Inglês
Fascículo 12
Cláudia Sousa Fernandes
Cléria Ferreira dos Santos
Índice
Practing Reading Skills
Resumo Teórico ..................................................................................................................................1
Exercícios............................................................................................................................................4
Gabarito.............................................................................................................................................7
Practing Reading Skills
Resumo Teórico
Após estudarmos as principais estratégias para ler melhor e de forma mais efetiva e
rápida, vamos à prática. Nesta aula, vamos analisar os tipos de questão mais frequentes nos exames
vestibulares. Muitas revistas e jornais são usados como fontes de textos para a formulação de
questões, dentre elas Newsweek, TIME, Business Week, Fortune, The Economist, Scientific American,
The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Sciences, Science. Adquira o hábito de ler alguns
destes títulos, os quais podem ser obtidos por assinatura ou adquiridos em bancas (newsstands).
Vamos, agora, proceder à análise de algumas questões, com base em textos. O primeiro
texto foi extraído e adaptado da revista TIME – September 11, 2000 Vol. 156 number 11.
Homeschoolers
Homeschooled kids have earned a college of their own – and admission to elite, traditional campuses
By Rebecca Winters
This fall a new college opened its doors to a crop of freshmen that may never have set
foot in a high school. Nearly all will have earned straight A’s, but most will never have SAT through a
lecture. When it welcomed its inaugural class of 80 students in October, Patrick Henry College in
Purcellville, Va., became the first college designed specifically for kids who have been schooled at
home. “When I was a little kid, and my mom told people I was homeschooled, we’d get this blank
look,” says Janice Phillips, who entered Patrick Henry as a sophomore. “Now everyone knows someone
who’s homeschooled.”
Homeschooling’s first wave of graduates is coming of age. And homeschooling has
earned not only a college of its own but also respect from traditional schools, including elite
institutions. More than 1 million students are being schooled at home, and their ranks are growing
about 15% a year, according to the U.S. Department of Education. And though they still account for
only a small fraction of the applicant pool at most colleges, homeschoolers are winning over
admissions officers.
This year Stanford University accepted 26% of the 35 homeschoolers who applied –
nearly double its overall acceptance rate. Twenty-three of this fall’s 572 freshmen at Wheaton College
in Illinois were homeschooled, and their SAT scores average 58 points higher than those of the overall
class. “Often we’re impressed by what someone has done under unusual circumstances,” says Marlyn
McGrath Lewis, director of admissions at Harvard University. “And homeschooling fits the bill.”
The college-admissions environment for homeschoolers wasn’t always so welcoming. As
recently as five years ago, most schools were understandably stumped by applications with teacher
recommendations written by Mom and Dad, lengthy high school transcripts that listed textbooks
instead of courses, and grades that rarely dropped below A’s. “When homeschoolers were applying to
college in the early ‘90s, the schools didn’t know what to make of them,” says Cafi Cohen, 50, who
taught her two children at home and wrote ‘Homeschooling: The Teen Years’. “Now most colleges
have a policy for dealing with them, and some schools are just about rolling out the red carpet.”
Before applying to colleges, homeschoolers often enroll in a course at a local college or in
a summer program at a competitive university to see if they can handle both the academic rigor and
the social distractions of college life. Before their three college-bound, homeschooled children began
making applications, the Heywood family of Durham, N.C., sent each child to a summer program at a
highly ranked school: Oxford University in England or Williams or Amherst College in Massachusetts.
“We chose to educate our kids at home because we weren’t happy with what the local schools had to
offer,” says their father, John Heywood, 55, a retired lawyer. “But now it’s time for them to get out
there on their own, and we know they’ll have a better shot this way.”
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So far the Heywoods are doing just fine: two kids attend Davidson College, a top liberal
arts school in North Carolina, and one has just started at Williams.
⇒ Um exemplo de uma típica questão de compreensão de texto é iniciá-la por According
to the text. É necessário, então, identificar uma informação que seja verdadeira. Outra forma de
introduzir a questão é dizer It is true that....
01. According to the text, most homeschoolers attend a course at an educational institution before
applying to colleges because
a. it is a procedure that homeschoolers must follow in order to be accepted by a college.
b. they will have to take a new series of tests at those institutions.
c. it is useful as a preparation for students, who must face life on campus by themselves.
d. it is necessary to compare both educational approaches.
e. their parents are not happy with the local schools, so they are seeking one out of their state.
A alternativa c é a que melhor expressa a informação dada no início do quinto parágrafo:
“Homeschoolers often enroll in a course at a local college or in a summer program at a
competitive university to see if they can handle both the academic rigor and the social distractions of
college life.” Veja a opinião de John Heywood, pai de um homeschooled: “But now it’s time for them
to get out there on their own...”
Assim, é útil (useful) que o aluno faça um curso em uma intituição de ensino, para
verificar se ele realmente está capacitado para estudar em uma universidade, longe dos pais e com
toda a agitação de um campus.
02. “When I was a little kid, and my mom told people I was homeschooled, we’d get this blank look...”
Through Janice’s words, we can infer that
a. most people did not believe her mother was able to teach her.
b. some years ago it was unusual to teach a child at home, not sending her/him to a regular school.
c. her SAT scores would be lower than those of the overall classes.
d. some people thought that Janice would become troublesome because she would not go to school.
e. she would never be accepted at Stanford University.
⇒ Lembre-se do conceito de inferência. Inferir é tirar uma conclusão lógica com base no
texto lido. Nunca será uma afirmação clara no texto, mas alguma coisa que o leitor consegue ler entre
as linhas ou chegar à essa conclusão. Daí, a melhor resposta é a alternativa b. Naquela época, o fato
de uma família não matricular seus filhos em uma escola regular era unusual (incomum, pouco usual).
Esta informação é confirmada pelo que Janice diz logo depois: “Now everyone knows someone who’s
homeschooled.” Hoje em dia, isso é bastante comum, pois todos conhecem alguém que estuda em
casa.
Veja outro exemplo:
03. Patrick Henry College was the first college designed specifically for homeschooled kids.
Based on this fact, we can conclude that
a. the educational system has accepted and incorporated the new approach, acknowledging its
proficiency and value.
b. regular colleges do not know how to deal with them.
c. elite institutions do not accept them; that’s why a special college was created for that specific
purpose.
d. homeschooled kids need special attention, due to the inefficiency of the approach.
e. college admissions environment is not always welcoming.
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A alternativa que expressa a resposta correta é a. A leitura cuidadosa do texto leva à essa
escolha. Com o passar dos anos, o sistema de homeschooling foi difundido; mais e mais crianças
foram educadas desta forma. Dentro deste processo, uma universidade especialmente criada para eles
somente confirma o sucesso do sistema de homeschooling.
⇒ Há questões que podem ser respondidas com base em partes do texto. Outras
dependerão da leitura de todo o texto.
04. After reading the text, it is possible to say that
a. the homeschooling system still needs approval, since the first wave of students has only recently
applied to colleges.
b. the number of homeschooled kids is growing fast and nowadays it represents 26% of all college
admissions in the U.S.
c. homeschooled kids have had difficulties in studying on their own.
d. despite the troubled beginning, the homeschooling approach has proven effective to educate
children.
e. the universities are impressed by the homeschoolers’ poor grades.
A alternativa d resume, de modo objetivo, a evolução do sistema de homeschooling.
Após um início conturbado, já que muitas escolas não sabiam como lidar com aqueles alunos, o
sistema provou ser bastante eficaz, haja vista o desempenho dos alunos homeschooled em testes
como o SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test).
As alternativas abaixo apresentam um dado incorreto:
• alternativa a ⇒ Na verdade, o primeiro grupo de alunos homeschooled está chegando à idade
adulta (is coming of age).
• alternativa b ⇒ o número de estudantes homeschooled realmente cresce de modo rápido, mas não
representa 26% dos alunos inscritos em universidades.
• alternativa e ⇒ as notas dos alunos homeschooled não são baixas.
A informação constante da alternativa c não é mencionada no texto.
⇒ Uma questão frequente na análise de textos é sobre os referentes. Pronomes e
advérbios fazem referência a pessoas e lugares mencionados.
Veja a seguinte questão:
05. This fall a new college opened its doors to a crop of freshmen that may never have set foot in a high
school. Nearly all will have earned straight A’s, but most will never have SAT through a lecture.
In the sentence above, all refers to:
a. college
b. doors
c. SAT (exams)
d. A’s
e. freshmen
A resposta correta é a alternativa e. A idéia é a de que “quase todos os calouros
(=freshmen) terão tirado notas A (nos exames exigidos para ingresso na faculdade, como no SAT). No
primeiro parágrafo, aparece a palavra sophomore, que identifica o aluno de 2.o ano de faculdade.
⇒ Questões gramaticais podem ser pedidas num exame; via de regra, são tiradas de
alguma sentença do texto que está sendo explorado.
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Veja a seguinte questão:
06. Choose the correct active form for “As recently as five years ago, most schools were understandably
stumped by applications with teacher recommendations written by Mom and Dad.”
As recently as five years ago,
a. most schools understandably stumped applications with teacher recommendations.
b. applications with teacher recommendations which Mom and Dad wrote understandably stumped
most schools.
c. most schools were given teacher recommendations which understandably stumped most schools.
d. teacher recommendations always stump most schools and parents.
e. most schools stumped Mom and Dad with teacher recommendations.
A resposta correta é expressa pela alternativa b. Written by Mom and Dad é uma
estrutura passiva; daí, Mom and Dad wrote (teacher recommendations). Most schools were
understandably stumped by applications também apresenta uma estrutura de voz passiva; daí,
applications understandably stumped most schools.O agente da passiva (sujeito na voz ativa) é
precedido pela preposição by; o objeto (direto) da voz ativa torna-se o sujeito na construção passiva.
⇒ Um outro tipo frequente de questão é solicitar ao aluno que identifique uma
afirmação que não se sustenta no texto e que, portanto, não pode ser considerada correta.
Veja a seguinte questão:
07. Which of the statements below cannot be considered true about homeschooling?
a. Some parents decided to teach their children at home due to their dissatisfaction with the local
schools.
b. Until recently, most schools did not know how to evaluate homeschooled kids’ applications.
c. The majority of the applications at most colleges come from homeschooled kids.
d. Usually, homeschoolers enroll in a summer program at a local college to experience campus life
before going to college.
e. The SAT scores of homeschooled kids who applied to Wheaton College are superior to the grades of
the students who attended regular classes.
A alternativa c está incorreta, pois, de acordo com o texto, os homeschoolers
representam apenas uma pequena parte das inscrições nas universidades: “And though they still
account for only a small fraction of the applicant pool at most colleges, homeschoolers are winning
over admissions officers.”
Exercícios
Now, let’s practice....
Text I:
Japanese Taking Little Time Off for Vacations
Tokyo (AP)
On paper, the Japanese worker looking for some time off doesn’t have it so bad. Japan
has more national holidays than the United States or Germany, and the average employee can count
nearly 18 days of paid vacation. Actually taking those days, however, is another matter altogether.
Despite a high-profile effort by the government to get people to take more time off, the
still shaky economy and deeply entrenched social pressures are keeping Japan’s workaholic work force
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glued to the office.
“I can’t take any New Year’s holidays,” said office worker Masuko Tanaka. Though she
won’t be at her office on the first three days of the New Year, which are national holidays, her
husband is a shopkeeper and she has to help out. And when she takes her real vacation, a week in
February, she’ll have to go without him. He’ll be working. “I wish I could take more than a week,” she
said. “But the environment at work doesn’t really let you do that.”
According to the latest statistics released by the government, it is a lucky worker getting
five straight days off around New Year’s, Japan’s most important holiday season. And of the average
17.8 days of paid vacation, most people actually take only about nine.
One of the main reasons is peer pressure. Instead of seeing vacation time as an
entitlement, many Japanese feel embarrassed to claim vacation days that will have them off while their
coworkers aren’t. Workers are thus much more comfortable taking national holidays when everyone
else gets a rest as well.
“There’s a mental barrier – it’s easier when holidays are institutionalized,” said Akiyoshi
Takumori, chief economist at Sakura Securities company
www.cnn.com – November 20, 2000
01. The topic of the passage is:
a. the Japanese can’t take New Year’s holidays.
b. Japan’s holidays .
c. Japanese taking little time off for vacations.
d. Peer pressure.
e. Vacations X Japanese workers.
02. Which sentence best expresses the main idea of the passage above:
a. Japanese workers don’t have much time off during the year.
b. The shaky economy in Japan is driving workers crazy.
c. On paper Japanese workers have a lot of holidays, and yet they don’t take them off.
d. Only institutionalized holidays are taken off.
e. Japan has more national holidays than the United States or Germany.
03. According to the text, what is the best definition for the word shaky in “Despite a high-profile effort
by the government to get people to take more time off, the still shaky economy and deeply
entrenched social pressures are keeping Japan’s workaholic work force glued to the office”?
a. blocked
b. undependable
c. unstable
d. overwhelmed
e. shocked
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Text II:
Malini Ramani, a 30-year-old Indian socialite who’s set a new course as a designer, caused
an uproar when she displayed a demure dress based on the Indian flag for the inaugural India Fashion
Week in August. Police raided her stand and seized the sequined number. They are charging her with
breaking a law against displaying the national flag. Asked about that, Malini said that she didn’t mean
to do any kind of harm to anyone and she had given public apologies. She added that when she
designed the garment, she only meant to be patriotic. The dress was not even for sale.
Newsweek – September 11, 2000
04. Which question about the text cannot be asked?
a. How old is Malini Ramani and where is she from?
b. Why did she set a new course as a designer?
c. What did Malini cause when she displayed a demure dress based on the Indian flag?
d. What did the Indian police do?
e. What is Malini being charged with?
05. The text says that
a. socialites have privileges in the social structure of India, particularly when they face legal problems.
b. laws are not often enforced in India; that’s why people think there’s much ado about nothing in
Malini’s particular case.
c. although Malini didn’t mean to sell her creation, fashion is an increasingly profitable business in
India nowadays.
d. Malini had her stall attacked and her creation taken by sudden force.
e. the Indian Fashion Week takes place every August and it is mainly visited by socialites.
Text III:
“Today in America, $2 out of every $5 is spent eating away from home. In 1954, it was
nearer $ 1 out of every $10. Based on that, it’s not difficult to see the tremendous opportunity that
has existed in the foodservice industry during the past 20 years. Yet, from my vantage point as a keen
observer of industry trends and events, I’ve seen hundreds of people and thousands of restaurants go
broke. At the same time, I am personally aware of over 100 different people who have become
millionaires in their endeavors in the foodservice field.”
Reading Methodologies Workbook – UCRiverside
06. Which alternative best expresses the main idea of the paragraph?
a. Chances of becoming a millionaire with food industry are far away from going broke.
b. Most people in America eat out.
c. Not only food business can make you succeed.
d. It doesn’t mean that all food business will succeed, although it has grown along the past 20 years.
e. Foodservice: the best field to invest your money in.
07. Mark the alternative which contains facts about the paragraph:
a. Hundreds of people and thousands of restaurants go broke every year.
b. Over 100 different people have become millionaires in the foodservice field.
c. Nowadays two dollars out of every five spent for food is spent eating away from home.
d. Foodservice industry is a tremendous success.
e. Although foodservice is a great opportunity for good business, people must be careful with their
investments.
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Gabarito
01. Alternativa e.
Let’s have a look at the other alternatives:
Alternative a: The statement “The Japanese can’t take New Year’s holidays” is not true, since the text
mentions that an office worker, named Masuko Tanaka won’t be at her office on the
first three days of the New Year, which are national holidays. So, Japanese workers can
take New Year’s holidays – the problem is that Masuko Tanaka will have to work at her
husband’s store during the holidays.
Alternative b: “Japan’s holidays” is a very broad theme, which was not developed in the text.
Alternative c: The title of the passage does not cover its main aspect, which is the relation between
vacations and Japanese workers.
Alternative d: peer pressure only covers one of the reasons why Japanese workers do not feel
comfortable when taking vacations.
Therefore, alternative e is the best choice, since it establishes in a few words what the
subject of the passage is.
02. Alternativa c.
When dealing with the main idea of a text, we should try to find answers to questions
such as “Why was this text written?” or “What is the main point the author is trying to make?”
The main idea is supported by (supporting) details, such as examples, statistics,
quotations or stories. They are the necessary information that backs up and explains the main idea.
Having that in mind, alternative b and d need to be discarded, since the information they
present is not developed in the text.
Alternatives a and e seem to be too broad. Although they are presented in the text, this
information only works as an introduction to the ideas later developed.
Alternative c is the one that best explains what the text is all about: Japanese workers do
have a lot of holidays. However, they do not take them off, due to several aspects.
03. Alternativa b.
Há algumas dicas que ajudam o leitor a descobrir o significado de uma palavra
desconhecida através do contexto; por exemplo, checar palavras familiares que circundam a palavra
desconhecida; tentar entender a palavra através da ajuda de prefixos e sufixos provenientes do Grego
e do Latim; um sinônimo ou antônimo usados pelo autor.
A alternativa b é a que mais se aproxima do significado de shaky (adjetivo), que vem da
palavra shake (verbo ou substantivo). A palavra undependable é composta pelo prefixo un que
expressa oposição. Dependable significa aquilo que pode ser confiável. Adicionando-se essa
informação ao prefixo un, temos então o significado de undependable: aquilo que não pode ser
confiável, não é estável; o que por sua vez, também tem a idéia de algo que muda, balança, não tem
estabilidade, que são possíveis sinônimos para shaky.
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04. Alternativa b.
A alternativa b é a única que não encontra resposta no texto. Senão, vejamos:
a. How old is Malini Ramani and where is she from? 30 years old and she is from India.
c. What did Malini cause when she displayed a demure dress based on the Indian flag? An uproar.
d. What did the Indian police do? They raided her stand and seized the sequined number.
e. What is Malini being charged with? Breaking a law against displaying the national flag.
05. Alternativa d.
A alternativa d parafraseia a 3.a linha do texto: Police raided her stand (=She had her
stall attacked) and seized the sequined number (= Her creation was taken away by sudden force)
Number, nesse contexto, refere-se ao vestido e sequined descreve o vestido: com lantejoulas.
06: Alternativa d.
The main idea of the passage is best expressed by alternative d. The passage shows the
two sides of the foodservice industry.
passage.
Alternative b is too broad as a statement and does not work as the main idea of the
Alternative e is not true, since the author mentions the hundreds of people who go broke
when investing in foodservice field.
Alternative c does not have any relation with the passage, since the author does not
present other business to support a comparison.
Alternative a is not true, since it is not possible to reach this conclusion based on the
information provided by the passage.
07. Alternative c.
To answer question 07 we need to remember that facts are neutral information that can
be proven true or false. We should not interpret facts as opinions, since they are statements that
cannot be objectively proven, expressing the beliefs, feelings, or judgments that the author has about
a certain subject.
Based on that, alternative c is the only one that contains facts about the passage. The
other alternatives present opinions based on the observation of a single person. Such statements –
hundreds of people and thousands of restaurants go broke, foodservice industry is a tremendous
success, etc.– cannot be proven as facts.
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