated with heavy precipitation, lightning and thunder. The mature Cumulonimbus cloud has a distinctive flat, anvil shaped top.

Flight into a Cb is highly dangerous. The only sensible defence against the hazards associated with a Cb is therefore to avoid flying into one in the first place.

− Planning. Predicting an individual Cb cell is difficult but it is possible to predict the conditions which will trigger formation of a Cb. Forecasters are therefore able to advise flight crews and controllers of the likely timing, location, direction of movement, and height of cells and whether or not they may be embedded. Airport authorities can plan aircraft movements to take into account the disruption to operations caused by storms, and approach controllers can consider how they will manage en-route, departing, and arriving traffic when storms are in the vicinity. Flight crews can alter their routings to avoid forecast Cb activity or decide to carry extra contingency fuel in case they have to re-route in flight to avoid the storms or burn additional fuel because of the potential use of aircraft de/anti-icing systems.

− Awareness. Awareness of the conditions which lead to the formation of a Cb, recognition of a developing and mature Cb, and awareness of the signs which indicate the proximity of a Cb will help controllers and flight crews to plan operations to avoid the associated hazards.

− Weather Radar. In addition to visual recognition, Weather Radar is a particularly valuable aid to avoiding Cb clouds. Airborne weather radar enables the flight crew to identify the areas of the storm cloud which hold the largest water droplets, which indicate the areas with strongest updrafts. The area of the cloud with the most severe turbulence is where the updrafts adjoin the downdrafts; ...[C]... the pilot must avoid flying through the edge of the areas of cloud with the largest water droplets. It should be remembered that a large cloud will absorb a great deal of the radar pulse which may therefore not penetrate all of the way through the storm. This can give a false impression that there are no Cb cells beyond the cell immediately ahead of the aircraft.

− In flight avoidance. In certain circumstances, navigating through a line of Cb cells may be the only option open to a pilot, either because his destination is beyond the line of cells or because he is unable to climb over them. In such circumstances, the aircraft may have to diverge from track by many, perhaps hundreds of miles, in order to find a gap in the wall of Cb clouds. The aircraft captain will need to judge the least hazardous track to follow through a line of cells, something which will absorb the whole crew’s attention. The Weather Radar is invaluable in this situation.

If the Cb cell is situated over the destination aerodrome, then the pilot would be well advised to hold off or divert rather than attempt a landing.

(Adapted from http://skybrary.aero/index.php/Cumulonimbus)

Instruções: As questões de números 50 a 52 referem-se ao texto abaixo.

Crucial part of new US air traffic system in trouble

By JOAN LOWY

WASHINGTON (AP) – An information-sharing program essential to government plans for a new national air traffic control system is about $105 million over budget and has been delayed two years, a government watchdog said Thursday.

The first phase of the Federal Aviation Administration program known as System-Wide Information Management, or SWIM, was supposed to be completed by 2013, but has now been pushed back to 2015, said a report by the Transportation Department's Office of Inspector General.

The FAA is in the midst of switching from an air traffic system based on World War II-era radar technology to one that uses GPS. The transition, which is expected to take more than a decade to complete, was to cost the government as much as $22 billion. The cost to the airline industry to equip their planes to use the new system is likely to be almost as much.

Crucial to that transition is a program to share information, including which airports are experiencing delays, which runways are closed, weather reports, pilot observations, flight plans and security restrictions on where planes can fly.

The idea is to create a one-stop place for FAA employees, the military, other government agencies, airlines and the international aviation community to get real-time information.

(Adapted from http://mb.com.ph/node/323714/crucial-part-new-u)

Instruções: As questões de números 45 a 49 referem-se ao texto abaixo.

Radio Discipline

Communication between pilots and air traffic controllers is a process that is vital for the safe and efficient control of air traffic. Pilots must report their situation, intentions and requests to the controller in a clear and unambiguous way; and the controller must respond by issuing instructions that are equally clear and unambiguous. ...[B]... data link communication has reached an advanced stage of development, verbal communication is likely to remain the prime means of air-ground communication for many years.

t is of course important that radio equipment should be reliable and easy to use, and should be capable of conveying the spoken word clearly and without distortion over long distances. However, the process of communication is equally important and must be successful even in the most difficult conditions.

Of the many factors involved in the process of communication, phraseology is perhaps the most important, because it enables us to communicate quickly and effectively despite differences in language and reduces the opportunity for misunderstanding. Standardised phraseology reduces the risk that a message will be misunderstood and aids the readback/ hear-back process so that any error is quickly detected.

Radio communications (including party-line communications) contribute to building the pilot’s and the controller’s situational awareness. Flight crew and controllers may prevent misunderstandings by providing each other with timely information, for better anticipation.

Good radio discipline is essential to this process. Poor radio discipline is the most common cause of breakdown in the RTF communication process.

Aspects of Radio Discipline

1. Always listen out before transmitting − unless flight crew listen out before making a first call on a new frequency, they may interrupt an exchange between other traffic and ATC.

2. Always use standard phraseology.

3. Follow best practice on message format and content.

4. Ensure the use of a high standard of English language and pronounce as clearly as possible whilst speaking at a sensible pace.

5. Do not communicate with aircraft in the national language when there is a risk of loss of situational awareness for nonlocal pilots.

6. Follow best-practice with regard to speed and timeliness of communication.

7. Always apply the read-back/hear-back procedure. 8. Always request a repeat of a transmission when in any doubt as to the content or meaning of it.

(Adapted from http://www.skybrary.aero/ bookshelf/books/113.pdf)

Text I

Brazil: Platform for growth

_{By Joe Leahy}

On the Cidade de Angra dos Reis oil platform,

surrounded by the deep blue South Atlantic, a

Petrobras engineer turns on a tap and watches black

liquid flow into a beaker.

5____It looks and smells like ordinary crude oil.

Nevertheless, for Brazil, this represents something

much more spectacular. Pumped by the national oil

company from “pre-salt” deposits – so-called because

they lie beneath 2,000m of salt – 300km off the coast

10 of Rio de Janeiro, it is some of the first commercial

oil to flow from the country’s giant new deepwater

discoveries.

Already estimated to contain 50bn barrels, and

with much of the area still to be fully explored, the

15 fields contain the world’s largest known offshore oil

deposits. In one step, Brazil could jump up the world

rankings of national oil reserves and production, from

15th to fifth. So great are the discoveries, and the

investment required to exploit them, that they have

20 the potential to transform the country – for good or for ill.

Having seen out booms and busts before,

Brazilians are hoping that this time “the country

of the future” will at last realise its full economic

potential. The hope is that the discoveries will provide

25 a nation already rich in renewable energy with an

embarrassment of resources with which to pursue the

goal of becoming a US of the south.

The danger for Brazil, if it fails to manage this

windfall wisely, is of falling victim to “Dutch disease”.

30 The economic malaise is named after the Netherlands

in the 1970s, where the manufacturing sector withered

after its currency strengthened on the back of a large

gas field discovery combined with rising energy prices.

Even worse, Brazil could suffer a more severe

35 form of the disease, the “oil curse”, whereby nations

rich in natural resources – Nigeria and Venezuela, for

example – grow addicted to the money that flows from

them.

Petrobras chief executive says neither the

40 company nor the country’s oil industry has so far

been big enough to become a government cash cow.

But with the new discoveries, which stretch across an

800km belt off the coast of south-eastern Brazil, this is

going to change. The oil industry could grow from about

45 10 per cent of GDP to up to 25 per cent in the coming

decades, analysts say. To curb any negative effects,

Brazil is trying to support domestic manufacturing

by increasing “local content” requirements in the oil

industry.

50____Without a “firm local content policy”, says

Petrobras CEO, Dutch disease and the oil curse will

take hold. However, “if we have a firm and successful

local content policy, no – because other sectors in the

economy are going to grow as fast as Petrobras”.

55___The other long-term dividend Brazil is seeking

from the discoveries is in research and development

(R&D). Extracting oil from beneath a layer of salt at

great depth, hundreds of kilometres from the coast, is

so challenging that Brazilian engineers see it as a new

60 frontier. If they can perfect this, they can lead the way

in other markets with similar geology, such as Africa.

For its part, Petrobras is spending $800m-$900m

a year over the next five years on R&D, and has

invested $700m in the expansion of its research

65 centre.

Ultimately, Brazil’s ability to avoid Dutch disease

will depend not just on how the money from the oil

is spent. The country is the world’s second biggest

exporter of iron ore. It is the largest exporter of beef.

70 It is also the biggest producer of sugar, coffee and

orange juice, and the second-largest producer of soya

beans.

Exports of these commodities are already driving

up the exchange rate before the new oil fields have

75 fully come on stream, making it harder for Brazilian

exporters of manufactured goods. Industrial production

has faltered in recent months, with manufacturers

blaming the trend on a flood of cheap Chinese-made

imports.

80____“Brazil has everything that China doesn’t and it’s

natural that, as China continues to grow, it’s just going

to be starved for those resources,” says Harvard’s

Prof Rogoff. “At some level Brazil doesn’t just want

to be exporting natural resources – it wants a more

85 diversified economy. There are going to be some

rising tensions over that.”

_{Adapted from Financial Times - March 15 2011 22:54. Available in:}

_{<http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/fa11320c-4f48-11e0-9038-00144feab49a,_i_email=y.html>}

_{Retrieved on: June 17, 2011.}

Empowering language learning through assessment 

Atenção: A questão refere-se ao texto apresentado abaixo.

A Laptop Designed to Take a Licking and Keep on Ticking

By JOHN BIGGS

      “All terrain” is not usually a designation associated with things as delicate as hard drives and high-speed memory chips. Dell, however, is betting that its Latitude ATG D620 − the ATG stands for All-Terrain Grade − can change that.

      The ATG D620, which Dell says is designed to military specifications, includes a spill-resistant keyboard, heavy-duty case and 14-inch screen, which is visible in direct sunlight. It weighs about 6 pounds with the optical disk drive and battery installed, and is about 2 inches thick.

      The laptop comes in a metal-and-black finish with protective coverings on its serial, video out, modem, Ethernet and four U.S.B. ports.

      Inside the hard shell is an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, running at up to 2 gigahertz, and up to 4 gigabytes of memory. The least expensive model ($2,499) runs at 1.6 gigahertz and includes an 80-gigabyte drive and 512 megabytes of memory.

      Dell includes a fingerprint scanner for security, while military and other security-conscious users can enable the laptop’s built-in Smart Card reader and other data encryption technology.

      ...... it won’t survive a dunk in the deep, the ATG D620 can survive a splash of mud or a good, hard drop.

(Adapted from The New York Times, January 25, 2007)