Inglês
Prova objetiva realizada no dia 12/12/97
Questões


Read the texts below and answer the questions that follow:

Text 1











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30





35





40





45
LIES ARE SO COMMONPLACE,
THEY ALMOST SEEM LIKE THE TRUTH


Everyone lies. Little lies, perhaps, which may not
cause serious problems, but still they are lies. We fudge on
how old we are, how much we weigh, what we are paid. Some
people tell their children that Santa Claus will come on
Christmas Eve.

Consider the last time you got a phone call from
someone you didn't want to talk to. Did you perhaps claim
falsely that you were just on your way out the door? That your
newborn (you're childless) needed you?

Did you ever promise anyone, "We'll do lunch", when
you knew that you'd never get together?

Did you ever reach for the phone to call in sick to
work, then leap from bed to enjoy the day?

Did you ever tell someone you owed money to that
the check was in the mail when it wasn't?

Few behaviors serve as many purposes as lying. We
grow up to use lies - or at least half truths - to avoid things that
should be done, to get people to believe us, to get what we
want, to buy time, to end conversations, to keep relationships
going.

"Lying is also exciting," said Margaret Summy, a
professional counselor in Forth Worth, Texas. "It's living
dangerously. Besides, we all want to be important, so we
change our stories to make them more interesting."

"We also lie to make people agree with us, without
realizing that we're doing so," said clinical psychologist David
Welsh.

"In working with relationships such as parent-child or
husband-wife, each person has a different memory, one
which helps them. They'll accuse each other of lying," he said.
"But both are telling their own understanding of the truth."

Perhaps the most understandable reason people lie
is so they don't hurt others' feelings. Most guests at a dinner
party wouldn't want to say that they didn't like a specially
prepared meal, even if it was terrible.

But even though people lie for good reasons, lying
can be harmful. If we act on false information, we can be hurt.
If we lie and are discovered, it can destroy the trust necessary
for strong relationships. Besides, lying is hard on the brain
because one lie leads to another, and we always have to
remember our false story. In his "Discourses on Government",
Algernon Sidney said, "Liars ought to have good memories."

For most of us, though, lying is hard on us physically.
We breathe faster, our hearts beat harder, and our blood
pressure goes up.

The truth can be hard on the body too, of course —
especially if we're admitting to a lie. Just about the most
difficult thing for any human being to do is to tell others that he
or she lied to them. It's very stressful.

Terry L. Goodrich. Seattle Post-Intelligencer;
October 29, 1990, C1



16

In paragraph 1, the author...

(A) introduces the topic of lying.

(B) presents a definition of what lying is.

(C) writes about very serious lies people tell.

(D) asks parents to tell the truth about Santa Claus.

(E) recommends that we lie about how old we are.



17

In paragraphs 2, 3, 4 and 5, the author presents...

(A) a set of compulsive lies people tell to deceive their enemies.

(B) a set of specific definitions of what lying is for many people.

(C) a series of arguments in favor of lying.

(D) examples of lies the author told in the past.

(E) a series of specific examples of common lies people tell.



18

"Lying is also exciting" (line 21) because ...

(A) people feel like lying.

(B) people think their stories are important.

(C) sometimes the truth is boring.

(D) a Texan counselor told people they have to lie.

(E) people consider their lives unhappy.



19

According to the text, in a relationship, a lie can be defined as...

(A) people wanting to hurt each other's feelings.

(B) different understandings of what the truth is.

(C) a problem people have with remembering things.

(D) a common problem between a father and a child.

(E) a way husbands and wives help themselves.



20

Which of the following options was NOT mentioned in the text as a physical problem caused by lying?

(A) hard breathing.

(B) fast heart beating.

(C) increase in blood pressure.

(D) nervousness.

(E) stress.



21

In this text, Terry L. Goodrich...

(A) criticizes the people who lie.

(B) gives advice on how to be a good liar.

(C) comments on the advantages and disadvantages of lying.

(D) analyzes the social problems caused by lying.

(E) tries to convince us that we must stop lying.



22

What type of text is this?

(A) a journalistic article.

(B) a scientific article.

(C) a historical text.

(D) a book review.

(E) a narrative.



23

In the sentence "Everyone lies" (line 1), the present tense is being used to express a fact that will never change in time (historical present). In which of the alternatives below is the present tense being used to express a similar idea?

(A) It is hot and sunny today.

(B) Water freezes at 0o Celsius.

(C) My plane leaves at 5pm tomorrow.

(D) My cousin studies Computer Science.

(E) Joe is late for work today.



24

The word "newborn" (line 9) could be replaced by the synonym...

(A) teenager.

(B) nephew.

(C) grown-up.

(D) baby

(E) youngster.



25

In line 35, "it" refers to:

(A) dinner (line 33).

(B) party (line 34).

(C) guests (line 33).

(D) reason (line 32).

(E) meal (line 35).



26

What contrast is introduced in the text by the sentence "But even though people lie for good reasons..." (line 36)?

(A) lies that help as opposed to lies that harm.

(B) revealed lies as opposed to unrevealed lies.

(C) lying for good reasons as opposed to lying for bad reasons.

(D) occasional liars as opposed to frequent liars.

(E) long-living lies as opposed to short-living lies.



27

The modal auxiliary ought to in "Liars ought to have good memories" (lines 42) indicates...

(A) possibility.

(B) probability.

(C) obligation.

(D) ability.

(E) permission.



Text 2




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10




15
All communication is a two-way process involving a
speaker or writer and listeners or readers (the audience). In
written communication, because the audience is not present,
the audience is easy to ignore. However, the kind of audience
you write for determines what you write and how you write.In
describing the World Series baseball championship to a
British reader, you would have to include definitions,
explanations, and facts that a reader in the United States
would not need. Similarly, if you write about cricket (a British
sport) for an audience in the United States, you would need to
include a lot of basic information. If you wrote about the
international banking systems for bankers, your language and
information would be more technical than a paper written for
readers who don't know much about the subject. A discussion
of acid rain written for an audience of environmentalists would
be quite different from one written for factory owners.

Adapted from: Coyle W. (1990) The Macmillan Guide tor
Writing Research Papers
(p.8). New York:Macmillan.



28

Which sentence best states the main idea of the paragraph?

(A) It is important to consider the audience when you write.

(B) British readers would need special information to understand an article on the World Series.

(C) Communication is a process that involves speakers and writers.

(D) Only when writing about sports and the international banking system do we need to consider the audience.

(E) Listeners and readers are called the audience.



29

Which statement is true in relation to the text?

(A)The audience can be defined as being speakers, writers, listeners and readers.

(B) Americans are familiar with the rules in cricket.

(C) Environmentalists know much less about acid rain than factory owners.

(D) In oral communication, audience can be easily forgotten.

(E) The examples show different audience needs according to the topic of a text.



30

In the sentence "If you wrote about the international banking systems for bankers, your language and information would be more technical(...)" (lines 11-13), the author intends to transmit an idea of:

(A) conclusion.

(B) addition.

(C) condition.

(D) comparison.

(E) contrast.