Mad car disease

It was in the summer of 1992 that Britain’s two main motoring organisations, the RAC Royal Automobile Club and the AA (Automobile Association), started to issue warnings about an increase in aggressive behaviour on the roads.

The RAC noted that more and more drivers were losing their temper behind the wheel, and there were reports of fights between motorists.

In Wakefield, West Yorkshire, a 78-year-old man died after he had been punched by a driver half his age during a dispute at a set of traffic lights. In another incident a pedestrian who forced a van driver to brake suddenly was beaten senseless by a vehicle’s two occupants.

(Adapted from Speak Up # 9)

GLOSSARY
to issue warnings – divulgar advertências

The relative pronoun “who”, in bold type in the text, refers to

Today, parents are increasingly worried about the safety of their children, and because of this, they are not letting their children out to play. As a result, children are no longer playing outside but shutting ______ away in their rooms and losing ______ in individualistic activities such as television viewing and computer games.

(Adapted from Inglês Doorway)

GLOSSARY
increasingly – cada vez mais
to shut away – confinar; prender

“As a result”, in bold type in the extract, expresses

LIFE ...

It is not very common for a person to be hit by lightning, so imagine someone being hit seven times. That was exactly what happened to the American Roy Sullivan, between 1944 and 1977 and the most incredible thing is that in all of these accidents he only suffered slight burns. In 1983, however, Roy committed suicide after a romantic relationship failed. Life, huh?

(Taken from a Maganews article.)

In “It is not very common…”, the underlinedb words are closest in meaning to

A celebrity crusade

The actress Kim Basinger has launched a crusade to help American’s circus animals.

She complains that they are often badly treated and poorly looked after. “These animals are kept in horrific conditions. They’re dragged around cities suffering in the name of entertainment.” Basinger was mobilised into action following a circus tragedy in Albuquerque. An African elephant named Heather was found dead inside a steamy, poorly ventilated trailer. She belonged to the King World Circus. As a consequence, two circus handlers were charged with cruelty to animals and the travelling circus was forced to hand over its two surviving elephants to a local zoo park.

(Taken from Speak Up # 131)

GLOSSARY
dragged around – arrastados.

In “... its two surviving elephants...”, the underlined word expresses the idea of possession related to

English ghost stories

Many of Britain’s ancient castles have ghosts. One of the most famous “haunted castles” in England is actually the Tower of London. During the Tower’s long history, many men and women were thrown into its dark dungeons, or executed outside its gates. _______ the most famous was Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England, who was beheaded outside the Tower on 19th July 1554. Since then, it is said that the ghost of Lady Jane Grey wanders through the rooms and corridors of the Tower of London. This is just one of Britain’s well-known ghosts; but there are lots of ghosts too who aren’t quite as famous.

GLOSSARY
dungeons – masmorras, prisões, calabouços

In “…Lady Jane Grey, Queen of England, who was beheaded outside the Tower…”, the underlined words could be replaced by