Questões para Concursos

Text 2A7

Artificial intelligence (AI) is arguably the most rapidly advancing technology humans have ever developed. A year ago, you wouldn’t often hear AI come up in a regular conversation, but today it seems there’s constant talk about how generative AI tools like ChatGPT and DALL-E will affect the future of work, the spread of information, and more. A major question that has thus far been almost entirely unexamined is how this AI-dominated future will affect people’s minds.
There’s been some research into how using AI in their jobs will affect people mentally, but there isn’t yet an understanding of how simply living amongst so much AI-generated content and systems will affect people’s sense of the world. How is AI going to change individuals and society in the not-too-distant future?
AI will obviously make it easier to produce disinformation. That will affect people’s sense of trust as they’re scrolling on social media. AI can also allow someone to imitate your loved ones, which further erodes people’s general ability to trust what was once unquestionable.
Internet: (adapted).

Text CG2A2

A new study on physical activity that involved more than half a million participants over age 40 found that modest exercise increases life expectancy regardless of weight.
Contrary to most of the attention given to obesity as the crucial risk factor for health, the study found that an active lifestyle increased life expectancy to a greater extent than a lower body mass index (BMI), in general. In fact, participants who were active but class 1 obese lived an average of 3.1 years longer than those who were at a normal weight but didn’t engage in physical activity. This is in-line with reports from earlier this year that excessive sitting is unhealthy and that reducing excessive sitting to less than 3 hours a day alone can improve longevity by 2.0 years.
The article states low level of physical activity of moderate to vigorous intensity would confer a 1.8-year gain in life expectancy after age 40, compared with no activity. A low level of physical activity is defined as up to 75 minutes of fast walking per week.
A consequence of this study is that it calls into question the reliance on BMI to assess fitness. That isn’t to suggest that BMI isn’t a factor, but that what we’ve heard for years in the media that being overweight is “bad” for you while exercise is “good” is a flawed message. A better message would be: Regular exercise is essential to longevity and a lower BMI helps too — do the first and the other will likely follow.

Internet: (adapted).

Concerning grammar and semantics in text CG2A2, judge the following items.

Text CB1A2-II
Jorge Cham. Piled higher and deeper . Internet: .

Text CB1A2-II
Jorge Cham. Piled higher and deeper . Internet: .

Text CB1A2-I

The quest for universal administrative standards to promote the effective application of public laws and policies gave birth to the field of public administration. Woodrow Wilson argued for a distinction between politics and administration, arguing that the former was more concerned with democracy, justice, and equality, while the latter was more concerned with efficiency, as he postulated that “administration lies beyond the proper domain of politics; administrative questions are not political questions” (Wilson, 1887).
According to Waldo (1948), the means and measurements of efficiency were the same for all administrations: democracy, if it were to survive, could not afford to ignore the lessons of centralization, hierarchy and discipline. Bureaucracy as an organisational type has seen its heyday in the field of public administration, owing to Woodrow Wilson’s Transfer of Administrative Principles.
That notwithstanding, the field has gone through paradigmatic evolution over time by a quest for management paradigm derived from the discipline of business administration. The management approach is said to hold the promise of future public sector reform, replacing the administrative approach traditionally provided by public administration. A new concept arises when the management perspective is combined with an emphasis on the public sector: public management.
Courses and programmes, as well as whole academic institutions and colleges, are adapting by switching from the term “public administration” to “public management”. Considering the growing demands for efficiency in the public sector, the transition from a public administration to a public management framework seems to be the right step.

M.O. Obimpeh and J.A. Dankwa. Public administration – public management interface: how different is the “management” from the “administration”? Internet: (adapted).

TEXT 5

Answer the questions from 54 to 60 according to the text 5.

Ukraine-Russia War: Impact on Gas, Stocks, Inflation and the US Economy

Stock prices rebounded Friday, but the invasion of Ukraine could bring about many disruptions to the US economy.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine intensified on Saturday as troops continued to march on the capital Kyiv, which has instituted a citywide curfew from 5 p.m. local time Saturday until 8 a.m. Monday. US defense officials report that Russian troops launched more than 250 missiles at Ukraine Saturday but have been slow to advance on Kyiv, per ABC News. The attacks have virtually shut down shipping in Ukraine, a country with massive agricultural production, particularly corn and wheat. Russia and Ukraine are also major suppliers of metals and other industrial commodities, while Russia is one of the world's largest oil and gas producers. The invasion not only has ramifications for political stability in Europe and around the world, it's also straining a global economy already weakened by inflation, rising energy prices, the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and a constrained supply chain. Here's how Russia's attacks on Ukraine, and the resulting economic sanctions from the West, are affecting Americans and people around the world.

Gas and oil prices on the rise
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has caused global energy prices to spike, with crude oil rising Thursday above $105 a barrel for the first time since 2014. The price cooled down a bit later on Thursday and Friday, and currently sits around $92.50 a barrel, according to OilPrice.com. Per AARP, the average price of gas in the US on Saturday was $3.60 a gallon, up slightly from $3.57 on Friday. Russia is one of the world's largest producers of crude oil and natural gas, providing roughly 40% of the European Union's gas. Sanctions from the West could affect access to that supply, especially with Germany putting a halt to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline that was intended to bring natural gas from Russia to the EU via the Baltic Sea.

Continued inflation
Russia is the largest exporter and second-largest producer of palladium, a metal used in mobile phones, automotive exhaust systems, fuel cells and even jewelry and dental fillings. Rising prices of palladium and other essential metals could lead to price increases for manufacturers and, ultimately, consumers. "We could see a new burst of inflation," the American Enterprise Institute's Christopher Miller told The New York Times.
[...]

More cyberattacks
The US Departments of Treasury and Homeland Security have both sounded the alarm over possible cyberattacks on US banks, hospitals, government offices and power grids in retaliation for sanctions against Moscow. On Thursday morning local time, websites for the Ukrainian cabinet and foreign affairs and education ministries were all experiencing disruptions. Herbert Lin, senior research scholar at Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation, told the Atlantic's Rachel Gutman that the Russians have elevated cyberattacks to an "art form." Though US banks have been heightening their defenses, Lin added, utilities in larger cities might be more at risk because they lack the extra funding for cybersecurity. Lin discouraged a panicked response by everyday Americans but said having extra cash and a go bag might not be a bad idea. He underscored that those items should always be in place regardless.

Rising food prices
Food prices have already gone up in the US and abroad, and the dent in wallets could get bigger with the Russian invasion. Ukraine is one of the top five corn exporters in the world, trading some 35.9 million metric tons in 2019 alone. An extended open conflict would likely see prices go up in Europe, not just for corn itself but also for related goods, including cooking oil, corn syrup and livestock feed. Soybean prices have also surged in the US in recent months, following an unusually poor crop in South America.
If US farmers have to make up the difference in both corn and soybeans, which compete for land, prices for both crops will likely rise in the United States, as will the cost of packaged goods made with them.
Russia is the world's largest exporter of wheat, a crop that Ukraine exports as well, commodities economist Arlan Suderman told MarketWatch. Together the two nations account for nearly a third (29%) of the global wheat trade. "A prolonged military conflict that disrupts trade could make much of that wheat unavailable to the export market," Suderman said. The US doesn't rely on Russian wheat -- Egypt, Turkey and Bangladesh are the biggest importers -- but the trade disruption could affect global prices on flour, pasta, bread, pizza and other wheat products. On the Chicago Board of Trade, wheat futures jumped by as much as 5.7% on Thursday, to just over $9.34 a bushel, the highest price since 2012. Soybean prices also leaped to a nine-year high, while corn climbed to an eightmonth peak. Rates on all three futures have started to contract, with overnight losses of between 2% and 3%.

Available at: https://www.cnet.com/how-to/ukraine-russiawar-impact-on-gas-stocks-inflation-and-the-us-economy/. Access on: Feb. 27th 2022 (adapted).

Read the following text to answer questions 8 to 11.

What is the Difference Between Checking and Savings Accounts?

The main difference between checking and savings accounts is that checking accounts are primarily for accessing your money for daily use while savings accounts are primarily for saving money. Checking accounts are considered “transactional,” meaning that they allow you to access your money when and where you need it.
While both allow you to access your money, you may consider it easier to do so with checking accounts. Since these accounts are designed to give you easy access to your cash, they often come with debit cards, checks, and even offer digital payment options. In contrast, savings accounts have a limit on the number of withdrawals you can make each month. While checking accounts are convenient for daily cash needs, it’s important to remember that they may be age restricted. Most banks won’t allow people under the age of 18 to open a checking account without a parent or legal guardian as a co-owner of the account. Before opening a checking account, make sure that its terms fit your financial needs and your lifestyle.
When it comes to setting aside money for a longterm need or goal, you should consider a savings account. Savings accounts are designed to hold money over a long period of time to help you save for larger goals (rather than everyday purchases). As your money stays in the account, it will accrue interest and grow over time. This means that you will need to visit your bank, set up a transfer online, or make an ATM withdrawal to access your money.
Keeping some of your money in a savings account is a great way to set it aside for emergencies or large purchases – its limited access will keep you from spending it on day-to-day necessities. There are also dedicated savings accounts for kids, though a parent or guardian is usually required as a joint owner.

(Adapted from:
https://www.santanderbank.com/personal/resources/checking-savings/difference-between-checking-savings#:~:text=The%20main%20difference%20between%20checking,and%20where%20you%20need%20it)

Text 9A3-I

If you were to judge 2018’s most important legal technology by looking at conference agendas and media coverage, you’d probably say it was the continuing development of artificial intelligence. But if you judge the most important technology by its direct impact on the practice of law, then it would have to be analytics. As I suggested in a recent column, we could be nearing the point where it would be malpractice for a lawyer not to use analytics.

Internet: (adapted).

Text I

Clean energy: Experts outline how governments
can successfully invest before it’s too late

asd Governments need to give technical experts
more autonomy and hold their nerve to provide more
long-term stability when investing in clean energy,
argue researchers in climate change and innovation
5 i policy in a new paper published today.
asd Writing in the journal Nature , the authors from
UK and US institutions have set out guidelines for
investment based on an analysis of the last twenty
years of “what works” in clean energy research and
10 i innovation programs.
asd Their six simple “guiding principles” also include
the need to channel innovation into the private sector
through formal tech transfer programs, and to think in
terms of lasting knowledge creation rather than ‘quick
15 i win’ potential when funding new projects.
asd The authors offer a stark warning to governments
and policymakers: learn from and build on experience
before time runs out, rather than constantly reinventing
aims and processes for the sake of political vanity.
20 asd “As the window of opportunity to avert dangerous
climate change narrows, we urgently need to take
stock of policy initiatives around the world that aim
to accelerate new energy technologies and stem
greenhouse gas emissions,” said Laura Diaz Anadon,
25 i Professor of Climate Change Policy at the University
of Cambridge.
asd “If we don’t build on the lessons from previous
policy successes and failures to understand what
works and why, we risk wasting time and money in
30 i a way that we simply can’t afford,” said Anadon, who
authored the new paper with colleagues from the
Harvard Kennedy School as well as the University of
Minnesota’s Prof Gabriel Chan.
asd Public investments in energy research have risen
35 i since the lows of the mid-1990s and early 2000s.
OECD members spent US$16.6 billion on new energy
research and development (R&D) in 2016 compared
to $10b in 2010. The EU and other nations pledged
to double clean energy investment as part of 2015’s
40 i Paris Climate Change Agreement.
asd Recently, the UK government set out its own
Clean Growth Strategy, committing £2.5 billion
between 2015 and 2021, with hundreds of million
to be invested in new generations of small nuclear
45 i power stations and offshore wind turbines.
asd However, Anadon and colleagues point out that
government funding for energy innovation has, in
many cases, been highly volatile in the recent past:
with political shifts resulting in huge budget fluctuations
50 i and process reinventions in the UK and US.
asd For example, the research team found that every
single year between 1990 and 2017, one in five
technology areas funded by the US Department of
Energy (DoE) saw a budget shift of more than 30%
55 i up or down. The Trump administration’s current plan
is to slash 2018’s energy R&D budget by 35% across
the board.
asd “Experimentation has benefits, but also costs,”
said Anadon. “Researchers are having to relearn
60 i new processes, people and programmes with every
political transition -- wasting time and effort for
scientists, companies and policymakers.”
asd “Rather than repeated overhauls, existing
programs should be continuously evaluated and
65 i updated. New programs should only be set up if they
fill needs not currently met.”
asd More autonomy for project selection should be
passed to active scientists, who are “best placed to
spot bold but risky opportunities that managers miss,"
70 i say the authors of the new paper.
asd They point to projects instigated by the US
National Labs producing more commercially-viable
technologies than those dictated by DoE headquarters
— despite the Labs holding a mere 4% of the DoE’s
75 i overall budget.
asd The six evidence-based guiding principles for
clean energy investment are:
asdasd • Give researchers and technical experts more
autonomy and influence over funding decisions.
80 asdd • Build technology transfer into research organisations
asasdd • Focus demonstration projects on learning.
asdasd • Incentivise international collaboration.
asdasd • Adopt an adaptive learning strategy.
85 aasd • Keep funding stable and predictable.
asd From US researchers using the pace of Chinese
construction markets to test energy reduction
technologies, to the UK government harnessing
behavioural psychology to promote energy efficiency,
90 i the authors highlight examples of government
investment that helped create or improve clean
energy initiatives across the world.
asd “Let’s learn from experience on how to accelerate
the transition to a cleaner, safer and more affordable
95 i energy system,” they write.

Available at: releases/2017/12/171206132223.htm>.
Retrieved on: 28 Dec 2017. Adapted.

The key energy questions for 2018
..
The renewables industry has had a great year.
How fast can it grow now?
...
What are the issues that will shape the global
energy market in 2018? What will be the energy
mix, trade patterns and price trends? Every country
is different and local factors, including politics, are
5 important. But at the global level there are four key
questions, and each of which answers is highly
uncertain.
The first question is whether Saudi Arabia is
stable. The kingdom’s oil exports now mostly go to
10 Asia but the volumes involved mean that any volatility
will destabilise a market where speculation is rife.
The risk is that an open conflict, which Iran and
Saudi have traditionally avoided despite all their
differences, would spread and hit oil production and
15 trade. It is worth remembering that the Gulf states
account for a quarter of global production and over
40 per cent of all the oil traded globally. The threat to
stability is all the greater given that Iran is likely to win
any such clash and to treat the result as a licence to
20 reassert its influence in the region.
The second question is how rapidly production
of oil from shale rock will grow in the US — 2017 has
seen an increase of 600,000 barrels a day to over 6m.
The increase in global prices over the past six months
25 has made output from almost all America’s producing
areas commercially viable and drilling activity is rising.
A comparable increase in 2018 would offset most of
the current OPEC production cuts and either force
another quota reduction or push prices down.
30 ---- The third question concerns China. For the
last three years the country has managed to deliver
economic growth with only minimal increases in
energy consumption. Growth was probably lower than
the claimed numbers — the Chinese do not like to
35 admit that they, too, are subject to economic cycles
and recessions — but even so the achievement
is considerable. The question is whether the trend
can be continued. If it can, the result will limit global
demand growth for oil, gas and coal.
40 - --- China, which accounts for a quarter of the world’s
daily energy use, is the swing consumer. If energy
efficiency gains continue, CO2 emissions will remain
flat or even fall. The country’s economy is changing
and moving away from heavy industry fuelled largely
45 by coal to a more service-based one, with a more
varied fuel mix. But the pace of that shift is uncertain
and some recent data suggests that as economic
growth has picked up, so has consumption of oil and
coal. Beijing has high ambitions for a much cleaner
50 energy economy, driven not least by the levels of air
pollution in many of the major cities; 2018 will show
how much progress they are making.
The fourth question is, if anything, the most
important. How fast can renewables grow? The last
55 few years have seen dramatic reductions in costs
and strong increase in supply. The industry has had
a great year, with bids from offshore wind for capacity
auctions in the UK and elsewhere at record low levels.
Wind is approaching grid parity — the moment
60 when it can compete without subsidies. Solar is also
thriving: according to the International Energy Agency,
costs have fallen by 70 per cent since 2010 not least
because of advances in China, which now accounts
for 60 per cent of total solar cell manufacturing
65 capacity. The question is how rapidly all those gains
can be translated into electric supply.
Renewables, including hydro, accounted for just
5 per cent of global daily energy supply according
to the IEA’s latest data. That is increasing — solar
70 photovoltaic capacity grew by 50 per cent in 2016
— but to make a real difference the industry needs
a period of expansion comparable in scale to the
growth of personal computing and mobile phones in
the 1990s and 2000s.
75 - --- The problem is that the industry remains
fragmented. Most renewable companies are small
and local, and in many cases undercapitalised; some
are built to collect subsidies. A radical change will be
necessary to make the industry global and capable
80 of competing on the scale necessary to displace
coal and natural gas. The coming year will show us
whether it is ready for that challenge.
In many ways, the energy business is at a
moment of change and transition. Every reader will
85 have their own view on each of the four questions. To
me, the prospect is of supply continuing to outpace
demand. If that is right, the surge in oil prices over
the past two months is a temporary and unsustainable
phenomenon. It would take another Middle East war
90 to change the equation. Unfortunately, that is all too
possible.
...
Available at: . Retrieved on: Feb 18, 2018. Adapted.