According to the text, choose the correct alternative
According to the text, choose the correct alternative
Britain bans gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040
Britain will ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of a bid to clean up the country’s air. The decision
to phase out the internal combustion engine heralds a new era of low-emission technologies with major implications for the auto
industry, society and the environment. “We can’t carry on with diesel and petrol cars”, U.K. environment secretary Michael Gove told
the BBC on Wednesday. “There is no alternative to embracing new technology”. Almost 2.7 million new cars were registered in the
U.K. in 2016, making it the second biggest market in Europe after Germany.
Meeting the 2040 deadline will be a heavy lift. British demand for electric and fuel cell cars, as well as plug-in hybrids, grew 40%
in 2015, but they only accounted for less than 3% of the market. Still, experts say sales of clean cars are likely to continue on their
dramatic upward trajectory.
The car industry says that demand for electric vehicles will only reach a tipping point once they're cheaper to own than
conventional vehicles.
The deadline was announced by the government on Wednesday as part of a plan to reduce air pollution. The blueprint
highlighted roughly £1.4 billion in government investment designed to help ensure that every vehicle on the road in Britain produces
zero emissions by 2050.
Gove said action was needed because gasoline and diesel engines contribute to health problems, “accelerate climate change,
do damage to the planet and the next generation”. Roughly 40,000 deaths in Britain each year are attributable to outdoor air pollution,
according to a study published last year by the Royal College of Physicians. Dirty air has been linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and
heart disease, among other health issues.
The problem is especially pronounced in big cities. London surpassed the European Union’s annual limit for nitrogen dioxide
exposure just five days into the new year, according to King’s College. The university estimates that air pollution is responsible for
9,400 premature deaths in the city every year.
The timeline for ending sales of internal combustion engines mirrors one proposed in early July by France. President Emmanuel
Macron has given the auto industry the same deadline to make the switch to cleaner tech.
“We are quite rightly in a position of global leadership when it comes to shaping new technology”, Gove said. But the auto
industry, which supports over 800,000 jobs in the U.K., is wary of hard deadlines.
Other countries have been even more ambitious than the U.K. India is planning to stop selling gas-powered vehicles by 2030.
The German car industry and government officials will meet in early August to discuss the future of diesel engine technology.
Manufacturers are trying to avoid diesel cars being banned from German towns and cities.
(Disponível:http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/26/news/uk-bans-gasoline-diesel-engines-2040/index.html>. Adaptado. Acesso: 26 de julho de 2017.)
Britain bans gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040
Britain will ban sales of new gasoline and diesel cars starting in 2040 as part of a bid to clean up the country’s air. The decision to phase out the internal combustion engine heralds a new era of low-emission technologies with major implications for the auto industry, society and the environment. “We can’t carry on with diesel and petrol cars”, U.K. environment secretary Michael Gove told the BBC on Wednesday. “There is no alternative to embracing new technology”. Almost 2.7 million new cars were registered in the U.K. in 2016, making it the second biggest market in Europe after Germany.
Meeting the 2040 deadline will be a heavy lift. British demand for electric and fuel cell cars, as well as plug-in hybrids, grew 40% in 2015, but they only accounted for less than 3% of the market. Still, experts say sales of clean cars are likely to continue on their dramatic upward trajectory.
The car industry says that demand for electric vehicles will only reach a tipping point once they're cheaper to own than conventional vehicles.
The deadline was announced by the government on Wednesday as part of a plan to reduce air pollution. The blueprint highlighted roughly £1.4 billion in government investment designed to help ensure that every vehicle on the road in Britain produces zero emissions by 2050.
Gove said action was needed because gasoline and diesel engines contribute to health problems, “accelerate climate change, do damage to the planet and the next generation”. Roughly 40,000 deaths in Britain each year are attributable to outdoor air pollution, according to a study published last year by the Royal College of Physicians. Dirty air has been linked to cancer, asthma, stroke and heart disease, among other health issues.
The problem is especially pronounced in big cities. London surpassed the European Union’s annual limit for nitrogen dioxide exposure just five days into the new year, according to King’s College. The university estimates that air pollution is responsible for 9,400 premature deaths in the city every year.
The timeline for ending sales of internal combustion engines mirrors one proposed in early July by France. President Emmanuel Macron has given the auto industry the same deadline to make the switch to cleaner tech.
“We are quite rightly in a position of global leadership when it comes to shaping new technology”, Gove said. But the auto industry, which supports over 800,000 jobs in the U.K., is wary of hard deadlines.
Other countries have been even more ambitious than the U.K. India is planning to stop selling gas-powered vehicles by 2030.
The German car industry and government officials will meet in early August to discuss the future of diesel engine technology. Manufacturers are trying to avoid diesel cars being banned from German towns and cities.
(Disponível:http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/26/news/uk-bans-gasoline-diesel-engines-2040/index.html>
Gabarito comentado
Resposta correta: C
Tema central: interpretação de texto factual — identificar informações explícitas (números, datas, intenções do governo) e relacioná‑las às alternativas. É comum em concursos cobrar atenção a detalhes numéricos e a quem se refere cada afirmação.
Resumo teórico rápido: para questões de reading comprehension foque em: (1) localizar a frase que contém a informação pedida; (2) comparar palavra a palavra com a alternativa; (3) desconfiar de inversões ou extremos (sempre/sempre não). Leia as palavras-chave (anos, valores, porcentagens, sujeitos).
Justificativa da alternativa correta (C): o texto afirma que o plano do governo destacou "roughly £1.4 billion in government investment designed to help ensure that every vehicle on the road in Britain produces zero emissions by 2050." Ou seja, o governo destina cerca de £1,4 bi para alcançar veículos com emissões zero até 2050 — corresponde exatamente ao enunciado da alternativa C. (Fonte: CNN) [CNN]
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
A — Incorreta. Afirma que o Reino Unido virou "o mercado automobilístico mais lucrativo da Europa". O texto diz que quase 2,7 milhões de novos carros foram registrados em 2016, tornando‑o o segundo maior mercado da Europa (após a Alemanha). Palavra-chave: second biggest.
B — Incorreta (inversão do sentido). A alternativa diz que fabricantes alemães querem banir carros a diesel; o texto afirma o contrário: fabricantes estão tentando evitar que os carros a diesel sejam banidos em cidades alemãs.
D — Incorreta. A alternativa dá 2030 para a França; o texto diz que a linha temporal anunciada pelo Reino Unido espelha uma proposta feita pela França — ou seja, o mesmo prazo (2040) foi dado também pela França, enquanto 2030 no texto refere‑se à Índia.
E — Incorreta. Afirma que o governo espera atingir emissões zero 20 anos após 2040 (ou seja, 2060). O texto diz claramente: zero emissions by 2050 — apenas 10 anos após 2040.
Estratégias práticas para provas: destaque datas e valores numéricos; verifique sujeito de pronomes (it/they/we) no parágrafo; cote alternativas palavra por palavra com o trecho do texto; desconfie de afirmações que invertam relações (ex.: "want to ban" vs "trying to avoid ban").
Referências: CNN (2017) e Royal College of Physicians (relatório sobre poluição do ar). [RCP]
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