High-flying ideas?
A camera-equipped drone flies around the outskirts of Seoul, South Korea, hovering near an industrial plant and capturing video of pollutants. Below, on the crowded, litter-covered streets, residents wear white and black masks that cover their noses and mouths. A gray haze hangs in the sky.
The unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV, is part of a pilot program by South Korea’s Ministry of Environment. Tasked with inspecting factory emissions in the capital’s greater metropolitan area, it’s the latest in a series of tech solutions aimed at solving Seoul’s dust dilemma. In fact, the fine dust has South Koreans so concerned they’ve cited it as their Nº 1 stressor in life – more distressing than the country’s economic stagnation, its rapidly aging population and even North Korea’s erratic dictator and nuclear weapons program.
Their worries are well-founded. The World Health Organization (WHO) advises exposure to fine dust, or PM10, of no more than a daily average of 50 micrograms per cubic meter, and to ultra-fine dust, or PM2.5, of no more than 25. At one point in 2017, Seoul’s PM10 hit 179. In late March 2018, Seoul’s PM2.5 soared to over 100. PM2.5 is of greatest concern. So small it can get lodged into the lungs and penetrate the lining to enter the bloodstream, PM2.5 is comprised of black carbon, nitrates, ammonia and other harmful compounds linked to respiratory diseases and cancer. The WHO has classified fine and ultra-fine dust as carcinogenic since 2013.
Developed by the government-run National Institute of Environmental Research, the drone is the first of what the environment ministry intends to be a fleet deployed nationwide. Some South Korean tech companies, too, are stepping in with their own innovations. Although much of the new tech appears promising, Greenpeace’s Seoul office stresses the importance of addressing the root of the problem. Part of the solution is getting residents to recognize their own role in curbing carbon output. So, even though the new fixes may do a good job of measuring dust, what about actually busting it? That’s where the technology hasn’t quite caught up yet.
(Ann Babe. www.usnews.com, 08.08.2018. Adapted.)
1. The text deals with a main public interest issue in South Korea related to
a) the dirt and dust deriving from the overcrowded streets in the country’s capital.
b) air pollution and the health risks brought about by fine-dust particulates.
c) a variety of factors impacting on the South Koreans’ quality of life in the present days.
d) the great number of camera-equipped drones flying all around Seoul’s skies.
e) the many types of pollutants produced by the country’s industries and residents.
Resolução
O trecho trata de uma questão de interesse público na Coreia do Sul relacionada à poluição do ar e aos riscos à saúde causados por partículas finas de pó.
Lê-se no texto:
“In fact, the fine dust has South Koreans so concerned they’ve cited it as their Nº 1 stressor in life...”
* dust = pó
* concerned = preocupado
Resposta: B
a) map the dirty and dust-affected streets in Seoul.
b) predict critical points of pollution in Seoul’s metropolitan area.
c) create technological solutions to solve Seoul’s dust dilemma.
d) identify alternatives to some of the most distressing factors affecting South Koreans.
e) monitor industrial plant emissions in the city and its surroundings.
Resolução
O programa piloto mencionado no segundo parágrafo utiliza UAVs (Veículos Aéreos não Tripulados) principalmente para monitorar emissões industriais nas cidades e suas redondezas.
Lê-se no texto:
“Tasked with inspecting factory emissions in the capital’s greater metropolitan area...”
Resposta: E
3. According to the third paragraph, PM2.5 is currently a topic of greatest concern in Seoul because
a) it has recently reached levels far beyond those the WHO admits as safe for humans to live with.
b) its particles have just been discovered to be even tinier than the average PM10 particles.
c) it has, in the latest years, surpassed PM10 in numbers and as the origin of incurable diseases.
d) it is composed of black carbon, nitrates and ammonia, a combination inevitably resulting in deadly side effects.
e) it has been announced by the WHO as the main cause for respiratory diseases and cancer in the country.
Resolução
De acordo com o terceiro parágrafo, PM2.5 é atualmente um tópico de grande preocupação em Seoul porque recentemente atingiu níveis muito acima daqueles aceitos pela OMS como sendo considerados seguros para a vida dos humanos.
No texto:
“The World Health Organization (WHO) advises exposure to fine dust, or PM10, of no more than a daily average of 50 micrograms per cubic meter, and to ultra-fine dust, or PM2.5, of no more than 25. At one point in 2017, Seoul’s PM10 hit 179. In late March 2018, Seoul’s PM2.5 soared to over 100.”
Resposta: A
4. The text concludes by stating that tech innovations in South Korea
a) come from companies in close cooperation with Greenpeace in their common goal to protect the environment.
b) are promising, though South Korea has been ranked as the world’s deadliest country for outdoor air pollution these days.
c) have made the measurement of dust emissions possible, but have not yet found ways to suppress them.
d) have led South Koreans to control carbon pollution production in their own homes.
e) have had greater participation from non-governmental groups than from the Korean government itself.
Resolução
O texto conclui afirmando que inovações tecnológicas na Coreia do Sul tornaram possível a medida de emissões de poeira, mas ainda não acharam maneiras de suprimi-las.
Lê-se no texto:
“Although much of the new tech appears promising, Greenpeace’s Seoul office stresses the importance of addressing the root of the problem. Part of the solution is getting residents to recognize their own role in curbing carbon output. So, even though the new fixes may do a good job of measuring dust, what about actually busting it? That’s where the technology hasn’t quite caught up yet.”
* to address = abordar
* root = raiz
* role = papel
* to curb = reduzir, diminuir
* output = produção
* to bust = eliminar, acabar com
* to catch up = alcançar, atingir
Resposta: C
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