11-15 2011-2 CHINA’S NEW SEX SYMBOLS

Leia o texto para responder às questões de números 11 a 15.

CHINA’S NEW SEX SYMBOLS
BY ISAAC STONE FISH

ASIA IN THE CATEGORY of the world’s sexiest politicians, China’s dour communist apparatchiks1 would seem to be far behind America’s legendary ladies’ men presidents and Europe’s bunga-bunga leaders. But a survey released in December by the All-China Women’s Federation found that a Middle Kingdom mandarin is the top pick for an ideal partner among Chinese women.
What’s the appeal? (It can’t be the ill-fitting suits.) It’s money, money, money. While government officials receive a modest salary – well under $1,000 a month- they can usually leverage their position for personal gain, often through shady means. A corrupt vice district head in Beijing was recently arrested for accumulating more than $ 6,5 million; in other cases the perks have reached into the hundreds of millions. And even for officials who aren’t skimming off the top, a government job (and the attendant legal perks) provides a level of security that’s quite desirable for China’s marriage-minded ladies, especially compared with a less stable position at a state-owned or private company.
There’s also the growing reputation of Chinese government officials as a particularly virile lot. China’s state-owned press often titillates readers with tales of bureaucratic sex scandals: in one major story last year, a provincial tobacco-bureau chief’s diary was leaked online, with page after page of prurient details about his trysts2 with young beauties (including fellow government employees). The public’s reaction was generally sympathetic to the cad. One prominent blogger maintained the bureau chief was a good official because he managed to spend some time with his wife despite the womanizing, took less than $10,000 in bribes, and didn’t visit prostitutes. In other words, a real catch. In a survey on the blogger’s site, almost all the more than 100,000 respondents thought the official should keep his job. That’s sex appeal – and popular appeal.

( Newsweek, February 7, 2011.)

apparatchiks1: burocratas do partido comunista chinês
trysts2: encontros secretos

*far behind - muito atras
*survey- pesquisa
*ill-fitting- mal ajustadas
*shady- obscuros
*arrested- preso
*perks- regalias, vantagens
*skimming- deslizando
*attendant - inerente
*titillates- excita
*leaked - vazou
*prurient- lascivos
*womanizing- mulherengo
*bribes- propinas
*sex appeal- atração sexual

Questão 11
De acordo com o texto, os apparatchiks são considerados
(A) mais tímidos que os líderes europeus.
(B) mais simpáticos que os líderes europeus.
(C) menos generosos que os líderes europeus.
(D) menos sexy que os presidentes americanos.
(E) mais agressivos que os presidentes americanos.

Questão 12
Segundo o texto, pode-se inferir que
(A) os burocratas chineses não se vestem com elegância.
(B) os chineses estão se tornando cada vez mais corruptos.
(C) os chineses de meia-idade são mais procurados para casamento.
(D) os homens chineses em geral são bons partidos para as mulheres chinesas.
(E) um oficial do império chinês está à procura de mulheres chinesas para casamento.

Questão 13
De acordo com o texto, as mulheres chinesas preferem um relacionamento com funcionários do governo
(A) por eles não saírem com prostitutas.
(B) pelo fato de eles serem casados.
(C) pela segurança oferecida pelos cargos que eles exercem.
(D) pelo status de serem funcionários de países asiáticos.
(E) por eles terem uma renda mensal inferior a 1000 dólares.

Questão 14
No último parágrafo do texto, o adjetivo sympathetic empregado em −The public’s reaction was generally sympathetic to the CAD. − pode ser traduzido por
(A) contrária.
(B) simpática.
(C) agressiva.
(D) interessante.
(E) complacente.

Questão 15
No último parágrafo do texto, a preposição despite empregada em − despite the womanizing − pode ser substituída por
(A) though.
(B) whereas.
(C) although.
(D) in spite of.
(E) even though.