Questões para Concursos

Text 10A2-III

As the world keeps warming and electricity bills take center stage in national politics, the data center boom will drive up USA carbon emissions and electricity costs. But a few simple policies could help bring both emissions and prices back down. That's the message of a new analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists released Wednesday, which models a variety of scenarios for how to fuel the coming artificial intelligence boom. The USA is poised to see a 60 to 80 percent increase in electricity demand through 2050, with data centers alone making up more than half of the increase by the end of this decade, the analysis finds. If policies stay the same as they currently are—with attacks on renewable energy being embedded into regulatory regimes and few significant national policies restricting carbon emissions from power plants—we could see between a 19 and 29 percent increase in CO emissions from USA power plants tied just to the energy needs of data centers over the next 10 years. There are answers, though: Bringing back tax credits for wind and solar energy, even if data centers eat up a significant chunk of new demand for electricity, would cut CO emissions by more than 30 percent over the next decade. They could also make wholesale electricity costs go down by about 4 percent by 2050, after a slight rise over the next decade. Power plants are the second-largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in the USA, making up about a quarter of the country's overall emissions. Last year, emissions from the USA power sector rose slightly, marking the first increase since 2023; commercial buildings like data centers, a separate analysis released last week from the Rhodium Group found, were the main drivers of that demand.

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Underground library in Warsaw metro invites commuters to trade scrolling for stories

In Warsaw’s Targówek district, a metro ride has become more than a daily routine. Now it offers a chance to escape into a story. Thanks to Metroteka, a newly opened subterranean library inside the Kondratowicza M2 metro station, commuters can now trade mindless scrolling for meaningful reading.
The 150-square-meter space is stocked with more than 16,000 books, all available through a fast self-checkout system. Visitors can also borrow laptops, sip complimentary coffee, and unwind in a cozy communal area, all while waiting for their train.
“Our dream is for Metroteka to become an educational and cultural center, and not just a place where you can borrow your books from,” says Grażyna StrzelczakBatkowska, deputy director of the Targówek library.

A modern space that breathes life into books
Metroteka’s design is as inviting as its mission. A lush hydroponic garden wall filled with herbs and flowers gives the underground space a breath of fresh air, literally. Basil, oregano, and other plants grow without soil or sunlight, infusing the library with an unexpected sense of vitality. The bookshelves, shaped like soft, undulating waves, add to the organic feel.
“I always joke that books are not made of glass,” Strzelczak-Batkowska says. “You can just pop in, grab a few, throw them on a self-checkout machine, and that’s it—you’re out on a new adventure.”

Aiming to reverse a national trend
Poland’s reading habits have been in steady decline for years. A 2024 survey by the National Library of Poland found that only 41 percent of respondents had read at least one book in the past year. According to Tomasz Makowski, director of the National Library, the legacy of war has shaped these numbers. During World War II, Poland lost 70 percent of its libraries.
“We had several generations that did not see their parents or grandparents in front of a wall of books,” Makowski says. “Reading is [also] not something associated with adulthood, but with schools, teachers, librarians, and usually mothers reading to children.
By placing literature in the path of everyday commuters, Metroteka hopes to shift that cultural perception.

An open invitation to all
For Makowski, the location is just as important as the books. “Opening a library in a metro station is like a dream for us,” he says. “Libraries should be beautiful and open; inviting, not intimidating. It’s not a shrine, but a place where you can spend time freely, take part in discussions, public consultations, or meet people.”
In the coming months, Metroteka plans to host author readings, workshops, and classes to further engage the community. Books can be returned either directly to the library or via parcel lockers outside the station, available around the clock.
As commuters pass through Kondratowicza station with coffee in hand and a novel tucked under one arm, Metroteka quietly transforms daily routines into cultural moments. By meeting people where they are, literally underground, the library isn’t just promoting reading. It’s redefining what public space can offer.

Source: https://www.optimistdaily.com/2025/09/underground-library-in-warsaw-metro-invites-commuters-to-trade-scrolling-for-stories/. Access on May 4th 2026.

The paper reflects on the role of technology in English language teaching (ELT) methodologies and on the impact of globalization and internationalization in education in general and in the ELT in particular. The study is based on the assumption that access to information and technology is necessary to build social capital (WARSCHAUER, 2003) and that this access requires some English knowledge and digital literacy (FINARDI; PREBIANCA; MOMM, 2013). Departing from a bibliographic review on the use of ELT methodologies and the role of technologies in these methodologies, the study proposes that both the resistance to and the uncritical use of technologies and methodologies may bring negative consequences to the development of English language proficiency and social development in Brazil. The study concludes that in the post-method (BROWN, 2002; KUMARAVADIVELO, 2003) and information era (LEVY, 1999) technologies have a relevant and crucial role that should be critically considered in ELT methodologies. The study also suggests that the informed use of technologies and methodologies, allied with the teaching of English as an international language are essential to leverage the development and the internationalization of education in Brazil in a critical way in relation to the effects of globalization. (FINARDI, Kyria Rebecca; PORCINO, Maria Carolina. 2014. Adaptado)

Read the text to answer question: Today, many of the pedagogical springs and rivers of the last few decades are appropriately captured in the term Communicative Language Teaching (CLT), now a catch phrase for language teachers. CLT is an eclectic blend of the contributions of previous methods into the best of what a teacher can provide in authentic uses of the second language in the classroom. Indeed, the single greatest challenge in the profession is to move significantly beyond the teaching of rules, patterns, definitions, and other knowledge “about” language to the point that we are teaching our students to communicate genuinely, spontaneously, and meaningfully in the second language. A significant difference between current language teaching practices and those of, say, a half a century ago, is the absence of proclaimed “orthodoxies” and “best” methods. We are well aware that methods, as they were conceived of 40 or 50 years ago or so, are too narrow and too constrictive to apply to a wide range of learners in an enormous number of situational contexts. There are no instant recipes. No quick and easy method is guaranteed to provide success. As Bell (2003), Brown (2001), Kumaravadivelu (2001), and others have appropriately shown, pedagogical trends in language teaching now spur us to develop a principled basis—sometimes called an approach (Richards & Rodgers, 2001)—upon which teachers can choose particular designs and techniques for teaching a foreign language in a specific context. Every learner is unique. Every teacher is unique. Every learner-teacher relationship is unique, and every context is unique. Your task as a teacher is to understand the properties of those relationships and contexts. (BROWN, H. Douglas. Principles of language learning and teaching. 5. ed. Londres: Longman, 2006)

Read the text to answer question. All teachers, whether at the start of their careers or after some years of teaching, need to be able to try out new activities and techniques. It is important to be open to such new ideas and take them into the classroom. But such experimentation will be of little use unless we can then evaluate these activities. Were they successful? Did the students enjoy them? Did they learn anything from them? How could the activities be changed to make them more effective next time? One way of getting feedback is to ask students simple questions such as ‘Did you like that exercise? Did you find it useful?’ and see what they say. But not all students will discuss topics like this openly in class. It may be better to ask them to write their answers down and hand them in. Another way of getting reactions to new techniques is to invite a colleague into the classroom and ask him or her to observe what happens and make suggestions afterwards. The lesson could also be videoed. In general, it is a good idea to get students’ reactions to lessons, and their aspirations about them, clearly stated. Many teachers encourage students to say what they feel about the lessons and how they think the course is going. The simplest way to do this is to ask students once every fortnight, for example, to write down two things they want more of and two things they want less of. The answers you get may prove a fruitful place to start a discussion, and you will then be able to modify what happens in class, if you think it appropriate, in the light of your students’ feelings. Such modifications will greatly enhance the teacher’s ability to manage the class. Good teacher managers also need to assess how well their students are progressing. This can be done through a variety of measures including homework assignments, speaking activities where the teacher scores the participation of each student, and frequent small progress tests. Good teachers keep a record of their students’ achievements so that they are always aware of how they are getting on. Only if teachers keep such kinds of progress records can they begin to see when teaching and learning has or has not been successful. (Harmer, Jeremy. How to teach English. Londres: Longman, 1998)

Read the text to answer question. All teachers, whether at the start of their careers or after some years of teaching, need to be able to try out new activities and techniques. It is important to be open to such new ideas and take them into the classroom. But such experimentation will be of little use unless we can then evaluate these activities. Were they successful? Did the students enjoy them? Did they learn anything from them? How could the activities be changed to make them more effective next time? One way of getting feedback is to ask students simple questions such as ‘Did you like that exercise? Did you find it useful?’ and see what they say. But not all students will discuss topics like this openly in class. It may be better to ask them to write their answers down and hand them in. Another way of getting reactions to new techniques is to invite a colleague into the classroom and ask him or her to observe what happens and make suggestions afterwards. The lesson could also be videoed. In general, it is a good idea to get students’ reactions to lessons, and their aspirations about them, clearly stated. Many teachers encourage students to say what they feel about the lessons and how they think the course is going. The simplest way to do this is to ask students once every fortnight, for example, to write down two things they want more of and two things they want less of. The answers you get may prove a fruitful place to start a discussion, and you will then be able to modify what happens in class, if you think it appropriate, in the light of your students’ feelings. Such modifications will greatly enhance the teacher’s ability to manage the class. Good teacher managers also need to assess how well their students are progressing. This can be done through a variety of measures including homework assignments, speaking activities where the teacher scores the participation of each student, and frequent small progress tests. Good teachers keep a record of their students’ achievements so that they are always aware of how they are getting on. Only if teachers keep such kinds of progress records can they begin to see when teaching and learning has or has not been successful. (Harmer, Jeremy. How to teach English. Londres: Longman, 1998)

Leia o texto para responder à questão. If styles are general characteristics that differentiate one individual from another, then strategies are those specific “attacks” that we make on a given problem, and that vary considerably within each individual. They are the momentby-moment techniques that we employ to solve “problems” posed by second language input and output. Chamot (2005, p. 112) defines strategies quite broadly as “procedures that facilitate a learning task. Strategies are most often conscious and goal driven.” As our knowledge of second language acquisition increased markedly during the 1970s, teachers and researchers came to realize that no single research finding and no single method of language teaching would usher in an era of universal success in teaching a second language. We saw that certain learners seemed to be successful regardless of methods or techniques of teaching. We began to see the importance of individual variation in language learning. Certain people appeared to be endowed with abilities to succeed; others lacked those abilities. This observation led Rubin (1975) and Stern (1975) to describe “good” language learners in terms of personal traits, styles, and strategies. Rubin (Rubin & Thompson, 1982) later summarized fourteen such characteristics. Among other abilities, good language learners tend to: 1. Find their own way, taking charge of their learning 2. Be creative and develop a “feel” for the language by experimenting with its grammar and words 3. Make their own opportunities for practice in using the language inside and outside the classroom 4. Learn to live with uncertainty by continuing to talk or listen without understanding every word 5. Use linguistic knowledge, including knowledge of their first language, in learning a second language 6. Use contextual cues to help them in comprehension 7. Learn to make intelligent guesses 8. Learn chunks of language as wholes and formalized routines to help them perform “beyond their competence” 9. Learn different styles of speech and writing and learn to vary their language according to the formality of the situation. (, H.Douglas Brown. Principles of language learning and teaching . 5th ed. Longman, 2000. Adaptado) Confidencial até o momento da aplicação.

Leia o texto a seguir para responder à questão: Foreign language pronunciation instruction in a communicative language teaching context: amounts, practices and beliefs The aim of this research was to examine three important components of foreign language pronunciation instruction and the connections between them: amount, actual practices, and teachers’ beliefs. The data consisted of 45 video-recorded lessons in French-as-a-foreign-language in six secondary schools in Norway and semistructured interviews conducted with the same teachers whose instruction was previously video-recorded. The video-recorded lessons were analysed for amount and actual practices of pronunciation instruction and the interviews were analysed for teachers’ background in and beliefs about phonetics and pronunciation pedagogy. Results indicated that: (1) on average, pronunciation instruction accounted for a very small part of the teaching time (less than 2%); (2) despite the emphasis on segmentals and suprasegmentals in pronunciation teaching literature, explicit teaching of segmental and suprasegmental features of speech was rare in the recorded material; (3) there is a need for more training in and knowledge of phonetics and pronunciation pedagogy. These findings might be used to address concerns regarding the role of pronunciation instruction in foreign language teaching and to define factors that may account for the difficulty of making pronunciation instruction an integral part of language teaching. (Altijana Brkan, Eva Thue Vold. https://www.uv.uio.no. Adaptado)

Read the text to answer question: Language learning styles and strategies are among the main factors that help determine how – and how well – our students learn a second or foreign language. The term L2 is used in this text to refer to either a second or a foreign language, following the tradition in our field. Learning styles are the general approaches – global or analytic, auditory or visual – that students use in acquiring a new language or in learning any other subject. These styles are “the overall patterns that give general direction to learning behavior” (Cornett 1983, p. 9). Of great relevance is this statement: “Learning style is the biologically and developmentally imposed set of characteristics that make the same teaching method wonderful for some and terrible for others” (Dunn and Griggs 1988, p. 3). Learning strategies are defined as “specific actions, behaviors, steps, or techniques – such as seeking out conversation partners, or giving oneself encouragement to tackle a difficult language task – used by students to enhance their own learning” (Scarcella and Oxford 1992, p. 63). When the learner consciously chooses strategies that fit his or her learning style and the L2 task at hand, these strategies become a useful tool-kit for active, conscious, and purposeful self-regulation of learning. Learning strategies can be classified into six types: cognitive, metacognitive, memoryrelated, compensatory, affective, and social. (M. Celce-Murcia, 2001. Adaptado)

Read the text to answer question: CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning) is an approach which is neither language learning nor subject learning, but an amalgam of both and is linked to the processes of convergence – the fusion of elements which may have been previously fragmented, such as subjects in the curriculum. This is where CLIL is groundbreaking. To give a parallel example common in recent times, we can take studies on the environment. A seminal publication on the subject in the 1960s later led to a need to educate young people in schools so as to both inform and, perhaps more crucially, influence behavior. Topics relating to the environment could already be found in chemistry, economics, geography, physics, and even psychology. Yet, as climate change became increasingly worrying, education responded with the introduction of a new subject: “Environmental studies”. In order to structure this new subject, teachers of different disciplines would have needed to climb out of their respective mindsets grounded in physics, chemistry, geography, psychology and so on, to explore ways of building an integrated curriculum, and to develop alternative methodologies by which to implement it. Climate change is a global and local phenomenon, so the increasing availability in some countries of information and communication technologies during the 1990s provided tools by which to make some of these methodologies operational. If we return to languages and CLIL, we have a similar situation. The late 1990s meant that educational insight was firmly set on achieving a high degree of language awareness. Appropriate methodologies were to be used to attain the best possible results in a way which accommodated diverse learning styles. (D. Coyle, P. Hood, D. Marsh. CLIL: content language integrated learning . Cambridge: Cambridge University, 2010.)