VESTIBULAR UFF 2009

Lngua Inglesa
Texto I
Read the following text and answer the questions.

The Flowering of Human Consciousness

Earth, 114 million years ago, one morning just after sunrise: the first flower ever to appear on the planet opens up to receive the rays of the sun. Prior to this momentous event that heralds an evolutionary transformation in the life of plants, the planet had already been covered in vegetation for millions of years. The first flower probably did not survive for long, and flowers must have remained rare 5 and isolated phenomena, since conditions were most likely not yet favorable for a widespread flowering to occur. One day, however, a critical threshold was reached, and suddenly there would have been an explosion of color and scent all over the planet. Later, this first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. The achievements of humanity are impressive and undeniable. We have created sublime 10 works of music, literature, painting, architecture, and sculpture. More recently, science and technology have brought about radical changes in the way we live and have enabled us to do and create things that would have been considered miraculous even two hundred years ago. No doubt the human mind is highly intelligent. Yet its very intelligence is tainted by madness. Science and technology have magnified the destructive impact that the dysfunction of 15 the human mind has upon the planet, other life-forms, and upon humans themselves. That is why the history of the twentieth century is where that dysfunction, that collective insanity, can be most clearly recognized. A further factor is that this dysfunction is actually intensifying and accelerating. We only need to watch the daily news on television to realize that the madness has not 20 abated, that is continuing into the twenty-first century. Another aspect of the collective dysfunction of the human mind is the unprecedented violence that humans are inflicting on other life-forms and the planet itself - the destruction of oxygen-producing forests and other plant and animal life; ill-treatment of animals in factory farms; and poisoning of rivers, oceans, and air. Driven by greed, ignorant of their connectedness to the whole, humans persist 25 in behavior that, if continued unchecked, can only result in their own destruction. When faced with a radical crisis, when the old way of being in the world, of interacting with each other and with the realm of nature doesnt work anymore, when survival is threatened by seemingly insurmountable problems, an individual life-form - or a species - will either die or become extinct or rise above the limitations of its condition through an evolutionary leap. 30 Responding to this radical crisis that threatens our very survival is humanitys challenge now. A significant portion of the earths population will soon recognize, if they havent already done so, that humanity is now faced with a stark choice: evolve or die.
Adapted from Eckhart Tolle, A New Earth: Awakening to your lifes purpose.

Glossary: momentous: significativo (line 2) heralds: anuncia (line 2) widespread: vasto (line 6 ) threshold: limiar (line 7)

tainted: corrompido (line 14) abated: enfraquecido (line 21) insurmountable: insupervel (line 29) stark: difcil (line 33) 01) The text blames mans lack of commitment toward the environment for the eventual destruction of human life on Earth. Mark the option that best conveys this idea. (A) Earth, 114 million years ago, one morning just after sunrise: the first flower ever to appear on the planet opens up [] (lines 1- 2). (B) [] the first recognition of beauty was one of the most significant events in the evolution of human consciousness. (lines 8-9). (C) [] humans persist in behavior that if continued unchecked, can only result in their own destruction.(lines 25-26). (D) The achievements of humanity are impressive and undeniable. (lines 10). (E) [] humanity is now faced with a stark choice [] (lines 33). 02 The first paragraph considers one aspect of The Flowering of Human Consciousness. Mark the option which reflects such an aspect. (A) Transformation in the life of plants. (B) Science and technology. (C) Collective insanity.

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(D) Recognition of beauty. (E) Widespread flowering. 03 The text discusses the collective dysfunction of the human mind. It gives as examples the destruction of oxygen-producing forests and other plant and animal life; ill-treatment of animals in factory farms; and poisoning of rivers, oceans and air. The reason for this behavior is: (A) lack of choice and insurmountable problems; (B) explosion of color and scent; (C) planets survival and evolution of species; (D) isolated phenomena; (E) humans greed and ignorance. 04 In the text, the role of science and technology in the achievements of humanity is viewed as one of contrast. Mark the option that best characterizes such a role. (A) Miraculous and destructive. (B) Radical and extinct. (C) Impressive and sublime. (D) Evolutionary and intensifying. (E) Undeniable and isolated. 05 In the fourth paragraph, the repetition of the connective WHEN indicates: (A) denial; (B) emphasis; (C) doubt; (D) comparison; (E) reason. 06 In the extracts below, the words with ing are all verbs, except:

(A) humans are inflicting on other life-forms (line 23); (B) this dysfunction is actually intensifying (line 18); (C) sublime works of music, literature, painting, architecture and sculpture (line 10); (D) the old way of being in the world (line 27); (E) responding to this radical crisis (line 31). 07 Observe this extract from the text: The achievements of humanity are impressive and undeniable. (line 10) More recently, however, there has been a radical change in th e way humanity behaves toward the evolution of the planet. Mark the option which best characterizes this attitude. (A) Science and technology. (B) Human consciousness. (C) Individual life-form. (D) Evolutionary leap. (E) Collective insanity. 08 Choose the item which signals, in the second paragraph, a change of opinion concerning human intelligence. (A) even (B) more recently (C) no doubt (D) yet (E) other

09 In the last paragraph, the text discusses the challenge humanity has to face to overcome its radical crisis. Such challenge can be understood as a: (A) prophecy; (B) query; (C) justification; (D) denial; (E) promise.