Favela Chic: gentrifying the slums of brazil

A walk through Rio de Janeiro’s Vidigal favela is a full sensory experience on any given day. The smell
of grilled meat mixes with that of exhaust from motorcycle taxis traversing the slum’s corridors.
And then there are the sounds. Normally it’s Rio’s trademark funk music blaring from various
cars or trucks, but lately it has been the sound of German, English or French being spoken by its
[5] new inhabitants.
Favela Chic, as it’s come to be known, has quickly taken Vidigal by storm, as well as its favela
neighbor Rocinha. A combination of new security forces, low prices and curiosity by outsiders have
brought a wave of new renters to neighborhoods that were once considered unsafe to even visit.
American Kristine Witko moved into Vidigal during the World Cup and says she loves it. “It has more
[10] life because there’s always something going on”, says the 27-year-old New Jersey native. “Bars with
people spilling out of them at 6 a.m., music blaring constantly, always people in the street”.
But in addition to a spate of World Cup visitors, Rio’s favelas have also become popular among
venture capitalists looking to rent or sell to higher-income buyers. Less than 10 years ago, a modest
home here would cost only $2,500. Today it can fetch $75,000 or more.
[15] While some former favela residents are being priced out of their homes by land prospectors from
the U.S. and Europe, others have been forcibly removed. In Rio, as many as 250,000 have been
relocated, many to the outskirts of the city, far from their former homes. Many complain that the
compensation packages, when offered, are inadequate.
Besides, favelas have often acted as the shelter for those unable to afford other housing options.
[20] “From the beginning, favelas have been not only housing for the poor, but also the poor’s preferred
housing, given the alternatives available and consistent actions of the state to not provide for the
poor, but to hide them from sight”, writes Jason Cummings in his dissertation for Harvard Graduate
School of Design, “Confronting the Favela Chic”.
With the 2016 Rio Olympics looming on the horizon, what will the gentrification in Rio and
[25] throughout Brazil mean for the 12 million people who inhabit the slums out of necessity? Priced
out or forced out, this creates a continuing clash of class for which there are no easy solutions.
theroot.com

According to the text, a mix of three factors explains the phenomenon known as Favela Chic.

Can there be a world without antibiotics?

Medical experts around the globe are worried that moreand more viruses and bacteria are becoming resistant to today’s medicine. They are afraid that in a few generations antibiotics may become useless. Scientists have already discovered bacteria that do not react if treated with antibiotics. As a result medical treatment will become more expensive as new drugs have to be developed.

Doctors and other health experts criticize the fact that antibiotics are being used in a wrong way. They are often prescribed in cases in which they do not work. In some areas, especially Third World countries and densely populated areas in India, Pakistan or Bangladesh doctors have already run out of antibiotics. Prescribing wrong antibiotics or taking them for too short a time will not kill off bacteria. Some doctors prescribe antibiotics for the common flu, making it ineffective for later illnesses. The World Health Organization claims that many infectious diseases are becoming untreatable and cannot be controlled. Many patients who become resistant to drugs even die.

Another problem is that farmers in the United States and Europe are adding antibiotics to feed cattle and other animals, in order to make them grow faster and produce more meat. Also, through increased global travel, bacteria are spreading faster than ever before.

Since Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin in the early 20th century antibiotics have saved hundreds of millions of lives. Many operations cannot be carried out if we are unable to treat infections. The transplantation of organs can become very risky if patients do not get medication to strengthen their immune system. Routine operations like removing an appendix or replacing a bad hip could become fatal. Childbirth may once again threaten a woman’s life and raise child mortality. Even illnesses like pneumonia, which today can be treated effectively with antibiotics, might once again turn into a mass killer. Antibiotics have made infections like tuberculosis treatable. Cancer treatment would be unthinkable without the proper treatment of the immune system to accompany it.

Health experts call for increased action to fight off diseases. Most common is the call to improve hospital hygiene, where infectious diseases start out. Especially in Third World countries, bacteria spread through dirty water and the sewage system. Even making people aware of washing their hands more often can stop the spread of infectious diseases.

Read the extract and answer question.

[1] “Miss Emlyn read us some of it. I asked Mummy to
read some more. I liked it. It has a wonderful sound. A
brave new world. There isn’t anything really like that,
is there?”
[5] “You don’t believe in it?”
“Do you?”
“There is always a brave new world”, said Poirot, “but
only, you know, for very special people. The lucky
ones. The ones who carry the making of that world
[10] within ________________.”
(Adapted from Agatha Christie, Hallowe’en Party)

Directions: Answer questionaccording to the text.

TEXT

CYBERBULLYING ON THE RISE

Bullying among children and teenagers is not

something new but it is getting more and more common

by modern methods of communication.

Cyberbullying happens when an adolescent is

[5] put in danger by another child or teenager by photos or

text messages sent to cell phones or posted on social

networks. Sometimes cyberbullies send mails with

sexual comments or take passwords of other teenagers

and log on to websites with false identities. Children also

[10] play Internet games and make fun of each other in many

ways.

A study by a Canadian University shows that

half of the young people interviewed said that they suffer

bullying. One of the reasons is the great use of cell

[15] phones over the past years. Today’s children are

connected with each other electronically. They call

friends every time they want or communicate with them

on Facebook.

Cyberbullying is getting extremely popular

[20] because teens can stay anonymous. Many adolescents

act this way because they feel frustrated or angry and

want to punish somebody for something that happened

to them. At other times they do it just for fun or because

have nothing else to do. Parents usually don’t know their

[25] child is a cyberbully. They perceive it just when the

victim or the victim’s parents contact them.

This kind of bullying is not as inoffensive as

many people think. In some cases it can lead to suicide.

Many countries have organized campaigns to inform

[30] adults and children of its dangers.

There are a few ways to prevent cyberbullying.

First, it is important to show children that they have to

respect others and they are responsible for what they

do. For victims it is important not to play the bully’s game

[35] or answer their emails and text messages. It is also

important to get help from parents and teachers.

Often schools get involved. They bring together

the parents of victims and cyberbullies and talk with

them. Cyberbullying does not always end at school.

[40] Often, parents go to the police and accuse the bullies.

Read the paragraph below and answer question.

In 1829, a poor tailor in Paris, Barthelémy Thimonnier, invented the first sewing machine in the world and made eighty of them.

Read the text and answer question.

Sister Cities

[1] Vancouver is a city located in Canada. It became a city
in 1886. Its population is over 560,000 people. During
the summer, temperatures are up to 18ºC. Its sister city,
Yokohama, is located in Japan. It became a city in
[5] 1889. Temperatures during the summer may get to
24ºC. It has 3,500,000 people.

Leia a charge a seguir e responda à questão.

Lack of autonomy and respect threatens 'doctorness,' physicians say.

Doctors say that “doctorness”—the traditional way that physicians practice medicine—is threatened, a new study reported. These threats include the increasing complexity of the health care landscape, combined with today’s technology-enabled consumer, according to the “Truth About Doctors” study conducted by marketing services firm McCann.

The study found that the pressures of today’s world have not only stolen time and autonomy from doctors, but have simultaneously demanded they do more on someone else’s agenda.

“The autonomous, entrepreneurial role the doctor has played in the past has changed dramatically. In the last five years, doctors have gone from being the lynchpin in the health care system to a devalued cog in a larger wheel,” said co-author of the study Hilary Gentile.

The research involved interviews with 450 doctors across the United States.

Study co-author Laura Simpson added, “Modern-day doctors have become trapped in a paradoxical standard where they’re expected to forge a warm relationship with patients, yet operate with the cold precision of a machine. In our real-time, know-it-all culture, their authority and respect are eroding right under their feet.”

In addition to the physician interviews, this research revealed that nearly one-third of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 think they could be doctors with little or no training.

“People think that because they can go on WebMD, they understand what we understand,” said one physician quoted in the report. “We have studied and seen so much, but people just don't value or respect that anymore.”

“Of doctors who said that, on average, technology such as WebMD and wearable devices are bad for patients, the number one risk they cited of this technology is that patients misdiagnose themselves (74%),” Ms. Simpson said. “Fiftyseven percent also said that patients don’t take the doctor’s advice because they think they know better.”