Prova - Prosel - Uepa - Vestibular1

Língua Estrangeira Moderna: INGLÊSEducation as a PriorityThe condition of the teaching profession in the U.S.A. is akin to that of many underdeveloped countries.However, the U.S.A. keeps on top of many fields of human activities; how does it happen? It’s due to what wenowadays call “brain drain” from different countries all over the world. The great majority of whizzes of the wholeworld converges in the U.S.A. in order to establish themselves there. They are V.I.P.s who go to live and workthere.The native American professoriate has suffered the consequences of this devaluation in terms of salaryand its status in American society since World War II.Japan learned this lesson in 1945, but the U.S.A. ostensibly ignores or has not had good enough sense torealize what is going on. Paradoxally, the Japanese learned it due to the war, after surrendering to the Americans.In that year, Emperor Hirohito (1901 – 1990) had a straightforward conversation with his Prime Minister, HidekiTojo (1884 – 1948). The emperor asked him:⎯“Who invented that powerful and unknown warlike artifact which destroyed Hiroshima and Nagasaki?”⎯ “A professor” was the answer.⎯ “A what? A professor?! Aren’t you mistaken? Are you sure it wasn’t an admiral, a general officer of theAir Force or Army?”⎯ “No, it was Professor Enrico Fermi, Excellency!”⎯ “But this is an Italian name!!!”⎯ “Exactly, Professor Fermi was born in Rome, Majesty! He moved to the U.S.A. due to the war.”⎯ “Oh, my God! He was one of ours... I could never imagine an inoffensive professor might invent such amalignant artifact!!! He could have come to Japan to develop his project, so we could have that bomb, not theAmericans!!!”⎯ “Our laboratories are poor, Majesty! We haven’t given incentive to Education; Prof. Fermi would nothave a good atmosphere for his research here!”⎯ “Well then, from today on a professor is going to get a better salary than a general. Education will beour number one priority. We must get out of this technological backwardness. So, if we stimulate Education now,we shall hold all the trump cards and triumphs later!”In the meantime a severe shortage of teachers in such fields as mathematics and science has alreadystarted: less than one third of U.S. high schools offer physics taught by qualified teachers.“The decline of education is supposed to threaten our future as a nation and as a people”, describes U.S.News & World Report, page 102.Its purpose is not to seek scapegoats, but to define the problems and find ways to overcome them. Thereis no time to lose. Education may be costly, but the costs of ignorance are infinite.By Prof. D.A.V., U.S. News & World Report: December, 2003.Glossary:1. akin = similar, like.2. backwardness = underdevelopment.3. to hold = to have; to keep.4. research = investigation.5. whiz = intelligent; clever.6. shortage = less than needed; lack.7. to threaten = to risk; to put in danger.8. purpose = intention..9. to seek = to search; to look for10. scapegoat = a person accused for the fault ofothers.11. to overcome = to take control of; to defeat.12. costly = expensive.13. underdeveloped = not sufficiently advanced inindustrial or technologicalterms.14. straightforward = frank, sincere, honest.Leia atentamente o texto “Education as aPriority” e responda as questões 1 e 2 emLíngua Portuguesa.1. Como os E.U.A. mantêm-se no topo em muitos campos da atividade humana, se a área de Educação dessepaís vai de mal a pior? Explique essa contradição.2. What lesson did Japan learn in 1945?UEPA – PROSEL 2004 – Prova Analítico-Expositiva - 8