Digital technology is everywhere, and it is changing the way citizens behave. From working patterns to the day-to-day services we use and the places we live, there is no aspect of modern life that remains untouched by digital tools and solutions. This represents both the biggest challenge and opportunity for public sector organizations as they seek to engage citizens and create future-proofed, sustainably-minded societies.
The public sector plays a key role in setting the sustainability agenda for society, including the approach to circularity and recycling. While private sector companies can greatly influence the successful achievement of sustainability targets, the public sector bears the responsibility for outlining how society can achieve these goals more broadly at both national and local levels. By embracing the same digital technologies that are transforming their citizens’ lives, public sector organizations can help pivot society towards a more sustainable tomorrow.
In addition, there has been a rise of smart cities and the circular economy. Urban areas account for 75% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and the 100 cities with the greatest footprints account for 18% of global emissions. But there are more than 70 cities worldwide pledging to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Public sector actors can fuel sustainable transformation by releasing capital to invest in sustainable city transformation projects and smart cities. By tapping into the value of data and green infrastructure, smart cities can combat climate risks and become more resilient to the many unexpected events of today’s increasingly unpredictable world. These cities can supportthe decoupling of resource use and environmental impacts by diffusing circular economy approaches to production and consumption.
Internet: (adapted).
Based on the ideas presented in the previous text, as well as on its linguistic aspects, judge the following items.
The text indicates that, by investing in sustainable city transformation projects and smart cities, public sector actors can help cities become better prepared to face climate risks and unpredictable events.
In paragraph 3, the statement “Instead of protecting children, state governments have willfully enabled anyone to monitor them and collect their personal information online” means that the permission given by state governments to third-party companies was
In paragraph 7, the statement “the General Personal Data Protection Law [...] does not explicitly prohibit actors from exploiting children’s information” means that the data protection law does not currently prevent educational websites from
In the segment of paragraph 2 “These websites not only watched children inside of their online classrooms, but followed them across the internet”, the term them refers to
Does Snoozing Your Alarm Really Increase Sleepiness?
Snoozing the alarm doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll feel groggy the rest of the day. But it’s important to get as much sleep as you can. Getting up early in the morning is no easy task for plenty of people. That’s why alarms are important — they ensure that you wake up at your desired time. However, nobody can deny how tempting it is to try and squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep.
According to a survey, about 57 percent of people snooze in the morning, which is defined as needing multiple alarms to wake up. If you set a single alarm and snooze it repeatedly or set several alarms at regular intervals until the time you absolutely need to get up, you are a snoozer. Waking up on the first alarm is commonly recommended, but does it really make a difference if you are woken up by one alarm compared to several ones? In a recent sleep study, researchers examine how snoozing affects an individual’s health and sleep.
According to the study, people snooze for a variety of reasons. Most of the participants said that they just can’t get up with only the first alarm. Some say they snooze because they feel comfortable in bed, while others do it because they feel less tired when they do get up. A researcher said that snoozing might be a sign that people are waking up because of important scheduled activities — like school or work — rather than because they have adequately rested.
Internet: <www.discovermagazine.com> (adapted)
According to the preceding text, judge the following items.
More than half of the people surveyed admitted snoozing in the morning for various reasons.
Using your phone while on the toilet poses significant health risks, as warned by an expert, Dr. Sethi. Despite being a common habit, mindlessly scrolling or using your phone in the bathroom can lead to severe consequences. Dr. Sethi, a Harvard-trained stomach doctor, highlights that this practice, particularly during bowel movements, causes extended sitting that strains the rectum and anus, potentially resulting in hemorrhoids, anal fissures, and rectal prolapse.
Furthermore, using phones in the bathroom makes them a breeding ground for bacteria, surpassing the hygiene levels of a public toilet seat. Dr. Sethi emphasizes the importance of avoiding phone usage while on the toilet or, if unavoidable, suggests disinfecting the phone afterward. Research spanning over a decade has consistently shown that phones harbor a significant amount of germs, including fecal matter.
Despite these health warnings, over 65% of adults take their phones into the bathroom, with Spain having the highest usage rates (nearly 80%) and Germany the lowest (just under 55%). Interestingly, younger age groups, particularly those aged 26-41 and 18-25, are most likely to engage in this unhygienic behavior. Apart from health concerns, there’s the practical risk of dropping the phone into the toilet, with a fifth of respondents in the United States admitting to this mishap.
Internet: <www.mirror.co.uk> (adapted).
Based on the previous text, judge the following items.
It would change the meaning of the first sentence of the text if in the excerpt “on the toilet” the preposition “on” was replaced by in.
Considering the grammatical aspects of Portuguese and English, judge the following item.
The English translation of the Portuguese sentence Quanto mais você adia o despertador, menos você quer se levantar da cama is How much more you snooze your alarm, how much less you want to get out of bed.
Text I
Shock of the old: Believe it or not, battery-powered vehicles
have been around since Victorian times.
The history of the electric car is surprisingly enraging. If you
imagine early electric vehicles at all (full disclosure: I didn’t until
recently), it will probably be as the quixotic and possibly dangerous
dream of a few eccentrics, maybe in the 1920s or 1930s, when
domestic electrification became widespread. It’s easy to imagine
some stiff-collared proto-Musk getting bored of hunting and
affairs, eyeing his newly installed electric lights speculatively, then
wreaking untold havoc and mass electrocutions. The reality is
entirely different.
By 1900, a third of all cars on the road in the US were electric;
we’re looking at the history of a cruelly missed opportunity, and it
started astonishingly early. The Scottish engineer Robert Anderson
had a go at an electric car of sorts way back in the 1830s, though
his invention was somewhat stymied by the fact rechargeable
batteries were not invented until 1859, making his crude carriage
something of a one-trick pony (and far less useful than an actual
pony).
It’s debatable whether or not Scotland was ready for this brave
new world anyway: in 1842, Robert Davidson (another Scot, who
had, a few years earlier, also tried his hand at an electric vehicle)
saw his electric locomotive Galvani “broken by some malicious
hands almost beyond repair” in Perth. The contemporary
consensus was that it was attacked by railway workers fearful for
their jobs.
Despite this unpromising start, electric vehicles had entered
widespread commercial circulation by the start of the 20th
century, particularly in the US. Electric cabs crisscrossed
Manhattan, 1897’s bestselling US car was electric and, when he
was shot in 1901, President McKinley was taken to hospital in an
electric ambulance. London had Walter Bersey’s electric taxis, and
Berlin’s fire engines went electric in 1908; the future looked bright,
clean and silent.
By the 1930s, however, the tide had definitively turned against
electric, cursed by range limitations and impractical charging times
while petrol gained the upper hand thanks partly – and ironically –
to the electric starter motor. The Horseless Age magazine, which
vehemently backed the petrol non-horse, would have been
delighted. There was a brief resurgence of interest in the late
1960s, when the US Congress passed a bill promoting electrical
vehicle development, but nothing much actually happened until
the Nissan Leaf sparked interest in 2009. Electric still isn’t quite
there yet, battling infrastructure and battery problems that might
have been familiar to Anderson and friends.
Adapted from The Guardian, Tuesday 24 October 2023, p. 6
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/series/shock-of-the-old/2023/oct/24/all
The phrase “wreaking […] havoc” (1st paragraph) is similar in meaning to:
Text 1A2-I
In 2020, the state of California experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with the Bay Area fire becoming one of the largest wildfires in American history. By the end of theyear, the state recorded more than 8,600 blazes that burned down over 4 million acres of land, accounting for more than 4% of the state’s total land area.
California is known for its wildfire seasons, which usually take place between late summer and early autumn, though they have been getting significantly more intense, destructive, and longer in the past two decades. At least one-third of the worst wildfires in USA (United States of America) history occurred in California. But what causes California such susceptibility to wildfires in the first place and what is causing the exacerbation of it?
Wildfires can occur naturally and as a result of human activity, but three elements must be present for a wildfire to start. Fuel: Any flammable material surrounding a fire, which can come in the form of live or dead trees, dry vegetation, and other organic matter; Air: An abundance of oxygen supply. Heat sources: to ignite and burn the fuel. This could take the form of lightning strikes or human sources such as campfires or cigarettes.
Natural wildfires, which are classified as natural disasters by the Environmental Protection Agency, can start during low precipitation, dry weather and droughts. During these conditions, dry vegetation becomes the perfect fuel for wildfires and when lightning strikes, it ignites a fire that can spread rapidly with the aid of strong winds and elevated temperatures.
Internet: (adapted).
In text 1A2-I, the excerpt “they have been getting significantly more intense, destructive, and longer in the past two decades” (first sentence of the second paragraph) conveys the idea that the wildfire seasons in California
Digital technology is everywhere, and it is changing the way citizens behave. From working patterns to the day-to-day services we use and the places we live, there is no aspect of modern life that remains untouched by digital tools and solutions. This represents both the biggest challenge and opportunity for public sector organizations as they seek to engage citizens and create future-proofed, sustainably-minded societies.
The public sector plays a key role in setting the sustainability agenda for society, including the approach to circularity and recycling. While private sector companies can greatly influence the successful achievement of sustainability targets, the public sector bears the responsibility for outlining how society can achieve these goals more broadly at both national and local levels. By embracing the same digital technologies that are transforming their citizens’ lives, public sector organizations can help pivot society towards a more sustainable tomorrow.
In addition, there has been a rise of smart cities and the circular economy. Urban areas account for 75% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and the 100 cities with the greatest footprints account for 18% of global emissions. But there are more than 70 cities worldwide pledging to become carbon neutral by 2050.
Public sector actors can fuel sustainable transformation by releasing capital to invest in sustainable city transformation projects and smart cities. By tapping into the value of data and green infrastructure, smart cities can combat climate risks and become more resilient to the many unexpected events of today’s increasingly unpredictable world. These cities can supportthe decoupling of resource use and environmental impacts by diffusing circular economy approaches to production and consumption.
Internet: (adapted).
Based on the ideas presented in the previous text, as well as on its linguistic aspects, judge the following items.
According to the text, urban areas are responsible for three-quarters of global carbon dioxide emissions, and the 100 cities with the largest carbon footprints account for 18% of these emissions.
Text 1A2-I
In 2020, the state of California experienced its worst wildfire season on record, with the Bay Area fire becoming one of the largest wildfires in American history. By the end of theyear, the state recorded more than 8,600 blazes that burned down over 4 million acres of land, accounting for more than 4% of the state’s total land area.
California is known for its wildfire seasons, which usually take place between late summer and early autumn, though they have been getting significantly more intense, destructive, and longer in the past two decades. At least one-third of the worst wildfires in USA (United States of America) history occurred in California. But what causes California such susceptibility to wildfires in the first place and what is causing the exacerbation of it?
Wildfires can occur naturally and as a result of human activity, but three elements must be present for a wildfire to start. Fuel: Any flammable material surrounding a fire, which can come in the form of live or dead trees, dry vegetation, and other organic matter; Air: An abundance of oxygen supply. Heat sources: to ignite and burn the fuel. This could take the form of lightning strikes or human sources such as campfires or cigarettes.
Natural wildfires, which are classified as natural disasters by the Environmental Protection Agency, can start during low precipitation, dry weather and droughts. During these conditions, dry vegetation becomes the perfect fuel for wildfires and when lightning strikes, it ignites a fire that can spread rapidly with the aid of strong winds and elevated temperatures.
Internet: (adapted).
According to text 1A2-I, it is correct to affirm that
Text CG1A2-II
The enormity of the global climate crisis is so vast that individual actions may seem meaningless: can installing LED lighting in my home or keeping my car tires inflated really help save the polar bears?
First coined by Portland, Oregon-based writer Emma Pattee, the climate shadow aims to paint a picture of the full sum of one’s choices — and the impact they have on the planet.
In an article she wrote in 2021, Pattee detailed her concept for measuring an individual’s impact: “Your climate shadow is a dark shape stretching out behind you. Everywhere you go, it goes too, tallying not just your air conditioning use and the gas mileage of your car, but also how you vote, how many children you choose to have, where you work, how you invest your money, how much you talk about climate change, and whether your words amplify urgency, apathy, or denial.” The larger the shadow — the greater an individual’s impact on doing good for the planet.
In other words, rather than incentivizing purely individual actions, your climate shadow grows when those actions inspire others, knowingly or otherwise.
Kieran Mulvaney. Climate shadow is what really matters.
National Geographic (adapted).
Choose the correct option based on text CG1A2-II.
Brazil: Online Learning Tools Harvest Children’s Data
1 “Educational websites directed at Brazilian students, including two created by state education secretariats, monitored children and collected their personal data”, Human Rights Watch said today. “The national government should revise Brazil’s data protection law by adding new safeguards to protect children online”.
2 Analysis conducted by Human Rights Watch in November 2022 and reviewed again in January 2023 found that seven educational websites extracted and sent children’s data to third-party companies, using tracking technologies designed for advertising. These websites not only watched children inside of their online classrooms, but followed them across the internet, outside school hours, and deep into their private lives.
3 “Children and their families in Brazil are being kept in the dark about the data monitoring conducted on children in online classrooms,” said Hye Jung Han, children’s rights and technology researcher and advocate at Human Rights Watch. “Instead of protecting children, state governments have willfully enabled anyone to monitor them and collect their personal information online.”
4 Human Rights Watch found that five websites deployed particularly intrusive tracking techniques to invisibly spy on children in ways that were impossible to avoid or protect against. One of these websites uses session recording, a technique that allows a third party to watch and record a user’s behavior on a webpage. That includes mouse clicks and movements around a webpage; the digital equivalent of logging video monitoring each time a child scratches their nose or grasps their pencil in class. Typically, the third party would then scrutinize the data on behalf of the website to guess a user’s personality, their preferences, and what they are likely to do next, or how they might be influenced. Advertisers might use these insights to target the child with personalized content and ads that follow them across the internet.
5 Profiling, targeting, and advertising to children in this way infringes on their privacy, as it is neither proportionate nor necessary for these websites to function or deliver educational content. It also risks violating children’s other rights if this information is used to guide them toward outcomes that are harmful or not in their best interest. Such practices also play an enormous role in shaping children’s online experiences and determining the information they see, at a time in their lives when their opinions and beliefs are at high risk of manipulative interference.
6 Brazil’s data protection authority should stop these assaults on children’s privacy. It should require these companies and state governments to delete children’s data collected, and prevent them from further using children’s data for any purpose unrelated to providing education.
7 Brazil’s constitution protects the right to privacy. The country has also ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which entitles children to special protections that guard their privacy. Brazil’s data protection law, however, – the Lei Geral de Proteção de Dados Pessoais, or the General Personal Data Protection Law – does not provide sufficient protections for children. It does not explicitly prohibit actors from exploiting children’s information or require them to provide high levels of safety and security for children. Lawmakers should amend the law to establish comprehensive child data protection rules, including bans on behavioral advertising and the use of intrusive tracking techniques on children. These rules should also require all actors offering online services to children – including online learning – to provide the highest levels of protection for children’s data and their privacy.
Available at: https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/04/03/brazil--online-learning-tools-harvest-childrens-data. Retrieved on: Feb 15, 2024. Adapted.
The main purpose of the text is to
In the segment of paragraph 6 “Brazil’s data protection authority should [...] prevent them from further using children’s data for any purpose unrelated to providing education”, the word unrelated contains a prefix.
A prefix conveying the same idea is found in the word
Does Snoozing Your Alarm Really Increase Sleepiness?
Snoozing the alarm doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll feel groggy the rest of the day. But it’s important to get as much sleep as you can. Getting up early in the morning is no easy task for plenty of people. That’s why alarms are important — they ensure that you wake up at your desired time. However, nobody can deny how tempting it is to try and squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep.
According to a survey, about 57 percent of people snooze in the morning, which is defined as needing multiple alarms to wake up. If you set a single alarm and snooze it repeatedly or set several alarms at regular intervals until the time you absolutely need to get up, you are a snoozer. Waking up on the first alarm is commonly recommended, but does it really make a difference if you are woken up by one alarm compared to several ones? In a recent sleep study, researchers examine how snoozing affects an individual’s health and sleep.
According to the study, people snooze for a variety of reasons. Most of the participants said that they just can’t get up with only the first alarm. Some say they snooze because they feel comfortable in bed, while others do it because they feel less tired when they do get up. A researcher said that snoozing might be a sign that people are waking up because of important scheduled activities — like school or work — rather than because they have adequately rested.
Internet: <www.discovermagazine.com> (adapted)
According to the preceding text, judge the following items.
People who snooze the alarm feel tired and dizzy the rest of the day because they didn’t get enough sleep.
