Questão 45

Leia o texto a seguir para responder às questões 43 a 45.

Brazil's last asbestos miners are switching to rare earth minerals. Can they offer a brighter future?

Minaçu, a small city in inland Brazil and home to the only asbestos mine in the Americas, is set to become the first operation outside Asia to produce four rare earths on a commercial scale. […]

Until now, China has dominated the separation of rare earths, and accounts for 90% of the manufacture of rare-earth magnets, or super magnets, which are made with these elements and used in electric cars, wind turbines and military equipment such as jets.

But in April, China restricted its exports of the minerals in response to US tariffs, causing uncertainty over global supply. Brazil's incipient production could hardly be better timed. To stimulate the sector, the Brazilian government has issued a call for tenders with an investment forecast of 5bn reals (£670m) in projects related to the supply of strategic minerals, such as rare earths. […]

Rare earths are a group of 17 elements with high magnetism and the ability to absorb light, features that make them essential for the transition to clean energy. Some of the most coveted are neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium, and terbium – used in the manufacture of electric motors and wind turbines, two industries that fuel the demand for rare earths, which have doubled globally between 2015 and 2023. […]

For Minaçu, rare earths are the promise of a fresh start. In 2017, Sama, part of the Brazilian company Eternit, was compelled to halt the asbestos mining that for 50 years had shaped the town. The temporary permit granted for export extraction two years later permitted it to keep operating, but with diminished capacity.

{ Fonte: SETA, Isabel. Brazil's last Asbestos miners are switching to rare earth minerals. Can they offer a brighter future? The Guardian. 01 jul 2025.}

Conside o trecho “To stimulate the sector, the Brazilian government has issued a call for tenders with an investment forecast of 5bn reals (£670m) in projects related to the supply of strategic minerals, such as rare earths”. No CONTEXTO do terceiro parágrafo, o uso de HAS ISSUED sugere que a iniciativa do governo brasileiro

A alternativa A está correta porque o present perfect indica uma ação passada cujo resultado permanece válido no presente da reportagem. O edital foi lançado e continua aberto, com uma previsão de investimento que ainda está por se realizar. O contraste com in April, China restricted, no passado simples e com data, mostra a medida brasileira como reação recente e ainda em vigor.
A alternativa B está incorreta porque descreve o valor do passado simples, e não o do present perfect. Uma ação sem ligação com o presente seria expressa por issued, com marca de tempo.
A alternativa C está incorreta porque perda de relevância exigiria outra construção, provavelmente o past perfect, e contraria o próprio valor do tempo verbal usado, que é o de relevância atual.
A alternativa D está incorreta porque estava em andamento quando pediria um tempo contínuo no passado. O present perfect não indica simultaneidade com um evento passado datado, e a ordem do parágrafo apresenta a medida como posterior à restrição chinesa.
A alternativa E está incorreta porque anterioridade em relação a outro evento passado exigiria o past perfect, had issued. Além disso, o texto encadeia a medida brasileira como resposta à crise de oferta, o que a situa depois das tensões, e não antes.