The third paragraph shows that
Leia o texto para responder à questão.
The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing
index rose to 53.2 from 51.3 in January. A reading above 50
indicates expansion. Separate data showed construction spending
rose slightly in January, helped by residential construction.
Manufacturing and construction are key to the US economy
and there were fears that severe weather across many parts of
the US may have hurt the sectors. Bradley Holcomb, chair of
ISM’s survey committee, said that while several manufacturers
said severe weather was impacting their business, “other
comments reflect optimism in terms of demand and growth in
the near term”. Meanwhile, data released by the US Department
of Commerce, showed that construction spending rose 0.1% in
January, from December. Compared to the same month last year,
construction spending was up 9.3%.
However, the bad weather conditions impacted car sales
in February with General Motors, Toyota and Ford all posting
declines in their deliveries. But the drop in sales was less than
expected and manufacturers were upbeat about the prospects in
the coming months. “February auto sales emerged from a chill
in the second half of the month, positioning the industry for a
strong March,” said Bill Fay, general manager at Toyota, which
saw a fall in deliveries of 4% during the month. General Motors’
sales fell 1%, compared to analysts’ forecast of a 6% drop.
Chrysler and Nissan Motors beat the trend with sales increases
of 11% and 16% respectively.
Analysts said that overall car sales during the month had
been helped by incentives and discounts offered by dealers to
lure customers to showrooms in an attempt to cushion the impact
of the severe weather conditions. However, as weather conditions
improve, the discounts will reduce.
(www.bbc.com. Adaptado.)
Leia o texto para responder à questão.
The Institute for Supply Management’s (ISM) manufacturing index rose to 53.2 from 51.3 in January. A reading above 50 indicates expansion. Separate data showed construction spending rose slightly in January, helped by residential construction.
Manufacturing and construction are key to the US economy and there were fears that severe weather across many parts of the US may have hurt the sectors. Bradley Holcomb, chair of ISM’s survey committee, said that while several manufacturers said severe weather was impacting their business, “other comments reflect optimism in terms of demand and growth in the near term”. Meanwhile, data released by the US Department of Commerce, showed that construction spending rose 0.1% in January, from December. Compared to the same month last year, construction spending was up 9.3%.
However, the bad weather conditions impacted car sales in February with General Motors, Toyota and Ford all posting declines in their deliveries. But the drop in sales was less than expected and manufacturers were upbeat about the prospects in the coming months. “February auto sales emerged from a chill in the second half of the month, positioning the industry for a strong March,” said Bill Fay, general manager at Toyota, which saw a fall in deliveries of 4% during the month. General Motors’ sales fell 1%, compared to analysts’ forecast of a 6% drop. Chrysler and Nissan Motors beat the trend with sales increases of 11% and 16% respectively.
Analysts said that overall car sales during the month had been helped by incentives and discounts offered by dealers to lure customers to showrooms in an attempt to cushion the impact of the severe weather conditions. However, as weather conditions improve, the discounts will reduce.
(www.bbc.com. Adaptado.)
Gabarito comentado
Tema central: Compreensão e interpretação de texto em inglês, focando nas expectativas e reações do setor automobilístico diante das condições climáticas adversas em fevereiro.
Abordagem didática: Esta questão avalia a habilidade de identificar expectativas e resultados previstos no texto. Para isso, as estratégias de skimming (captar ideia geral) e scanning (buscar informações específicas) são fundamentais. Quando o texto menciona que "the drop in sales was less than expected", entende-se que já se esperava uma queda nas vendas devido ao inverno.
Justificativa da alternativa correta (A):
A alternativa A está correta pois, conforme o texto, as montadoras já previam uma queda nas vendas de fevereiro, causada pelo clima rigoroso. Expressões como "posting declines in their deliveries" e "the drop in sales was less than expected" mostram que o mercado automobilístico antecipava uma redução e os resultados vieram melhores do que o esperado. O reconhecimento dessas palavras-chave é essencial em provas de interpretação, como recomendações de livros clássicos de preparação (ex: Gramática de Inglês de Fernando Pestana).
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
- B: Incorreta, pois o texto diz exatamente o contrário — o inverno fez as empresas esperarem queda, não aumento nas vendas.
- C: Errada, já que há otimismo para os meses seguintes e menção de que o setor automotivo se prepara para um março forte.
- D: Incorreta, pois, apesar de mencionar aumentos na Chrysler e Nissan, o texto não compara diretamente os números totais de vendas.
- E: Errada, pois não existe no texto referência de que a GM vendeu 6% menos que a Toyota. Apenas menciona a queda de 1% para GM e 4% para Toyota.
Estrategicamente: Fique atento a palavras de intensidade como "expected", "than expected", "increase", "decline", pois geralmente indicam a resposta. Evite confundir dados exatos com interpretações; confira se o número ou relação está explicitamente informado no texto.
Treinar o skimming e o scanning aumenta sua precisão e velocidade para identificar rapidamente o que era esperado versus o que ocorreu, habilidade crucial para provas objetivas.
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