ESAF-2009 – RECEITA FEDERAL – ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO – LÍNGUA INGLESA – MINISTÉRIO DO PLANEJAMENTO, ORÇAMENTO E GESTÃO – PROVA COM GABARITO.

❑ PROVA DE LÍNGUA INGLESA:

• ESAF-2009-ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO-20/12/2009.

www.esaf.fazenda.gov.br.

❑ ESTRUTURA-PROVA:

➭ 10 MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions) / 5 Options Each Question.

• Text (1) – | BBC News |

• Text (2) – | Brazil boosts the dollar | www.ft.com |

❑ TEXTO 1: Your answers to questions 21-24 must be based on the text below.

            

In June this year, the BRICs, the world's newest economic grouping, ended their first major summit by calling for a stable, predictable and more diversified international monetary system. But the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China, stopped short of criticising the world's dominant currency, the US dollar. The group repeated calls for a bigger say in the global financial system through greater representation at major institutions, such as the World Bank.
           

But the final statement issued by the leaders made no reference to developing new reserve currencies to challenge the dollar, which Russia had called for at a separate event earlier in the day.

           

Analysts say that as the global recession bites, the four Bric nations are showing a growing willingness to work together. One expert claimed the significance of the summit would be political rather than economic.

(BBC News 16/6/09, adapted)

21 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

According to the text, at a meeting in June, the leaders of the BRICs agreed on the need to

(A) play a more influential role in the international financial order.
(B) prevent recession biting their economies.
(C) seek joint representation at institutions such as the World Bank.
(D) stop using the dollar as their reserve currency.
(E) tone down the radical positions of Russia and China.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  A 
TÓPICO - RELAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA ENTRE PARTES DO TEXTO:
Segundo o texto, em reunião em junho, os líderes dos BRICs concordaram sobre a necessidade de

(A) play a more influential role in the international financial order. – desempenhar um papel mais influente na ordem financeira internacional.
(B) prevent recession biting their economies. – evitar que a recessão refreia/afete/abocanhe suas economias.
(C) seek joint representation at institutions such as the World Bank. – buscar a representação conjunta em instituições como o Banco Mundial.
(D) stop using the dollar as their reserve currency. – parar de usar o dólar como moeda de reserva.
(E) tone down the radical positions of Russia and China. – atenuar/amenizar as posições radicais da Rússia e da China.

➭ TRECHO QUE JUSTIFICA A RESPOSTA:

• "[...] The group repeated calls for a bigger say in the global financial system through greater representation at major institutions, such as the World Bank."

• O grupo repetiu os apelos a uma maior participação no sistema financeiro global através de uma maior representação nas principais instituições, como o Banco Mundial.

22 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

One effect of the global financial crisis, according to the text, will be to cause

(A) Brazil, Russia, India and China to be known as the BRICs.
(B) a fragmentation of international  reserve currencies.
(C) increasing reliance on the dollar as the reserve currency.
(D) the BRICs to seek closer cooperation as a group.
(E) a challenge to the signifi cance of the BRICs as a group.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  D 
TÓPICO - RELAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA ENTRE PARTES DO TEXTO:

Um efeito da crise financeira global, segundo o texto, será causar

(A) Brazil, Russia, India and China to be known as the BRICs. – com que Brasil, Rússia, Índia e China sejam conhecidos como os BRICs.
(B) a fragmentation of international  reserve currencies. – causar uma fragmentação das moedas de reserva internacionais.
(C) increasing reliance on the dollar as the reserve currency. – causar uma dependência cada vez maior do dólar como moeda de reserva.
(D) the BRICs to seek closer cooperation as a group. – fazer com que os BRICs busquem uma cooperação mais estreita como um grupo.
(E) a challenge to the signifi cance of the BRICs as a group. – causar um desafio para o câncer significativo dos BRICs como um grupo.

➭ TRECHO QUE JUSTIFICA A RESPOSTA:

• "[...] Analysts say that as the global recession bites, the four Bric nations are showing a growing willingness to work together."

•  Os analistas dizem que, à medida que a recessão global se agrava, os quatro países do Bric mostram uma vontade crescente de trabalhar em conjunto.

23 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

The phrase "stopped short of" in paragraph 1 means

(A) made short work of.
(B) took a short cut to.
(C) halted in its tracks over.
(D) went over the top in.
(E) did not go so far as.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  E 
TÓPICO - RELAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA ENTRE EXPRESSÕES DO TEXTO & EXPRESSÃO IDIOMÁTICA:

A frase "stopped short of" no parágrafo 1 significa

(A) made short work of. – fez pouco trabalho.

(B) took a short cut to. – pegou um atalho
(C) halted in its tracks over. – parou no meio do caminho.
(D) went over the top in. – passou por cima.
(E) did not go so far as. – não foi até certo ponto.

➭ TRECHO QUE JUSTIFICA A RESPOSTA:

• "[...] In June this year, the BRICs, the world's newest economic grouping, ended their first major summit by calling for a stable, predictable and more diversified international monetary system. But the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China, stopped short of criticising the world's dominant currency, the US dollar."

• Em Junho deste ano, os BRICs, o mais novo grupo econômico do mundo, terminaram a sua primeira grande cimeira apelando a um sistema monetário internacional estável, previsível e mais diversificado. Mas os líderes do Brasil, Rússia, Índia e China DECIDIRAM PARAR DE criticar a moeda dominante no mundo, o dólar americano.

➧EXPRESSÃO IDIOMÁTICA: "stop short of" = "decidir parar de fazer algo" ou "parar antes de alguma coisa".

• stop short of criticising = decidir parar de criticar.

• I stopped short of telling him the brutal truth. – Parei de contar a ele a verdade brutal.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/

24 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

The most suitable headline for this text would be

(A) BRICs attack the falling dollar.

(B) BRICs summit advocates financial stability.

(C) Emerging nations seek to set up new financial union.
(D) BRICs in disarray over financial crisis.
(E) Nations favour increased powers for the World Bank.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  B 
TÓPICO - IDENTIFICAÇÃO DO TÍTULO DO TEXTO:

O título mais adequado para este texto seria

(A) BRICs attack the falling dollar. – Os BRICs atacam o dólar decadente.

(B) BRICs summit advocates financial stability. – A conferência dos BRICs defende a estabilidade financeira.

(C) Emerging nations seek to set up new financial union. – Os países emergentes buscam a criação de nova união financeira.
(D) BRICs in disarray over financial crisis. – Os BRICs em desordem por causa da crise financeira.
(E) Nations favour increased powers for the World Bank. – Os favores das Nações aumentaram poderes para o Banco Mundial.

➭ TRECHO QUE JUSTIFICA A RESPOSTA:

• "[...] In June this year, the BRICs, the world's newest economic grouping, ended their first major summit by calling for a stable, predictable and more diversified international monetary system."

• Em junho deste ano, os BRICs, o mais novo agrupamento econômico do mundo, encerrou sua primeira grande cúpula reivindicando um sistema monetário internacional estável, previsível e mais diversificado. 

❑ TEXTO 2: Your answers to questions 25-30 must be based on the text below entitled "Brazil boosts the dollar".

Brazil boosts the dollar

      

How long can the run on the dollar continue? Last year’s dollar slump, with its attendant rise in commodity prices, ended when the market put paid to it. This time governments are attempting to slow it down. But it is not, as widely expected, the US government that is doing this. Instead, the Canadian dollar dropped sharply on Tuesday after the Bank of Canada issued a warning over the currency’s recent strength. Brazil's government went further, imposing capital controls to stop the real gaining at the dollar’s expense. Other countries, it appears, have more to lose from a weak dollar than the US does.

2           

Perhaps as a result, there was a day’s pause in the trade that has seen the dollar hit 14-month lows while oil, denominated in dollars, briefly hit $80 a barrel before falling. Brazil’s imposition of a 2 per cent tax on capital infl ows, to both stocks and bonds, showed strong intent. This move brought the real, which has risen 54.5 per cent against the dollar since its nadir, down by 3.8 per cent. The Bovespa stock index, which has tripled since its low, fell 7.5 per cent in dollar terms at one point.
        

Brazil evidently fears that an overpriced real could endanger its recovery. Other exporters will be watching closely.

(Source: the Financial Times October 20- www.ft.com, adapted)

25 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

The title of the article suggests that the Brazilian government

(A) intends to promote the value of the dollar.
(B) is behaving imprudently.
(C) has taken action to deflate the dollar.
(D) has decided to shun the dollar.
(E) is concerned about the over-valued dollar.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  A 
TÓPICO - RELAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA ENTRE PARTES DO TEXTO:

O título do artigo (Brasil impulsiona o dólar) sugere que o governo brasileiro

(A) intends to promote the value of the dollar. – pretende promover a valorização do dólar.
(B) is behaving imprudently. – está se comportando de maneira imprudente.
(C) has taken action to deflate the dollar. – tomou medidas para deflacionar o dólar.
(D) has decided to shun the dollar. – decidiu evitar o dólar.
(E) is concerned about the over-valued dollar. – está preocupado com o dólar sobrevalorizado.

26 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

According to the text, last year the US currency

(A) first rose, then fell when commodity prices were slashed.
(B) outstripped both the Canadian dollar and the Brazilian real.
(C) remained stable, despite fears of a market crisis.
(D) first fell, then stabilized after commodity prices went up.
(E) remained unaffected by the financial crisis.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  D 
TÓPICO - RELAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA ENTRE PARTES DO TEXTO:

Segundo o texto, no ano passado a moeda norte-americana

(A) first rose, then fell when commodity prices were slashed. – primeiro subiu, depois caiu quando os preços das commodities foram reduzidos.
(B) outstripped both the Canadian dollar and the Brazilian real. – superou o dólar canadense e o real brasileiro.
(C) remained stable, despite fears of a market crisis. – permaneceu estável, apesar dos temores de uma crise de mercado.
(D) first fell, then stabilized after commodity prices went up. – primeiro caiu, depois se estabilizou depois que os preços das commodities subiram.
(E) remained unaffected by the financial crisis. – não foi afetada pela crise financeira.

➭ TRECHO QUE JUSTIFICA A RESPOSTA:

• "[...] How long can the run on the dollar continue? Last year’s dollar slump, with its attendant rise in commodity prices, ended when the market put paid to it."

• Por quanto tempo a corrida ao dólar pode continuar? A queda do dólar do ano passado, com o consequente aumento dos preços das matérias-primas, terminou quando o mercado a pôs fim.

27 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

Compared to Canada, according to the text, Brazil

(A) showed more impressive signs of financial recovery.
(B) intervened to protect its own currency.
(C) took more drastic action to stem the fall in the dollar.
(D) gave sharp warning over rising oil prices.
(E) watched the Canadian dollar rise with mild optimism.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  C 
TÓPICO - RELAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA ENTRE PARTES DO TEXTO:

Comparado ao Canadá, segundo o texto, o Brasil

(A) showed more impressive signs of financial recovery. – deu sinais mais impressionantes de recuperação financeira.
(B) intervened to protect its own currency. – interveio para proteger sua própria moeda.
(C) took more drastic action to stem the fall in the dollar. – tomou medidas mais drásticas para conter a queda do dólar.
(D) gave sharp warning over rising oil prices. – deu um alerta agudo/acentuado sobre a alta dos preços do petróleo.
(E) watched the Canadian dollar rise with mild optimism. – assistiu à valorização do dólar canadense com otimismo leve.

➭ TRECHO QUE JUSTIFICA A RESPOSTA:

• "[...] How long can the run on the dollar continue? Last year’s dollar slump, with its attendant rise in commodity prices, ended when the market put paid to it."

• Por quanto tempo a corrida ao dólar pode continuar? A queda do dólar do ano passado, com o consequente aumento dos preços das matérias-primas, terminou quando o mercado a pôs fim.

28 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

The writer claims that Canada and Brazil both appeared to show

(A) little concern about the falling value of the dollar.
(B) more concern than the US over the weakness of the dollar.
(C) a benevolent desire to help the US in times of crisis.
(D) an urge to promote the value of their own currencies.
(E) a short-term desire to boost prices on their stock markets.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  B 
TÓPICO - RELAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA ENTRE PARTES DO TEXTO:

O escritor afirma que o Canadá e o Brasil pareciam mostrar

(A) little concern about the falling value of the dollar. – pouca preocupação com a queda de valor do dólar.
(B) more concern than the US over the weakness of the dollar. – mais preocupação do que os EUA sobre a fraqueza do dólar.
(C) a benevolent desire to help the US in times of crisis. – um desejo benevolente de ajudar os EUA em tempos de crise.
(D) an urge to promote the value of their own currencies. – um desejo de promover o valor de suas próprias moedas.
(E) a short-term desire to boost prices on their stock markets. – um desejo à curto prazo para aumentar os preços em seus mercados de ações.

➭ TRECHO QUE JUSTIFICA A RESPOSTA:

• "[...] Other countries, it appears, have more to lose from a weak dollar than the US does."

• Outros países, ao que parece, têm mais a perder com um dólar fraco do que os EUA tem.

29 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

The result of the new Brazilian tax on investments was

(A) a rise of 54.5% in the value of the dollar.
(B) a fall of 2% on the Brazilian stock market.
(C) a drop of 7.5% in the dollar against the real.
(D) an increase to $80 in the price of a barrel of oil.
(E) a decrease of 3.8% in the value of the real.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  E 
TÓPICO - RELAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA ENTRE PARTES DO TEXTO:

The result of the new Brazilian tax on investments was

(A) a rise of 54.5% in the value of the dollar. – uma alta de 54,5% no valor do dólar. (Segundo o texto, 54.5% foi um aumento do real e não do dólar.)

(B) a fall of 2% on the Brazilian stock market. – uma queda de 2% no mercado de ações brasileiro. (Segundo o texto, 2% foi um imposto sobre os fluxos de capital, tanto para ações quanto para títulos)
(C) a drop of 7.5% in the dollar against the real. – uma queda de 7,5% do dólar em relação ao real. (Segundo o texto, 7,5% foi a queda no índece Bovespa.)

(D) an increase to $80 in the price of a barrel of oil. – um aumento de US$ 80 no preço do barril de petróleo. (Segundo o texto, o barril 'atingiu $80' e não 'aumento de $80'.)

(E) a decrease of 3.8% in the value of the real. – uma diminuição de 3,8% no valor do real.

➭ TRECHO QUE JUSTIFICA A RESPOSTA:

• "[...] This move brought the real... down by 3.8 per cent."

• Este movimento levou o real a cair 3,8%.

30 – (ESAF-2009-RECEITA FEDERAL-ANALISTA TRIBUTÁRIO)

The cause of Brazilian government action, according to the text, is concern

(A) about aggressive action by other exporting countries.
(B) that there could be a dangerous run on its stock market.
(C) to keep pace with Canada in attacking the US currency.
(D) that its economic recovery could be harmed by an over-priced real.
(E) to avoid the overheating of its economy in the short term.

 👍  Comentários e Gabarito  D 
TÓPICO - RELAÇÃO SEMÂNTICA ENTRE PARTES DO TEXTO:

A causa da ação do governo brasileiro, segundo o texto, é a preocupação

(A) about aggressive action by other exporting countries. – com a ação agressiva de outros países exportadores
(B) that there could be a dangerous run on its stock market. – de que lá poderia haver uma corrida perigosa em seu mercado de ações.)
(C) to keep pace with Canada in attacking the US currency. – proceder no mesmo ritmo com o Canadá ao atacar a moeda americana.
(D) that its economic recovery could be harmed by an over-priced real. – de que a recuperação econômica possa ser prejudicada por um real sobrevalorizado.
(E) to avoid the overheating of its economy in the short term. – em evitar o superaquecimento de sua economia no curto prazo.

➭ TRECHO QUE JUSTIFICA A RESPOSTA:

• "[...] Brazil evidently fears that an overpriced real could endanger its recovery."

• O Brasil evidentemente teme que um real supervalorizado possa pôr em perigo a sua recuperação.

CESPE/UnB – 2004 – DIPLOMATA – CACD – 1ª FASE – TPS – LÍNGUA INGLESA – CONCURSO DE ADMISSÃO À CARREIRA DE DIPLOMATA – PROVA COM GABARITO.

Welcome back to another post!

➧ PROVA DE LÍNGUA INGLESA: CESPE/UnB-2004-MRE-DIPLOMATA-TPS-CACD-20/03/2004.

➧ ESTRUTURA-TPS 2010-TESTE DE PRÉ-SELEÇÃO:

➭ 20 True False Questions.

➭ Text (1) – (7 questions) – A taxing battle | Finance & economics. 

➭ Text (2) – (3 questions) – Finance & economics.

➭ Text (3) – (6 questions) – Environmental Issues.

➭ Text (4) – (4 questions) – International Relations.

➧ PROVA:

➧ TEXT I: items 01 to 07

A taxing battle

           

Nobody wants to pay taxes. No wonder, then, that so many companies spend so much effort trying to avoid them. Almost every big corporate scandal of recent years, from Enron to Parmalat, has involved tax-dodging in one form or another.
           
In the latest revelation on January 26th, Dick Thornburgh, the man appointed to look at the collapse of World-Com, released a report claiming that, as well as the slew of other crooked dealings of which the bankrupted telecoms company is guilty, it also bilked the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes through a tax shelter cooked up by KPMG, its auditor.
           
Tax authorities around the world rightly fret that such cases are the tip of a large iceberg, and they are starting to act. In America, home to many of the best-known corporate-tax scams of recent years, the Bush administration has announced a series of anti-tax-dodging measures in its new budget, which will be presented to Congress on February 2nd, including an extra $300 million to boost enforcement and the shutting of corporate-tax dodges that could bring in, it reckons, up to $45 billion over the next ten years.

The Economist, January 31st - February 6th, 2004, p.71

(with adaptations).

Judge if each item below presents a correct rewriting of the information contained in lines 6 to 12 of text I.

01. In the latest revelation on 26th January, Dick Thornburgh, the man nominated to examine the fall of World-Com, delivered a report saying that, as well as a lot of other dishonest transactions of which the insolvent telecoms company is blameworthy, it also swindled the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) out of hundreds of millions of dollars in taxes by means of a tax shelter dishonestly invented by KPMG, its auditor.

02. In the last revelation on January 26th, Dick Thornburgh, the man accredited to look into the breach of World-Com, reported that, as well as a slew of other false dealings for which the undermined telecoms companies are to be criticised, it also defrauded the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of heaps of dollars through a tax cover created by KPMG, its accountant.

03. In the latest revelation, Dick Thornburgh, the man in charge of evaluating the failure of World-Com, issued hearsay evidence stating that, not only many other crooked dealings are to be attributed to broken telecoms company, but that it also deprived the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) of great sums of dollars using a tax device invented by KPMG, its auditor.

Still in relation to text I, judge the following items.

04. The expression "fret that such cases are the tip of a large iceberg" (L13-14) means that many other similar cases have been found.

05. The substitution of the phrase "slew of" (L.9) and the verb "boost" (L.19) by mess of and soar respectively would keep the same semantic and syntactic relations as those presented in the text.

06. The author’s purpose is to show that governments around the world are scrabbling for scarce corporate taxes.

07. According to the graph, from 1970 to 2001, accumulated corporate income tax receipts in North American countries displayed better results than the European ones.

➧ TEXT II: items 08 to 10.        

The world’s major economies are __Ø__  and 2004 looks likely to be the best growth year for the United States since the tech bubble __Ù__. There are signs that Japan and Germany may finally be turning the corner after years of __Ú__. Yet doubt still hangs over the big economies like a cloud, producing an increasingly joyless recovery. As global chieftains gather this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos to mull over the theme of prosperity and security, they are finding that prosperity is returning most brightly outside the major markets, in places like China, Southeast Asia and even parts of Latin America and Africa. There is still plenty of talk of bubbles and overheating in some emerging markets, but not all markets are created equal, and a pack of bulls believes a new golden age is falling on these countries as a whole. “This is turning out to be the best period for emerging markets since 1993,” says Ruchir Sharma, co-head of global emerging markets at Morgan Stanley.
           
The economic forecasters back up the bulls. Southeast Asia is predicted to grow faster than 6 percent, Russia and Poland more than 5 percent, Africa better than 4 percent, and even beleaguered Latin America is expected to rise above 3 percent. According to Global Insight’s research, the growth rebound will be most dramatic in current or former pariah economies: Venezuela will snap back from a 10 percent recession in 2003 to top 5 percent this year, and growth in war-torn Iraq will jump from negative 21.2 percent to a positive 39.7 percent.

Newsweek, January 26th, 2004

(with adaptations).

Considering the ideas and expressions found in text II, judge the following items.

08. Blanks numbered Ø, Ù and Ú can be properly filled in with picking up, burst and sluggishness respectively.

09. From the text, it can be inferred that the global recovery is oddly joyless in big markets, newly confident in emerging ones.

10. According to the economic forecasters, in 2004 Southeast Asia will grow faster than Russia, which will grow more than Africa and Latin America. Venezuela will decrease 5 percent this year and Iraq will jump 60.9 percent from 2003 to 2004.

➧ TEXT III: items 11 to 16.

Every year forests four times the size of Switzerland are1 lost because of clearing and degradation. In the 1980s, an average of 38 million acres of tropical forest were destroyed each year, those trends have shown no signs of decreasing in the4 1990s. Subsistence farming, unsustainable logging, unsound development of large-scale industrial projects, and national policies that distort markets and subsidize forest conversion to other uses are causing deforestation worldwide, from Cambodia to Colombia, from Cameroon to Western Canada and the Western United States.

          
The loss of forests has major implications for the world. Forests are home to 70 percent of all land-living animals and plants. They replenish the Earth’s atmosphere and provide the planet with fresh air by storing carbon and producing oxygen. They help filter pollution out of the water and protect against flooding, mudslides and erosion. Forests provide timber, medicines, food, and jobs.
            
The United States has an enormous stake in the sustainable management of the world’s forests. We are a major forest products importer and exporter. Our growing pharmaceutical and food processing industries have a vested interest in protecting the source materials for new medicines, pharmaceuticals, and food additives. Forests and their ability to absorb carbon dioxide lower the rate of global climate change.
            
The President of the United States has committed to the goal of achieving sustainable management of our forests by the year 2004.  And the State Department and other agencies have been working closely with our global partners to slow deforestation around the world.

Document from the US State Department (with adaptations).

In relation to the text above, judge the following items.

11. In line 6, the word "unsound" means unheard.

12. In line 13, the word "replenish" is synonymous with fill up.

13. In line 18, the  phrase  "an enormous stake" indicates that the United States is facing huge financial losses to keep up the sustainable management of the world’s forests.

14. In lines 21-22, the phrase "a vested interest in protecting" can be correctly replaced by a particular reason to protect.

15. The text can be associated with the following statement: The leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations.

16. The main idea of the text can be correctly said to be: The problem of deforestation seems to overcome the human capability of finding a final solution to it. Lots of economic interests prevail over the unquestionable need to control the sensible use of the forests worldwide. Forest management turns out to be a crucial factor not only for rural but also for urban life. The effect of the pharmaceutical industry on forest resources is rather alarming, and that is the reason why the USA is so keen on trying to maintain the sustainable management of the world’s forests.

➧ TEXT IV: items 17 to 20.

Israel is in the dock again. The International Court of1 Justice (ICJ) is investigating the legality of the security fence b

eing raised on the West Bank. Even a number of Israel’s traditional friends are alarmed by the policy. Some worry that the fence will harm the Palestinian economy, cutting off workers from their factories and farms. Others see it as an attempt to extend Israel’s border beyond its pre-1967 limit and feel that such walls have no place in the modern world.
            
These are major objections and they deserve to be answered separately. First, though, it is worth asking why this question should have come before the Hague judges at all. The ICJ is not a supreme court; it is an arbitration panel. It provides a mechanism whereby two states can, by mutual agreement, refer a dispute to third-party lawyers. By sending this case to the Hague, the UN is striking at the principle of territorial jurisdiction that ultimately underpins diplomatic relations. That principle is already threatened by the European courts at Strasbourg and Luxembourg, and by the refusal of Spanish and Belgian judges to recognise national sovereignty. We are slowly returning to the pre-modern idea that lawmakers need not be accountable to the people, but rather to abstract ideals.
            
Faced with a choice between international disapprobation and more Israeli deaths, Mr Sharon has understandably opted for the former. He believes that the fence would have prevented yesterday’s atrocity in Jerusalem, and he is almost certainly right. Gaza is already cordoned off, and no Palestinian terrorists have penetrated the barrier in the past three years (although two British Muslims were able to do so on the strength of their UK passports).

Daily Telegraph,

London, February 23rd, 2004
(with adaptations).

Concerning the text above, judge the following items.

17. In line 1, the phrase "in the dock" means accused in court, and, in line 16, "underpins" can be correctly replaced by supports.

18. In the text, the original phrase "should have come before the Hague judges at all" (R.11) can be correctly replaced by should have come before the Hague judges in the first place.

19. The verbal phrase "striking at"(R.15) indicates that the UN is striving to establish the principle of territorial jurisdicition.

20. It is correct to conclude from the text that its author seems to favour Mr Sharon’s decision to raise a fence on the West Bank, despite the reaction of some Israel’s traditional friends. Although the author himself refers to some points which could have negative effects on the Palestinians, he does not show a counterargument to them.