Questões de Inglês

Once more with feeling
Tokyo’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics, observed
many of its disappointed residents afterwards, failed because of
a lack of passion. After years of rising economic insecurity and
public debt, Tokyoites simply could not gather enough
enthusiasm to put on the world’s costliest sporting
extravaganza. There was no such problem this time. In beating
Madrid and Istanbul on September 7th for the right to host the
2020 Games, Tokyo impressed the International Olympic
Committee (IOC) with a bid which is supported by 70% of the
city’s population. That level of backing has risen by 14
percentage points since the earthquake/tsunami that wrecked
Japan’s northeast coast in March 2011.
It might appear strange that it took a disaster to
rekindle Tokyo’s passion for the Olympics, but the city’s
government relentlessly sold the idea that the event would help
Japan recover — and many Japanese believe it. Ironically then,
the lingering Fukushima nuclear crisis, triggered by that
disaster, threatened Tokyo’s bid at the final hurdle. A string of
problems at the leaky Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, 230 km
(140 miles) from the capital, put Tokyo’s Olympic organisers
on the defensive, and forced Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to find
$470m to plug the leaks. The world’s top athletes will be safe
from radiation, he pledged before the IOC’s final vote on
Saturday in Buenos Aires. “Let me assure you the situation is
under control. It has never done and will never do any damage
to Tokyo,” he said.

Mr. Abe had less to say about whether Japan can
afford the games. Tokyo will build 22 of the 37 Olympic
venues from scratch, and spend $1 billion refurbishing the
national Olympic stadium, the centerpiece of Japan’s 1964
Olympics. The government’s estimated price tag for all this
construction is ¥409 billion yen ($4.1 billion). That is almost
certainly optimistic: every single Games since 1960 has failed
to meet the cost target. The average overrun has been a
whopping 179%.

Nonetheless, can the Olympics bring some lasting
benefit to Japan? It seems that those 70% of Tokyo residents
certainly believe so.

Internet: (adapted).


Based on the text above, judge the following items.

The possibility of hosting the Olympic Games made the government invest more on controlling Fukushima"s nuclear crisis.

A resposta correta é:

Multivitamins fail to prevent heart problems
Physicians’ Health Study II found that men who took

multivitamins lowered their cancer risk.



Dashing the hopes of those who hope to pop a pill to
prevent heart disease, doctors announced Monday that daily
multivitamins don’t stave off cardiovascular problems, such as
heart attacks, stroke or death. The findings come from the only
large-scale, long-term trial of its kind, called the Physicians’
Health Study II.
“Vitamin supplements will never be a substitute for a
healthy diet,” says study co-author JoAnn Manson, chief of
preventive medicine at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s
Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

The new study, which followed 14,661 male doctors
for more than 11 years, had slightly more positive results for
cancer. That part of the study, published last month, found that
men who took multivitamins lowered their risk of cancer by
8%.
As an industry, dietary supplements have grown from
$4 billion a year in 1994 to nearly $24 billion in 2008,
according to the editorial. Because regulation of dietary
supplements is less strict than for other drugs, makers of these
pills are often able to make exaggerated claims about their
benefits, with little to no evidence to back them up.
Recent studies have largely failed to find much benefit
from dietary supplements, however, whether taken as a single
vitamin or multivitamin. High doses of vitamin E, vitamin C,
betacarotene, selenium and B vitamins all failed to prevent
cancer, according to carefully done studies. Studies of
high-dose vitamin E have found that it actually increased the
risk of stroke and prostate cancer.

Internet: (adapted).


Based on the text above, judge the items below.

The findings of the research corroborate with the belief that pills cannot replace healthy eating habits.

A resposta correta é:

Multivitamins fail to prevent heart problems
Physicians’ Health Study II found that men who took

multivitamins lowered their cancer risk.



Dashing the hopes of those who hope to pop a pill to
prevent heart disease, doctors announced Monday that daily
multivitamins don’t stave off cardiovascular problems, such as
heart attacks, stroke or death. The findings come from the only
large-scale, long-term trial of its kind, called the Physicians’
Health Study II.
“Vitamin supplements will never be a substitute for a
healthy diet,” says study co-author JoAnn Manson, chief of
preventive medicine at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s
Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

The new study, which followed 14,661 male doctors
for more than 11 years, had slightly more positive results for
cancer. That part of the study, published last month, found that
men who took multivitamins lowered their risk of cancer by
8%.
As an industry, dietary supplements have grown from
$4 billion a year in 1994 to nearly $24 billion in 2008,
according to the editorial. Because regulation of dietary
supplements is less strict than for other drugs, makers of these
pills are often able to make exaggerated claims about their
benefits, with little to no evidence to back them up.
Recent studies have largely failed to find much benefit
from dietary supplements, however, whether taken as a single
vitamin or multivitamin. High doses of vitamin E, vitamin C,
betacarotene, selenium and B vitamins all failed to prevent
cancer, according to carefully done studies. Studies of
high-dose vitamin E have found that it actually increased the
risk of stroke and prostate cancer.

Internet: (adapted).


Based on the text above, judge the items below.

The Physician"s Health Study II was unique because it involved more than 14,000 researchers.

A resposta correta é:

Multivitamins fail to prevent heart problems
Physicians’ Health Study II found that men who took

multivitamins lowered their cancer risk.



Dashing the hopes of those who hope to pop a pill to
prevent heart disease, doctors announced Monday that daily
multivitamins don’t stave off cardiovascular problems, such as
heart attacks, stroke or death. The findings come from the only
large-scale, long-term trial of its kind, called the Physicians’
Health Study II.
“Vitamin supplements will never be a substitute for a
healthy diet,” says study co-author JoAnn Manson, chief of
preventive medicine at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s
Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

The new study, which followed 14,661 male doctors
for more than 11 years, had slightly more positive results for
cancer. That part of the study, published last month, found that
men who took multivitamins lowered their risk of cancer by
8%.
As an industry, dietary supplements have grown from
$4 billion a year in 1994 to nearly $24 billion in 2008,
according to the editorial. Because regulation of dietary
supplements is less strict than for other drugs, makers of these
pills are often able to make exaggerated claims about their
benefits, with little to no evidence to back them up.
Recent studies have largely failed to find much benefit
from dietary supplements, however, whether taken as a single
vitamin or multivitamin. High doses of vitamin E, vitamin C,
betacarotene, selenium and B vitamins all failed to prevent
cancer, according to carefully done studies. Studies of
high-dose vitamin E have found that it actually increased the
risk of stroke and prostate cancer.

Internet: (adapted).


Based on the text above, judge the items below.

The results of the studies of vitamin E are yet inconclusive, as it is indicated by the use of the verb form "have found" (L.27).

A resposta correta é:

Recruiters eye Brics to build business


Brazil’s dream of shedding its middle-income status is over,
some Bric observers have said. But to UK recruitment
agencies, the South American powerhouse still offers
something that is much harder to fi nd close to home – huge
growth potential. Although Brazil’s gross domestic product
is estimated to have notched up less than 1 per cent growth
in 2012, UK recruitment groups are still opening offi ces
there and expanding deeper into the region.
“You will get these hiccups along the way,” says Steve
Ingham, chief executive of recruitment agency PageGroup
(formerly Michael Page International). “The economy won’t
always be as strong, but we will continue to invest through
the cycle such that our endgame is to have a lot more
offi ces and a lot more people in [Latin America].”
His company was one of the fi rst big UK recruiters to
enter the region, about 13 years ago. There are now
more than a dozen offi ces and about 600 staff in Latin
America operating under PageGroup. Almost 10 per cent
of PageGroup’s business is generated in the region but
Mr Ingham “easily imagines” that rising to a fi fth in the
near future. “Our expectations are enormous,” he says,
highlighting the potential beyond Brazil, in countries such
as Mexico and Chile. “We’re not just depending on Brazil
[to generate fees] any more.”
Other recruiters have followed suit, as part of their
expansion away from the saturated UK market to fastergrowing
economies in Asia and beyond. Hays recently
opened offi ces in Colombia and Chile, and Brazil is already
the sixth-largest country in the group, based on net fees.


Source: Vanessa Kortekaas, Financial Times, February 4, 2013


The overall purpose of the text is to show that the UK recruitment industry

a) is expanding operations across Brics countries.
b) is shifting its investments away from Brazil.
c) expects growing business in Latin America.
d) has lost hope in the domestic market altogether.
e) is disappointed with Brazil"s economic performance.

A resposta correta é:

Multivitamins fail to prevent heart problems
Physicians’ Health Study II found that men who took

multivitamins lowered their cancer risk.



Dashing the hopes of those who hope to pop a pill to
prevent heart disease, doctors announced Monday that daily
multivitamins don’t stave off cardiovascular problems, such as
heart attacks, stroke or death. The findings come from the only
large-scale, long-term trial of its kind, called the Physicians’
Health Study II.
“Vitamin supplements will never be a substitute for a
healthy diet,” says study co-author JoAnn Manson, chief of
preventive medicine at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s
Hospital and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

The new study, which followed 14,661 male doctors
for more than 11 years, had slightly more positive results for
cancer. That part of the study, published last month, found that
men who took multivitamins lowered their risk of cancer by
8%.
As an industry, dietary supplements have grown from
$4 billion a year in 1994 to nearly $24 billion in 2008,
according to the editorial. Because regulation of dietary
supplements is less strict than for other drugs, makers of these
pills are often able to make exaggerated claims about their
benefits, with little to no evidence to back them up.
Recent studies have largely failed to find much benefit
from dietary supplements, however, whether taken as a single
vitamin or multivitamin. High doses of vitamin E, vitamin C,
betacarotene, selenium and B vitamins all failed to prevent
cancer, according to carefully done studies. Studies of
high-dose vitamin E have found that it actually increased the
risk of stroke and prostate cancer.

Internet: (adapted).


Based on the text above, judge the items below.

The text"s title and subtitle present conflicting information.

A resposta correta é:

Recruiters eye Brics to build business


Brazil’s dream of shedding its middle-income status is over,
some Bric observers have said. But to UK recruitment
agencies, the South American powerhouse still offers
something that is much harder to fi nd close to home – huge
growth potential. Although Brazil’s gross domestic product
is estimated to have notched up less than 1 per cent growth
in 2012, UK recruitment groups are still opening offi ces
there and expanding deeper into the region.
“You will get these hiccups along the way,” says Steve
Ingham, chief executive of recruitment agency PageGroup
(formerly Michael Page International). “The economy won’t
always be as strong, but we will continue to invest through
the cycle such that our endgame is to have a lot more
offi ces and a lot more people in [Latin America].”
His company was one of the fi rst big UK recruiters to
enter the region, about 13 years ago. There are now
more than a dozen offi ces and about 600 staff in Latin
America operating under PageGroup. Almost 10 per cent
of PageGroup’s business is generated in the region but
Mr Ingham “easily imagines” that rising to a fi fth in the
near future. “Our expectations are enormous,” he says,
highlighting the potential beyond Brazil, in countries such
as Mexico and Chile. “We’re not just depending on Brazil
[to generate fees] any more.”
Other recruiters have followed suit, as part of their
expansion away from the saturated UK market to fastergrowing
economies in Asia and beyond. Hays recently
opened offi ces in Colombia and Chile, and Brazil is already
the sixth-largest country in the group, based on net fees.


Source: Vanessa Kortekaas, Financial Times, February 4, 2013


In the view of the PageGroup"s CEO, economic slowdowns in Latin America

a) may be cyclical.
b) will spiral out of control.
c) are here to stay.
d) cause hiccups in investors.
e) give rise to optimism.

A resposta correta é:

Recent corporate collapses, such as EBS International and
Societe Generale, have brought about renewed scrutiny into
corporate governance mechanisms. Given the pervasiveness of
Information Technology (IT) in many organizations, the
examination of corporate governance mechanisms also includes IT
governance mechanisms. IT governance is defined as ga structure
of relationships and processes to direct and control the enterprise in
order to achieve the enterprisefs goals by adding value while
balancing risk versus return over IT and its processesh.

In light of increased public awareness, professional bodies
such as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association
(ISACa ) have undertaken a number of steps to provide guidance in
the implementation of effective IT governance. The approach taken
by ISACA appears to be largely based upon two concepts. The first
concept relates to increasing the awareness of issues and concepts
relating to IT governance in the public domain. The second concept
involves the provision of guidelines and the identification of
best-practice IT governance mechanisms. Interestingly, the
effectiveness of these best-practice mechanisms in improving IT
governance is largely based upon conceptual arguments. As such,
it becomes important to ascertain if these best-practice mechanisms
do impact upon the level of IT governance.

As IT escalates in terms of importance and pervasiveness
in the operations of firms, it is inexorably tied to specific
mechanisms that are prescribed for good corporate governance,
most notably, a sound system of internal controls. Accordingly,
effective IT governance is a critical underpinning for a system of
good corporate governance that minimizes agency losses for a firm.

Internet: (adapted).


Based on the text above, judge the following items.

Internal control is a central issue on corporate governance.

A resposta correta é:

Recruiters eye Brics to build business


Brazil’s dream of shedding its middle-income status is over,
some Bric observers have said. But to UK recruitment
agencies, the South American powerhouse still offers
something that is much harder to fi nd close to home – huge
growth potential. Although Brazil’s gross domestic product
is estimated to have notched up less than 1 per cent growth
in 2012, UK recruitment groups are still opening offi ces
there and expanding deeper into the region.
“You will get these hiccups along the way,” says Steve
Ingham, chief executive of recruitment agency PageGroup
(formerly Michael Page International). “The economy won’t
always be as strong, but we will continue to invest through
the cycle such that our endgame is to have a lot more
offi ces and a lot more people in [Latin America].”
His company was one of the fi rst big UK recruiters to
enter the region, about 13 years ago. There are now
more than a dozen offi ces and about 600 staff in Latin
America operating under PageGroup. Almost 10 per cent
of PageGroup’s business is generated in the region but
Mr Ingham “easily imagines” that rising to a fi fth in the
near future. “Our expectations are enormous,” he says,
highlighting the potential beyond Brazil, in countries such
as Mexico and Chile. “We’re not just depending on Brazil
[to generate fees] any more.”
Other recruiters have followed suit, as part of their
expansion away from the saturated UK market to fastergrowing
economies in Asia and beyond. Hays recently
opened offi ces in Colombia and Chile, and Brazil is already
the sixth-largest country in the group, based on net fees.


Source: Vanessa Kortekaas, Financial Times, February 4, 2013


In the past 13 years, the recruitment agency"s business strategy has been

a) stalled by a dwindling potential in Latin American markets.
b) responsible for placing 600 workers in over 12 companies.
c) highlighting Brazil"s potential in countries like Mexico and Chile.
d) focused on swelling operations in Latin America.
e) behind the company"s rise to fi fth place in the region.

A resposta correta é:

Recent corporate collapses, such as EBS International and
Societe Generale, have brought about renewed scrutiny into
corporate governance mechanisms. Given the pervasiveness of
Information Technology (IT) in many organizations, the
examination of corporate governance mechanisms also includes IT
governance mechanisms. IT governance is defined as ga structure
of relationships and processes to direct and control the enterprise in
order to achieve the enterprisefs goals by adding value while
balancing risk versus return over IT and its processesh.

In light of increased public awareness, professional bodies
such as the Information Systems Audit and Control Association
(ISACa ) have undertaken a number of steps to provide guidance in
the implementation of effective IT governance. The approach taken
by ISACA appears to be largely based upon two concepts. The first
concept relates to increasing the awareness of issues and concepts
relating to IT governance in the public domain. The second concept
involves the provision of guidelines and the identification of
best-practice IT governance mechanisms. Interestingly, the
effectiveness of these best-practice mechanisms in improving IT
governance is largely based upon conceptual arguments. As such,
it becomes important to ascertain if these best-practice mechanisms
do impact upon the level of IT governance.

As IT escalates in terms of importance and pervasiveness
in the operations of firms, it is inexorably tied to specific
mechanisms that are prescribed for good corporate governance,
most notably, a sound system of internal controls. Accordingly,
effective IT governance is a critical underpinning for a system of
good corporate governance that minimizes agency losses for a firm.

Internet: (adapted).


Based on the text above, judge the following items.

In spite of the pervasiveness of IT in many organizations, it is essential for enterprises to balance risks and detect fraud.

A resposta correta é: