FCC 2009 – MPE/SE – ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS – LÍNGUA INGLESA

❑ PROVA DE LÍNGUA INGLESA: FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS.

https://www.fcc.org.br/fcc/

❑ ESTRUTURA-PROVA:

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

• Text (1) – | Worm Infects Millions of Computers Worldwide | The New York Times |

• Text (2) – | How the Itanium Killed the Computer Industry | PCMAG.COM |

❑ TEXTO 1:

❑ GABARITO:

01-C, 02-E, 03-D, 04-B, 05-B

06-D, 07-C, 08-E, 09-A, 10-B

❑ TEXT 1: Para responder às questões de números 11 a 16, considere o texto a seguir.

January 23, 2009

Worm Infects Millions of Computers Worldwide

By JOHN MARKOFF

January 23, 2009

A new digital plague has hit the Internet, infecting millions of personal and business computers in what seems to be the first step of a multistage attack. The world’s leading computer security experts do not yet know who programmed the infection, or what the next stage will be.

In recent weeks a worm, a malicious software program, has swept through corporate, educational and public computer networks around the world. Known as Conficker or Downandup, it is spread by a recently discovered Microsoft Windows vulnerability, by guessing network passwords and by hand-carried consumer gadgets like USB keys.

Experts say it is the __11__ infection since the Slammer worm exploded through the Internet in January 2003, and it may have infected as many as nine million personal computers around the world.

Worms like Conficker not only ricochet around the Internet at lightning speed, they harness infected computers into unified systems called botnets, which can then accept programming instructions from their clandestine masters.

Many computer users may not notice that their machines have been infected, and computer security researchers said they were waiting for the instructions to materialize, to determine what impact the botnet will have on PC users. It might operate in the background, using the infected computer to send spam or infect other computers, or it might steal the PC user’s personal information.

Microsoft rushed an emergency patch to defend the Windows operating systems against this vulnerability in October, yet the worm has continued to spread even as the level of warnings has grown in recent weeks.

Earlier this week, security researchers at Qualys, a Silicon Valley security firm, estimated that about 30 percent of Windows-based computers attached to the Internet remain vulnerable to infection because they have not been updated with the patch, despite the fact that it was made available in October.

Unraveling the program has been particularly challenging because it comes with encryption mechanisms that hide its internal workings from those seeking to disable it.

The program uses an elaborate shell-game-style technique to permit someone to command it remotely. Each day it generates a new list of 250 domain names. Instructions from any one of these domain names would be obeyed. To control the botnet, an attacker would need only to register a single domain to send instructions to the botnet globally, greatly complicating the task of law enforcement and security companies trying to intervene and block the activation of the botnet.

Several computer security firms said that although Conficker appeared to have been written from scratch, it had parallels to the work of a suspected Eastern European criminal gang that has profited by sending programs known as “scareware” to personal computers that seem to warn users of an infection and ask for credit card numbers to pay for bogus antivirus software that actually further infects their computer.

One intriguing clue left by the malware authors is that the first version of the program checked to see if the computer had a Ukrainian keyboard layout. If it found it had such a keyboard, it would not infect the machine, according to Phillip Porras, a security investigator at SRI International who has disassembled the program to determine how it functioned. 

(Adapted from The New York Times)

11 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

A palavra que preenche corretamente a lacuna é

(A) well.

(B) best.

(C) better.

(D) worse.

(E) worst.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  E 

TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

*Alternativa (A): well.(bem)(advérbio e não se encaixa contextualmente)

*Alternativa (B): best.(melhor)("the best" superlativo de "good", mas não cabe contextualmente.)

*Alternativa (C): better.(melhor)("better" comparativo de "good".

*Alternativa (D): worse.(pior)(comparativo de "bad")

*Alternativa (E): worst.(pior)(superlativo de "bad")

➧IDEIA CONTEXTUAL: caso típico de superlativo, onde se quer destacar: "a pior infecção".

"[...] Experts say it is the __11__ infection since the Slammer worm exploded through the Internet in January 2003, and it may have infected as many as nine million personal computers around the world."

(Os especialistas dizem que esta é a infecção __11__ desde que o worm Slammer explodiu através da Internet em janeiro de 2003 e pode ter infectado até nove milhões de computadores pessoais pelo mundo.") 

12 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

De acordo com o texto,

(A) ainda não se sabe qual será o alcance da ação do Conficker.

(B) o antivírus emergencial da Microsoft reduziu em 30% a ação do Conficker.

(C) o vírus só não afetou computadores em rede.

(D) qualquer usuário percebe imediatamente que seu computador foi infectado pelo Conficker.

(E) já se pode antecipar como será o próximo ataque do Conficker.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  A 
TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

(A) ainda não se sabe qual será o alcance da ação do Conficker.

(B) o antivírus emergencial da Microsoft reduziu em 30% a ação do Conficker.

(C) o vírus só não afetou computadores em rede.

(D) qualquer usuário percebe imediatamente que seu computador foi infectado pelo Conficker.

(E) já se pode antecipar como será o próximo ataque do Conficker.

13 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

A palavra que pode substituir yet (6o parágrafo), no texto, sem alteração de sentido, é

(A) still.

(B) therefore.

(C) however.

(D) although.

(E) despite.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  C 
TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

(A) still.

(B) therefore.

(C) however.

(D) although.

(E) despite.

14 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

Segundo o texto, sabe-se que o Conficker

(A) não se espalha por meio de pendrives.

(B) preservou computadores cujo teclado tem configuração ucraniana.

(C) tem o objetivo de roubar informações pessoais dos usuários.

(D) pretende usar o computador infectado para enviar spams.

(E) já infectou mais de 9 milhões de computadores só nos Estados Unidos.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  B 
TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

Segundo o texto, sabe-se que o Conficker

(A) não se espalha por meio de pendrives.

(B) preservou computadores cujo teclado tem configuração ucraniana.

(C) tem o objetivo de roubar informações pessoais dos usuários.

(D) pretende usar o computador infectado para enviar spams.

(E) já infectou mais de 9 milhões de computadores só nos Estados Unidos.

15 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

O Conficker, segundo o texto,

(A) já está sendo atualizado para bloquear a ação do antivírus lançado pela Microsoft.

(B) é um vírus que se espalha lentamente, mas de forma muito intensa.

(C) não é tão pernicioso quanto o Slammer.

(D) continua se espalhando, apesar do crescente nível de alertas já disparados.

(E) só se instala quando um anexo for executado pelos usuários.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  D 
TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

O Conficker, segundo o texto,

(A) já está sendo atualizado para bloquear a ação do antivírus lançado pela Microsoft.

(B) é um vírus que se espalha lentamente, mas de forma muito intensa.

(C) não é tão pernicioso quanto o Slammer.

(D) continua se espalhando, apesar do crescente nível de alertas já disparados.

(E) só se instala quando um anexo for executado pelos usuários.

16 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

Segundo o texto,

(A) Philip Porras foi quem descobriu que o programa funciona como um shell-game.

(B) o Conficker é um programa sem nenhum similar.

(C) o Conficker já tem registrados 250 domínios diferentes.

(D) a forma de atuação do Conficker dificulta a ação das empresas de segurança digital.

(E) o scareware é um alarme falso de infecção de vírus, sem maiores consequências.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  D 
TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

(A) Philip Porras foi quem descobriu que o programa funciona como um shell-game.

(B) o Conficker é um programa sem nenhum similar.

(C) o Conficker já tem registrados 250 domínios diferentes.

(D) a forma de atuação do Conficker dificulta a ação das empresas de segurança digital.

(E) o scareware é um alarme falso de infecção de vírus, sem maiores consequências.

❑ TEXT 2: Para responder às questões de números 17 a 20, considere o texto a seguir.

Title:_____________ 

January 26, 2009

By John C. Dvorak

It's no coincidence that the computer industry peaked around the year 2000, went into a serious decline, stabilized at the low point a couple of years ago, and has since collapsed again.

A confluence of reasons is responsible for this, but when it comes to the industry bringing this on itself, one major event may have taken down the entire business.

I'm speaking about the announcement of the Itanium processor. This continues to be one of the great fiascos of the last 50 years, and not because Intel blew too much money on its development or that the chip performed poorly and will never be widely adopted. It was the reaction and subsequent consolidation in the industry that took place once this grandiose chip was preannounced.

We heard that HP, IBM, Dell, and even Sun Microsystems would use these chips and discontinue anything else they were developing. This included Sun making noise about dropping the SPARC chip for this thing — sight unseen. I say "sight unseen" because it would be years before the chip was even prototyped. The entire industry just took Intel at its word that Itanium would work as advertised in a PowerPoint presentation.

Because this chip was supposed to radically change the way computers work and become the driving force behind all systems in the future, one promising project after another was dropped. Why? Because Itanium was the future for all computing. Why bother wasting money on good ideas that didn't include it?

The failure of this chip to do anything more than exist as a niche processor sealed the fate of Intel — and perhaps the entire industry, since from 1997 to 2001 everyone waited for the messiah of chips to take us all to the next level.

It did that all right. It took us to the next level. But we didn't know that the next level was below us, not above.

(Adapted from PCMAG.COM)

17 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

Um título adequado para o texto acima seria

(A) Intel Pushes Back Itanium Chip.

(B) The Itanium Processor − Here to Stay?

(C) Stop the Presses − Here Comes the Itanium Processor.

(D) The Day After Itanium − The Computer Industry’s Revival.

(E) How the Itanium Killed the Computer Industry.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  E 

18 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

One could summarize the first paragraph by saying that the computer industry

(A) is envisaging a period of recovery.

(B) has been on a decade-long down cycle.

(C) has had its ups and downs since the year 2000.

(D) reached its lowest point in 2008.

(E) is now on the verge of a collapse.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  B 
TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

One could summarize the first paragraph by saying that the computer industry

(A) is envisaging a period of recovery.

(B) has been on a decade-long down cycle.

(C) has had its ups and downs since the year 2000.

(D) reached its lowest point in 2008.

(E) is now on the verge of a collapse.

19 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

Segundo o autor do texto, a razão principal do fiasco do processador de Itanium deve-se a fato de

(A) toda a indústria da informática ter cancelado seus projetos em função do que o processador prometia ser.

(B) a Intel ter superestimado o mercado que usaria seu produto.

(C) o produto não ter tido o desempenho esperado.

(D) a indústria da informática ter-se recusado a usar o processador em seus produtos.

(E) a Intel não ter podido levar o projeto a cabo por ter estourado seu orçamento.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  A 

20 – (FCC-2009-MPE/SE-ANALISTA DE SISTEMAS)

No texto, a expressão it would be years before the chip was even prototyped significa que

(A) assim que o protótipo ficou pronto, o chip passou a ser produzido.

(B) passaram-se anos e nem o protótipo do chip foi produzido.

(C) o protótipo do chip levaria anos para ser produzido.

(D) poucos anos se passaram antes da produção do protótipo do chip.

(E) o chip propriamente dito foi produzido poucos anos após o protótipo.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  C 

FCC 2009 – TRE/PI – TÉCNICO JUDICIÁRIO – LÍNGUA INGLESA

www.inglesparaconcursos.blog.br

❑ PROVA DE LÍNGUA INGLESA:

• FCC-2009-Tribunal Regional Eleitoral do Piauí-TÉCNICO JUDICIÁRIO-01/07/2009.

www.concursosfcc.com.br

❑ ESTRUTURA-PROVA:

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

• Texto – | China Orders Patches to Planned Web Filter| The New York Times |

❑ TEXTO: Para responder às questões de números 66 a 70 considere o texto a seguir.

June 16, 2009

China Orders Patches to Planned Web Filter

By EDWARD WONG

BEIJING − A designer of censorship software that the Chinese government requires to be preinstalled on computers sold in China has been ordered to fix potential security breaches in the software, the newspaper China Daily reported Monday. The report was an indication that the government still supports use of the software _[CONNECTOR]_ heated debate over it.

The software, called Green Dam-Youth Escort, has come under attack by many computer users in China for both political and technical reasons.

Critics say that although the Chinese government insists that the software will be used only to block access to pornography Web sites, the software’s actual use will be to block any site with content deemed politically objectionable, like the Tibet issue or the 1989 Tiananmen killings.

The government says all computers sold in China must have the software installed by July 1.

Early reports had indicated that the government might simply require Green Dam to be included on a CD packaged with new computers, so users would have the option to install it. But it became apparent last week that the government was insisting that all computer makers preinstall the software by July 1. Foreign computer makers learned of the directive just three weeks ago and have been asking the Chinese government to reconsider the rules.

Some computer experts who have studied the software said last week that it was so flawed that it could allow hackers to monitor a user’s Internet activity, steal personal data or plant viruses. One expert, J. Alex Halderman, a computer science professor at the University of Michigan, has posted on the Internet a report on Green Dam’s vulnerabilities.

Rather than agreeing to scrap the software altogether, the Chinese government has responded to the technical criticisms by ordering that the potential security breaches be eliminated.

Mr. Halderman said in an interview last week that it had only taken a few hours for him and his students to infiltrate a computer loaded with Green Dam and force it to crash. A skilled hacker could take over the computer to mine personal data or hitch it to other infected machines in a malevolent network known as a botnet, he added.

(Adapted from The New York Times, June 16, 2009)

❑ TRADUÇÃO-TEXTO:

China Orders Patches to Planned Web Filter

China encomenda patches para filtro da Web planejado

By EDWARD WONG

BEIJING − A designer of censorship software that the Chinese government requires to be preinstalled on computers sold in China has been ordered to fix potential security breaches in the software, the newspaper China Daily reported Monday. PEQUIM - Um designer de software de censura que o governo chinês exige que seja pré-instalado em computadores vendidos na China recebeu ordens para corrigir possíveis falhas de segurança no software, informou o jornal China Daily na segunda-feira.

The report was an indication that the government still supports use of the software _[CONNECTOR]_ heated debate over it. O relatório foi uma indicação de que o governo ainda apoia o uso do software _[CONNECTOR]_ debate acalorado sobre ele.

The software, called Green Dam-Youth Escort, has come under attack by many computer users in China for both political and technical reasons. O software, chamado Green Dam-Youth Escort, tem sido atacado por muitos usuários de computador na China por razões políticas e técnicas.

Critics say that although the Chinese government insists that the software will be used only to block access to pornography Web sites, the software’s actual use will be to block any site with content deemed politically objectionable, like the Tibet issue or the 1989 Tiananmen killings. Os críticos dizem que, embora o governo chinês insista que o software será usado apenas para bloquear o acesso a sites pornográficos, a utilização real do software será bloquear qualquer site com conteúdo considerado politicamente censurável, como a questão do Tibete ou os assassinatos de Tiananmen em 1989.

The government says all computers sold in China must have the software installed by July 1. O governo diz que todos os computadores vendidos na China devem ter o software instalado até 1º de julho.

Early reports had indicated that the government might simply require Green Dam to be included on a CD packaged with new computers, so users would have the option to install it. Os primeiros relatórios indicavam que o governo poderia simplesmente exigir que o Green Dam fosse incluído em um CD que acompanhasse os novos computadores, para que os usuários tivessem a opção de instalá-lo. 

But it became apparent last week that the government was insisting that all computer makers preinstall the software by July 1. Mas tornou-se evidente na semana passada que o governo estava a insistir que todos os fabricantes de computadores pré-instalassem o software até 1 de Julho.

Foreign computer makers learned of the directive just three weeks ago and have been asking the Chinese government to reconsider the rules. Os fabricantes estrangeiros de computadores tomaram conhecimento da diretiva há apenas três semanas e têm pedido ao governo chinês que reconsidere as regras.

Some computer experts who have studied the software said last week that it was so flawed that it could allow hackers to monitor a user’s Internet activity, steal personal data or plant viruses. Alguns especialistas em informática que estudaram o software disseram na semana passada que ele era tão falho que poderia permitir que hackers monitorassem a atividade de um usuário na Internet, roubassem dados pessoais ou plantassem vírus.

One expert, J. Alex Halderman, a computer science professor at the University of Michigan, has posted on the Internet a report on Green Dam’s vulnerabilities. Um especialista, J. Alex Halderman, professor de ciência da computação na Universidade de Michigan, publicou na Internet um relatório sobre as vulnerabilidades da Green Dam.

Rather than agreeing to scrap the software altogether, the Chinese government has responded to the technical criticisms by ordering that the potential security breaches be eliminated. Em vez de concordar em eliminar totalmente o software, o governo chinês respondeu às críticas técnicas ordenando que as potenciais violações de segurança fossem eliminadas.

Mr. Halderman said in an interview last week that it had only taken a few hours for him and his students to infiltrate a computer loaded with Green Dam and force it to crash. Halderman disse em uma entrevista na semana passada que levou apenas algumas horas para ele e seus alunos se infiltrarem em um computador carregado com Green Dam e forçá-lo a travar.

A skilled hacker could take over the computer to mine personal data or hitch it to other infected machines in a malevolent network known as a botnet, he added. Um hacker habilidoso poderia assumir o controle do computador para extrair dados pessoais ou associá-los a outras máquinas infectadas em uma rede malévola conhecida como botnet, acrescentou.

66 – (FCC/2009-TRE/PI-TÉCNICO JUDICIÁRIO)

The correct [CONNECTOR] to fill the blank is

(A) however.

(B) since.

(C) while.

(D) despite.

(E) because.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  D :
TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

The correct [CONNECTOR] to fill the blank is

*Alternativa (A): however.(mas)

*Alternativa (B): since.(desde)

*Alternativa (C): while.(enquanto)

*Alternativa (D): despite.(apesar)

*Alternativa (E): because.(porque)

➧IDEIA CONTEXTUAL de contra ponto: DESPITE.

"[...] The report was an indication that the government still supports use of the software _____ heated debate over it."

(O relatório foi uma indicação de que o governo ainda apóia o uso do software, apesar do acalorado debate sobre ele.)

67 – (FCC/2009-TRE/PI-TÉCNICO JUDICIÁRIO)

The meaning of actual in the text is 

(A) further.

(B) present.

(C) real.

(D) up-to-date.

(E) new.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  C :
TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

The meaning of actual in the text is 

*Alternativa (A): further.

*Alternativa (B): present.

*Alternativa (C): real.

*Alternativa (D): up-to-date.

*Alternativa (E): new.

68 – (FCC/2009-TRE/PI-TÉCNICO JUDICIÁRIO)

One can infer from the text that

(A) there is consensus in China about the use of Green Dam.

(B) the Chinese government claims that Green Dam will not be used for political purposes.

(C) the Green Dam has been designed to block chiefly Chinese pornographic sites.

(D) foreign computer makers have refused to preinstall Green dam in their machines.

(E) the Chinese government does not expect users to refuse to install Green Dam.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  B :

TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

One can infer from the text that

*Alternativa (A): there is consensus in China about the use of Green Dam.

*Alternativa (B): the Chinese government claims that Green Dam will not be used for political purposes.

*Alternativa (C): the Green Dam has been designed to block chiefly Chinese pornographic sites.

*Alternativa (D): foreign computer makers have refused to preinstall Green dam in their machines.

*Alternativa (E): the Chinese government does not expect users to refuse to install Green Dam.

 

69 – (FCC/2009-TRE/PI-TÉCNICO JUDICIÁRIO)

According to the text,

(A) China will have Green Dam’s vulnerabilities fixed instead of scrapping it.

(B) Green Dam allows users to keep track of their Internet accesses.

(C) Green Dam is equipped to detect malicious software.

(D) Green Dam’s vulnerabilities have not all been identified yet.

(E) the Chinese government has ordered all technical criticisms to be taken back.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  A :

TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

According to the text,

*Alternativa (A): China will have Green Dam’s vulnerabilities fixed instead of scrapping it.

*Alternativa (B): Green Dam allows users to keep track of their Internet accesses.

*Alternativa (C): Green Dam is equipped to detect malicious software.

*Alternativa (D): Green Dam’s vulnerabilities have not all been identified yet.

*Alternativa (E): the Chinese government has ordered all technical criticisms to be taken back.

 

70 – (FCC/2009-TRE/PI-TÉCNICO JUDICIÁRIO)

Mr.Halderman

(A) has succeeded in eliminating all Green Dam’s security breaches.

(B) has ordered his students to try to create a botnet with a machine loaded with Green Dam.

(C) and his students managed to identify all malicious consequences of using Green Dam.

(D) crashed a machine loaded with Green Dam to prove how skilled his students were.

(E) said that it would be possible to mine a user’s personal data in a computer loaded with Green Dam.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito  E :
TÓPICO - IDEIA CONTEXTUAL ou INFORMAÇÃO DENTRO DO TEXTO:

Mr.Halderman...

*Alternativa (A): has succeeded in eliminating all Green Dam’s security breaches.(conseguiu eliminar todas as violações de segurança de Green Dam.)

*Alternativa (B): has ordered his students to try to create a botnet with a machine loaded with Green Dam.(ordenou que seus alunos tentassem criar um botnet com uma máquina carregada com Green Dam.)

*Alternativa (C): and his students managed to identify all malicious consequences of using Green Dam.(e seus alunos conseguiram identificar todas as consequências maliciosas do uso de Green Dam.)

*Alternativa (D): crashed a machine loaded with Green Dam to prove how skilled his students were.(quebrou uma máquina carregada com Green Dam para provar o quão habilidosos seus alunos eram.)

*Alternativa (E): said that it would be possible to mine a user’s personal data in a computer loaded with Green Dam.(disse que seria possível minerar os dados pessoais de um usuário em um computador carregado com Green Dam.)

FCC 2009 - SEFAZ/SP - AGENTE FISCAL (01/08/2009) - LÍNGUA UNGLESA

👍Neste post, veremos a Prova de INGLÊS - Órgão: SEFAZ-SP - CARGO: Agente Fiscal de Rendas. Aplicada em 03/2009.

➦02 Textos.
➦10 Questões(múltiplas escolhas com 04 alternativas cada, tudo em inglês)

Instruções: Para responder às questões de números 91 a 95, considere o texto a seguir.

State Income-Tax Revenues Sink

By ERICA ALINI

          State income-tax revenue fell 26% in the first four months of 2009 compared to the same period last year, according to a survey of states by the nonprofit Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government.

          The report, conducted by the public-policy research arm of the State University of New York, is one of the most up-todate measures of how deep the recession is digging into Americans' wallets and, consequently, state coffers.

          States are required by law to balance the budget, so lower tax revenues will translate in service cuts, rather than red ink. Already states such as Kansas are slowing the payment of income-tax refunds and delaying payments to local school districts, according to the report.

          Withholdings from the first four months of 2009 were down 6.9% from the same period in 2008, signaling that "many people had a very bad start of the year" with lower salaries and wages, says Don Boyd, a senior fellow at the Rockefeller Institute.

          During April alone, withholding tax collections declined by 2.2 percent compared with 2008. Only five of 37 reporting states had increases in withholding for the January-April months. The five states reporting growth in withholding taxes for the first four months of 2009 are Arkansas, Iowa, North Dakota, West Virginia and Utah. Arizona, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York had the largest declines in withholding tax collections, with over a 10 percent drop for January-April of 2009.

          The time span notably includes the April 15 deadline for filing taxes, a critical time for states to collect revenues.
          The sharp decline was a rude awakening for many states, both because income tax is the main source of revenue and because the drop was deeper than KKKK [VERB] It was steepest in Arizona, South Carolina, Michigan, California and Vermont. Only Utah, Alabama and North Dakota posted gains.

          For most states, the fiscal year starts on July 1, so many were "in the process of dotting i's and crossing t's" in their 2009- 2010 budget agreements when the bad news came. Most states will probably need to square the budget with midyear cuts, the

report predicts.

          The plunge in income-tax revenue means some states may have to revise budget agreements for 2009-2010 and may still face gaping holes in 2011, when federal stimulus money runs out.

Adapted from Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2009)

👉  Questão   91 
Considerando tão-somente o texto, a alternativa que preenche corretamente a lacuna [VERB] é

(A) waited.

(B) hoped for.

(C) wanted.

(D) longed for.

(E) expected.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  91(E) 

*

👉  Questão   92 

No texto, infere-se que rather than red ink significa

(A) melhor do que aumentar a burocracia.

(B) ao contrário do orçamento original.

(C) em vez de entrar no vermelho.

(D) em detrimento de uma economia “cor-de-rosa”.

(E) devido à arrecadação abaixo da esperada.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  92(C) 

*

👉  Questão   93 
O verbo que pertence ao mesmo grupo semântico de sink– fall – decline – drop é

(A) plunge.

(B) dig.

(C) run out.

(D) balance.

(E) collect.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  93(A) 

*

👉  Questão   94 
Segundo o texto,

(A) apesar da crise, o estado do Kansas está mantendo o cronograma de restituições do imposto de renda.

(B) vários estados estão atrasando os pagamentos para os distritos de ensino locais.

(C) New Jersey e New York estão entre os estados que não sofreram queda na arrecadação.

(D) não há correlação entre a crise econômica global e a baixa arrecadação dos cofres públicos.

(E) os estados que não conseguirem equilibrar seus orçamentos poderão, por lei, recorrer à ajuda federal.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  94(B) 

*

👉  Questão   95 
According to the text,

(A) state income tax revenue fell not only because of

lower wages and salaries, but also due to tax

evasion.

(B) in spite of the global recession, US income tax

collections have shown a modest increase in states

like California and Vermont.

(C) income tax withholdings bear no relationship to

citizens’ wages and salaries.

(D) income tax is not the only source of state revenue, but the major one.

(E) although most American sates experienced

considerably lower personal income tax collections in

the first four months of 2009, predictions are that

they will have fully recovered by 2011.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  95(D) 

*

Instruções: Para responder às questões de números 96 a 100,

considere o texto a seguir.

Two Meals and Not Always Square

           With budgets tight, states and local governments have been looking at prisons − and prison food − as a place to save money. Three days a week, Georgia now serves inmates only two meals. And across the country, there have been increasing

reports of substandard food. This is inhumane. Adequate meals should be a nonnegotiable part of a civilized penal system. It is also bad policy. Researchers have found a connection between

poor food quality and discipline problems and violence.

          Georgia has __[CONNECTOR]__ decided to save on staff costs by serving just two meals on Friday, as it already did on Saturday and Sunday. The state says it gives prisoners the same number of calories on days when one meal is skipped. Even if it does − and some prisoners’ advocates are skeptical − it can be oppressive to go so long without eating.

          In Alabama earlier this year, a federal judge ordered the Morgan County sheriff locked up in his own jail for contempt for failing to adequately feed his inmates. Alabama allows sheriffs to keep food money they do not spend, and the sheriff reportedly

pocketed more than $200,000 over three years.

          Prisoners’ rights advocates say they are receiving an increasing number of complaints from inmates nationwide who report being served spoiled or inedible food or inadequate portions. Earlier this year, a riot at Reeves County Detention Center in Texas caused heavy damage to a prison building.

Inmates said it was prompted in part by poor food.

           Cutbacks in food could violate inmates’ constitutional rights, notes Elizabeth Alexander, director of the American Civil Liberties Union’s National Prison Project, if they create a substantial risk of serious harm − a particular concern for

inmates with diabetes and other illnesses.

          If states and localities want to save money on

corrections, they should reduce their prison and jail populations. The United States, which has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, has almost one-quarter of its prisoners. Many are in for nonviolent crimes that could be punished in more constructive, and less costly, ways. If governments decide to put

inmates behind bars, they have to give them adequate food − which means no less than three healthy meals a day.

(Adapted from The New York Times, June 20, 2009)

👉  Questão   96 
A alternativa que preenche corretamente a lacuna [CONNECTOR] é

(A) although.

(B) despite.

(C) therefore.

(D) consequently.

(E) nevertheless.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  96(E) 

*

👉  Questão   97 
In the sentence Adequate meals should be a nonnegotiable part of a civilized penal system, the underlined part means that adequate meals should be

(A) taken for granted.

(B) discussed with inmates.

(C) supervised by a nutrionist.

(D) a disputable part.

(E) non chargeable.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  97(A) 

*

👉  Questão   98 
Evidence for the connection mentioned in the first

paragraph has been provided

(A) nationwide.

(B) in Texas.

(C) in Georgia.

(D) in Alabama.

(E) nowhere.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  98(B) 

*

👉  Questão   99 
According to the text,

(A) Georgia decided to serve only two meals three times a week to save on food costs.

(B) some prisoners’ advocates claim inadequate meals or portions violate inmates’ constitutional rights.

(C) the Morgan County sheriff managed to save

$200,000 on prison food by inadequately feeding his

inmates.

(D) inmates suffering from diabetes or any other serious illnesses should be given special dietary meals.

(E) complaints about prison food have been filed in just a few states so far.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  99(C) 

*

👉  Questão   100 
The text argues that

(A) the US should invest in adequate prison facilities so as to reduce inmates’ violence.

(B) cutbacks in the number of meals are only acceptable

if food quality and calories are not endangered.

(C) prisons which serve spoiled or inedible food to their inmates should be severely punished.

(D) perpetrators of non-violent crimes should not be

imprisoned.

(E) prisons must find less costly ways of looking after

their inmates.

👍 Comentários e Gabarito item  100(D) 

*