Modal verbs: o que são e como utilizá-los

(FATEC SP/2016)

Learn ‘n’ go
How quickly can people learn new skills?
Jan 25th 2014 – from the print edition

In 2012, Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee took a ride in one of Google’s driverless cars. The car’s performance, they report, was flawless, boring and, above all, “weird”. Only a few years earlier, “We were sure that computers would not be able to drive cars.” Only humans, they thought, could make sense of the countless, shifting patterns of driving a car – with oncoming1 traffic, changing lights and wayward2 jaywalkers3.
Machines have mastered driving. And not just driving. In ways that are only now becoming apparent, the authors argue, machines can forecast home prices, design beer bottles, teach at universities, grade exams and do countless other things better and more cheaply than humans. (…)
This will have one principal good consequence, and one bad. The good is bounty4. Households will spend less on groceries, utilities and clothing; the deaf will be able to hear, the blind to see. The bad is spread5. The gap is growing between the lucky few whose abilities and skills are enhanced6 by technology, and the far more numerous middle-skilled people competing for the remaining7 jobs that machines cannot do, such as folding towels and waiting at tables. (…) People should develop skills that complement, rather than compete with computers, such as idea generation and complex communication. (…)
<http://tinyurl.com/m2zmazg&gt;
Acesso em: 27.07.2015. Adaptado.

Glossário
1oncoming: iminente; próximo.
2wayward: desobediente; instável.
3jaywalker: pedestre imprudente.
4bounty: recompensa.
5spread: propagação; extensão.
6enhanced: aprimorado(a).
7remaining: remanescente.

O modal verb should em “People should develop skills that complement” (terceiro parágrafo) expressa a ideia de

(UEG GO/2016)

Migrant or Refugee? There Is a Difference, With Legal Implications

In the first half of this year alone, at least 137,000 men, women and children crossed the Mediterranean Sea to reach the shores of Europe, according to the United Nations. Thousands are traveling across the Balkans now. However, are they refugee or migrants? Does it make any difference? In search for these answers, let’s read the interview.

Q. Does it matter what you call them?
A. Yes. The terms “migrant” and “refugee” are sometimes used interchangeably, but there is a crucial legal difference between the two.

Q. Who is a refugee?
A. Briefly, a refugee is a person who has fled his or her country to escape war or persecution, and can prove it.

Q. What does the distinction mean for European countries?
A. Refugees are entitled to basic protections under the 1951 convention and other international agreements. Once in Europe, refugees can apply for political asylum or another protected status, sometimes temporary. By law, refugees cannot be sent back to countries where their lives would be in danger. “One of the most fundamental principles laid down in international law is that refugees should not be expelled or returned to situations where their life and freedom would be under threat,” the refugee agency said in a statement on Thursday.

Q. Who is a migrant?
A. Anyone moving from one country to another is considered a migrant unless he or she is specifically fleeing war or persecution. Migrants may be fleeing dire poverty, or may be well-off and merely seeking better opportunities, or may be migrating to join relatives who have gone before them. There is an emerging debate about whether migrants fleeing their homes because of the effects of climate change – the desertification of the Sahel region, for example, or the sinking of coastal islands in Bangladesh – ought to be reclassified as refugees.

Q. Are migrants treated differently from refugees?
A. Countries are free to deport migrants who arrive without legal papers, which they cannot do with refugees under the 1951 convention. So it is not surprising that many politicians in Europe prefer to refer to everyone fleeing to the continent as migrants.
Disponível em: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/28/world/migrants-
refugees-europe-syria.html?_r=0>. Acesso em: 15 set. 2015.

Considerando os aspectos estruturais do texto, tem-se o seguinte:

(UNIFICADO RJ/2016)

What Your Facebook Use Reveals About Your
Personality: Likes, shares, and comments reveal a lot about who you are.

1 Every day when Facebook asks, “What’s on your 2 mind?” around 400 million people respond with a status 3 message. While some people take the opportunity 4 to share about their latest meal, other people post 5 photos or inspirational messages. Over the past few 6 years, researchers have discovered the way people 7 choose to present themselves on Facebook speaks 8 volumes about their personality and self-esteem.
9 Examining your behavior on social media could 10 give you insight into your own personality, as well 11 as how others perceive you. You may think you’re 12 presenting yourself in a certain light only to discover 13 other people view your behavior completely different. 14 Here are seven things our Facebook interactions 15 reveal about people:
16 1. People with a lot of Facebook friends tend 17 to have low self-esteem. A 2012 study published 18 in Computers in Human Behavior found that people 19 with low self-esteem who worried about their public 20 perception had the most Facebook friends. The 21 researchers concluded that self-conscious people 22 compensate for low self-esteem by trying to appear 23 popular on Facebook.
24 2. Extroverts update their status more often 25 than introverts. Just like in real life, extroverts 26 socialize more on social media, according to a 2014 27 study titled “Personality Traits and Self-Presentation 28 at Facebook”. The study found that extroverts use 29 the like button more often, upload more pictures, and 30 update their status more frequently than introverts.
31 3. Conscientious people organize their photos 32 carefully. Conscientious people are self-disciplined 33 hard-workers who spend the least amount of time on 34 Facebook. Computers in Human Behavior reports 35 that when conscientious people do use Facebook, 36 they do so in a very organized manner. For example, 37 they may create neat folders to help share their photos 38 with friends and family in a methodical and convenient 39 way.
40 4. Open people fill out their personal profiles 41 most thoroughly. A 2010 study discovered that 42 open people – described as artistic, imaginative, and 43 creative – use the most features on Facebook and 44 are most likely to complete the personal information 45 sections. They also tend to post more “wall messages” 46 when communicating with specific friends.
47 5. Narcissists make deeper self-disclosures 48 that contain self-promotional content. Narcissists 49 – people with an inflated self-concept and a strong 50 sense of uniqueness and superiority – seek attention 51 and affirmation on Facebook. A 2014 study published 52 in Computers in Human Behavior found that 53 narcissists posted more frequently about themselves 54 in an attempt to attract likes and comments that fuel 55 their beliefs about self-importance. Other studies 56 have found that people love selfies and they share 57 the ones where they think they look most attractive in 58 hopes of gaining admiration.
59 6. Neurotic people post mostly photos. A 2014 60 study found that highly neurotic people – those most 61 prone to stress and anxiety – seek acceptance by 62 publishing photos. Since neurotic people struggle with 63 communication and social skills, researchers believe 64 they use photos on Facebook as a means to express 65 themselves. Also, photos are less controversial than 66 comments – which could lead to a lot of anxiety as 67 they wait for other people’s responses. 68 Neurotic people tend to have the most photos 69 per album. Researchers believe this stems from their 70 desire to present themselves positively. They may use 71 photos to try and appear happier and to show they are 72 able to keep up with their friends.
73 7. Agreeable people are tagged in other 74 people’s photos most often. A 2012 study titled 75 “Personality and Patters of Facebook Usage” found 76 that the higher a person ranks in personality scales 77 for agreeableness, the more likely that person will be 78 tagged in Facebook photos posted by other people. 79 Since agreeable people tend to behave warm and 80 friendly and less competitive, it’s not surprising that 81 their friends enjoy taking lighthearted pictures with 82 them and sharing them on Facebook.
83 Although we may think we’re masking our 84 insecurities or portraying ourselves in the most 85 favorable light, our behavior on social media reveals 86 more than we might think. It’s not just what we post 87 on Facebook that reveals information about our 88 personalities – it’s also what we don’t post that can 89 be quite telling. It’s likely that our personality profiles 90 will continue to play a major role in how advertisers 91 market to us and how companies will choose to hire 92 people in the future.
Available at: <https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/what- mentallystrong- people-dont-do/201504/what-your-facebook-use- revealsabout- your>. Retrieved on: Apr. 17th, 2015. Adapted.

In the fragment of the text “they may create neat folders to help share their photos with friends and family” (Refs. 37-38), the modal verb may implies an idea of

(ESPM SP/2015)

In the last strip the modal verb couldn’t could be replaced, without changing its meaning, by

(FM Petrópolis RJ/2015)

In the sentence of the text “Only the recognition of the existence of the disease can help in the fight against it.” (Refs 35-37), the modal verb can gives the reader an idea of

(UNIFICADO RJ/2015)

What is the future of technology in education?
By Matt Britland

1 Some time ago I was asked about the future of 2 technology in education. It is a question I think about 3 all the time. By its very nature, technology changes 4 quickly and making it accessible to pupils, teachers 5 and other stakeholders is an ongoing challenge.
6 I don’t think iPad is the future. For me, the future 7 is not about one specific device. Don’t misunderstand 8 me, I love the iPad. In fact, I have just finished a trial 9 using them – and they have proved effective.
10 IPads and other mobile technology are the 11 ‘now’, and they will play a part in the future, but four12 years ago the iPad didn’t even exist. We don’t know 13 what the current technology will be in another four. 14 Perhaps it will be wearable devices such as Google 15 Glass, although I suspect tablets will still be used in 16 education.
17 The future is about access, both locally and 18 globally. Teaching and learning is going to be social. 19 Future schools could have a traditional cohort of 20 students plus online only students who live across 21 the country or abroad. Things are already starting to 22 move this way with the emergence of massive open 23 online courses (MOOCs).
24 For me the future of technology in education is the 25 cloud because it can remove the barrier technology 26 often represents to teaching and learning.
27 Schools will only need one major thing to 28 be prepared for the future: a fast robust internet 29 connection. Infrastructure is paramount to the future 30 of technology in education.
31 We don’t know about the new future devices, but 32 we do know that they will need the cloud. Schools and 33 other educational institutions will need to provide the 34 best possible infrastructure.
35 If you want to start to use mobile technology in 36 your school, whether it is an iPad program or a bring 37 your own device (BYOD) program, your connectivity 38 must be fast and reliable. If the network is inefficient, 39 students and teachers will not want to use the devices. 40 The infrastructure should be there before the devices.
41 Teachers can use the cloud to set, collect and 42 grade work online. Students will have instant access 43 to grades, comments and work via a computer, 44 smartphone or tablet. Many schools are already doing 45 this.
46 This is where devices come in. All devices in the 47 future will need to access the cloud. Students will 48 have their own devices, either specified by the school 49 or chosen by themselves.
50 Thanks to the cloud and mobile devices, 51 technology will be integrated into every part of school. 52 Games fields, gyms and school trips will all change. 53 Whether offsite or on site, the school, teachers, 54 students and support staff will all be connected. All 55 classrooms will be paperless.
56 Whether offsite or on site, the school, teachers, 57 students and support staff will all be connected. All 58 classrooms will be paperless.
59 The cloud can also encourage independent 60 learning. Teachers could adopt a flipped classroom 61 approach more often. Teachers can put videos, 62 documents, audio podcasts or interactive images for 63 students online. Students will take ownership of their 64 own learning. There is a massive amount of resources 65 online that students can find and use without the 66 help of the teacher. As long as they have an internet 67 connection, they are good to go.
68 This, of course, means the teacher’s role will 69 change.
70 Shared applications and documents on the 71 cloud will allow for more social lessons. How often do 72 students get an opportunity to collaborate productively 73 using technology in the classroom? It isn’t always 74 easy. However, using Google Apps is easy when 75 students are working on documents together. They 76 could be in the same room or in different countries. Of 77 course, these collaborative tools are also very useful 78 for teachers, even if they never meet their students.
79 What we must remember is that when schools 80 adopt new technology and services, they must be 81 evaluated. Staff will also need training. Any initiative is 82 doomed to failure without well trained, confident staff 83 who can see how technology can support and benefit 84 teaching and learning.
85 Many schools have already embraced this, but 86 there’s still a way to go to ensure all schools are ready 87 for the future of technology. It is time for all schools to 88 embrace the cloud.
Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/ teacher-blog/
2013/jun/19/technology-future-education-cloud- -social-learning>.
Retrieved on: 20th Aug. 2014. Adapted.

The modal verb must in the fragment of the text “your connectivity must be fast and reliable” (Refs. 37-38) conveys an idea of

(UEFS BA/2013)

‘1 For the first time, scientists have created human 2 embryos that are genetic copies of living people and used 3 them to make stem cells — a feat that paves the way for 4 treating a range of diseases with personalized body 5 tissues but also ignites fears of human cloning. If 6 replicated in other labs, the methods detailed Wednesday 7 in the journal Cell would allow researchers to fashion 8 human embryonic stem cells that are custom-made for 9 patients with Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes and other 10 health problems.

11 Theoretically capable of reproducing themselves 12 indefinitely, these stem cells could be used to grow 13 replacements for a wide variety of diseased cells — those 14 of the blood, skin, heart, brain, muscles, nerves and 15 more — that would not risk rejection by the patient’s 16 immune system.

17 The report also raises the specter that, with a 18 high-quality donor egg, a bit of skin, some careful tending 19 in a lab and the womb of a willing surrogate, humans 20 have cracked the biological secret to reproducing 21 themselves. That is an objective American scientists 22 have squarely renounced as unethical and scientifically 23 irresponsible. At the same time, most acknowledge that 24 such “reproductive cloning” will one day prove too 25 tempting to resist.

26 In the hope that other researchers will validate and 27 extend their results, the scientists at Oregon Health & 28 Science University provided an exceptionally detailed 29 account of their techniques. For anyone with a 30 well-equipped fertility lab, the comprehensive guide could 31 also be a useful handbook for cloning a baby. The 32 success of the experiments rekindled debate among 33 bioethicists, who have long anticipated that human 34 cloning would become a reality.
HEALY, Melissa. Disponível em:
. Acesso em: 13 maio 2013.

Considering language use in the text, it’s correct to say:

(UEFS BA/2013)

The modal “would” (Ref. 1) has been used in this text to talk about

(FATEC SP/2012)

PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY

Want Happiness? Don’t Buy More Stuff — Go on Vacation
When it comes to spending money on things or experiences, the
research is clear: doing brings more happiness than owning.

By Gary Belsky & Tom Gilovich | July 21, 2011

Given that it’s vacation season for many folks, we thought it a good time to devote this Mind Over Money post to a brief discussion of what personal finance is ultimately all about. Some people, of course, really enjoy counting their money, deriving great satisfaction simply from watching their bottom line grow, often quite removed from any thought of what they might do with their riches. But for most of us, money is just a token for what we can do with it — pay the mortgage or rent, send kids to college, buy a TV or travel to Italy. And for nearly all of us, money is finite; there isn’t enough to do all we want, so we must be selective. That raises a crucial question: if we want to maximize the happiness or satisfaction we get from our money, how should we spend it?
There’s been a lot of recent research on this subject, much of it conducted at Tom’s home institution, Cornell University. And the answer is clear. If you’re conflicted about whether to spend money on a material good (say, a computer) or personal experience (say, a vacation), the research says you’ll get much more satisfaction — and for longer — if you choose the experience. Most of us, it turns out, get more bang from the experiential buck. Indeed, when people are asked to recall their most significant material and experiential purchases over the previous five years, they report that the experience brought more joy, was a source of more enduring satisfaction and was more clearly “money well spent¨.
This might seem counter-intuitive. After all, when faced with a trade-off between doing and buying, many people opt for the material good because “it will still be there” long after the experience would have been enjoyed. In one sense that’s correct: The material good lasts while the experience is fleeting. But psychologically it’s the reverse. We quickly adapt to the material good, but the experience endures in the memories we cherish, the stories we tell and the very sense of who we are.
(http://moneyland.time.com Acesso em 25/08/2011. Adaptado.)

No terceiro parágrafo do texto, o modal auxiliar might transmite uma ideia de

(Unemat MT/2012)

LIVING WITHOUT ENERGY

1Everyone says that we must use less energy! But how? That is the big question. In this article, you can read about the house of the future, which uses hardly any energy at all…
Most houses use energy – lots of it. We use energy for heating, 5lighting, for running our household appliances – TV’s, washing machines, fridges, and so on. In winter time, most houses use dozens of kilowatts of electricity every day, or the equivalent in gas.
The house in the photo, on the other hand, uses virtually nothing: 10most of the energy that it uses comes straight from the sun, the wind or the ground. This is an experimental house at the University of Nottingham, and it could be the kind of house that most people are living in fifty years from now.
During the daytime, it is rarely necessary to turn on an electric 15light, even in rooms without windows. Sunlight, or daylight, is “piped” through the house, into each room, through special high-reflection aluminium tubes. You can see how well they reflect light, by looking at the reflections of the faces in the picture!
http://linguapress.com/intermediate/no-energy.htm

Na frase “Everyone says that we must use less energy”! (ref.1), os verbos sublinhados fazem referência a: