- 16 MCQs (Multiple Choice Questions) / 4 Options Each Question.
The end of life on Earth?
O fim da vida na Terra?
It weighted about 10,000 tons, entered the atmosphere at a speed of 64,000 km/h and exploded over a city with a blast of 500 kilotons.
Pesava cerca de 10 mil toneladas, entrou na atmosfera a uma velocidade de 64 mil km/h e explodiu sobre uma cidade com uma explosão de 500 quilotons.
But on 15 February 2013, we were lucky.
Mas no dia 15 de fevereiro de 2013 tivemos sorte.
The metereorite that showered pieces of rock over Chelyabinsk, Russia, was relatively small, at only about 17 metres wide.
O meteorito que despejou pedaços de rocha sobre Chelyabinsk, na Rússia, era relativamente pequeno, com apenas 17 m de largura.
Although many people were injured by falling glass, the damage was nothing compared to what had happened in Siberia nearly one hundred years ago, when a relatively small object (approximately 50 metres in diameter) exploded in mid-air over a forest region, flattening about 80 million trees.
Embora muitas pessoas tenham ficado feridas pela queda de vidro, o dano não foi nada comparado ao que aconteceu na Sibéria há quase cem anos, quando um objeto relativamente pequeno (aproximadamente 50 metros de diâmetro) explodiu no ar sobre uma região florestal, achatando-se cerca de 80 milhões de árvores.
If it had exploded over a city such as Moscow or London, millions of people would have been killed.
Se tivesse explodido sobre uma cidade como Moscou ou Londres, milhões de pessoas teriam morrido.
By a strange coincidence, the same day that the meteorite terrified the people of Chelyabinsk, another 50m-wide asteroid passed relatively close to Earth.
Por uma estranha coincidência, no mesmo dia em que o meteorito aterrorizou a população de Chelyabinsk, outro asteroide de 50 metros de largura passou relativamente perto da Terra.
Scientists were expecting that visit and know that the asteroid will return to fly close by us in 2046, but the Russian meteorite earlier in the day had been too small for anyone to spot.
Os cientistas esperavam essa visita e sabem que o asteróide voltará a voar perto de nós em 2046, mas o meteorito russo no início do dia era demasiado pequeno para ser detectado.
Most scientists agree that comets and asteroids pose the biggest natural threat to human existence.
A maioria dos cientistas concorda que os cometas e asteróides representam a maior ameaça natural à existência humana.
It was probably a large asteroid or comet colliding with Earth which wiped out the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago.Provavelmente foi um grande asteroide ou cometa que colidiu com a Terra e que exterminou os dinossauros há cerca de 65 milhões de anos.
An enormous object, 10 to 16 km in diameter, struck the Yucatan region in Mexico with the force of 100 megatons.
Um enorme objeto, de 10 a 16 km de diâmetro, atingiu a região de Yucatán, no México, com a força de 100 megatons.
That is the equivalent of one Hiroshima bomb for every person alive on Earth today.
Isso equivale a uma bomba de Hiroshima para cada pessoa viva na Terra hoje.
Many scientists, including the late Stephen Hawking, say that any comet or asteroid greater than 20km in diameter that hits Earth will result in the complete destruction of complex life, including all animals and most plants.
Muitos cientistas, incluindo o falecido Stephen Hawking, dizem que qualquer cometa ou asteróide com mais de 20 km de diâmetro que atinja a Terra resultará na destruição completa da vida complexa, incluindo todos os animais e a maioria das plantas.
As we have seen even a much smaller asteroid can cause great damage.
Como vimos, mesmo um asteróide muito menor pode causar grandes danos.
The Earth has been kept fairly safe for the last 65 million years by good fortune and the massive gravitational field of the planet Jupiter.
A Terra tem sido mantida razoavelmente segura durante os últimos 65 milhões de anos pela boa sorte e pelo enorme campo gravitacional do planeta Júpiter.
Our cosmic guardian, with its stable circular orbit far from the sun, sweeps up and scatters away most of the dangerous comets and asteroids which might cross Earth’s orbit.
O nosso guardião cósmico, com a sua órbita circular estável longe do Sol, varre e dispersa a maioria dos cometas e asteróides perigosos que possam cruzar a órbita da Terra.
After the Chelyabinsk meteorite, scientists are now monitoring potential hazards even more carefully but, as far as they know, there is no danger in the foreseeable future.
Depois do meteorito de Chelyabinsk, os cientistas estão agora monitorando os perigos potenciais com ainda mais cuidado, mas, tanto quanto sabem, não há perigo num futuro previsível.
Types of space rocks:
Tipos de rochas espaciais:
• Comet – a ball of rock and ice that sends out a tail of gas and dust behind it. Bright comets only appear in our visible night sky about once every ten years.
Cometa – uma bola de rocha e gelo que emite uma cauda de gás e poeira atrás de si. Cometas brilhantes só aparecem em nosso céu noturno visível uma vez a cada dez anos.
• Asteroid – a rock a few feet to several kms in diameter. Unlike comets, asteroids have no tail. Most are to small to cause any damage and burn up in the atmosphere.
Asteroide – uma rocha com diâmetro de poucos pés a vários quilômetros. Ao contrário dos cometas, os asteróides não têm cauda. A maioria é pequena demais para causar qualquer dano e queimar na atmosfera.
• Meteoroid – part of an asteroid or comet.
Meteoróide – parte de um asteróide ou cometa.
• Meteorite – what a meteoroid is called when it hits Earth.
Meteorito – como é chamado um meteoróide quando atinge a Terra.
- Taken from: http://learningenglishteens.britishcouncil.org- Access on 29/06/2020
01 – The damage caused by the Russian meteorite
a) could be impossible to calculate.
b) was not as bad as the one in Siberia.
c) was much worse than the one in Siberia.
d) had its impact reduced by the early warning system.
• Gabrito B
Os danos causados pelo meteorito russo
a) could be impossible to calculate.
b) was not as bad as the one in Siberia.
c) was much worse than the one in Siberia.
d) had its impact reduced by the early warning system. tiveram seu impacto reduzido pelo sistema de alerta precoce.
02 – Without changing the meaning,
- the word “although” (line 6)
could be substituted for:
a) However.
b) Therefore.
c) Despite.
d) Once.
• Gabrito X
Without changing the meaning,
- the word “although” (line 6)
could be substituted for:
a) However.
b) Therefore.
c) Despite.
d) Once.
03 – The statement
- “many people were injured by falling glass” (line 7)
stands for
Falling glass _______ many people.
a) have injured
b) has injured
c) had injured
d) injured
• Gabrito D
04 – The passage
- “the damage was nothing compared to what had happened in Siberia nearly one hundred years ago” (lines 7 to 9)
states that the incident occurred _______ a century ago.
a) actually
b) precisely
c) approximately
d) exactly
• Gabrito A
05 – The Siberian meteorite
a) damaged trees when it exploded.
b) caused glass to shower over people.
c) has the destructive power of a nuclear bomb.
d) exploded over a big city.
• Gabrito A
06 – “If it had exploded over a city such as Moscow or London, millions of people would have been killed” (lines 12 and 13).
We can conclude from the information in this passage that
a) because of an explosion, millions of people died.
b) experts managed to save people from an explosion.
c) an explosion will hit both cities killing millions of people.
d) the explosion and the millions of deaths are hypothetical.
• Gabrito D
07 – On the same day as the meteorite exploded over Chelyabinsk,
a) scientists were terrified.
b) experts issued a warning for 2046.
c) another linked asteroid incident happened.
d) there was another, unrelated, asteroid event.
• Gabrito D
08 – In “scientists were expecting that visit” (line 17),
the underlined word has the same use as in
(A) the meteorite that showered pieces of rock (lines 4 and 5).
(B) the same day that the meteorite (lines 14 and 15).
(C) that is the equivalent of one Hiroshima bomb (line 27).
(D) any comet or asteroid [Z] that hits Earth (lines 30 and 31).
• Gabrito C
➭ "[...] By a strange coincidence, the same day that the meteorite terrified the people of Chelyabinsk, another 50m-wide asteroid passed relatively close to Earth. Scientists were expecting that visit and...". – Por uma estranha coincidência, no mesmo dia em que o meteorito aterrorizou a população de Chelyabinsk, outro asteroide de 50 metros de largura passou relativamente perto da Terra. Os cientistas esperavam ESSA visita e...
➭ No trecho acima, em THAT VISIT, a palavra THAT funciona como PRONOME DEMONSTRATIVO (função indicativa de uma situação).
(A) the meteorite that showered pieces of rock (THAT refere-se ao 1º substantivo "METEORITE" imediatamente anterior ao THAT, portanto funciona como PRONOME RELATIVO).
(B) the same day that the meteorite (THAT refere-se ao 1º substantivo "DAY" imediatamente anterior ao THAT, portanto funciona como PRONOME RELATIVO).
(C) that is the equivalent of one Hiroshima bomb (THAT tem função DEMONSTRATIVA ou seja, apresenta função indicativa de uma situação).
An enormous object, 10 to 16 km in diameter, struck the Yucatan region in Mexico with the force of 100 megatons. – Um enorme objeto, de 10 a 16 km de diâmetro, atingiu a região de Yucatán, no México, com a força de 100 megatons.
That is the equivalent of one Hiroshima bomb for every person alive on Earth today. – Isso equivale a uma bomba de Hiroshima para cada pessoa viva na Terra hoje.
(D) any comet or asteroid [Z] that hits Earth (THAT refere-se ao 1º substantivo "ASTEROID" imediatamente anterior ao THAT, portanto funciona como PRONOME RELATIVO).
09 – The Russian meteorite
a) will come close to Earth again.
b) was too small to cause damage.
c) had been predicted by scientists.
d) was not noticed before exploding.
• Gabrito D10 – Experts maintain that comets and asteroids could
a) wipe out only animal life.
b) put an end to both animal and great part of plant life.
c) cause as much damage as the Hiroshima bomb.
d) kill a significant proportion of the human population.
• Gabrito B11 – A relatively small asteroid
a) is not a problem if seen early.
b) can still cause a lot of damage.
c) cannot cause any significant harm.
d) is in fact more dangerous than a large one.
• Gabrito B12 – Earth has been relatively safe thanks to
a) luck and the protective force of another planet.
b) early warning systems set up by NASA.
c) researches and our position to the sun.
d) the foreseeable future.
• Gabrito A13 – “Which” (line 40) refers to
a) the sun.
b) comets and asteroids.
c) cosmic guardian.
d) Earth.
• Gabrito B- “the dangerous comets and asteroids which might cross Earth’s orbit” (lines 39 and 40),
a) must.
b) should.
c) could.
d) shall.
• Gabrito Ca) we are not in any danger for the moment.
b) NASA early warning systems will protect the planet.
c) a meteorite is likely to hit Earth sooner or later.
d) it’s impossible to monitor potential hazards.
• Gabrito A16 – According to the text
a) meteoroids and meteorites are the same object.
b) dinosaurs were certainly wiped out by a space rock.
c) asteroids and comets are exactly alike.
d) meteorites are harmless.
• Gabrito A
