Questão 43
Inglês. Reescrita — *could hardly be better timed*.
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.}
Observe the following sentence from paragraph 3: “Brazil's incipient production could hardly be better timed.” Choose the alternative that BEST rephrases the information in the sentence.
Brazil's emerging production could have come at a more opportune moment.
Brazil's emerging production did certainly not come at an opportune moment.
- Alternativa correta
Brazil's emerging production could scarcely have come at a more opportune moment.
Brazil's emerging production was somewhat late, though still relevant.
Brazil's emerging production came at a reasonably good time.
Gabarito C
Resolução
A alternativa A está incorreta porque retira a quase-negação e com isso inverte o sentido. Dizer que a produção poderia ter vindo em momento mais oportuno é afirmar que o momento não foi o ideal. O original diz que dificilmente haveria momento melhor.
A alternativa B está incorreta porque transforma a frase em uma negação da oportunidade. O texto afirma que o momento foi quase perfeito, e não que foi ruim.
A alternativa C está correta porque reproduz a estrutura do original. Scarcely equivale a hardly, o modal se mantém e a more opportune moment corresponde a better timed. A frase diz que dificilmente a produção poderia ter surgido em melhor hora, o que é exatamente o elogio ao momento, logo depois de a China restringir suas exportações.
A alternativa D está incorreta porque fala em atraso, ideia oposta à do texto. A produção é apresentada como bem sincronizada com a crise de oferta, e não como tardia.
A alternativa E está incorreta porque reasonably good enfraquece o que o original diz. Could hardly be better timed indica um momento próximo do ideal, e não apenas razoável. A alternativa mantém a polaridade positiva, mas perde a intensidade.