Questões de Língua Inglesa do ano 2000

Read the text below in order to answer questions 21 to 23:

THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 2000

The proposed budget for 2000 is fully consistent with the four-year plan for 2000-03 ("Avança Brasil"), also submitted to Congress at the end of August 1999. This plan identifies the federal expenditure programmes that are to receive priority in the allocation of budgetary resources over the next four years, reflecting the main governmental objectives in the social, infrastructure and other public expenditure areas. It seeks to exploit regional and cross-projects synergies, and to attract partnerships with the other levels of government, the public enterprises, the multilateral development banks, and the private sector, to promote a more regionally balanced and sustainable development of the country. Increased emphasis will be placed on the evaluation of the results of these programmes, and on the accountability of the public managers of the programmes for these results.

The phrase "other levels of government" refers to

• A. international assistance from other countries
• B. federal, state and municipal administrations
• C. overseas aid programmes and NGOs
• D. the ministries of the federal government
• E. the federal administration acting alone

Read the text below in order to answer questions 14 to 16.

THE BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2000

Most analysts believe that the budget for the year 2000 presented by the government is feasible, but many points used to design the budget depend on negotiations with Congress. "If first impressions are confirmed, the budget corresponds to reality", says former Central Bank President Affonso Celso Pastore. According to the Chief Economist for Citibank, the budget is feasible but not easy to accomplish.

Specialists say that the government would have to reduce monthly expenses immediately until the end of the year from R$ 3.5 billion to R$ 2.87 billion, which would correspond to a 20% reduction. "It's quite a tight budget", said former Minister Maílson da Nóbrega. The main problem is that state employees' salaries have been raised and an extra R$ 3.1 billion will have to be paid next year.

Analysts predict

• A.

  a necessary cut in the public expenditure

• B.

  a further increase in state employees' salaries

• C.

  a considerable surplus for the public sector

• D.

  a substantial change in the fiscal responsibility law

• E.

  a huge technological investment

Read the text below in order to answer questions 14 to 16.

THE BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2000

Most analysts believe that the budget for the year 2000 presented by the government is feasible, but many points used to design the budget depend on negotiations with Congress. "If first impressions are confirmed, the budget corresponds to reality", says former Central Bank President Affonso Celso Pastore. According to the Chief Economist for Citibank, the budget is feasible but not easy to accomplish.

Specialists say that the government would have to reduce monthly expenses immediately until the end of the year from R$ 3.5 billion to R$ 2.87 billion, which would correspond to a 20% reduction. "It's quite a tight budget", said former Minister Maílson da Nóbrega. The main problem is that state employees' salaries have been raised and an extra R$ 3.1 billion will have to be paid next year.

According to the text, the state employees'salaries

• A.

  must have been reduced

• B.

  have not been negotiated

• C.

  must be taken into account

• D.

  represent a 20% cut in the budget

• E.

  have undoubtedly been neglected

Read the text below in order to answer questions 14 to 16.

THE BUDGET FOR THE YEAR 2000

Most analysts believe that the budget for the year 2000 presented by the government is feasible, but many points used to design the budget depend on negotiations with Congress. "If first impressions are confirmed, the budget corresponds to reality", says former Central Bank President Affonso Celso Pastore. According to the Chief Economist for Citibank, the budget is feasible but not easy to accomplish.

Specialists say that the government would have to reduce monthly expenses immediately until the end of the year from R$ 3.5 billion to R$ 2.87 billion, which would correspond to a 20% reduction. "It's quite a tight budget", said former Minister Maílson da Nóbrega. The main problem is that state employees' salaries have been raised and an extra R$ 3.1 billion will have to be paid next year.

In connection to the budget for year 2000, analysts believe that it

• A.

  ought to be designed by the Congress

• B.

  might be achieved

• C.

  is hardly attainable

• D.

  will be increased by 20%

• E.

  has been endorsed by the Congress

Read the text below in order to answer questions 17 and 18.

NEW POLICIES TO FIT THE NEW ECONOMY

Growing Prosperity: The battle for Growth with Equity in the 21^st Century, written by two liberal economists, represents a breakthrough in the political debate over the New Economy. This is the first book that lays out a progressive economic policy designed to encourage technology-driven growth, while ameliorating bad consequences such as widening income disparity and excessive dependence on a volatile stock market.

According to the authors, Barry Bluestone and Bennett Harrison, Washington policymakers have been excessively fixated on low inflation and a balanced budget. Bluestone and Harrison term this the "Wall Street" model of growth. This model, if carried into the future, will make it difficult to sustain prosperity over the long run. For one thing, the drive to cut the budget deficit has constrained spending on research and development, education, and infrastructure. Over time, they say, this will slow the rate of technological innovation – the equivalent of eating the seed corn.

The authors of the present book emphasize the need to

• A.

  reduce research on technology

• B.

  have stronger trade unions

• C.

  offer higher minimum wages

• D.

  keep continuous technological innovation

• E.

  maintain low consumer spending

Read the text below in order to answer questions 17 and 18.

NEW POLICIES TO FIT THE NEW ECONOMY

Growing Prosperity: The battle for Growth with Equity in the 21^st Century, written by two liberal economists, represents a breakthrough in the political debate over the New Economy. This is the first book that lays out a progressive economic policy designed to encourage technology-driven growth, while ameliorating bad consequences such as widening income disparity and excessive dependence on a volatile stock market.

According to the authors, Barry Bluestone and Bennett Harrison, Washington policymakers have been excessively fixated on low inflation and a balanced budget. Bluestone and Harrison term this the "Wall Street" model of growth. This model, if carried into the future, will make it difficult to sustain prosperity over the long run. For one thing, the drive to cut the budget deficit has constrained spending on research and development, education, and infrastructure. Over time, they say, this will slow the rate of technological innovation – the equivalent of eating the seed corn.

One aspect which is not approached by Bluestone and Harrison is the

• A.

  volatile stock market

• B.

  income disparity

• C.

  balanced budget

• D.

  spending on research

• E.

  tributary reform

Read the text below in order to answer questions 21 to 23:

THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 2000

The proposed budget for 2000 is fully consistent with the four-year plan for 2000-03 ("Avança Brasil"), also submitted to Congress at the end of August 1999. This plan identifies the federal expenditure programmes that are to receive priority in the allocation of budgetary resources over the next four years, reflecting the main governmental objectives in the social, infrastructure and other public expenditure areas. It seeks to exploit regional and cross-projects synergies, and to attract partnerships with the other levels of government, the public enterprises, the multilateral development banks, and the private sector, to promote a more regionally balanced and sustainable development of the country. Increased emphasis will be placed on the evaluation of the results of these programmes, and on the accountability of the public managers of the programmes for these results.

According to the text, the four-year plan for 2000-03 and the proposed budget for 2000

• A. reflect opposing aims
• B. are mutually exclusive
• C. are compatible with each other
• D. predict a loss of revenue
• E. distort the governmental aims

Read the text below in order to answer questions 21 to 23:

THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 2000

The proposed budget for 2000 is fully consistent with the four-year plan for 2000-03 ("Avança Brasil"), also submitted to Congress at the end of August 1999. This plan identifies the federal expenditure programmes that are to receive priority in the allocation of budgetary resources over the next four years, reflecting the main governmental objectives in the social, infrastructure and other public expenditure areas. It seeks to exploit regional and cross-projects synergies, and to attract partnerships with the other levels of government, the public enterprises, the multilateral development banks, and the private sector, to promote a more regionally balanced and sustainable development of the country. Increased emphasis will be placed on the evaluation of the results of these programmes, and on the accountability of the public managers of the programmes for these results.

What two aspects are mentioned regarding the four-year plan?

• A. Budgetary cuts and tax measures
• B. Partnerships and fiscal reforms
• C.

  Administrative reform and evaluation of its results

• D. Privatization and structural reforms
• E. Partnerships and evaluation of results

Read the text below in order to answer questions 24 to 26:

ASIAN CRISIS, TAKE TWO?

As global interest rates tighten and current account surpluses begin to vanish, servicing the new mountains of public-sector debt and outstanding private debt will become critical concerns before the end of this year. East Asia's V-shaped recovery is in imminent danger of giving way to the dreaded double dip.

Few analysts now foresee the type of precipitous decline witnessed in 1997-1998. There is talk instead of the Latin-Americanization of the Southeast Asian economies – meaning, in essence, that they are in danger of becoming irrelevant backwaters. But that's the optimistic view.

According to the text, the Asian decline of 1997-1998

• A. may happen again
• B. was predicted by a few analysts
• C. is unlikely to happen again
• D. was caused by Latin American economies
• E. was irrelevant and predictable

Read the text below in order to answer questions 24 to 26:

ASIAN CRISIS, TAKE TWO?

As global interest rates tighten and current account surpluses begin to vanish, servicing the new mountains of public-sector debt and outstanding private debt will become critical concerns before the end of this year. East Asia's V-shaped recovery is in imminent danger of giving way to the dreaded double dip.

Few analysts now foresee the type of precipitous decline witnessed in 1997-1998. There is talk instead of the Latin-Americanization of the Southeast Asian economies – meaning, in essence, that they are in danger of becoming irrelevant backwaters. But that's the optimistic view.

The author refers to the Latin-Americanization of the Southeast Asian economies, which means they

• A. will play an essential role in the global economy
• B. are being led to a new period of prosperity
• C.

  must establish solid financial bonds with South America

• D. will soon recover their high financial rank
• E. may also become isolated from modern economies