PHRASAL VERBS — STEP UP & PERK UP – ESAF — 2004 — IPEA— CONCURSO PÚBLICO — LÍNGUA INGLESA.

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• ESAF-2004-IPEA-CONCURSO PÚBLICO:

Within the alternatives below, which one presents the options that correctly convey the meaning of the following underlined phrasal verbs:

"Consumers have stepped up their spending; the housing market is still sizzling; even manufacturing is perking up."

(A) To increase and to decrease.

(B) To cut and to develop.

(C) To increase and to cheer up.

(D) To refrain and to cheer up.

(E) To reduce and to develop.

Resposta : C

- Questão sobre PHRASAL VERBS:

• STEP UP ( = to increase the amount, speed, etc. of something) significa AUMENTAR, INTENSIFICAR, por exemplo:

• We plan to step production up by nearly 75% over the next six months. — Planejamos AUMENTAR A PRODUÇÃO em quase 75% nos próximos seis meses. [The Free Dictionary]
• The health department is stepping up efforts to reduce teenage smoking. — O departamento de saúde está INTENSIFICANDO os esforços para reduzir o tabagismo entre adolescentes. [Longman Dictionary]
• He has stepped up his training to prepare for the race. — Ele intensificou seu treinamento para se preparar para a corrida. [Oxford Dictionary]
• Security has been stepped up at the airport. — A segurança foi reforçada no aeroporto. [Cambridge Dictionary]

• PERK UP ( = to improve or become more exciting) significa  ANIMAR, ATIVAR, FICAR MAIS EXCITANTE, FICAR MAIS DINÂMICO ou AUMENTAR, SUBIR, por exemplo:

• I think I need some coffee to perk me up. — Acho que preciso de um café para me ATIVAR. [The Free Dictionary]
• There’s no doubt coffee perks you up. — Não há dúvida de que o café o anima. [Longman Dictionary]
• Share prices had perked up slightly by close of trading.  — Os preços das ações haviam SUBIDO ligeiramente no fechamento do pregão.[Oxford Dictionary]

SENTENÇA DA QUESTÃO:

• Consumers have stepped up their spending; the housing market is still sizzling; even manufacturing is perking up.
• Os consumidores AUMENTARAM seus gastos; o mercado imobiliário ainda está em alta; até a produção está SUBINDO.

• RESOLUÇÃO RÁPIDA:

(A) To increase and to decrease. (Aumentar e diminuir)

(B) To cut and to develop. (cortar e desenvolver)

(C) To increase and to cheer up. (Aumentar e animar)

(D) To refrain and to cheer up. (Abster-se e animar)

(E) To reduce and to develop. (Reduzir e desenvolver.)

TEXTO - Most Metaverse users don't even make it a month, WSJ reports - SITE AMERICANO - BUSINESS INSIDER.

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➧ TÍTULO DO TEXTO: Most Metaverse users don't even make it a month, WSJ reports.

➧ SITE AMERICANO: BUSINESS INSIDER.

TEXTO:

Most Metaverse users don't even make it a month, WSJ reports

Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert Oct 16, 2022, 3:19 AM

Mark Zuckerberg as an avatar during Connect 2022 Meta

Inside the Horizon Worlds platform, Meta is struggling to keep users engaged with glitchy features and empty worlds.

With a $400 pricetag to access the platform via the Quest 2 headset, the metaverse isn't yet accessible to the casual user. Those who do get a chance to try the tech experience baffling branded content, persistent bugs, and empty worlds with no user interactions. Even employees appear not to enjoy the platform, saying there is a "quality" problem.

Last month, in response to user complaints, Meta put the Horizon platform into "lockdown" — pausing the rollout of new features while it works to improve the user experience of existing elements in the virtual reality world, The Wall Street Journal reported.

Users have criticized the avatars' curious lack of legs as well as having few other users to interact with. Internal statistics, WSJ reported, indicate that only 9% of worlds built by users are ever visited by at least 50 people, while most never receive any visits at all.

Some female users also report sexual harassment and digital groping, prompting Meta to institute a safety feature that creates a virtual 4-foot buffer around avatars on the platform. WSJ reported men outnumber women by two to one on the platform and that — while reporting — a WSJ staff member was asked to expose herself by a user she interacted with online.

Internal documents show Meta has fallen far short of its goals for regular monthly users, WSJ Journal reported. The company initially had set a goal of 500,00 monthly users by the end of 2022, but has changed that figure to 280,000. The documents show the platform has less than 200,000 current users. Most users generally don't return to the app after the first month, while more than half of Quest 2 headsets are out of use within six months WSJ reported. 

"An empty world is a sad world," WSJ reported one document said in its summary of the company's efforts to attract users to worlds where they would find others.

In light of the low user retention, feature glitches, and high cost of access, Insider previously reported some investors have raised questions about Meta's $15 billion investment in Reality Labs, the business segment responsible for the metaverse.

From:

https://www.businessinsider.com/most-metaverse-users-dont-even-make-it-a-month-wsj-2022-10

PARTE I - VOCABULÁRIO, FRASES, ESTRUTURAS E EXPRESSÕES:

1) WSJ (Dábliú-ésDjêi) - é o acrônimo de Wall Street Journal .

2) The Wall Street Journal é um jornal diário internacional sobre notícias econômicas e que mantém sede em Nova York, Estados Unidos.

3) Mark Zuckerberg - é um magnata, empresário e filantropo norte-americano, Ele é conhecido por co-fundar o site de mídia social Facebook e sua empresa-mãe Meta Platforms, da qual ele é presidente, diretor executivo e acionista controlador.

4) glitchy (adjective) - something doesn't work properly - it doesn't work properly as it should work. (For example: This app is glitchy.). GLITCH é um adjetivo específico, usado em tecnologia.

5) baffling (adjective) - confusing.

6) to baffle someone - confundir alguém.

*She is baffled by the content. - Ela está confusa com o conteúdo.

*The content baffles me. - O conteúdo me deixa perplexo.

7) bugs (technology vocabulary) - problemas, erros de software.

8) persistent bugs - bugs that last a long time - erros que duram muito tempo.

9) the rollout of (= introduction) - o lançamento de, a introdução de.

10) to roll out (phrasal verb) - disponibilizar um novo produto, serviço ou sistema pela primeira vez:

*The company is rolling out new features this month.

*The company rolled out new features last month.

*The government plans to roll its new tax credit next year.

VOCABULÁRIO – UNRAVELLING , BAMBOOZLED, LIFTED, PARTAKE, MENDACIOUS – PUC-RIO-2017-VESTIBULAR- RELAÇÕES INTERNACIONAIS – LÍNGUA INGLESA – RESOLUÇÃO DA QUESTÃO Nº07.

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• TEXTO - PUC-RIO-2017-VESTIBULAR- RELAÇÕES INTERNACIONAIS:

The politics of anger

The triumph of the Brexit campaign is a warning to the liberal international order

Many Brexiteers built their campaign on optimism. Outside the European Union, Britain would be free to open up to the world. But what secured their victory was anger.

Anger stirred up a winning turnout in the depressed, down-at-heel cities of England. Anger at immigration, globalisation, social liberalism and even feminism, polling shows, translated into a vote to reject the EU. As if victory were a licence to spread hatred, anger has since lashed Britain's streets with an outburst of racist abuse.

Across Western democracies, from the America of Donald Trump to the France of Marine Le Pen, large numbers of people are enraged. If they cannot find a voice within the mainstream, they will make themselves heard from without. Unless they believe that the global order works to their benefit, Brexit risks becoming just the start of an unravelling of globalisation and the prosperity it has created.

The rest of history

Today's crisis in liberalism - in the free-market, British sense - was born in 1989, out of the ashes of the Soviet Union. At the time the thinker Francis Fukuyama declared "the end of history", the moment when no ideology was left to challenge democracy, markets and global co-operation as a way of organising society. It was liberalism's greatest triumph, but it also engendered a narrow, technocratic politics obsessed by process. In the ensuing quarter-century the majority has prospered, but plenty of voters feel as if they have been left behind.

Their anger is justified. Proponents of globalisation, including this newspaper, must acknowledge that technocrats have made mistakes and ordinary people paid the price. The move to a flawed European currency, a technocratic scheme par excellence, led to stagnation and unemployment and is driving Europe apart. Elaborate financial instruments bamboozled regulators, crashed the world economy and ended up with taxpayer-funded bail-outs of banks, and later on, budget cuts.

Even when globalisation has been hugely beneficial, policymakers have not done enough to help the losers. Trade with China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and brought immense gains for Western ‘consumers. But many factory workers who have lost their jobs have been unable to find a decently paid replacement.

Rather than spread the benefits of globalisation, politicians have focused elsewhere. The left moved on to arguments about culture - race, greenery, human rights and sexual politics. The right preached meritocratic self-advancement, but failed to win everyone the chance to partake in it. Proud industrial communities that look to family and nation suffered alienation and decay. Mendacious campaigning mirrored by partisan media amplified the sense of betrayal.

(...)

Adapted from

The Economist – July 2nd 2016 

(PUC-RIO-2017-VESTIBULAR- RELAÇÕES INTERNACIONAIS)

Based on the meanings of the words in the article, it can be said that

(A) "unravelling" (line 18) and collapse are synonyms.
(B) "bamboozled" (line 39) and confounded are antonyms.
(C) "lifted" (line 44) can be replaced by downgraded.
(D) "partake" (line 54) and participate express opposite ideas.
(E) "mendacious" (line 56) and truthful express similar ideas.

Resposta :  A

Com base nos significados das palavras do artigo, pode-se dizer que

*Alternativa (A): "unravelling"(ruína) e collapse(colapso) são sinônimos.
*Alternativa (B): "bamboozled"(confundiram) e confounded (confundiram) são antônimos.
*Alternativa (C): "lifted" (levantado) pode ser substituído por downgraded (rebaixado).
*Alternativa (D): "participar" (linha 54) e participar expressam idéias opostas.
*Alternativa (E): "mendacious"(falacioso) e "truthful"(verdadeiro) expressam ideias semelhantes.

➦IDEIA CONTEXTUAL: "unravelling"(ruína) e collapse (colapso/falência) são sinônimos no contexto:

"[...] Unless they believe that the global order works to their benefit, Brexit risks becoming just the start of an unravelling of globalisation and the prosperity it has created."
(A menos que eles acreditam que a ordem global funcione em seu benefício, Brexit corre o risco de se tornar apenas o começo de uma RUÍNA da globalização e da prosperidade que tem criado).
➦ bamboozled" e confounded são sinônimos:
"[...] Elaborate financial instruments bamboozled  regulators, crashed the world economy and ended up with taxpayer-funded bailouts of banks, and later on, budget cuts"
(Elaboraram instrumentos financeiros que CONFUNDIRAM os reguladores, quebraram a economia mundial e acabaram com os resgates de bancos financiados pelo contribuinte e, mais tarde, cortes orçamentários).
➦"lifted" (ELEVADO/LIBERTADO) não pode ser substituído por "downgraded"(rebaixou):
"[...] Trade with China has lifted hundreds of millions of people out of poverty and brought immense gains for Western ‘consumers"(O comércio com a China TEM LIBERTADO centenas de milhões de pessoas da pobreza e trouxe ganhos imensos para os consumidores ocidentais).
➦"partake" e "participate" (participar) são sinônimas.
"[...] Rather than spread the benefits of globalisation, politicians have focused elsewhere. The left moved on to arguments about culture - race, greenery, human rights and sexual politics. The right preached 
meritocratic self-advancement, but failed to win everyone the chance to partake in it. Proud industrial communities that look to family and nation suffered alienation and decay. Mendacious campaigning mirrored by partisan media amplified the sense of betrayal."
(Em vez de espalhar os benefícios da globalização, os políticos se concentraram em outros lugares. A esquerda passou a discussões sobre cultura - raça, vegetação, direitos humanos e políticas sexuais. O direito pregado
auto-avanço meritocrático, mas não conseguiu ganhar a todos a oportunidade de PARTICIPAR nela. As comunidades industriais orgulhosas que olham para a família e a nação sofreram alienação e decadência. Campanhas mentais espelhadas por mídia partidária amplificaram a sensação de traição.)
➦ "mendacious" (falacioso) e "truthful"(verdadeiro) não expressam ideias similares. 
"[...]Proud industrial communities that look to family and nation suffered alienation and decay. Mendacious campaigning mirrored by partisan media amplified the sense of betrayal."(As comunidades industriais orgulhosas que olham para a família e a nação sofreram alienação e decadência. Campanhas FALACIOSAS/MENTIROSAS espelhadas por mídia partidária amplificaram a sensação de traição.)

TEXTO - Anna May Wong: Actress becomes first Asian American on US currency - SITE BRITÂNICO - BBC NEWS.

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➧ TÍTULO DO TEXTO: Anna May Wong: Actress becomes first Asian American on US currency.

➧ REVISTA ON LINE: BBC NEWS.

TEXTO:

Anna May Wong: Actress becomes first Asian American on US currency

Anna May Wong appeared in more than 60 films before her death in 1961

By Steven McIntosh

Entertainment reporter

Actress Anna May Wong is set to become the first Asian American to be featured on US currency.

She will appear as part of an effort to feature notable women on American quarters.

Wong, who is considered the first Chinese American film star in Hollywood, is the fifth and final woman to be individually featured on the coin this year.

The quarter will enter general circulation on Monday.

It will feature President George Washington on one side and Wong on the other.

Ventris Gibson, director of the US Mint, called Wong "a courageous advocate who championed for increased representation and more multi-dimensional roles for Asian American actors".

"This quarter is designed to reflect the breadth and depth of accomplishments by Anna May Wong, who overcame challenges and obstacles she faced during her lifetime," she said.

The quarter featuring Anna May Wong will enter general circulation on Monday

Wong was born in Los Angeles in 1905 to Chinese immigrants. Her name at birth was Wong Liu Tsong, but later in life she adopted the stage name of Anna May Wong, formed by joining both her English and family names.

She was cast in her first role at 14 as an extra in the film The Red Lantern and continued to take on smaller parts until her lead role in The Toll of the Sea in 1922.

She appeared in more than 60 movies across her career, including silent films and one of the first made in technicolour.

Wong was also the first Asian American lead actor in a US television show, The Gallery of Madame Liu-Tsong, in which she played a Chinese detective.

After facing discrimination in the US, she travelled to Europe to work in English, French and German films.

She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1960, and died the following year aged 56.

Gemma Chan, known for appearing in Crazy Rich Asians and Marvel's Eternals, is set to portray Wong in an upcoming biopic about the star's life.

The American Women Quarters Program began this year and will feature five women each year until 2025. Native Hawaiian hula teacher Edith Kanaka'ole has been named as one of the selections for 2023.

TEXTO - You can finally climb on top of the crown of the Statue of Liberty again. - REVISTA - TIME OUT.

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➧ TÍTULO DO TEXTO: You can finally climb on top of the crown of the Statue of Liberty again.

➧ REVISTA ON LINE: TIME OUT.

TEXTO:

You can finally climb on top of the crown of the Statue of Liberty again

Why was the Statue of Liberty crown closed until now?

Written by Anna Rahmanan

Wednesday October 12 2022

Following a two-and-a-half-year closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the crown portion of the Statue of Liberty has officially re-opened to the public this week.

If you've been trying to visit the destination since March of 2020, though, you might have to wait a tad bit longer: tickets to access the crown are basically sold out through October. Make sure to reserve your pass for a future date right here.

According to CNN, the National Park Service, which manages the landmark, "was attempting to hold a soft reopening without too much advertisement in late October to celebrate the 136th anniversary of the statue's dedication in 1886." 

Alas, folks got so excited about the announcement that those in charge had no choice but to work on a full-fledged opening this month.

"We had to hire people and get them up to speed to effectively run crown operations," Jerry Willis, a spokesperson for Statue of Liberty National Monument and Ellis Island, said to CNN.

Why was the Statue of Liberty crown closed?

On March 16, 2020, the National Park Service shuttered all operations at the Statue of Liberty in reaction to the pandemic.

Since then, although portions of the monument started welcoming visitors once more (the pedestal deck, for example, has been operating since July of 2021), the crown itself remained closed.

Willis told CNN that a variety of factors contributed to the delayed re-opening, including "state and federal pandemic restrictions [...] and dealing with a record-low hiring pool."

How do I get to the Statue of Liberty crown?

Would-be visitors need to buy tickets in advance, which include a round-trip ferry ride to Liberty Island and (usually) a pit stop at the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration as well (certainly a must-see in-and-of-itself!).

The passes will also grant you access to the Liberty National Monument, the pedestal and the crown of the monument, the Statue of Liberty Museum with its three interactive galleries and the grounds of Liberty Island and Ellis Island.

Once on premise, you'll have to climb 10 stories (that's 215 stairs, to be precise) to reach the statue's pedestal and another 162 stairs to actually get to the crown. In case you were wondering, there is an elevator but it peaks at the pedestal portion of the monument. Needless to say, the extra work out to climb all the way to the top is absolutely worth it.

From:

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/you-can-finally-climb-on-top-of-the-crown-of-the-statue-of-liberty-again-101222

Access on October 27, 2022. Adapted.

PARTE I - VOCABULÁRIO, FRASES, ESTRUTURAS E EXPRESSÕES:

1) crown (noun) - coroa. 

2) a two-and-a-half-year closure (noun phrase) - um fechamento de dois anos e meio.

3) two-and-a-half-year (adjetivo) - dois anos e meio (2.5 year).

4) has officially re-opened (Present Perfect) - foi oficialmente reaberto.

5) you've been trying (Present Perfect Progressive) - você está tentando.

6) since March of 2020 - desde março de 2020.

7) a tad bit longer - um pouco mais.

8) CNN - is a newspaper Media Group.

9)  ACCORDING TO someone or something - De acordo com ... (According to my boss...According to CNN...According to my mom...)

10) alas (adverb- express dissapointment) - infelizmente (I wanted to go the party, but alas, I had to work.)

11) to hire someone (= to employ someone) - contratar. (The company hired me.)

12) to be hired (to receive a job) - ser contratado. (I was hired by the company.)

13) to get someone up to speed ( to get bring someone up to speed) = means to give someone the information that they need to do the job. - pôr alguém a par de um trabalho, projeto, etc.

14) to shutter (= to permanently close) - fechar permanentemente, encerrar. (The government shuttered that company. The company was shuttered.)

15) NOTA: O verbo "to shutter" é um "a business verb", ou seja, é um verbo frequentemente usado em contextos de negócios, empresas, etc.

16) a record-low hiring pool = um recorde baixo de pessoas disponíveis no mercado de trabalho.

17) a hiring pool = means the availability of people able to be hired. - a disponibilidade de pessoas aptas a serem contratadas.

18) Would-be (adjective) = likely, supposed, presumable - provável, suposto, pretenso, presumível.

19) round-trip = ida e volta. (So a round-trip means you go and you return)

20) A pit stop (em contexto corridas de carro) = é a paragem que os carros fazem nas boxes (garagem) para reabastecer, trocar pneus ou fazer qualquer tipo de reparos ou ajustes mecânicos.

21) A pit stop is a brief stop for rest and food, especially when you are on a journey.

22) a pit - a temporary stop when you going from point A to B for a specif purpose, such as to buy coffee or to puchase something else.

23) Needless to say ( = means information isn't surprising) = Desnecessário dizer....

* (EEAR-2010) “NEEDLESS TO SAY” is used when you are telling someone something that they probably know or expect.

24) Climbing to the top is worth it. - Vale a pena subir até o topo.

VOCABULÁRIO – ULTIMATELY – STRIX/EBMSP/2018/1 – VESTIBULAR – LÍNGUA INGLESA – QUESTÃO COMENTADA.

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➧ TEXTO - STRIX-EBMSP-2018/1-VESTIBULAR:

Efecto acogida (“hospitality effect”) is an initiative led by several Catholic groups with the goal of creating citizen awareness about the situation of the refugees and migrants, and that calls, in a globalizing world where the capitals and technologies are transnational, to “globalize freedom, Human Rights and social justice”.

In a release, this collective reminds us that migrant movements are often motivated by “wars, natural disasters, hunger, violence and terrorism”, and also that displaced people are currently trapped in situations of extreme precariousness because of the indifference of Europe, crowding at the gates of the continent, and “surviving and dying before our eyes”. 

Also, they call to pressure Governments to act and face the gravity of the situation and list the measures that they urge them to take; among them are giving urgent attention to refugees, granting their rights, free circulation of people, and the establishment of decent conditions as well as ideas for improving the situations of the countries of origin (such as the elimination of debt or the creation of a new economic world order based on dialogue and solidarity between towns) to prevent those people from having to flee. Measures intended, ultimately, to overcome the “globalization of indifference”.

Disponível em: <www.comillas.edu/>.

Acesso em: set. 2017. 

(STRIX-EBMSP-2018/1-ESCOLA BAHIANA DE MEDICINA E SAÚDE PÚBLICA-VESTIBULAR)

The word or expression from the text has been correctly defined in

A) “displaced”– discouraged.
B) “trapped”– protected.
C) “as well as” – except for.
D) “ultimately”– in the end.
E) “overcome”– underestimate.

Resposta :  D

➧ Questão sobre VOCABULÁRIO:

Ultimately refere-se especificamente AO PONTO FINAL em um processo ou série de eventos, e,dependendo do contexto, apresenta 02(dois) SENTIDOS LIGEIRAMENTE diferentes (NO FIM ou BASICAMENTE):

➧ ULTIMATELY (1) ( = IN THE END, FINALLY) - FINALMENTE, NO FIM, NO FINAL, EM ÚLTIMA ANÁLISE.

• A poor diet will ultimately lead to illness. – Uma dieta pobre NO FIM leva à doença. [Oxford Dictionay]

• The economic changes ultimately proved successful. – As mudanças econômicas FINALMENTE provaram serem bem-sucedidas. [Oxford Dictionay]

➧ ULTIMATELY (2) ( = FUNDAMENTALLY, BASICALLY) indicar algo como um fato fundamental ou básico, e neste sentido, o equivalente em português é BASICAMENTE, FUNDAMENTALMENTE.

• All life depends ultimately on oxygen. – Toda a vida depende, BASICAMENTE, do oxigênio. [Oxford Dictionay]

• As long as all the amino acids are present, all protein is ultimately the same. – Desde que todos os aminoácidos estejam presentes, toda proteína é BASICAMENTE a mesma. [Oxford Dictionay]

➧ NO TEXTO:

• Measures intended, ultimately, to overcome the 'globalization of indifference.'  – Medidas destinadas, FINALMENTE, a superar a “globalização da indiferença”.

• RESOLUÇÃO RÁPIDA:

A) “displaced” (desalojado) – discouraged (desanimado).
B) “trapped”(estar preso) – protected (protegido).
C) “as well as” (além de) – except for (exceto).
D) “ultimately” – in the end. (finally)
E) “overcome”(superar, vencer) – underestimate (subestimar).

➽ DISPLACED (having been forced to leave your town or country) e DISCOURAGED (having lost your confidence or enthusiasm for something) não são sinônimos.

➽ TRAPPED (to be unable to escape from a bad situation) e PROTECTED (kept from being harmed by laws) não são sinônimos.

➽ AS WEEL AS (in addition to) e EXCEPT FOR (apart from) não são sinônimos.

➽ OVERCOME (to defeat or succeed in controlling or dealing with something) e UNDERESTIMATE (to think sb is not as good or able as they actually are, – to think that sth is not as difficult, dangerous, etc. as it actually is) não são sinônimos.

VOCABULÁRIO – DWINDLED – PUC-RIO-2019-VESTIBULAR-GRUPO 2) – LÍNGUA INGLESA – RESOLUÇÃO DA QUESTÃO Nº03.

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• TEXTO - PUC-RIO-2019-VESTIBULAR-GRUPO 2:

Our fiction addiction: Why humans need stories

By David Robson

Our fiction addiction: Why humans need stories By David Robson Although we have no firm evidence of storytelling before the advent of writing, we can assume that narratives have been central to human life for thousands of years. Cave paintings in France from 30,000 years ago appear to depict dramatic scenes that were probably accompanied by oral storytelling. Today, we may not gather around the camp fire, but the average adult is still thought to spend at least 6% of the waking day engrossed in fictional stories on our various screens.

From an evolutionary point of view, that would be an awful lot of time and energy to expend on pure escapism, but psychologists and literary theorists have now identified many potential benefits to this fiction addiction.

One common idea is that storytelling is a form of cognitive play that hones our minds, allowing us to simulate the world around us and imagine different strategies, particularly in social situations. “It teaches us about other people and it’s a practice in empathy and theory of mind,” says Joseph Carroll at the University of Missouri-St Louis.

Providing some evidence for this theory, brain scans have shown that reading or hearing stories activates various areas of the cortex that are known to be involved in social and emotional processing, and the more people read fiction, the easier they find it to empathise with other people.

Crucially, evolutionary psychologists believe that our prehistoric preoccupations still shape the form of the stories we enjoy. As humans evolved to live in bigger societies, for instance, we needed to learn how to cooperate, without being a ‘free rider’ who takes too much and gives nothing, or overbearing individuals abusing their dominance to the detriment of the group’s welfare. Our capacity for storytelling – and the tales we tell – may have therefore also evolved as a way of communicating the right social norms.

Along these lines, various studies have identified cooperation as a core theme in popular narratives across the world. The anthropologist Daniel Smith of University College London recently visited 18 groups of hunter-gatherers of the Philippines. He found nearly 80% of their tales concerned moral decision making and social dilemmas. Crucially, this then appeared to translate to their real-life behaviour; the groups that appeared to invest the most in storytelling also proved to be the most cooperative during various experimental tasks – exactly as the evolutionary theory would suggest.

You might assume that our interest in cooperation would have dwindled with the increasing individualism of the Industrial Revolution, but these themes were still prevalent in some of the most beloved British novels from the 19th and early 20th Centuries.

Asking a panel of readers to rate the principal characters in more than 200 novels, researchers found that the antagonists’ major flaw was most often a quest for social dominance at the expense of others or an abuse of their existing power, while the protagonists appeared to be less individualistic and ambitious.

Evolutionary theory can also shed light on the staples of romantic fiction, including the heroines’ preferences for stable ‘dad’ figures or flighty ‘cads’. The ‘dads’ might be the better choice for the long-term security and protection of your children, but according to an evolutionary theory known as the ‘sexy son hypothesis’, falling for an unfaithful cad can have his own advantages since they can pass on their good looks, cunning and charm to his own children, who may then also enjoy greater sexual success.

There are many more insights to be gained from these readings, including, for instance, a recent analysis of the truly evil figures in fantasy and horror stories. Common features include a grotesque appearance and appear to be designed to trigger our evolved fear of contagion and disease, and given our innate tribalism, villains often carry signs that they are a member of an “out-group” – hence the reason that so many Hollywood baddies have foreign accents. Once again, the idea is that a brush with these evil beings ultimately reinforces our own sense of altruism and loyalty to the group.

The novelist Ian McEwan is one of the most celebrated literary voices to have embraced these evolutionary readings of literature, and argues that many common elements of plot can even be found in the machinations of our primate cousins. “If one reads accounts of the systematic nonintrusive observations of troops of bonobo,” he wrote in a book of essays on the subject, The Literary Animal, “one sees rehearsed all the major themes of the English 19th-Century novel: alliances made and broken, individuals rising while others fall, plots hatched, revenge, gratitude, injured pride, successful and unsuccessful courtship, bereavement and mourning.”

McEwan argues we should celebrate these evolved tendencies as the very source of fiction’s power to cross the continents and the centuries. “It would not be possible to enjoy literature from a time remote from our own, or from a culture that was profoundly different from our own, unless we shared some common emotional ground, some deep reservoir of assumptions, with the writer,” he added.

Available at:

<http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180503-our-fiction--addiction-why-humans-need-stories>.

Retrieved on: 3 May 2018.

Adapted.

03 – (PUC-RIO-2019-VESTIBULAR-GRUPO 2) 

Concerning the vocabulary used in the text,

one may affirm that

(A) “assume” (line 2) and confirm are synonyms.

(B) “depict” (line 5) and illustrate are antonyms.

(C) “overbearing” (line 34) cannot be substituted by arrogant.

(D) “dwindled” (line 52) and declined express similar ideas.

(E) “trigger” (line 77) and activate express opposite ideas

Resposta :  D

 - Questão sobre VOCABULÁRIO:

• TO DWINDLE ( = TO BECOME SMALLER, TO REDUCE OVER TIME, TO DECREASE, TO SHRINK) significa TORNAR-SE MENOR, IR DIMINUINDO, IR DECLINANDO, por exemplo, no texto:

• "You might assume that our interest in cooperation would have dwindled with the increasing individualism of the Industrial Revolution,..."   – Você pode supor que nosso interesse em cooperação teria diminuído com o crescente individualismo da Revolução Industrial,...

• RESOLUÇÃO RÁPIDA:

Concerning the vocabulary used in the text,

one may affirm that

(A) “assume” (line 2) and confirm are synonyms.

(B) “depict” (line 5) and illustrate are antonyms.

(C) “overbearing” (line 34) cannot be substituted by arrogant.

(D) “dwindled” (line 52) and declined express similar ideas.

(E) “trigger” (line 77) and activate express opposite ideas

➽ASSUME (supor/presumir) e CONFIRM (confirmar) não são sinônimos.

➽DEPICT (retratar/representar) e ILLUSTRATE (ilustrar) não expressam ideias opostas.

➽OVERBEARING (arrogante) e ARROGANT (arrogante) são sinônimos.

➽DWINDLED (diminuído/reduzido) pode ser substituído por DECLINED.

➽TRIGGER (desencadear/ativar) e ACTIVATE (ativar) são sinônimos.

VOCABULÁRIO – A STEEP PRICE – FMJ-VESTIBULAR-2020-MEDICINA – LÍNGUA INGLESA – Adjective + Noun Collocation – RESOLUÇÃO DA QUESTÃO Nº47.

 Welcome back to another post!

• TEXTO - FMJ-VESTIBULAR-2020-MEDICINA:

Internet celebrities in Asia: from behind the screens

As darkness falls over Taipei City, an image of a woman illuminates the night sky. She’s one of Taiwan’s most famous live streamers, a niche group of celebrities who earn their fame through front-facing video cameras. Her face beams from a 100-foot-tall billboard overlooking Taipei. Across Asia, countless other live streamers joke, eat, and sleep while being watched by thousands on smart phones and computer screens. The most successful among them can make fortunes enough to buy their own islands.

After a long day’s work, Junji Chen treasures time spent gazing into the eyes of his personal favorite, Yutong. Having moved away from his village to work in Taipei, the 42-year-old has little social life. Most of his relationships are with Facebook friends, many of whom he has never met in person — and with live streamers.

Yutong cannot see Chen or hear his voice but, to him, their connection feels raw, real, maybe even reciprocated. In the comment’s section, he can flatter her with compliments or send her money in the form of virtual stickers. One sticker can cost thousands of dollars, a steep price for a factory worker. But for lonely viewers like Junji, who spends a third of his salary on virtual stickers, the companionship is worth it.

(...)

(Claire Wolters.

www.nationalgeographic.com.

31.07.2019. Adaptado.)

01 – (FMJ-VESTIBULAR-2020-MEDICINA) 

In the fragment from the third paragraph

“a steep price for a factory worker”,

the underlined word could be replaced, with no change in meaning, by

(A) acceptable.

(B) appropriate.

(C) excessive.

(D) unexpected.

(E) undesirable.

Resposta :  C

 - Questão sobre VOCABULÁRIO / ADJECTIVE + NOUN COLLOCATION:

• STEEP PRICE ( = EXORBITANT PRICE, A PRICE UNREASONABLE HIGH, A PRICE TOO HIGH) que significa "PREÇO EXORBITANTE, UM PREÇO MUITO ELEVADO", por exemplo, no texto:

• One sticker can cost thousands of dollars, a steep price for a factory worker.  – Um adesivo pode custar milhares de dólares, um preço exorbitante para um operário de fábrica..

• RESOLUÇÃO RÁPIDA:

No fragmento do 3º parágrafo

“a steep price for a factory worker”,

a palavra sublinhada pode ser substituída, sem alteração de significado, por...

(A) acceptable. (aceitável.)

(B) appropriate. (apropriado)

(C) excessive. (excessivo)

(D) unexpected. (inesperado)

(E) undesirable. (indesejável)

➽ Contextualmente "STEEP" significa "EXCESSIVE, EXORBITANT".

EXPRESSÃO IDIOMÁTICA – ALONG THE SAME LINES or ALONG THESE LINES–PUC-RIO-2019-VESTIBULAR-GRUPO 2 – LÍNGUA INGLESA – RESOLUÇÃO DE QUESTÃO.

Welcome back to another post!

• TEXTO - PUC-RIO-2019-VESTIBULAR-GRUPO 2:

Our fiction addiction: Why humans need stories

By David Robson

Although we have no firm evidence of storytelling before the advent of writing, we can assume that narratives have been central to human life for thousands of years. Cave paintings in France from 30,000 years ago appear to depict dramatic scenes that were probably accompanied by oral storytelling. Today, we may not gather around the camp fire, but the average adult is still thought to spend at least 6% of the waking day engrossed in fictional stories on our various screens.

From an evolutionary point of view, that would be an awful lot of time and energy to expend on pure escapism, but psychologists and literary theorists have now identified many potential benefits to this fiction addiction.

One common idea is that storytelling is a form of cognitive play that hones our minds, allowing us to simulate the world around us and imagine different strategies, particularly in social situations. “It teaches us about other people and it’s a practice in empathy and theory of mind,” says Joseph Carroll at the University of Missouri-St Louis.

Providing some evidence for this theory, brain scans have shown that reading or hearing stories activates various areas of the cortex that are known to be involved in social and emotional processing, and the more people read fiction, the easier they find it to empathise with other people.

Crucially, evolutionary psychologists believe that our prehistoric preoccupations still shape the form of the stories we enjoy. As humans evolved to live in bigger societies, for instance, we needed to learn how to cooperate, without being a ‘free rider’ who takes too much and gives nothing, or overbearing individuals abusing their dominance to the detriment of the group’s welfare. Our capacity for storytelling – and the tales we tell – may have therefore also evolved as a way of communicating the right social norms.

Along these lines, various studies have identified cooperation as a core theme in popular narratives across the world. The anthropologist Daniel Smith of University College London recently visited 18 groups of hunter-gatherers of the Philippines. He found nearly 80% of their tales concerned moral decision making and social dilemmas. Crucially, this then appeared to translate to their real-life behaviour; the groups that appeared to invest the most in storytelling also proved to be the most cooperative during various experimental tasks – exactly as the evolutionary theory would suggest.

(...)

Available at: <http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20180503-our-fi ction--addiction-why-humans-need-stories>. Retrieved on: 3 May 2018.Adapted.

01 – (PUC-RIO-2019-VESTIBULAR-GRUPO 2) 

In the fragment

“Along these lines, various studies have identified cooperation as a core theme in popular narratives across the world” (lines 39-41),

the expression “Along these lines”

can be replaced, without a change in meaning, by

(A) Similarly

(B) Definitely

(C) Meanwhile

(D) Nevertheless

(E) For that reason

Resposta :  A

 - Questão sobre EXPRESSÃO IDIOMÁTICA:

• ALONG THE SAME LINES / ALONG THESE LINES ( = SIMILARLY, ON THE SAME TOPIC) é uma expressão idiomática que você pode usar quando você está conversando com alguém sobre um determinado assunto e ai então você diz "ALONG THE SAME LINES..." que quer dizer, SIMILARMENTE..., APROXIMADAMENTE SIMILAR, DENTRO DA MESMA LÓGICA,  por exemplo, no texto:

• Well, that's along the same lines of what I have in mind for the new kitchen, but there are a few tweaks you need to make before it's right.  – Bem, isso está na mesma lógica do que tenho em mente para a nova cozinha, mas há alguns ajustes que você precisa fazer antes que esteja certo.

• RESOLUÇÃO RÁPIDA:

In the fragment

“Along these lines, various studies have identified cooperation as a core theme in popular narratives across the world” (lines 39-41),

the expression “Along these lines”

can be replaced, without a change in meaning, by

(A) Similarly

(B) Definitely (Com certeza)

(C) Meanwhile (Enquanto isso)

(D) Nevertheless (Mesmo assim)

(E) For that reason (Por isso)

➽ "ALONG THESE LINES or ALONG THE SAME LINES" significa "SIMILARMENTE, DENTRO DA MESMA LÓGICA, DENTRO DA MESMA LINHA DE RACIOCÍNIO".

- EXEMPLOS (PARA SEDIMENTAR VOCABULÁRIO) com a expressão ALONG THE SAME LINES:

• My father was a neurologist, and I always thought I would end up doing something along the same lines. So it surprised everyone when I ended up pursuing classical piano after high school. – Meu pai era neurologista e sempre pensei que acabaria fazendo algo similarmente. Então, surpreendeu a todos quando acabei estudando piano clássico depois do ensino médio.. [The Free Dictionary]

• My sister works in publishing, and I’m hoping to do something along the same lines. – Minha irmã trabalha com publicações e espero fazer algo similarmente. [Cambridge Dictionary]

EXPRESSÃO – THE WORST CASE SCENARIO.

Welcome back to another post!

A expressão WORST-CASE SCENARIO significa THE WORST OR THE MOST SERIOUS THING THAT COULD POSSIBLE HAPPEN IN A SITUATION, ou seja, "A PIOR OU A COISA MAIS SÉRIA QUE PODE ACONTECER EM UMA SITUAÇÃO" e pode ser traduzida como "A PIOR DAS HIPÓTESES" ou "O PIOR CENÁRIO", como por exemplo:

• Even though we don't expect a big earthquake, we're prepared for the worst-case scenario. - Mesmo que não esperemos um terremoto grande, estamos preparados para o pior cenário.

EXEMPLO APLICATIVO:

TEXTO - ESCOLA NAVAL-2015/2016:

Navy looking for drone operator flying device around Washington state base

A civilian employee of Naval Submarine Base Kitsap-Bangor reported seeing the drone, spokeswoman Silvia Klatman told Military.com.

(...)

Officials said the drones were seen operating at night. "It could be a hoax, but worst-case scenario, it could be clandestine, a foreign government, a cell," Al Starcevich, whose family's house is located between the base and Hood Canal in Washington, told the website. "The creepy thing is they're only doing it at night.”.

• TRECHO: It could be a hoax, but worst-case scenario, it could be clandestine, a foreign government, a cell.
• TRADUÇÃO LIVRE: O drone pode ser uma brincadeira, mas na pior das hipóteses, pode ser um clandestino, um governo estrangeiro ou um grupo subversivo.