By 2050, the amount of money spent on treatment and
care of Alzheimer’s patients
Read the text below and answer question
Treating Alzheimer’s Disease
Are scientists close to finding a cure?
The number of Americans suffering from Alzheimer's, a degenerative brain disease, is projected to more than double by 2050, from 5.3 million today to 13.8 million. At the same time, as Baby Boomers age and medical expenses rise, the cost of treating and caring for people with the disease is expected to rise fivefold to $1.1 trillion. No treatment can yet prevent or cure Alzheimer's. However, advances in brain science and diagnostic technologies are creating breakthroughs unimagined even a few years ago. Rapidly expanding knowledge in genetics, neuroscience, biology and computing is leading to clinical trials on potential new drug therapies, research on how to prevent the disease and new tests to help diagnose it — perhaps even before symptoms appear. Scientists are debating whether the main hypothesis of what causes the disease — a buildup of amyloid protein into plaques that kill nerve cells in the brain — is correct. Patient advocates say federal Alzheimer's research is underfunded, but Congress is clearing the way for more research funds.
Disponível em: <http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/static.php?page=docnotfound> Acessado em 15 de outubro de 2015.
Read the text below and answer question
Treating Alzheimer’s Disease
Are scientists close to finding a cure?
The number of Americans suffering from Alzheimer's, a degenerative brain disease, is projected to more than double by 2050, from 5.3 million today to 13.8 million. At the same time, as Baby Boomers age and medical expenses rise, the cost of treating and caring for people with the disease is expected to rise fivefold to $1.1 trillion. No treatment can yet prevent or cure Alzheimer's. However, advances in brain science and diagnostic technologies are creating breakthroughs unimagined even a few years ago. Rapidly expanding knowledge in genetics, neuroscience, biology and computing is leading to clinical trials on potential new drug therapies, research on how to prevent the disease and new tests to help diagnose it — perhaps even before symptoms appear. Scientists are debating whether the main hypothesis of what causes the disease — a buildup of amyloid protein into plaques that kill nerve cells in the brain — is correct. Patient advocates say federal Alzheimer's research is underfunded, but Congress is clearing the way for more research funds.
Disponível em: <http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/static.php?page=docnotfound> Acessado em 15 de outubro de 2015.
Gabarito comentado
Tema central: A questão avalia a compreensão de leitura (reading comprehension) ao exigir que o candidato interprete projeções sobre custos futuros de tratamento de Alzheimer citadas em um trecho.
Explicação do tema: Em provas de Inglês para vestibulares e concursos, é fundamental identificar informações quantitativas no texto e entender termos-chaves. Nesta questão, as habilidades de skimming (para captar o tema geral: avanços e impactos no tratamento de Alzheimer) e scanning (buscar valores e expressões específicas) são essenciais.
No texto encontramos: “the cost of treating and caring for people with the disease is expected to rise fivefold to $1.1 trillion.”
- Fivefold significa “cinco vezes maior”. Portanto, se o gasto atual é 1, será 5. Este aumento equivale a 500% em relação ao valor inicial.
Justificativa da alternativa correta:
B) is expected to rise by about 500%. — Correta, pois traduz matematicamente o termo “fivefold”. Em provas, sempre associe palavras como double (dobrar = +100%), triple (triplicar = +200%) e fivefold (5 vezes = +400% sobre o valor inicial, total de 500% incluindo o original) a seus respectivos aumentos percentuais.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
- A) “a little more than it is today.” – Errada: a expressão "fivefold" mostra um aumento muito maior do que "um pouco mais".
- C) “should be significantly decreased.” – Errada: o texto prevê aumento, não redução de custos.
- D) “must not rise so much in the US.” – Errada: não há menção a limitação ou recomendação de contenção do aumento.
- E) “could double due to the rise of patients.” – Errada: o aumento referente é cinco vezes, não apenas dobrar.
Estrategicamente, para evitar erros, busque sempre:
- Ler números, percentuais e expressões quantitativas de modo cuidadoso.
- Desconfiar de alternativas genéricas (“um pouco mais”, “dobrar”) quando o texto traz dados exatos.
- Evitar distrações por termos opinativos (“should”, “must not”) se o texto usa dados concretos/projeções.
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