Questões sobre Interpretação de Texto

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

U.K.'s Cox increases World Trade Center loss estimates

Cox Insurance, a leading Lloyd's underwriter and retail insurer, announced that additional claims from the WTC (World Trade Center) disaster have raised its loss estimates from $96.5 million to between $122.5 million and $180 million.

The announcement highlights the difficulty many insurers are facing in estimating the exact amount of the losses they may eventually pay as a result of the Sept. 11 attacks. More than four months after the devastation occurred, there's still a wide gulf in estimates of what the eventual cost will be. The highest figure is around $70 billion, while lower ones go down to $29 billion.

According to the text,

• A.

  the WTC employees were policyowners.

• B.

  Cox Insurance is going to pay the highest premium.

• C.

  Cox Insurance refused to accept additional claims.

• D.

  Cox's losses derive from a world recession.

• E.

  Cox's loss estimates have gone up.

Read the text below in order to answer questions 19 to 21.

Urban Insurance Issues

Underwriting, the task of deciding what risks to insure, allows insurers to discriminate between good and bad risks. Differences in prices for insurance must reflect expected differences in losses and expenses. When the risk of future losses increases or when rates are inadequate, insurers become more selective about the degree of risk they will assume in an effort to preserve their profit margin. However, redlining, defined as refusal to issue or renew, or cancel an insurance policy based on the geographic location of the structure or individual to be insured, is illegal in every state.

Because losses tend to be higher in urban areas, rates for auto and home insurance are often higher than average in inner cities. This has raised questions about the availability and affordability of insurance in urban communities. Responding to these concerns, the insurance industry is redoubling its efforts to enhance the insurability of inner city properties and to push for changes in auto insurance that would enable drivers to have more coverage options.

The text refers to redlining as

• A.

  a procedure forbidden by law.

• B.

  the renewal of an insurance policy.

• C.

  the discrimination between risks.

• D.

  an analysis of insurance claims.

• E.

  a quota system.

Read the text below in order to answer questions 19 to 21.

Urban Insurance Issues

Underwriting, the task of deciding what risks to insure, allows insurers to discriminate between good and bad risks. Differences in prices for insurance must reflect expected differences in losses and expenses. When the risk of future losses increases or when rates are inadequate, insurers become more selective about the degree of risk they will assume in an effort to preserve their profit margin. However, redlining, defined as refusal to issue or renew, or cancel an insurance policy based on the geographic location of the structure or individual to be insured, is illegal in every state.

Because losses tend to be higher in urban areas, rates for auto and home insurance are often higher than average in inner cities. This has raised questions about the availability and affordability of insurance in urban communities. Responding to these concerns, the insurance industry is redoubling its efforts to enhance the insurability of inner city properties and to push for changes in auto insurance that would enable drivers to have more coverage options.

According to the author, the insurance industry

• A.

  is worried about the urban insurance issues.

• B.

  should be concerned about the urban issues.

• C.

  must cancel certain insurance policies.

• D.

  has neglected the urban insurance issues.

• E.

  has predicted future losses in rural areas.

Fill in the parentheses with T (True) or F (False). It’s stated in the text:

( ) Australia has already forbidden cigarette logos.

( ) Australia has had a hard time fighting the big tobacco companies.

( ) Tobacco companies are willing to give up confronting the Australian government.

( ) The Australian government wants people to view cigarettes as unattractive and unhealthy.

According to the text, the correct sequence, from top to bottom, is

• A. F T T F
• B. T T T T
• C. T F F T
• D. T T F F
• E. F T F T

In this section, you will read a passage (text). It is followed by 3 (three) questions about it. For questions 18-20, choose the correct answer.

In an effort to make the fastest, biggest and most luxurious ship in the world, the British built the Titanic. It was so superior to any other ship that it was dubbed "unsinkableï". The company that owned it was so sure of this that it provided only twenty lifeboats and rafts, less than one half the number needed for the 2,227 passengers on board. Many passengers were aboard the night it hit an iceberg, more than halfway between England and its New York destination. Because the luxury liner was traveling so fast, it was impossible to avoid the giant iceberg. Fire on board also contributed to the ship's submersion. Panic was another factor that increased the number of casualties as people jumped into the cold water or struggled to be among the few people who managed to get on the lifeboats. A couple of hours after the disaster, another ship, the Carpathia, rescued the 705 survivors. The infamous Titanic had enjoyed only two days of glory on its maiden voyage in 1912 plunging into 12.000 feet of water near the coast of Newfoundland, where it lies today. (CLIFFS, 1995 - adaptado)

How many days was the Titanic at sea before sinking?

• A.

  7

• B.

  4

• C.

  2

• D.

  12

• E.

  13

Read the text below in order to answer questions 22 to 24.

Insurance Fraud

Those who commit insurance fraud are not easily identifiable. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says that insurance cheats range from organized criminals, to unscrupulous doctors, lawyers, vehicle body shop owners, to ordinary people who buy insurance. Although the motivation to commit insurance fraud is always monetary, the amount also varies greatly, from a few extra dollars on an insurance claim, to thousands or more stolen by organized fraud rings.

The Insurance Information Institute estimates that property/casualty insurance fraud cost insurers $24 billion in 1999. According to Conning and Company, fraud cost the entire insurance industry $96.2 billion in 1999.

Fraud rings have followed the path of technology to the Internet in search of fraud opportunities. Along with the ease of electronic filing of medical claims is the greater potential for committing fraud. Conning's 2000 study found that 84 percent of respondents to its fraud survey agree that the use of the Internet will create new classes of insurance fraud.

According to the text, insurance fraud

• A.

  is not committed by normal people.

• B.

  has been committed by insurers.

• C.

  caused financial losses in 1999.

• D.

  derives from a cultural motivation.

• E.

  has been prevented since 1999.

According to the Australian government plans, all packets of cigarettes

• A. should be bright green.
• B. must have the same color.
• C. could have any dark color.
• D. may come in different tones of green.
• E. would have Australia’s national colors.

In this section, you will read a passage (text). It is followed by 3 (three) questions about it. For questions 18-20, choose the correct answer.

In an effort to make the fastest, biggest and most luxurious ship in the world, the British built the Titanic. It was so superior to any other ship that it was dubbed "unsinkableï". The company that owned it was so sure of this that it provided only twenty lifeboats and rafts, less than one half the number needed for the 2,227 passengers on board. Many passengers were aboard the night it hit an iceberg, more than halfway between England and its New York destination. Because the luxury liner was traveling so fast, it was impossible to avoid the giant iceberg. Fire on board also contributed to the ship's submersion. Panic was another factor that increased the number of casualties as people jumped into the cold water or struggled to be among the few people who managed to get on the lifeboats. A couple of hours after the disaster, another ship, the Carpathia, rescued the 705 survivors. The infamous Titanic had enjoyed only two days of glory on its maiden voyage in 1912 plunging into 12.000 feet of water near the coast of Newfoundland, where it lies today. (CLIFFS, 1995 - adaptado)

Choose the wrong option.

• A.

  705 people died

• B.

  survivors were rescued by another ship

• C.

  the Titanic sank near Newfoundland

• D.

  the Titanic sank in 1912

• E.

  there was panic on the ship after it started sinking

Read the text below in order to answer questions 22 to 24.

Insurance Fraud

Those who commit insurance fraud are not easily identifiable. The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) says that insurance cheats range from organized criminals, to unscrupulous doctors, lawyers, vehicle body shop owners, to ordinary people who buy insurance. Although the motivation to commit insurance fraud is always monetary, the amount also varies greatly, from a few extra dollars on an insurance claim, to thousands or more stolen by organized fraud rings.

The Insurance Information Institute estimates that property/casualty insurance fraud cost insurers $24 billion in 1999. According to Conning and Company, fraud cost the entire insurance industry $96.2 billion in 1999.

Fraud rings have followed the path of technology to the Internet in search of fraud opportunities. Along with the ease of electronic filing of medical claims is the greater potential for committing fraud. Conning's 2000 study found that 84 percent of respondents to its fraud survey agree that the use of the Internet will create new classes of insurance fraud.

Which of the following options is not mentioned in the text?

• A.

  The wide variety of fraudulent insurance procedures.

• B.

  The financial losses due to insurance fraud.

• C.

  The role of the Internet in creating new insurance policies.

• D.

  The reason why insurance fraud is practised.

• E.

  The difficulty in finding out the insurance fraud.

As to cigarette brand names, the only alternative that disagrees with the information from the text is that they should

• A. present letters in different styles.
• B. have no unusual features.
• C. not be easily identified.
• D. have the same size.
• E. be uninteresting.