According to the text 2...
Text 2
When I got to the airport, I learnt that the plane from Cairo, on which my brother was travelling, had been
delayed at Paris with engine trouble and was expected to be about an hour late. As a rule I can pass the time quite
happily; watching the planes land and take off, but that evening I had a headache; which I thought that the noise of the
engines might make worse. I decided, therefore to walk around to make the time pass quickly.
First of all I went back to the place where I had left my car to make sure that all the doors were locked. The walk
in the fresh air did me good, for I felt slightly better as I entered the main airport building again. I made my way to the
restaurant, where I ordered a cup of black coffee. As I stood drinking this at the counter, I studied the faces of the
people around me. Some passengers were obviously anxious about the time, and kept looking at their watches; others
checked to see that they had tickets, passports and money. Where there was a group of people, it was easy to tell
which one was about to leave. He was the object of everyone’s attention and looked either very happy or very sad at
the thought of departure.
There was one woman who burst into tears as she said goodbye to the relatives or friends who had come to
see her off. When I had finished my coffee, I went along to the bookstall, where I bought a couple of magazines, both of
them about travel, which would help to make the time pass pleasantly. Then I went into one of the waiting-rooms and
made myself comfortable in a big armchair. I had hardly had time to open one of my magazines, when someone came
up and put his hand on my shoulder. It was an old friend; who was just about to leave on a business trip to South
America. Since we had not seen each other for a long time, we found plenty to talk about until the arrival of my brother’s
plane from Paris was announced.
Gabarito comentado
Tema central: Interpretação de texto narrativo em Inglês, com ênfase no uso do Past Perfect para marcar anterioridade de ações no passado.
O núcleo do texto é a espera de um narrador no aeroporto, enquanto relata suas ações, pensamentos e um reencontro inesperado com um amigo. A questão aborda a compreensão da ordem dos eventos, explorando como o inglês expressa “algo que aconteceu antes de outra coisa no passado”.
Como resolver: Use seu conhecimento sobre Past Perfect (had + particípio passado). Ele indica que uma ação ocorreu antes de outro evento passado. O texto afirma: “Since we had not seen each other for a long time...”, ou seja, fazia muito tempo desde a última vez que os amigos se viram. O Past Perfect é típico desse tipo de situação em vestibular: anterioridade em relação a outro passado.
Justificativa da alternativa correta:
A) there was a long time since they had met each other.
Correta! Reescreve a ideia principal do texto. “There was a long time since…” corresponde ao sentido de “we had not seen each other for a long time”, mostrando de modo claro o tempo decorrido desde o último encontro dos amigos.
Análise crítica das alternativas erradas:
B) Incorreta. Diz que se encontraram após a chegada do avião do irmão, mas o texto mostra que o encontro foi antes.
C) Incorreta. Só o amigo viajou para a América do Sul; o autor estava esperando.
D) Incorreta. O texto destaca que tinham muito assunto para conversar, o oposto da alternativa.
E) Incorreta. O texto diz “for a long time”, mas a alternativa menciona “for a short time”, invertendo o real sentido e caindo numa das principais “pegadinhas” de provas de inglês.
Estrategia de prova: Atenção a palavras que indicam tempo (“for a long time”) e aos tempos verbais usados. Leia com cuidado as trocas de “long” por “short” ou alterações de ordem cronológica, pois essas são armadilhas frequentes.
Teoria de apoio: Gramáticas renomadas como “English Grammar in Use”, de Raymond Murphy, reforçam que o Past Perfect é essencial para narrativas com mais de um passado e é constantemente cobrado em exames de vestibular e concursos.
Resumo final: Escolha a alternativa que reescreve a informação-chave do texto, conferindo a lógica do tempo verbal e de expressões de tempo decorrido.
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