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)