TEXTO PARA AS PRXIMAS 5 QUESTES:

Underground river 'Rio Hamza' discovered 4 km beneath the Amazon

Scientists estimate the subterranean river may be 6,000 km long and hundreds of times wider
than the Amazon
Covering more than 7 million square kilometres in South America, the Amazon basin is
one of the biggest and most impressive river systems in the world. But it turns out we have only
known half the story until now.
Brazilian scientists have found a new river in the Amazon basin around 4 km
underneath the Amazon river. The Rio Hamza, named after the head of the team of researchers
who found the groundwater flow, appears to be as long as the Amazon river but up to hundreds
of times wider.
Both the Amazon and Hamza flow from west to east and are around the same length, at
6,000 km. But whereas the Amazon ranges from 1km to 100 km in width, the Hamza ranges
from 200 km to 400 km.
The underground river starts in the Acre region under the Andes and flows through the
Solimes, Amazonas and Maraj basins before opening out directly into the depths of the
Atlantic Ocean.
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The Amazon flows much faster than the Hamza, however, draining a greater volume of
water. Around 133,000 m3 of water flow through the Amazon per second at speeds of up to 5
metres per second. The underground river's flow rate has been estimated at around 3,900 m3
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per second and it barely inches along at less than a millimetre per hour.
The Hamza was located using data collected inside a series of 241 abandoned deep
wells that were drilled in the Amazon region by the petrochemical company Petrobras in the
1970s and 1980s. Elizabeth Tavares Pimentel and Valiya Hamza of the Department of
Geophysics at Brazil's National Observatory led the work and presented their results last week
at the International Congress of the Brasilian Society of Geophysical in Rio de Janeiro.
The researchers used a mathematical model to predict the presence of the
underground river, based on the measured changes in temperature down the wells. In the
presentation, Piementel said that the flow of groundwater was almost vertical through the rocks
to depths of around 2,000 m. After this, the water flow changes direction and becomes almost
horizontal.
According to the researchers, the presence of the Hamza river might account for the
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relatively low salinity of the waters around the mouth of the Amazon.
Professor Hamza said Piementel's measurements represented preliminary work on the
discovery of the new river, but Hamza said he expected to confirm the existence of the flow with
additional measurements within the next few years.
(Adaptado de: <http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/aug/26/underground-riveramazon>. Acesso em: 29 ago. 2011.)

1. (Feevale 2012) According to the second paragraph, choose the correct alternative.
a) The name Hamza was chosen because it is the name of the sports team of the researchers.
b) The name Hamza was chosen after the researchers discovered the head of their team in the
Amazon river.
c) The name Hamza was chosen because this is a new river that flows underneath the Amazon.
d) The name Hamza was chosen because of the head of the team of researchers' last name.
e) The name Hamza was chosen after the head of the researchers team found the groundwater
flow.
2. (Feevale 2012) Com base no texto, considere verdadeiras (V) ou falsas (F) as afirmaes
que seguem.
(
(

) O rio Amazonas e o rio Hamza tm, aproximadamente, o mesmo comprimento.

) O rio Amazonas flui muito mais rpido do que o rio Hamza porque escoa um volume
menor de gua.

) A Petrobrs abandonou 241 poos na Amaznia por causa da descoberta do rio Hamza.

Marque a alternativa que preenche corretamente os parnteses, de cima para baixo.

a) V V F
b) F V V
c) V F F
d) F V F
e) F F V
3. (Feevale 2012) Considering the words inches (ref. 1) and mouth (ref. 2), mark the
alternative where one of them has the same meaning of the text.
a) The snow was fifteen inches deep in some places of the city.
b) You always mouth off about everything you are asked to do.
c) Look at this mouth-watering dessert.
d) The group inches closer each time we look at the path.
e) She had a cut of two inches on her knee.
4. (Feevale 2012) Leia as afirmaes que seguem e marque a alternativa correta.
I. A medida das mudanas de temperatura dentro dos poos foi um indicativo da presena de
gua subterrnea.
II. O rio subterrneo inicia na regio do Acre e corre atravs das bacias do Solimes,
Amazonas e Maraj.
III. O escoamento do rio Hamza muda constantemente de direo nos 2000 m iniciais.
a) Apenas as afirmaes I e II esto corretas.
b) Apenas as afirmaes I e III esto corretas.
c) Apenas as afirmaes II e III esto corretas.
d) Apenas a afirmao II est correta.
e) Nenhuma das afirmaes est correta
5. (Pucsp 2012) No trecho do segundo pargrafo But whereas the Amazon ranges from 1km
to 100km in width, the Hamza ranges from 200km to 400km. a palavra whereas pode ser
substituda, sem alterao de sentido, por
a) whenever.
b) wherever.
c) while.
d) however.
e) which.
2

MAKING PROGRESS DESPITE DIFFICULTIES

5

Karen Miller-Kovach, chief scientific officer at Weight Watchers, comments on Jessica Hosler's
weight-loss success:
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7
10
Her progress is exceptional, especially when you consider that she takes the weightunfriendly medicine prednisone for her asthma. Prednisone can be a real diet-buster.
4
She is adding to a sizable weight loss already. The fact that she had already lost 33 pounds
8
(from April 2005 until she started the Challenge in March 2006) makes it harder to continue to
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lose now. After six months of weight loss, most people plateau, and it becomes difficult to
lose.
She is working very hard to get the weight off, and what she is doing is really effective. Losing it
1
this way means she's more likely to keep it off long-term. In an ideal world, as she loses weight,
9
her asthma will improve.
http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2006-weight-loss-challenge.htm - 28/06/06

6. (Ufsm 2007) Qual o pricipal propsito do texto?

a) Alertar o pblico em geral sobre dietas "milagrosas".
b) Alertar os adolescentes sobre os riscos da alimentao no-balanceada.
c) Estimular pessoas a evitar medicao que inibe a fome.
d) Fazer propaganda de uma determinada dieta.
e) Conscientizar as pessoas de que a obesidade faz mal sade.
7. (Ufsm 2007) Considere as seguintes sentenas
I. It becomes more difficult to lose weight after being on a diet for six months.
II. You only start to lose weight after a six-month diet.
III. You start putting on weight after a long-term diet.
Qual(is) das afirmaes significam o mesmo que "After six months of weight loss, most people
plateau (...)" (ref. 11)
a) Somente I.
b) Somente II.
c) Somente III.
d) Somente I e III.
e) Somente II e III.
8. (Ufsm 2007) A expresso "In an ideal world" (ref. 1) pode ser substituda, sem mudana de
sentido, por
a) happily.
b) constantly.
c) finally.
d) concluding.
e) hopefully.

TEXTO PARA AS PRXIMAS 2 QUESTES:

Brazil wins praise for Aids strategy

Monday July 25, 2005
Brazil today won praise for its fight against Aids and HIV despite its refusal of US aid
tied to policies favoured by socially conservative supporters of the Bush administration. At an
international conference on scientific developments to combat the pandemic Dr. Helene Gayle,
the president of the International Aids Society, said Brazil was leading the way even though it
had rejected some international assistance. "Brazil, by maintaining an aggressive and
comprehensive approach to HIV prevention, treatment and support is really a leader for our
global effort", she told the conference. About 600,000 of Brazil's 183 million people are infected
with HIV.
Last year, the country turned down $40m (23 millions pounds) in US funding to fight
Aids after Washington injected a clause condemning prostitution. Prostitution is legal in Brazil,
and the health ministry said the refusal of the US aid was an issue of national sovereignty. The
national anti-Aids programme provides drugs free of charge to anyone who needs them, and
aggressively distributes condoms to sex workers.
The move made Brazil one of the first countries to oppose the Bush administration's
policy of linking foreign aid to policies backed by the religious right. However, the country has
been criticised by some activists who say the government has struck a deal with a major
pharmaceutical company to avoid breaking the patent on the firm's anti-Aids drugs. Activists
from the group Pela Vida said the deal with Abbott Laboratories to sell drugs to the government
at a steep discount was insufficient to guarantee that free drugs would be available to all. The
Brazilian health minister, Jos Saraiva Felipe, later denied the deal had been finalised. "We
once again confirm the promise of Brazil to help developing countries confront this epidemic",
he said in remarks quoted by the Associated Press.

Scientists will present 2,060 papers drawn from research in 114 different countries at
the four-day conference. The event opened as Bill Clinton, the former US president, launched a
programme to double the number of children receiving treatment for HIV infection in Kenya by
the end of the year. An estimated 100,000 children there are infected with HIV, but only 1,200
receive treatment. The Clinton Foundation aims to have 10,000 children on anti-retroviral
treatment in at least 10 countries by the end of 2005.
(Guardian Unlimited Guardian Newspapers Limited 2005 www.guardian.co.uk)

9. (Unifesp 2006) In the sentence of the third paragraph "The Brazilian health minister, Jos
Saraiva Felipe, later denied the deal had been finalised.", the word "DEAL" refers to
a) breaking the patent on anti-AIDS drugs.
b) linking foreign aid to discriminatory policies.
c) help developing countries to confront AIDS.
d) interference in national sovereignty.
e) sell drugs to the government at a great discount.
10. (Unifesp 2006) The sentence of the last paragraph, "The event opened as Bill Clinton, the
former US president, launched a programme to double the number of children receiving
treatment for HIV infection in Kenya by the end of the year.", indicates that, by the end of 2005,
the number should be
a) 100,000.
b) 20,000.
c) 10,000.
d) 2,400.
e) 1,200.