16-18 2008 Animal personality

LEIA O TEXTO, PARA RESPONDER ÀS QUESTÕES DE NÚMEROS 16 A 18.

Just Like Humans

Animal personality is now taken seriously.

We name them, raise them, clothe them and spoil them. We describe them as manipulative, grumpy, sensitive and caring. And they’re not even human – they’re our pets. It’s in our nature to ascribe human characteristics to animals even if they don’t really exist. For this reason, in the interests of remaining objective observers of nature, scientists have taken pains to avoid anthropomorphizing animals. To talk about a dog’s having a swagger or a cat’s being shy would invite professional sneers.

In recent years, however, evidence has begun to show that animals have personalities after all. Chimps, for example, can be conscientious: they think before they act, they plan and they control their impulses, says Samuel Gosling, a Texas based psychologist. Research has identified similar personality traits in many other species.
The implications of these findings for research on human personality are powerful. Scientists can look to animal studies for insight into humans the same way they now look to animal testing for insight into drugs. Animal research has already begun to shed light on how different sights of people respond to medications and treatments – aggressive and passive rats respond differently to antidepressants, for example. The hope is that animals can help illuminate the murky interplay of genes and the environment on people’s personalities. The research may even lead to predictions about what people will do, based on their personalities, when they’re stressed out or frightened. Putting personality testing – already a thriving business – on a firm footing could uncover a wealth of knowledge about where personality comes from.

(Newsweek, June 18, 2007)

QUESTÃO 16

De acordo com o texto, os homens descrevem seus animais de estimação como

a) mal-humorados.

b) manipulados.

c) carentes.

d) desobedientes.

e) sensatos.

*grumpy

QUESTÃO 17
Segundo o texto,
a) cientistas se esforçam para atribuir características antropomórficas aos animais.
b) observadores da natureza afirmam que os gatos são tímidos.
c) características semelhantes às encontradas em chimpanzés foram identificadas em outras espécies animais.
d) a genética influencia claramente a personalidade dos animais.
e) o teste de personalidade em animais tornou-se um negócio de risco.

QUESTÃO 18
Assinale a alternativa que contém o uso correto do tempo verbal “present perfect”, como no exemplo – “evidence has begun to show that animals have personalities after all” –, no segundo parágrafo do texto.
a) Brazil has won the world cup in 2002.
b) When America was discovered, Indians have lived in the land for a long time.
c) Her grandfather has won the lottery.
d) They have finished their assignment before the end of class.
e) The president has arrived from Europe the previous night.

*não está no passado