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Can You Answer These 5 Questions About Brazil?
Grammar Points
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Grammar Points
The Focus of This Lesson is a Quiz!
Five things you have to know about Brazil! Test your knowledge of Brazil. Geography 1. In which part of Brazil is the Amazon located?
1. The North 2. The South 3. The East
Correct answer: 1. The North The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world and extends past the political borders of Brazil into almost every neighboring country. Even though Brazil's square mileage is just smaller than the USA, roughly forty percent of that is the Amazon Rainforest. That's almost half the geographic landmass of the lower forty-eight states.
More freshwater flows through the Amazon River than any other body of fresh water in the world, and the Amazon is home to more plant, animal, and insect species that exist in all the rest of the Americas combined.
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Brazil is mostly tropical averaging temperatures of 70 F to 110 F. Some of the colder southern areas have snow in the winter while the hotter northern areas can reach temperatures over well 130.
Pop Culture
II. We give the names of three people. One is a famous singer, another is a politician, and the third is a sports star. Match the name with their profession. Luiz Igncio Lula da Silva Ronaldinho Gacho Mirosmar Jos de Camargo Singer Politician Athlete
Correct answers:
3
Ronadinho Gacho is a Brazilian soccer player and is well-known throughout the world. In 2004 and 2005, he was voted as the FIFA World Player of the Year.
Mirosmar Jos de Camargo (better known as Zez di Camargo) is a Brazilian sertanejo singer along with his brother Welson David de Camargo (better known as Luciano). Together, they form the Zez de Camargo & Luciano, Brazil's most famous sertanejo singing group ever and one of the best paid.
Luiz Igncio Lula da Silva is the thirty-fifth and current President of Brazil until 2011. From a poor family, and known in Brazil simply as "Lula," he has arguably done more for the benefit of the
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average Brazilian and for the country as a whole than any president before him. He was ranked the eighteenth most important person in the world by Newsweek magazine.
Just like Portuguese grammar, it's all about agreement. Brazil has become a world economic, social, and political powerhouse over the past seven years while causing almost no dissent with Brazilian populace. We rank President Lula as the most powerful President in Latin America and after five years in office (December 2009), he still enjoys an approval rating over seventy percent.
Travel
1. Which are the most popular travel destinations in Brazil?
1. Salvador, So Paulo, and Curitiba 2. The Amazon, Rio de Janeiro, and Braslia 3. Rio de Janeiro, The Amazon, and Salvador
Correct Answer: 3. Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon, and Salvador Rio de Janeiro is the most frequently visited city in Brazil. Rio also has the second largest Carnaval celebration in the world. Many people come to Rio's annual Carnaval celebrations for the warm weather, samba parades, and energetic atmosphere unique to Rio. It was once the capital of the Portuguese Empire, and in 2016, will be hosting the Summer Olympics.
The Amazon is a close second to Rio but for completely different reasons. Most people who go to the Amazon tend to be there for research and stay for longer periods of time. Much more money goes toward the Amazon than toward Rio, it's just spent on equipment and transportation instead of on
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entertainment.
Salvador is one of Brazil's oldest cities and a major center for Brazilian African history, architecture, culture, and cuisine. Located in the northeastern state of Bahia, it was the first capital of Brazil and a major center of Brazilian independence in the early 1800s. The current population is just under three million, the third largest city in Brazil, and every year hosts the largest Carnaval celebration in the world.
Economics
1. Brazil is the world's largest exporter in 1. iron ore 2. soybeans 3. oil
Correct Answer: 1 and 2
Trick question! Brazil is the world leader in both iron ore and soybeans and has the largest oil company in the Americas. Brazil, thanks to Brazilian based company Vale, is the world's largest iron ore exporter and the third largest supplier to China.
China's demand for iron ore is expected to increase three hundred and eighty percent from now to 2020 and Brazil is expected to satisfy that demand. Brazil is also the world's leader of soybean exports and a world leader in chicken, beef, fruit, and shoe exports.
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Perspective Check Brazil's geographic size, population, and GDP are larger than Argentina and Mexico combined (the second and third largest countries in Latin America respectively).
MYTH Buster!
The biggest myth about Brazil is that it is just another variation of Latin cultures already common in the United States. Brazil is unique and often not considered part of Latin America.
1. Food
Brazilians don't eat tortillas, chili, enchiladas, or tacos. In fact, most don't even know what those are. Few Brazilians like spicy hot foods. Rarely will you eat food that even has black pepper because it's too hot for them.
2. Culture
Brazilian culture is very gentle which explains why they often don't get along with some of the more brass cultures in Latin America. They move as if they lived in New York but treat one another with a politeness only the Japanese can top.
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3. Society
Brazilian society is such a blend of African, Native American, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Greek, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and every other ethnicity that it makes the American "melting pot" look like chicken soup.
4. Natives
Whereas most Latin American countries eradicated and/or oppress their native populations, in Brazil over twelve percent of the country is reserved for Native tribes. That's more than double the size of California.
5. Language
And last but not least, Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish.
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