Questões de Vestibular
Comentadas sobre interpretação de texto | reading comprehension em inglês
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by Julia Leite and Paula Sambo
August 26, 2015
Not long ago, Brazil's real-estate market was one of the biggest symbols of the country's burgeoning economic might. Now, it's fallen victim to an ever-deepening recession.
PDG Realty SA, once the largest homebuilder by revenue, hired Rothschild last week to help restructure 5.8 billion reais ($1.6 billion) of debt after second-quarter net sales sank 88 percent. Earlier this month, Rossi Residencial SA, which has 2.5 billion reais in debt, also brought in advisers to “restructure operations and review strategies." Since 2010, the builder has lost 99 percent of its stock-market value.
The real-estate industry, which is equal to about 10 percent of Brazil's economy, is emerging as one of the latest casualties of a recession that analysts forecast will be its longest since the 1930s. To make matters worse, interest rates are the highest in almost a decade while inflation is soaring. “There is no real estate company that survives without sales," Bruno Mendonça Lima de Carvalho, the head of fixed income at Guide Investimentos SA, said from Sao Paulo. “You can't import or export apartments. You're relying solely on domestic activity."
PDG tried to boost revenue by lowering prices, financing up to 20 percent of some home purchases and even offering to buy back apartments if banks deny financing. Still, it sold just 217 units in the second quarter on a net basis, compared with 1,749 in 2014.
Negative Outlook
On Friday, Moody's Investors Service cut PDG's rating three levels to Caa3, citing the possibility of significant losses for bondholders and other lenders. Secured creditors may recover less than 80 percent in a default, according to Moody's, which kept a negative outlook on the rating. “The company is facing additional liquidity pressures from a prolonged deterioration in industry dynamics, including weak sales speed, tight financing availability and declining real estate prices," Moody's said.
Sao Paulo-based Rossi said in an e-mailed response to questions that second quarter sales improved and that the company's main focus is to reduce debt. Gross debt fell about 30 percent in the 12 months ended in June, Rossi said.
Home sales in Latin America's biggest economy tumbled 14 percent in the first half of 2015, according to data from the national real estate institute. Builders cut new projects by 20 percent during that span, while available financing shrank by about a quarter.
Real's Collapse
That's a reversal from just two years ago, when realestate prices in places like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo had surged as much as 230 percent as rising incomes, a soaring real and record-low borrowing costs ignited a wave of home buying.
Brazilians find themselves in drastically different circumstances today. The currency fell 0.4 percent Wednesday as of 3:25 p.m. in New York, extending its loss this year to 26 percent. The jobless rate climbed to a five-year high of 7.5 percent last month.
The central bank boosted its key rate to 14.25 percent in July, making it ever more expensive to finance the purchase of a home. “It's a matter of demand, and demand is really weak," Will Landers, who manages Latin American stocks at BlackRock, said from Princeton, New Jersey. “We may have reached a peak in interest rates, but they should continue to be at these levels for a while. Consumers will stay on the sidelines because debt levels are still high, and employment will get worse."
(Business Week at www.bloomberg.com/news. Adapted)
by Julia Leite and Paula Sambo
August 26, 2015
Not long ago, Brazil's real-estate market was one of the biggest symbols of the country's burgeoning economic might. Now, it's fallen victim to an ever-deepening recession.
PDG Realty SA, once the largest homebuilder by revenue, hired Rothschild last week to help restructure 5.8 billion reais ($1.6 billion) of debt after second-quarter net sales sank 88 percent. Earlier this month, Rossi Residencial SA, which has 2.5 billion reais in debt, also brought in advisers to “restructure operations and review strategies." Since 2010, the builder has lost 99 percent of its stock-market value.
The real-estate industry, which is equal to about 10 percent of Brazil's economy, is emerging as one of the latest casualties of a recession that analysts forecast will be its longest since the 1930s. To make matters worse, interest rates are the highest in almost a decade while inflation is soaring. “There is no real estate company that survives without sales," Bruno Mendonça Lima de Carvalho, the head of fixed income at Guide Investimentos SA, said from Sao Paulo. “You can't import or export apartments. You're relying solely on domestic activity."
PDG tried to boost revenue by lowering prices, financing up to 20 percent of some home purchases and even offering to buy back apartments if banks deny financing. Still, it sold just 217 units in the second quarter on a net basis, compared with 1,749 in 2014.
Negative Outlook
On Friday, Moody's Investors Service cut PDG's rating three levels to Caa3, citing the possibility of significant losses for bondholders and other lenders. Secured creditors may recover less than 80 percent in a default, according to Moody's, which kept a negative outlook on the rating. “The company is facing additional liquidity pressures from a prolonged deterioration in industry dynamics, including weak sales speed, tight financing availability and declining real estate prices," Moody's said.
Sao Paulo-based Rossi said in an e-mailed response to questions that second quarter sales improved and that the company's main focus is to reduce debt. Gross debt fell about 30 percent in the 12 months ended in June, Rossi said.
Home sales in Latin America's biggest economy tumbled 14 percent in the first half of 2015, according to data from the national real estate institute. Builders cut new projects by 20 percent during that span, while available financing shrank by about a quarter.
Real's Collapse
That's a reversal from just two years ago, when realestate prices in places like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo had surged as much as 230 percent as rising incomes, a soaring real and record-low borrowing costs ignited a wave of home buying.
Brazilians find themselves in drastically different circumstances today. The currency fell 0.4 percent Wednesday as of 3:25 p.m. in New York, extending its loss this year to 26 percent. The jobless rate climbed to a five-year high of 7.5 percent last month.
The central bank boosted its key rate to 14.25 percent in July, making it ever more expensive to finance the purchase of a home. “It's a matter of demand, and demand is really weak," Will Landers, who manages Latin American stocks at BlackRock, said from Princeton, New Jersey. “We may have reached a peak in interest rates, but they should continue to be at these levels for a while. Consumers will stay on the sidelines because debt levels are still high, and employment will get worse."
(Business Week at www.bloomberg.com/news. Adapted)
by Julia Leite and Paula Sambo
August 26, 2015
Not long ago, Brazil's real-estate market was one of the biggest symbols of the country's burgeoning economic might. Now, it's fallen victim to an ever-deepening recession.
PDG Realty SA, once the largest homebuilder by revenue, hired Rothschild last week to help restructure 5.8 billion reais ($1.6 billion) of debt after second-quarter net sales sank 88 percent. Earlier this month, Rossi Residencial SA, which has 2.5 billion reais in debt, also brought in advisers to “restructure operations and review strategies." Since 2010, the builder has lost 99 percent of its stock-market value.
The real-estate industry, which is equal to about 10 percent of Brazil's economy, is emerging as one of the latest casualties of a recession that analysts forecast will be its longest since the 1930s. To make matters worse, interest rates are the highest in almost a decade while inflation is soaring. “There is no real estate company that survives without sales," Bruno Mendonça Lima de Carvalho, the head of fixed income at Guide Investimentos SA, said from Sao Paulo. “You can't import or export apartments. You're relying solely on domestic activity."
PDG tried to boost revenue by lowering prices, financing up to 20 percent of some home purchases and even offering to buy back apartments if banks deny financing. Still, it sold just 217 units in the second quarter on a net basis, compared with 1,749 in 2014.
Negative Outlook
On Friday, Moody's Investors Service cut PDG's rating three levels to Caa3, citing the possibility of significant losses for bondholders and other lenders. Secured creditors may recover less than 80 percent in a default, according to Moody's, which kept a negative outlook on the rating. “The company is facing additional liquidity pressures from a prolonged deterioration in industry dynamics, including weak sales speed, tight financing availability and declining real estate prices," Moody's said.
Sao Paulo-based Rossi said in an e-mailed response to questions that second quarter sales improved and that the company's main focus is to reduce debt. Gross debt fell about 30 percent in the 12 months ended in June, Rossi said.
Home sales in Latin America's biggest economy tumbled 14 percent in the first half of 2015, according to data from the national real estate institute. Builders cut new projects by 20 percent during that span, while available financing shrank by about a quarter.
Real's Collapse
That's a reversal from just two years ago, when realestate prices in places like Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo had surged as much as 230 percent as rising incomes, a soaring real and record-low borrowing costs ignited a wave of home buying.
Brazilians find themselves in drastically different circumstances today. The currency fell 0.4 percent Wednesday as of 3:25 p.m. in New York, extending its loss this year to 26 percent. The jobless rate climbed to a five-year high of 7.5 percent last month.
The central bank boosted its key rate to 14.25 percent in July, making it ever more expensive to finance the purchase of a home. “It's a matter of demand, and demand is really weak," Will Landers, who manages Latin American stocks at BlackRock, said from Princeton, New Jersey. “We may have reached a peak in interest rates, but they should continue to be at these levels for a while. Consumers will stay on the sidelines because debt levels are still high, and employment will get worse."
(Business Week at www.bloomberg.com/news. Adapted)
GM wheat no more
pest-resistant than ordinary crops, trial shows
GM wheat designed to repel aphids is no more effective at repelling the bugs than standard varieties a major field trial has revealed
Ian Sample
June 25, 2015
A major field trial of GM wheat that is designed to repel aphids (small insects) has found the crop is no better protected against the pests than conventional wheat. The results come from two years of trials that compared aphid attacks on standard wheat plants with those suffered by a GM version modified to release a natural aphid repellent.
Scientists created the GM wheat strain in the hope that it would deter aphids, which devour the crops and can leave them with infections. They modified the wheat to produce a natural pheromone which aphids release when under attack from predators. The “aphid alarm” makes the bugs flee to safety. Aphids are not the only organisms that release the odour though. More than 400 plants have evolved to secrete the same substance, called E-betafarnesene, or EBF, including peppermint. The chemical doubles up as an attractant for some insects that kill aphids, such as parasitic wasps.
Prior to the field trial, lab tests at Rothamsted found that the pheromone worked as a highly-effective aphid repellent. The work bolstered researchers’ hopes that the trial would demonstrate the crop’s resilience against aphids in the wild. An aphid-resistant wheat crop could have huge benefits for farmers and the environment because the plants would no longer need to be sprayed with insecticides.
“The disappointing thing is that when we tested it in the field, we didn’t find any significant reduction in aphid settlement in the test plots,” said Toby Bruce, who worked on the trial. Details of the trial are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
(www.theguardian.com. Adaptado.)
GM wheat no more
pest-resistant than ordinary crops, trial shows
GM wheat designed to repel aphids is no more effective at repelling the bugs than standard varieties a major field trial has revealed
Ian Sample
June 25, 2015
A major field trial of GM wheat that is designed to repel aphids (small insects) has found the crop is no better protected against the pests than conventional wheat. The results come from two years of trials that compared aphid attacks on standard wheat plants with those suffered by a GM version modified to release a natural aphid repellent.
Scientists created the GM wheat strain in the hope that it would deter aphids, which devour the crops and can leave them with infections. They modified the wheat to produce a natural pheromone which aphids release when under attack from predators. The “aphid alarm” makes the bugs flee to safety. Aphids are not the only organisms that release the odour though. More than 400 plants have evolved to secrete the same substance, called E-betafarnesene, or EBF, including peppermint. The chemical doubles up as an attractant for some insects that kill aphids, such as parasitic wasps.
Prior to the field trial, lab tests at Rothamsted found that the pheromone worked as a highly-effective aphid repellent. The work bolstered researchers’ hopes that the trial would demonstrate the crop’s resilience against aphids in the wild. An aphid-resistant wheat crop could have huge benefits for farmers and the environment because the plants would no longer need to be sprayed with insecticides.
“The disappointing thing is that when we tested it in the field, we didn’t find any significant reduction in aphid settlement in the test plots,” said Toby Bruce, who worked on the trial. Details of the trial are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
(www.theguardian.com. Adaptado.)
GM wheat no more
pest-resistant than ordinary crops, trial shows
GM wheat designed to repel aphids is no more effective at repelling the bugs than standard varieties a major field trial has revealed
Ian Sample
June 25, 2015
A major field trial of GM wheat that is designed to repel aphids (small insects) has found the crop is no better protected against the pests than conventional wheat. The results come from two years of trials that compared aphid attacks on standard wheat plants with those suffered by a GM version modified to release a natural aphid repellent.
Scientists created the GM wheat strain in the hope that it would deter aphids, which devour the crops and can leave them with infections. They modified the wheat to produce a natural pheromone which aphids release when under attack from predators. The “aphid alarm” makes the bugs flee to safety. Aphids are not the only organisms that release the odour though. More than 400 plants have evolved to secrete the same substance, called E-betafarnesene, or EBF, including peppermint. The chemical doubles up as an attractant for some insects that kill aphids, such as parasitic wasps.
Prior to the field trial, lab tests at Rothamsted found that the pheromone worked as a highly-effective aphid repellent. The work bolstered researchers’ hopes that the trial would demonstrate the crop’s resilience against aphids in the wild. An aphid-resistant wheat crop could have huge benefits for farmers and the environment because the plants would no longer need to be sprayed with insecticides.
“The disappointing thing is that when we tested it in the field, we didn’t find any significant reduction in aphid settlement in the test plots,” said Toby Bruce, who worked on the trial. Details of the trial are published in the journal Scientific Reports.
(www.theguardian.com. Adaptado.)
Genetically modified foods
Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. Currently available GM foods stem mostly from plants, but in the future foods derived from GM microorganisms or GM animals are likely to be introduced on the market. Most existing genetically modified crops have been developed to improve yield, through the introduction of resistance to plant diseases or of increased tolerance of herbicides.
In the future, genetic modification could be aimed at altering the nutrient content of food, reducing its allergenic potential, or improving the efficiency of food production systems. All GM foods should be assessed before being allowed on the market. FAO/WHO Codex guidelines exist for risk analysis of GM food.
(www.who.int)
Genetically modified foods
Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally, e.g. through the introduction of a gene from a different organism. Currently available GM foods stem mostly from plants, but in the future foods derived from GM microorganisms or GM animals are likely to be introduced on the market. Most existing genetically modified crops have been developed to improve yield, through the introduction of resistance to plant diseases or of increased tolerance of herbicides.
In the future, genetic modification could be aimed at altering the nutrient content of food, reducing its allergenic potential, or improving the efficiency of food production systems. All GM foods should be assessed before being allowed on the market. FAO/WHO Codex guidelines exist for risk analysis of GM food.
(www.who.int)
Examine o quadrinho para responder à questão.
Examine o cartum.
The cartoon means that
TEXTO 5
NA VIRADA DO SÉCULO, o biólogo Roosmarc conheceu o ápice da fama ao descobrir um novo gênero de primata: o sagui-anão-de-coroa-preta. Foi considerado pela revista Time o grande herói do planeta. Entre os mais de 500 primatas no mundo, Roosmarc descobrira o Callibella humilis, o macaquinho mais saltitante e alegre, anãozinho, com aquela coroa preta. Enquanto outros primatólogos matavam os animais para descrevê-los, dissecando-os em laboratórios, longe da Amazônia, ele criava macacos em sua casa. Esperava que morressem de forma natural e, aí sim, dissecava-os.
O sagui-anão-de-coroa-preta foi a sensação mundial. Então, ele viveu o ápice da glória. As publicações científicas não se cansaram de elogiá-lo. Quase todos os dias, jornais e revistas estampavam: “Protetor dos animais”, “O bandeirantes da Amazônia”, “O último primatólogo”. De Manaus para o mundo. Os ribeirinhos o saudavam; os políticos o pajeavam; os estudantes de biologia o veneravam. Sim, Roosmarc era visto e considerado como herói do planeta.
Vida simples, com suas vestes quase sempre largas cobrindo o corpo magro e alto, enfiado semanas na floresta, nunca quisera dinheiro, jamais almejara fortuna. O verdadeiro cientista, dizia, quer, antes de tudo, reconhecimento. Não havia prêmio maior do que isso. Sequer gastava o que ganhava. Aprendera com os bichos que, na vida, não se precisa de muitas coisas...
Nascera no sul da Holanda e, aos 17 anos, mudou-se para Amsterdã. Queria estudar biologia. Nos fins do ano 60, a cidade fervilhava, era a capital da contestação. John Lennon e Yoko Ono haviam escolhido a cidade para protestar contra a Guerra do Vietnã. Os rebeldes desfilavam pelas ruas, enquanto John Lennon e Yoko Ono incitavam a quebra de valores deitados uma semana num hotel da cidade, consumindo droga e criando suas canções. O gosto pela contracultura crescia, agigantava-se. Rebelde, Roosmarc desfilava pelas ruas, gritando pela paz, também queimando maconha e outras ervas.
Mas foi, nesta época, que ele se interessou pelos primatas. Depois que terminou a universidade, fez amizade com uma estudante, que também saboreava a contracultura, o desprezo a normas e procedimentos, e com ela, vivendo um romance apaixonado, deu volta ao mundo, como se fosse o famigerado navegante português Vasco da Gama. Estudante de artes plásticas, Marie tinha sede por aventuras: o novo lhe apetecia; o velho não era mais do que um mundo cinzento. A Europa, com seus prédios cinzentos e frios, uma população resignada, não lhe apetecia. Queria quebrar barreiras, outras fronteiras. Não queria apodrecer naquelas cidadezinhas holandesas, onde as mulheres envelheciam rapidamente e só cuidavam de casa. Não queria se transformar num símbolo de cama, fogão e igreja. Menosprezava o título “rainha do lar”, que os pastores tanto veneravam entre a população fiel. Tinha horror ao ver sua mãe de lenço na cabeça e avental cobrindo a gordura da barriga. Se ficasse numa daquelas cidadezinhas, em poucos anos estaria como a mãe – brigava constantemente com o seu pai, saía de casa aos domingos para assistir a mesmice do partor Simeão, e que, rapidamente, voltava para casa para preparar o almoço para os filhos. Que destino! A liberdade a chamava. Não era o que dizia a canção de John Lennon? Ao conhecer Roosmarc, o desejo por aventuras avivou como brasa viva. Quando convidada para segui-lo, e ela queria produzir desenhos e aquarelas jamais vistas no mundo, não titubeou, como se a oportunidade fosse um cavalo encilhado. E cavalo encilhado passa por nós somente uma vez ...
(GONÇALVES, David. Sangue verde. Joinville: Sucesso Pocket, 2014. p. 200-201.Adaptado.)
Titles of books might help readers create images in their minds.
The title of Angelou’s book which contains an image that relates directly to confinement is:
Maya Angelou’s strategy to deal with racial injustice in America was to call it by its right name (l. 13-14).
The action that best shows her adoption of such strategy is:
Maya Angelou was a writer of both poetry and prose.
According to the text, she wrote the following types of prose:
I loved and admired Angelou, (l. 9)
The fragment above hints at the purpose of the text, which is an exemplar of genre known as eulogy.
The purpose of this genre can be described as:
Working for on demand startups like Uber and TaskRabbit is supposed to offer flexible hours and higher wages, but many workers have found the pay lower and the hours less flexible than they expected. Even more surprising: 8 percent of those chauffeuring passengers and 16 percent of those making deliveries said they lack personal autoinsurance.
Those are among the findings from a survey about the work life of independent contractors for on-demand startups, a booming sector of the tech industry, being released Wednesday.
"We want to shed light on the industry as a whole," said Isaac Madan, a Stanford master's candidate in bioinformatics who worked with two other Stanford students and a recent alumnus on the survey of 1,330 workers. "People need to understand how this space will change and evolve and help the economy."
On-demand, often called the sharing economy, refers to companies that let users summon workers via smartphone apps to handle all manner of services: rides, cleaning, chores, deliveries, car parking, waiting in lines. Almost uniformly, those workers are independent contractors rather than salaried employees.
That status is the main point of contention in a recent rash of lawsuits in which workers are filing for employee status. While the survey did not directly ask
contractors if they would prefer to be employees, it found that their top workplace desires were to have paid health insurance, retirement benefits and paid time off for holidays, vacation and sick days - all perks of full time workers. Respondents also expressed interest in having more chances for advancement, education sponsorship, disability insurance and human relations support. Because respondents were recruited rather than randomly selected, the survey does not claim to be representational but a conclusion one may come to is that flexibility ofnew jobs comes with a cost. Not all workers are prepared for that!
SFChronicle.com and SFGate.com, May 20, 2015. Adaptado
Working for on demand startups like Uber and TaskRabbit is supposed to offer flexible hours and higher wages, but many workers have found the pay lower and the hours less flexible than they expected. Even more surprising: 8 percent of those chauffeuring passengers and 16 percent of those making deliveries said they lack personal autoinsurance.
Those are among the findings from a survey about the work life of independent contractors for on-demand startups, a booming sector of the tech industry, being released Wednesday.
"We want to shed light on the industry as a whole," said Isaac Madan, a Stanford master's candidate in bioinformatics who worked with two other Stanford students and a recent alumnus on the survey of 1,330 workers. "People need to understand how this space will change and evolve and help the economy."
On-demand, often called the sharing economy, refers to companies that let users summon workers via smartphone apps to handle all manner of services: rides, cleaning, chores, deliveries, car parking, waiting in lines. Almost uniformly, those workers are independent contractors rather than salaried employees.
That status is the main point of contention in a recent rash of lawsuits in which workers are filing for employee status. While the survey did not directly ask
contractors if they would prefer to be employees, it found that their top workplace desires were to have paid health insurance, retirement benefits and paid time off for holidays, vacation and sick days - all perks of full time workers. Respondents also expressed interest in having more chances for advancement, education sponsorship, disability insurance and human relations support. Because respondents were recruited rather than randomly selected, the survey does not claim to be representational but a conclusion one may come to is that flexibility ofnew jobs comes with a cost. Not all workers are prepared for that!
SFChronicle.com and SFGate.com, May 20, 2015. Adaptado
Working for on demand startups like Uber and TaskRabbit is supposed to offer flexible hours and higher wages, but many workers have found the pay lower and the hours less flexible than they expected. Even more surprising: 8 percent of those chauffeuring passengers and 16 percent of those making deliveries said they lack personal autoinsurance.
Those are among the findings from a survey about the work life of independent contractors for on-demand startups, a booming sector of the tech industry, being released Wednesday.
"We want to shed light on the industry as a whole," said Isaac Madan, a Stanford master's candidate in bioinformatics who worked with two other Stanford students and a recent alumnus on the survey of 1,330 workers. "People need to understand how this space will change and evolve and help the economy."
On-demand, often called the sharing economy, refers to companies that let users summon workers via smartphone apps to handle all manner of services: rides, cleaning, chores, deliveries, car parking, waiting in lines. Almost uniformly, those workers are independent contractors rather than salaried employees.
That status is the main point of contention in a recent rash of lawsuits in which workers are filing for employee status. While the survey did not directly ask
contractors if they would prefer to be employees, it found that their top workplace desires were to have paid health insurance, retirement benefits and paid time off for holidays, vacation and sick days - all perks of full time workers. Respondents also expressed interest in having more chances for advancement, education sponsorship, disability insurance and human relations support. Because respondents were recruited rather than randomly selected, the survey does not claim to be representational but a conclusion one may come to is that flexibility ofnew jobs comes with a cost. Not all workers are prepared for that!
SFChronicle.com and SFGate.com, May 20, 2015. Adaptado
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