Questões Militares

PART 1: READING COMPREHENSION

                  The War at Home: The Struggle for Veterans to Find Jobs 

      In today's tough and competitive job market, it can be challenging for any adult to land a decent job. Though education can definitely improve outcomes, sometimes it's not just abont the degree. Experience can also play a major role in helping people find jobs. Yet in some cases, if you do not have the right kind of experience, this may be of little help. Just ask one of the many college-educated military veterans who serve their country only to return to find a job market that will treat them as rookies.

      Army veteran John Lee Dumas said he had zero anxieties about finding a job after graduating college and had been told that his military experience would give him a leg up on other candidates. But things did not turn out that way. 

      "I quickly found out that I was lumped together with recent college grads for entry-level positions, and that an employee that had two years' experience at a job in a similar industry was considered way more qualified than I was despite my four years as an officer in the army", Dumas said.

      When Dumas did find work, he said it was difficult to acclimate to the civilian Office environment.

      "I often found that my peers and above had a hard time dealing with my direct approach and attitude about tackling problems head on, often asking for forgiveness rather than permission", he said.

      One issue is that veterans are too modest when it comes to stating their accomplishments in the military. 

      "For some reason, I've had veterans not tell me about their awards and honors, but it should all be listed - from commander' s coins to medals of honor," Hurwitz said.

      Navy veteran Tom Graves, who has a career in world force development helping companies understand the benefits of hiring skilled and experienced military veterans, agreed.

                                                             (Adapted from http://www.onlinecollege.org) 

EXTRACT 1

Japan’s shipyards remain intact after quake

Japan’s major shipyards escaped the full impact of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that struck the northeastern coast of the country with full force. An official at the Japan Ship Exporters’ Association said the devastating natural disaster “will have no impact on future export ship orders at all”. Although several small shipyards in the quake-hit areas were affected, major Japanese shipyards that build large vessels for exports are concentrated in western Japan and remain intact, the official said. Mitsui Engineering & Shipbuilding sustained “slight material damages” in the company’s Kasai Center and Chiba Works but did not consider such slight damages would cause serious impact on operations. “The rotational schedule of interruption of power supply due to the earthquake may affect our operation at our works and subsidiaries. However, the degree of the impact is not known now,” the company said in a statement. Japanese export ship orders rose for the 15th consecutive month in February o a year-on-year basis. Japanese shipbuilders received orders for 277 export vessels – 259 bulk carriers, 10 oil tankers and eight general cargo vessels – in the April-February period.

                        (Adapted from: www.australianmerchantnavy.com, March 2011)

EXTRACT 2

Tsnunami Debris Expected on U.S. Shores in 3 Years

The powerful tsunami triggered by the 9.0 Japanese earthquake destroyed coastal towns near Sendai, washing such things as houses and cars into the ocean. Projections of where this debris might head have been made at the international Pacific Research Center, university of Hawaii at Manoa. What their model predicts about the tsunami debris is that they first spread out eastward from the Japan Coast in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre. In a year, the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will see pieces washing up on its shores; in two years, the remaining Hawaiian islands will see some effects; in three years, the plume will reach the US West Coast, dumping debris on Californian beaches and the beaches of British Columbia, Alaska, and Baja California. The debris will then drift into the famous floating junk yard, the North Pacific Garbage Patch, where it will wander around and break into smaller and smaller pieces. In five years, Hawaii shores can expect to see another barrage of debris that is stronger and longer-lasting than the first one. Much of the debris leaving the North Pacific Garbage Patch ends up on Hawaii’s reefs and beaches. These model projections will help to guide clean-up and tracking operations.

                                                 (Adapted from: www.geog.ucsb.edu, April 2011)