READING COMPREHENSION

Before Reading

1 In pairs, ask and answer the following questions.

Personal answers.

a. In your opinion, who were the greatest scientists of all time?

b. And who are the most influential scientists in the world today?

c. Do you think there were/are as many women in science as men?

2 Before reading the following text, take a look at its structure, source and picture. Then, answer the questions.

a. Who do you expect to read about?

Suggested answers: Bertha Lutz./A forgotten woman/scientist.

b. What is the connection between Bertha Lutz and the title of the book in which the text was published?

c. In which section of the book can you find the text about Bertha Lutz?

Suggested answer: She is an example of a forgotten woman/scientist. Biology & Natural Sciences.

Reading

3 Now read the text to check your predictions.

Whenthe UN Charter was signed by members of the fledgling United Nations in 1945, there were only four female delegates - out of a total of 850 - there to sign it. Bertha Lutz (1894-1976), a Brazilian zoologist, was one of them, and she believed that the foundational treaty of the UN was lacking something: women.

In fact, the word “women” wasn’t mentioned once in the draft of the UN founding treaty. This meant that half of the world had been effectively omitted from its greatest peacekeeping and human rights organization. With the support of a group of female representatives from Latin America and Australia, Lutz fought successfully for the inclusion of women so that the Charter affirmed “the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women.”

(...) While studying for a degree in biology at the Sorbonne in Paris, Lutz developed an interest in the growing women’s suffrage movement in the UK. She didn’t agree with the violence used by British suffragettes, but she felt a keen affinity with their goals.

Language Note charter: carta keen: forte, grande lack: faltar treaty: tratado

Exercício 3

Lembre aos/às estudantes que um texto pode ser lido com diferentes estratégias. Nesta primeira leitura, o objetivo é verificar se as previsões feitas se confirmam. Oriente-os/as a se apoiarem nas palavras transparentes e no vocabulário já conhecido.

LUTZ BIOLOGY & NATURAL SCIENCES

WhenLutz returned home in 1918, she was incensed by a newspaper columnist’s declaration that the recent feminist achievements in the UK and the US would have no effect on Brazil. She issued a passionate call for a political league of Brazilian women who believed that women should contribute to society in all areas of life, including politics and business. Brazilian society thought that women were best confined to the domestic sphere, though Lutz found sly ways of arguing around this: “Women’s domain, all feminists agree, is the home,” she said of female participation in politics. “But… nowadays the home no longer is just the space encompassed within four walls.”

(…) When women finally went to the polls in 1933, Brazil officially became the sixth country in the world to grant women the vote. Lutz was appointed to the commission in charge of rewriting the country’s constitution and she made sure that it incorporated women’s rights, including the right to earn equal pay and hold public office. (…) a. She was a zoologist and advocate for women’s rights. b. She was one of the four women to sign the United Nations Charter. c. She fought for the inclusion of women’s rights in the United Nations Charter. d. She studied Biology in the United Kingdom. e. She believed that women should contribute to society in all areas of life, except for politics and business. f. She helped rewrite the constitution of Brazil and guaranteed the right for women to earn equal pay.

4 Choose the correct sentences about Bertha Lutz.

“she was incensed by a newspaper columnist’s declaration” argue: argumentar domain: campo, domínio polls: eleições sly: dissimulado/a

Habilidades da BNCC

Os exercícios 4 e 5 retomam as seguintes habilidades da BNCC:

• EF07LI07: Identificar a(s) informação(ões)-chave de partes de um texto em língua inglesa (parágrafos).

• EF07LI09: Selecionar, em um texto, a informação desejada como objetivo de leitura.

Para ter acesso ao documento completo United Nations Charter, visite: www.un.org/en/ about-us/un-charter/ full-text (Acesso em: 27 jun. 2022).

5 Choose a fragment from the text that contains the idea expressed in each item.

“the word ‘women’ wasn’t mentioned once in the draft of the UN founding treaty” a. The first version of the United Nations Charter didn’t mention the word “women”. b. Lutz, with the help of a group of other women from Latin America and Australia, protected women’s rights in the UN Charter. c. Lutz was extremely angry at a newspaper columnist’s declaration. d. Women were allowed to vote in Brazil in 1933. “women finally went to the polls in 1933”

“With the support of a group of female representatives from Latin America and Australia, Lutz fought successfully for the inclusion of women so that the Charter affirmed ‘the dignity and worth of the human person, in the equal rights of men and women‘.”

107 Unit 6 D3-ING-F2-4114-V9-U06-104a117-LA-G24.indd

Reading for Critical Thinking

Objetivos Da Subse O

Esta subseção visa a uma reflexão crítica sobre questões relacionadas ao(s) texto(s), de modo que os/ as estudantes possam considerar novas perspectivas sobre o tema. Pretende-se, assim, promover o pluralismo de ideias e estimular o pensamento crítico.

Habilidades da BNCC

O exercício 8 retoma a seguinte habilidade da BNCC:

• EF08LI08: Analisar, criticamente, o conteúdo de textos, comparando diferentes perspectivas apresentadas sobre um mesmo assunto.

6 In “a political league of Brazilian women who believed that women should contribute to society”, what does the relative pronoun who refer to?

“a political league of Brazilian women”

7 Choose a fragment from the text that is equivalent in meaning to each item as in the example.

Example: a. “peacekeeping and human rights organization” a. an organization that prevents violence and promotes human rights b. the dignity and value of the human being

“the dignity and worth of the human person” c. a qualification after completing her studies in biology

“a degree in biology” d. women’s life was essentially domestic

“women were best confined to the domestic sphere” e. responsible for

“in charge of”

Reading for Critical Thinking

8 Discuss the following questions with your classmates.

Personal answers.

Para conhecer mais sobre a história de Bertha Lutz, assista ao episódio da série Mulheres Admiráveis: https://youtu. be/xn6cTEC5v_E (Acesso em: 27 jun. 2022).

a. When talking about female participation in politics, Bertha Lutz said that “Women’s domain, all feminists agree, is the home”, “but… nowadays the home no longer is just the space encompassed within four walls”. Use your own words to explain what Lutz meant. Do you agree with her? Why (not)?

b. Bertha Lutz believed that women should contribute to society in all areas of life, including politics and business. Do you think there is gender equality in all areas? In your opinion, in which ones are there fewer women?

c. What challenges do you think women still face today when fighting for their rights? How can society accelerate gender equality?

Think about it!

Com base no texto lido e no seu conhecimento prévio, como a participação da mulher na sociedade foi se modificando ao longo da história? Como você acredita que essa participação possa ser ampliada? Respostas pessoais.