Questões de Língua Inglesa da ESAF

Read the text below in order to answer questions 24 to 26:

ASIAN CRISIS, TAKE TWO?

As global interest rates tighten and current account surpluses begin to vanish, servicing the new mountains of public-sector debt and outstanding private debt will become critical concerns before the end of this year. East Asia's V-shaped recovery is in imminent danger of giving way to the dreaded double dip.

Few analysts now foresee the type of precipitous decline witnessed in 1997-1998. There is talk instead of the Latin-Americanization of the Southeast Asian economies – meaning, in essence, that they are in danger of becoming irrelevant backwaters. But that's the optimistic view.

The author refers to the Latin-Americanization of the Southeast Asian economies, which means they

Read the text below in order to answer questions 24 to 26:

ASIAN CRISIS, TAKE TWO?

As global interest rates tighten and current account surpluses begin to vanish, servicing the new mountains of public-sector debt and outstanding private debt will become critical concerns before the end of this year. East Asia's V-shaped recovery is in imminent danger of giving way to the dreaded double dip.

Few analysts now foresee the type of precipitous decline witnessed in 1997-1998. There is talk instead of the Latin-Americanization of the Southeast Asian economies – meaning, in essence, that they are in danger of becoming irrelevant backwaters. But that's the optimistic view.

According to the text, the Asian decline of 1997-1998

Read the text below in order to answer questions 21 to 23:

THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 2000

The proposed budget for 2000 is fully consistent with the four-year plan for 2000-03 ("Avança Brasil"), also submitted to Congress at the end of August 1999. This plan identifies the federal expenditure programmes that are to receive priority in the allocation of budgetary resources over the next four years, reflecting the main governmental objectives in the social, infrastructure and other public expenditure areas. It seeks to exploit regional and cross-projects synergies, and to attract partnerships with the other levels of government, the public enterprises, the multilateral development banks, and the private sector, to promote a more regionally balanced and sustainable development of the country. Increased emphasis will be placed on the evaluation of the results of these programmes, and on the accountability of the public managers of the programmes for these results.

What two aspects are mentioned regarding the four-year plan?

Read the text below in order to answer questions 21 to 23:

THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR 2000

The proposed budget for 2000 is fully consistent with the four-year plan for 2000-03 ("Avança Brasil"), also submitted to Congress at the end of August 1999. This plan identifies the federal expenditure programmes that are to receive priority in the allocation of budgetary resources over the next four years, reflecting the main governmental objectives in the social, infrastructure and other public expenditure areas. It seeks to exploit regional and cross-projects synergies, and to attract partnerships with the other levels of government, the public enterprises, the multilateral development banks, and the private sector, to promote a more regionally balanced and sustainable development of the country. Increased emphasis will be placed on the evaluation of the results of these programmes, and on the accountability of the public managers of the programmes for these results.

According to the text, the four-year plan for 2000-03 and the proposed budget for 2000

Read the text below in order to answer questions 17 and 18.

NEW POLICIES TO FIT THE NEW ECONOMY

Growing Prosperity: The battle for Growth with Equity in the 21^st Century, written by two liberal economists, represents a breakthrough in the political debate over the New Economy. This is the first book that lays out a progressive economic policy designed to encourage technology-driven growth, while ameliorating bad consequences such as widening income disparity and excessive dependence on a volatile stock market.

According to the authors, Barry Bluestone and Bennett Harrison, Washington policymakers have been excessively fixated on low inflation and a balanced budget. Bluestone and Harrison term this the "Wall Street" model of growth. This model, if carried into the future, will make it difficult to sustain prosperity over the long run. For one thing, the drive to cut the budget deficit has constrained spending on research and development, education, and infrastructure. Over time, they say, this will slow the rate of technological innovation – the equivalent of eating the seed corn.

One aspect which is not approached by Bluestone and Harrison is the