Questões de Inglês do ENEM

Read the text below and answer the following question based on it.

Doctors say that “doctorness”—the traditional way that physicians practice medicine—is threatened, a new study reported. These threats include the increasing complexity of the health care landscape, combined with today’s technology-enabled consumer, according to the “Truth About Doctors” study conducted by marketing services firm McCann.

The study found that the pressures of today’s world have not only stolen time and autonomy from doctors, but have simultaneously demanded they do more on someone else’s agenda.

“The autonomous, entrepreneurial role the doctor has played in the past has changed dramatically. In the last five years, doctors have gone from being the lynchpin in the health care system to a devalued cog in a larger wheel,” said co-author of the study Hilary Gentile.

The research involved interviews with 450 doctors across the United States.

Study co-author Laura Simpson added, “Modern-day doctors have become trapped in a paradoxical standard where they’re expected to forge a warm relationship with patients, yet operate with the cold precision of a machine. In our real-time, know-it-all culture, their authority and respect are eroding right under their feet.”

In addition to the physician interviews, this research revealed that nearly one-third of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 think they could be doctors with little or no training.

“People think that because they can go on WebMD, they understand what we understand,” said one physician quoted in the report. “We have studied and seen so much, but people just don't value or respect that anymore.”

“Of doctors who said that, on average, technology such as WebMD and wearable devices are bad for patients, the number one risk they cited of this technology is that patients misdiagnose themselves (74%),” Ms. Simpson said. “Fiftyseven percent also said that patients don’t take the doctor’s advice because they think they know better.”

Disponível em: http://www.mdlinx.com/medical-student/article/395# Acessado em 5 de maio de 2016. 

Read the text below and answer the following question based on it.

Doctors say that “doctorness”—the traditional way that physicians practice medicine—is threatened, a new study reported. These threats include the increasing complexity of the health care landscape, combined with today’s technology-enabled consumer, according to the “Truth About Doctors” study conducted by marketing services firm McCann.

The study found that the pressures of today’s world have not only stolen time and autonomy from doctors, but have simultaneously demanded they do more on someone else’s agenda.

“The autonomous, entrepreneurial role the doctor has played in the past has changed dramatically. In the last five years, doctors have gone from being the lynchpin in the health care system to a devalued cog in a larger wheel,” said co-author of the study Hilary Gentile.

The research involved interviews with 450 doctors across the United States.

Study co-author Laura Simpson added, “Modern-day doctors have become trapped in a paradoxical standard where they’re expected to forge a warm relationship with patients, yet operate with the cold precision of a machine. In our real-time, know-it-all culture, their authority and respect are eroding right under their feet.”

In addition to the physician interviews, this research revealed that nearly one-third of Americans between the ages of 18 and 34 think they could be doctors with little or no training.

“People think that because they can go on WebMD, they understand what we understand,” said one physician quoted in the report. “We have studied and seen so much, but people just don't value or respect that anymore.”

“Of doctors who said that, on average, technology such as WebMD and wearable devices are bad for patients, the number one risk they cited of this technology is that patients misdiagnose themselves (74%),” Ms. Simpson said. “Fiftyseven percent also said that patients don’t take the doctor’s advice because they think they know better.”

Disponível em: http://www.mdlinx.com/medical-student/article/395# Acessado em 5 de maio de 2016. 

Read the text below and answer the following question based on it.

After a car accident injured her spine in 1995, Mary Ann Franco lost her vision. But after being blind for 21 years, the Florida woman fell in her home and hurt her neck ... and woke up from the ensuing spinal surgery on April 6 with the ability to see. "Out the window, I could see the trees. I could see the houses and stuff," Franco tells WPBF. Oddly, Franco was colorblind before her car accident, and now she can also see colors. The neurosurgeon who operated on her says he has no scientific explanation for what happened— Dr. John Afshar tells ABC News it's a "true miracle"—but he has an idea. If an artery in Franco's spine was "kinked" in the car accident, restricting the flow of blood to the part of her brain that handles vision, he may have inadvertently "unkinked" the same artery during the recent surgery, he theorizes. "And when we gave that extra amount of blood flow by unkinking the vessel, it could have reestablished the blood flow," he tells WPBF, though he notes that none of this is certain. But an explanation doesn't matter much to Franco: "The sun is coming through the trees," she said on a recent morning. "Oh God, it’s so wonderful to see." Nature isn't the only sight for her to behold: Franco has seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren who WPBF notes she has hugged and kissed but never seen.

Adaptado de:<http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/05/04/accident-took-her-sight-21-years-ago-another-just-gave-it-back.html>  Acessado em 5 de maio de 2016. 

Read the text below and answer the following question based on it.

After a car accident injured her spine in 1995, Mary Ann Franco lost her vision. But after being blind for 21 years, the Florida woman fell in her home and hurt her neck ... and woke up from the ensuing spinal surgery on April 6 with the ability to see. "Out the window, I could see the trees. I could see the houses and stuff," Franco tells WPBF. Oddly, Franco was colorblind before her car accident, and now she can also see colors. The neurosurgeon who operated on her says he has no scientific explanation for what happened— Dr. John Afshar tells ABC News it's a "true miracle"—but he has an idea. If an artery in Franco's spine was "kinked" in the car accident, restricting the flow of blood to the part of her brain that handles vision, he may have inadvertently "unkinked" the same artery during the recent surgery, he theorizes. "And when we gave that extra amount of blood flow by unkinking the vessel, it could have reestablished the blood flow," he tells WPBF, though he notes that none of this is certain. But an explanation doesn't matter much to Franco: "The sun is coming through the trees," she said on a recent morning. "Oh God, it’s so wonderful to see." Nature isn't the only sight for her to behold: Franco has seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren who WPBF notes she has hugged and kissed but never seen.

Adaptado de:<http://www.foxnews.com/health/2016/05/04/accident-took-her-sight-21-years-ago-another-just-gave-it-back.html>  Acessado em 5 de maio de 2016. 

Read the text below and answer the following question based on it.

It showed the Dutch have nearly an hour more in bed every night than people in Singapore or Japan.

The study, published in Science Advances, also found women routinely get more sleep than men, with middle-aged men getting the least of all.

The researchers say the findings could be used to deal with the "global sleep crisis".

The study found people in Japan and Singapore had an average of seven hours and 24 minutes sleep while the people in the Netherlands had eight hours and 12 minutes.

The later a country stays up into the night, the less sleep it gets. But what time a country wakes up seems to have little effect on sleep duration.

Prof Daniel Forger, one of the researchers, said there was a conflict between our desire to stay up late and our bodies urging us to get up in the morning.

The study also showed women had about 30 minutes more per night in bed than men, particularly between the ages of 30 and 60.

And that people who spend the most time in natural sunlight tended to go to bed earlier. A strong effect of age on sleep was also detected. A wide range of sleep and wake-up times was found in young people but "that really narrows in old age," said Prof Forger.

"It highlights that although our body clocks are programming us to do certain things, we can't as we're ruled by social circumstances.

"We won't know the long-term consequences of this for many years."

Adaptado de:<http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36226874> Acessado em 7 de maio de 2016.

Read the text below and answer the following question based on it.

It showed the Dutch have nearly an hour more in bed every night than people in Singapore or Japan.

The study, published in Science Advances, also found women routinely get more sleep than men, with middle-aged men getting the least of all.

The researchers say the findings could be used to deal with the "global sleep crisis".

The study found people in Japan and Singapore had an average of seven hours and 24 minutes sleep while the people in the Netherlands had eight hours and 12 minutes.

The later a country stays up into the night, the less sleep it gets. But what time a country wakes up seems to have little effect on sleep duration.

Prof Daniel Forger, one of the researchers, said there was a conflict between our desire to stay up late and our bodies urging us to get up in the morning.

The study also showed women had about 30 minutes more per night in bed than men, particularly between the ages of 30 and 60.

And that people who spend the most time in natural sunlight tended to go to bed earlier. A strong effect of age on sleep was also detected. A wide range of sleep and wake-up times was found in young people but "that really narrows in old age," said Prof Forger.

"It highlights that although our body clocks are programming us to do certain things, we can't as we're ruled by social circumstances.

"We won't know the long-term consequences of this for many years."

Adaptado de:<http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36226874> Acessado em 7 de maio de 2016.

Read the text below and answer the following question based on it.

It showed the Dutch have nearly an hour more in bed every night than people in Singapore or Japan.

The study, published in Science Advances, also found women routinely get more sleep than men, with middle-aged men getting the least of all.

The researchers say the findings could be used to deal with the "global sleep crisis".

The study found people in Japan and Singapore had an average of seven hours and 24 minutes sleep while the people in the Netherlands had eight hours and 12 minutes.

The later a country stays up into the night, the less sleep it gets. But what time a country wakes up seems to have little effect on sleep duration.

Prof Daniel Forger, one of the researchers, said there was a conflict between our desire to stay up late and our bodies urging us to get up in the morning.

The study also showed women had about 30 minutes more per night in bed than men, particularly between the ages of 30 and 60.

And that people who spend the most time in natural sunlight tended to go to bed earlier. A strong effect of age on sleep was also detected. A wide range of sleep and wake-up times was found in young people but "that really narrows in old age," said Prof Forger.

"It highlights that although our body clocks are programming us to do certain things, we can't as we're ruled by social circumstances.

"We won't know the long-term consequences of this for many years."

Adaptado de:<http://www.bbc.com/news/health-36226874> Acessado em 7 de maio de 2016.

In the sentence: “The researchers say the findings could be used to deal with the "global sleep crisis". the modal verb could expresses:

The message above implies that health insurance companies

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The placebo effect: amazing and real

November 2, 2015

Robert H. Shmerling

    The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would. Studies use placebos – an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill – in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

    The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many patients who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

    Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be – and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

    Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

     The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

(www.health.harvard.edu. Adaptado.)

According to the first paragraph, a placebo

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The placebo effect: amazing and real

November 2, 2015

Robert H. Shmerling

    The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would. Studies use placebos – an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill – in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

    The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many patients who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

    Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be – and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

    Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

     The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

(www.health.harvard.edu. Adaptado.)

O trecho do segundo parágrafo “And ‘please’ it does.” tem sentido equivalente, em português, a:

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The placebo effect: amazing and real

November 2, 2015

Robert H. Shmerling

    The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would. Studies use placebos – an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill – in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

    The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many patients who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

    Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be – and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

    Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

     The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

(www.health.harvard.edu. Adaptado.)

No trecho do terceiro parágrafo “similar to those observed among people taking effective medications”, o termo em destaque refere-se a

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The placebo effect: amazing and real

November 2, 2015

Robert H. Shmerling

    The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would. Studies use placebos – an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill – in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

    The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many patients who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

    Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be – and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

    Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

     The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

(www.health.harvard.edu. Adaptado.)

De acordo com as informações do terceiro e quarto parágrafos,

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The placebo effect: amazing and real

November 2, 2015

Robert H. Shmerling

    The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would. Studies use placebos – an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill – in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

    The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many patients who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

    Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be – and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

    Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

     The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

(www.health.harvard.edu. Adaptado.)

No trecho do quarto parágrafo “If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all.”, a expressão em destaque pode ser substituída, sem alteração de sentido, por

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The placebo effect: amazing and real

November 2, 2015

Robert H. Shmerling

    The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would. Studies use placebos – an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill – in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

    The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many patients who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

    Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be – and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

    Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

     The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

(www.health.harvard.edu. Adaptado.)

No trecho do quarto parágrafo “Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion.”, o termo em destaque equivale, em português, a

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The placebo effect: amazing and real

November 2, 2015

Robert H. Shmerling

    The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would. Studies use placebos – an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill – in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

    The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many patients who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

    Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be – and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

    Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

     The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

(www.health.harvard.edu. Adaptado.)

No trecho do quarto parágrafo “Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the ‘holy grail’ of placebo research.”, a expressão em destaque tem sentido equivalente, em português, a

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The placebo effect: amazing and real

November 2, 2015

Robert H. Shmerling

    The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would. Studies use placebos – an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill – in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

    The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many patients who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

    Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be – and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

    Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

     The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

(www.health.harvard.edu. Adaptado.)

No trecho do quinto parágrafo “The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword.”, a expressão em destaque equivale, em português, a

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The placebo effect: amazing and real

November 2, 2015

Robert H. Shmerling

    The placebo effect is a mysterious thing. I’ve long been fascinated by the idea that something as inert and harmless as a sugar pill could relieve a person’s pain or hasten their recovery just by the expectation that it would. Studies use placebos – an inactive treatment, such as a sugar pill – in an attempt to understand the true impact of the active drug. Comparing what happens to a group of patients taking the active drug with the results of those taking a placebo can help researchers understand just how good the active drug is.

    The word “placebo” comes from Latin and means “I shall please.” And “please” it does. In study after study, many patients who take a placebo show improvement in their symptoms or condition.

The placebo effect is for real

    Recent research on the placebo effect only confirms how powerful it can be – and that the benefits of a placebo treatment aren’t just “all in your head.” Measureable physiological changes can be observed in those taking a placebo, similar to those observed among people taking effective medications. In particular, blood pressure, heart rate, and blood test results have been shown to improve among subsets of research subjects who responded to a placebo.

    Of course, not everyone has a therapeutic response to a placebo. If that were the case, we wouldn’t need medications at all. Instead, we could simply wield the power of suggestion. Understanding why certain people improve with placebo treatment and others do not is the “holy grail” of placebo research.

Nocebo: Placebo’s evil twin

     The power of suggestion is a double-edged sword. If you expect a treatment to help you, it’s more likely to do so. And if you expect a treatment will be harmful, you are more likely to experience negative effects. That phenomenon is called the “nocebo effect” (from the Latin “I shall harm”). For example, if you tell a person that a headache is a common side effect of a particular medication, that person is more likely to report headaches even if they are actually taking a placebo. The power of expectation is formidable and probably plays a significant role in the benefits and the side effects of commonly prescribed medications.

(www.health.harvard.edu. Adaptado.)

can be exemplified by actually feeling the side effects of medication or placebo.

Nas frases a seguir, observe os sujeitos em destaque. Em seguida, verifique qual a sequência correta dos pronomes pessoais que podem substituí-los.

I- My cousin and my sister are students.
II- John likes to swim.
III- Mary buys a dictionary every year.
IV- Peter and I travel to the beach.
V- My cat drinks milk every day.

Assinale a alternativa correta.

Assinale a frase que melhor resume o trecho em inglês, de acordo com o relato do narrador.

Considere as afirmações abaixo.

I - A frase “John demurs.” (l. 04), significa, “John discorda.”, visto que ele tem atitude contrária a do narrador sobre a manutenção de motocicletas.

II - A forma nominal “building” na frase “The building stops” (l. 11) refere-se à conversa que se desenrola na frase “the conversation just naturally builds pleasantly” (l. 10) e que é interrompida.

III - As palavras “surface” (l. 17) e “underneath” (l. 17) têm sentidos opostos, sendo seus significados, respectivamente, “superfície” e “sob a superfície”.

Assinale a alternativa correta.