ENGLISH WORK

TEXTOS PARA TRABALHO - 3º COLEGIAL NOTURNO

3º BIMESTRE – 2015

PROF. JAMIL

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

ECO CATASTROPHE PREDICTED IF WORLD DOESN’T ACT

            Smog will kill millions, primordial forest will be lost for ever and there will be a dramatic decline in biodiversity – these are some of the bleak possibilities outlined in a high level eco report.

            The Environmental Outlook to 2050 report was unveiled by the respected Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

            It looked at some potential consequences of current economic activity if nothing was done to change consumption, production patterns and population growth that are storing up problems.

            A troubling picture emerges with the report predicting that economic activity will increase fourfold, and energy consumption almost double, with most of that through increased consumption of fossil fuels. The report states this is why prime forest will be destroyed and more people will be killed by pollution.

            As the problems get worse from economic production so countries that rely on tourism will start to lose out as fewer people will want to travel from the comfort of their homes.

            It also paints a depressing view of animal species being made extinct and certain of the most vulnerable plant life being wiped out, which in turn will have a knock on impact on climate change and the planet’s ability to deal with pollution.

            Most alarming of all is the view that water shortages will get worse with parts of the world suffering prolonged periods of drought and what water there is being at far greater risk of being polluted.

            The report says that developed countries are going to have to take the lead in making changes if this doomsday scenario is to be avoided. Among a range of options are calls to back development of clean technologies, and heavy taxes on those who exploit ecosystems.

            It also proposes a radical agenda of improving education for women in the developing world and more contraception and information about birth control. The report also notes that the developed world has to take the first steps if booming countries like China, India and Brazil are to be persuaded to join in.

                                                                       (Isabelle Monte)

SHOULD WE REWARD SUCCESS?

            Society is wrong to reward and try to emulate the most successful people in business – or indeed any sector. Instead we should be lauding those who are talented, but not as successful. Those are the findings of new research from academics at two British universities, who say that ‘success’ is often predicated on luck, a factor which is out of people’s control.

            The message that society’s top performers are not the most skilled and shouldn’t be emulated, appears to be counter-intuitive. Yet this report says that those who appear to have achieved the most in their particular field of expertise are often the beneficiaries of luck, an external, random force.

            The authors of this study point to the example of Bill Gates, the cofounder of the computing giant Microsoft, and one of the world’s richest men. They say that although he is undoubtedly talented, he achieved his initial success because his affluent family were able to send him to a school where programming was on the curriculum – at a time when most Americans didn’t have access to computers. Family connections also helped, according to Professor Chengwei Liu from Warwick University Business School.

            That kind of luck is often at work in the lives of the most successful, argues Mr Liu, which means their achievements aren’t completely attributable to their own skill. Instead, he advocates looking at those whom he calls ‘the second best’. They aren’t relying on lucky chances, so their performances offer na opportunity to measure real success. The study also argues that there are dangers if colleagues try to emulate the achievements of those who’ve been overly fortunate.

            This could explain the global banking crisis, says Professor Liu, who also believes that studying the lives of people such as Bill Gates for tips on reaching the top is fruitless. Of course, some academics argue that individuals can in fact create their own lucky circumstances through using personal contacts and pursuing all available opportunities. This research though says that because those with the highest salaries haven’t

completely earned them through skill, they should be taxed more heavily – which would be very bad luck.

                                                                                  (BBC)

ENGLISH WORK

TEXTO PARA TRADUÇÃO - 1º COLEGIAL NOTURNO

3º BIMESTRE – 2015

PROF. JAMIL

HAMBURGERS

Why is it called a “hamburger” when there is no ham in it?       

Why is it “Where’s the beef” when it should be where’s the ham?

The answer is really quite simple: because Hamburg, Germany, made the first hamburgers.

However, the history of the hamburger is actually more complicated. Who actually invented the first hamburger remains a mystery.

Some say it was a group of nomadic people called the Tartars who tenderized their beef by placing it under a horse’s saddle – flattening it into a patty. Others believe it was the German immigrants who traveled to the United States during the 19th century bringing with them their favorite meal called Hamburg Style Beef – a raw chopped, piece of beef. Some argue Americans placed the first cooked beef patty on a roll at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1921.

Although beef is the most popular meat used in hamburgers, other meats such as pork and turkey have been used.

Ever since Bob’s Big Boy introduced the first double patty burger, new varieties of burgers have been created. Today people enjoy veggie burgers and turkey burgers, with many different toppings including lettuce, mushrooms, cheese, onions, tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, and pickles.

Hamburgers remain one of the most favorite foods among Americans today.

Ranking #1 among all restaurants with 26,000 stores in 119 countries, McDonald’s serves billions of hamburgers worldwide.

Holy Hamburger!

On average, Americans eat 3 hamburgers a week.

McDonald’s has sold 12 hamburgers for every person in the world.

60% of all sandwiches eaten are hamburgers.

                                                                                                                      (Cool Quiz)

ENGLISH WORK

TEXTO PARA TRADUÇÃO - 2º COLEGIAL NOTURNO

3º BIMESTRE – 2015

PROF. JAMIL

PANTANAL: A BRAZILIAN ECOLOGICAL SANCTUARY

            The world’s largest flood plain measures 230,000 sq. km. An area slightly smaller than Great Britain or seven times bigger than Holland. About 140 sq. km. of the Pantanal, a name derived from the world “pântano” which means swamp in Portuguese, are located on Brazilian territory.

            The rest of the morass land extends into Bolivia and Paraguay. Deep in central-west Brazil, the Pantanal is the world’s largest wetland. Tourists all over the planet travel to the Pantanal for a sightseeing safari. No one ever leaves the jungle disappointed. That region is a virtually unspoiled paradise for 650 species of exotic birds, 230 types of fish and variety of mammals and reptiles.

            There are more than 15,000 animal species to be observed. Partially covered by water for half a year, the region teems with relatively docile South American alligators, 20 foot sucuris (a snake related to the anaconda), capivaras (the world’s largest rodent, who weights around 30 kg), pumas, wild boars and rural deers, besides more than 600 species of exotic birds.

            The Pantanal has one of the richest and most interesting ecosystems. The region’s delicate ecology is protected by its remote position in the heart of South America. But, like the Amazon rainforest, its preservation is endangered. Ranchers, funds and government agencies fight to save the untouched fauna and flora of that unique natural paradise.

                                                                                  (www.estado.com.br)