TEXTOS
PARA O TRABALHO DO 3º COL – PEDERNEIRAS /SP
3º BIMESTRE - 2015
PROF. JAMIL
BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE
Industries must radically cut the amount of materials
they use, to combat resource shortages and climate change for a planet of nine
billion people, according to a report for the Royal Society.
This discussion paper says the antidote to fears about
resources is what’s known as material efficiency; that’s making the things we
want, but with less material.
The researchers say we could use half as much cement
in buildings, for instance, if we ________ and ______ them with more time and
care. We don’t do it now because labour's dear and materials are cheap. We
could drastically reduce steel in cars, if governments deterred the trend
towards bigger, more powerful vehicles.
The researchers say material efficiency is vital for
tackling climate change, too. For the UK, for instance, to generate enough
clean energy so materials are produced in current quantities, would need the
equivalent of a four-fold increase in nuclear power or a 40-fold increase in
wind power. That’s barely feasible, they say, so resource efficiency is the
only way ahead.
The researchers say the trick will be to make sure
that good design allows people to continue getting the things they want but
simply made from less. For the transition to happen fully they urge governments
to shift taxation away from people and on to resources. This would be
controversial but the researchers predict it will create jobs for people to
manufacture goods in a more intelligent way.
(B.B.C.)
NO. 1 DRINK IN THE U. S.
NEW YORK — It wasn’t too long ago that America had a
love affair with soda. Now, an old flame has the country’s heart.
As New York City’s ban on the sale of large cups of
soda and other sugary drinks at some businesses started on Tuesday, one thing
is clear: soda’s run as the nation’s beverage of choice has fizzled.
In its place? A favorite for much of history: Plain
old H2O.
For more than two decades, soda was the No. 1 drink in
the U.S. with consumption peaking in 1998 at 54 gallons a year, according to Beverage
Digest. Americans drank just 42 gallons a year of water at the time.
But over the years, as soda increasingly came under
fire for fueling the nation’s rising obesity rates, water quietly rose to knock
it off the top spot.
Americans now drink an average of 44 gallons of soda a
year, a 17 percent drop from the peak in 1998. Over the same time, the average
amount of water people drink has increased 38 percent to about 58 gallons a
year. Bottled water has led that growth, with consumption nearly doubling to 21
gallons a year.
Stephen Ngo, a civil defense attorney, quit drinking
soda a year ago when he started running triathlons, and wanted a healthier way
to quench his thirst.
Ngo, 34, has a Brita filter for tap water and also
keeps his pantry stocked with cases of bottled water.
“It might just be the placebo effect or marketing, but
it tastes crisper,” said Ngo, who lives in Miami.
The trend reflects Americans’ ever-changing tastes; it
wasn’t too far back in history that tap water was the top drink.
(News-Sun)
TECHNOLOGY
A Brazilian inventor has come up with a new gadget
that converts your breath into electricity. This means breathing has become a
source of renewable energy – at least while you are alive. Joco Paulo
Lammoglia, from Rio de Janeiro, won the Red Dot design award for his AIRE
device. His invention uses the wind flow created by breathing and changes it
into energy that can power mobile phones and iPods. Tiny turbines in the AIRE
charger create the electrical power from your breath. The device is worn like a
mask and can be used while exercising or even when sleeping. Mr Lammoglia hopes
his new creation will help protect the environment.
Lammoglia explained how useful he hopes the AIRE will
become. He said: “I hope to bring the concept into production and reduce the
carbon footprint. It can be used indoors or outdoors, while you’re sleeping,
walking, running or even reading a book.” He also said his invention encouraged
people to exercise as well as saving energy and the environment. He explained
why he thought the AIRE was so useful, saying: “Though many of our modern
gadgets offer benefits, they tend to use a high amount of electrical energy.
Harnessing energy from human activities and transforming it into electricity is
possible and is a great solution.” The product is not yet on sale but is sure
to be a big seller when it does hit the shelves.
(breakingnewsenglish)
CHIMPANZEE TANTRUMS
Scientists in the U.S. have found that chimpanzees
become upset when they make the wrong decisions. Researchers from Duke
University designed decision-making games for chimpanzees and bonobos, where
the animals could win edible treats. Those that lost appeared to lose their
temper. The Duke University team designed two games – one to test patience and
the other assessing risk-taking.
The second was a sort of gambling game where the forty
chimps and bonobos the team studied were offered a choice between a safe option
– six peanuts hidden under a bowl – or a risky option. The second bowl
concealed either a slice of cucumber or a much tastier piece of banana, and
that prize wasn’t revealed until the ape had made its choice.
When one chimp,
named Timi, gambled and got the cucumber, he threw what looked and sounded very
much like a tantrum. Although some were more stoic than Timi, many of the
animals involved showed an emotional response to a bad decision – anxiously
scratching themselves or calling out.
The study, the scientists say, suggests that emotions
like frustration and regret – so fundamental to our own decisions – are not
uniquely human, but are an important and ancient part of ape society.”
(BBC)
