Read the text below and choose the correct alternative

IMF

A team from the International Monetary Fund completed ______(1) to Argentina this week. The financial experts were there to examine the country's economic crisis and how the new government is dealing with it.

Argentina owes other countries more than one-hundred-forty-thousand-million dollars. The country is in the fourth year of a recession. It has an eighteen percent unemployment rate. The economic troubles have led to a political crisis and violent protests in Argentina.

The Argentine Economy Minister, Jorge Remes Lenicov, said the government is seeking as much as twenty-thousand-million dollars in new aid. He said Argentine officials would negotiate with the I-M-F to re-structure the country's debt.

The International Monetary Fund was created in part to deal with problems like this. In Nineteen-Forty-Five, twenty-nine countries signed an agreement establishing the organization. They promised to cooperate on international financial issues and to help expand international trade.

The I-M-F also seeks to help countries pay their debts when they are experiencing economic problems. In return, governments usually must take action that the I-M-F thinks will help solve the problems.

The I-M-F lends money under an "arrangement." The arrangement states the conditions the country must meet in order to receive the loan. Officials of the country and the I-M-F develop the arrangement together. Then it is presented to the I-M-F Executive Board. The Board represents the I-M-F's one-hundred-eighty-three member countries.

If the Board approves the arrangement, then the loan is released in a series of payments. I-M-F officials periodically re-consider the loan. Loan payments continue as long as the country honors the arrangement.

The I-M-F has created a number of loan programs to deal with special situations among its members. The most common loan program is called a Stand-By Arrangement. It is for countries experiencing short-term debt problems. Payments usually are made for twelve to eighteen months. Countries generally are expected to repay the loan within two to four years.

The I-M-F has another program for poor countries. The Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility permits poor countries to borrow money at a very low rate of interest. All other I-M-F programs have interest rates linked to the open market. The Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility also gives countries as long as ten years to re-pay loans.

Many people around the world oppose the I-M-F. In recent years, thousands of demonstrators have protested outside meetings of the I-M-F and similar organizations. Many of these activists say I-M-F policies make industrial nations richer and developing nations poorer. They also say the organization's activities result in damage to the environment.

(Caty Weaver, VOA Special English,  In the News, January 12, 2002)

 

1. The missing phrase in (1) is
a. (  ) a two-day visit
b. (  ) a two-days visit
c. (  ) two-days visit
d. (  ) two-day visit
e. (  ) two-days visits

2. Write T if the statement is True and F if the statement is False
a. (  ) According to the text, the unemployment rate in
Argentina has increased 18%.
b. (  ) Argentina´s debt surpasses one-hundred-forty-thousand-million dollars.
c. (  ) About 20,000 million dollars in new aid will be sent to
Argentina.
d. (  ) Argentina´s recession started four years ago.
e. (  ) Argentine officials might need to negotiate the country´s debt with the IMF.

3. Write T if the statement is True and F if the statement is False.
a. (  ) One of IMF duties is to aid countries pay their debts.
b. (  ) Any country can receive a loan once it meets certain requirements made by the IMF.
c. (  ) The IMF and the country´s officials must agree upon the loan conditions.
d. (  ) A great number of programs have been created by the IMF to solve the countries´ financial problems.
e. (  ) Countries are expected to pay a loan back in at least four years.

4. What alternative does not correspond to the text.
a. (  ) The IMF was created in 1945 with 29 members.
b. (  ) 183 countries are now represented by the IMF Executive Board.
c. (  ) A loan is not released entirely and it is periodically re-considered by the IMF officials.
d. (  ) If a country does not honor the arrangement approved by the Board, the loan payments are discontinued.
e. (  ) The IMF program for poor countries allows these countries to lend money at very low rates of interest.

5. Many people around the world oppose to the IMF because
a. (  ) IMF policies are said to benefit industrial nations.
b. (  ) Poor nations are unable to re-pay their debt in 10 years .
c. (  ) The organization´s activities highly stimulate damages to the environment.
d. (  ) The IMF and the activists do not get along well.
e. (  ) The IMF never takes demonstrators into consideration.

 

 

Gabarito Comentado

Questão 1. A alternativa correta é a letra a. Veja que além de termos a necessidade do uso do artigo indefinido a diante de substantivo contável, quando antepomos a um substantivo uma locução de tempo, esta funciona como adjetivo e portanto é invariável, ou seja, sem s.

Questão 2. As respostas são: F; T; F; T; F.

Analisemos as alternativas incorretas.

A alternativa a está incorreta, pois o texto não diz que há um aumento de 18% no índice de desemprego, mas sim que a Argentina tem um índice de desemprego de 18%.

A alternativa c está incorreta, pois não é o que o texto diz. A ajuda está sendo buscada e não é ainda fato consumado.

A alternativa e está incorreta, pois segundo o texto, a negociação com o IMF é para re-estruturar a dívida do país.

Questão 3. As respostas são: T; F; T; F; F

Analisemos as alternativas incorretas.

A alternativa b está incorreta, pois não é qualquer país que recebe ajuda do FMI, mas sim os países membros.

A alternativa d está incorreta, pois no texto não se fala em a great number of programs e sim a number of programs

A alternativa e está incorreta, pois a expressão at least in four years, invalida a questão.

Questão 4. A alternativa que não está de acordo com o texto é a e. Veja que nessa alterna-tiva temos o uso do verbo lend (emprestar) que é justamente o oposto de borrow (tomar emprestado).

Questão 5. A alternativa correta é a letra a.
Vide a resposta relendo o último parágrafo do texto.

 

Copyright (C) 2002 by Vera Queiroz