Questões de Concurso Público AEB 2014 para Tecnologista - Desenvolvimento Técnológico - Pleno 1

Read the paragraphs below and choose the alternative that fills in correctly and respectively the blanks with the comparative of equality, the comparative of superiority or the superlative of the given adjectives in parentheses.

                                      This is how stars die

        5,000 light years away in Centaurus, a large constellation in the southern sky, is the Boomerang Nebula, a cloud of gas being expelled from a dying star.

        This cloud is one of _________ (bizarre) ¹ and ___________ (mysterious) ² objects in the universe. Here, within the gas streaming outwards, astronomers have found that the temperature drops ___________ (low) ³ nearly absolute zero.

         It is, ___________ (far) ⁴ anyone knows, the coldest place in the universe.

         It may also prove to be quite important. Because this ____________ (frigid) ⁵ place, and objects like it, albeit a tad ___________ (warm) ⁶– may help astronomers unravel a host of cosmic conundrums, from the violent yet spectacular deaths of stars and the formation of galaxies to cosmic explosions and the origin of life itself.

         Death of stars, birth of life

         In many respects the Boomerang Nebula is unremarkable. All stars have to die some day. When ___________ (small) ⁷ stars end, those about eight times _____________ (massive) ⁸ our own sun, they produce a similar display of gas and dust.

display of gas and dust.

Choose the alternative that best translates the following sentences taken from the text “Biggest observed meteorite impact” hits Moon, published by BBC World Service.

“The team believes the impact has left behind a 40m- wide crater.

‘That’s the estimation we have made according to current impact models. We expect that soon Nasa could observe the crater and confirm our prediction,’ said Prof Madiedo.

It would be one of many scars on the lunar surface. Unlike Earth, the Moon has no atmosphere to shield it from meteorite collisions, and its surface shows a record of every strike.”

Choose the alternative that defines, grammatically and respectively, the verbs in bold in the sentences below.

I would¹ look to generate in my friends, and across my generation, a commitment to serving. Whether in schools, hospitals, or on wilderness trails, I’d hope ² to create in each of us a new, expanded sense of citizenship. We’d spend ³ a year of our lives, before jobs, children, and mortgages complicate our options, building an America where serving is not the obligation of a few – or a possibility only to the privileged.

It would be ⁴ a real choice for everyone. If I were 22 I’d want to give ⁵ myself an answer to the question: “Where did you serve?”

Choose the alternative that fills in correctly and respectively the blanks in the sentences below with the correct modal verb.

Notion of an 'event horizon', from which nothing _____________ ¹ escape, is incompatible with quantum theory, physicist claims.

The defining characteristic of a black hole _____________ ² have to give, if the two pillars of modern physics – general relativity and quantum theory – are both correct.

Most physicists foolhardy enough to write a paper claiming that “there are no black holes” – at least not in the sense we usually imagine – ____________ ³ probably be dismissed as cranks. But when the call to redefine these cosmic crunchers comes from Stephen Hawking, it’s worth taking notice. In a paper posted online, the physicist, based at the University of Cambridge, UK, and one of the creators of modern black-hole theory, does away with the notion of an event horizon.

But on analysing the situation in detail, Polchinski’s team came to the startling realization that the laws of quantum mechanics, which govern particles on small scales, change the situation completely. Quantum theory, they said, dictates that the event horizon _____________ ⁴ actually be transformed into a highly energetic region, or 'firewall', that _______________ ⁵ burn the astronaut to a crisp.

Choose the alternative that rewrites correctly the excerpt below, taken from the text “Cat Watch 2014: What’s it like being a cat?” published by the BBC News, using the past simple.

Cats are at a crucial point in their evolutionary journey as they transform from solitary hunters to domestic pets, a study by the BBC and the Royal Veterinary College has revealed.

Cats see the world in muted colours, making it easier for them to see movement without distractions. They also have large eyes for their size, allowing them to see well in low-level light.

However, they can’t focus on anything less than a foot away, so use their whiskers for detecting objects closer to their bodies.