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Lesson Transcript

Braden: Hey, everybody and welcome back to All About Lesson 6 - Can You Answer These 5 Questions About Brazil?
Thássia: In this lesson, we have something special - All About Brazil Quiz!
Braden: A quiz may have some of you thinking, oh, no! But don’t worry, this would be a fun one.
Thássia: We’re not going to test your Portuguese skills or anything like that, yet.
Braden: No. These questions are all about Brazil itself; society, geography, pop culture, so you can see how much you know about Brazil.
Thássia: Yes, because learning Portuguese is much more than just learning a language.
Braden: You’ll learn about people, life, society, all that good stuff.
Thássia: If you pass, you could always go on to the next lesson.
Braden: And if you don’t pass, you can still go on to the next lesson, no pressure! So, everyone, are you ready?
Thássia: Braden, you’ll be the one taking the test.
Braden: Really! Oh, okay then! Well, let’s get going.
Thássia: First question is on geography.
Braden: Okay.
Thássia: In which part of Brazil is the Amazon located?
The North
The South
The East
Braden: I know this one, A. The North.
Thássia: Mm, that’s right! The Amazon is the largest rainforest in the world and extends past the political borders of Brazil into almost every neighboring country.
Braden: Even though Brazil's square mileage is just smaller than the United States, just under half of that is the Amazon Rainforest. That's almost half the geographic landmass of the lower 48 States.
Thássia: More freshwater flows through the Amazon River every day than through any other body of fresh water in the world, and the Amazon is home to more plant, animal, and insect species than exist in all the rest of the Americas combined.
Braden: It really is an amazing place.
Thássia: The rest of Brazil is pretty amazing too.
Braden: That’s true. Brazil is mostly tropical, averaging temperatures of 70 degrees F to 110 degrees F. Some of the colder southern areas though have snow and winter, while the hotter areas can reach temperatures of 130 degrees F. That’s hot! Okay, next question.
Thássia: Pop Culture. I’m going to name 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 Ignácio Lula da Silva
Ronaldinho Gaúcho
Mirosmar José de Camargo
Braden: Whoa! I’m gonna have to think about this one. Well, I know that Lula is the President, so he’s the politician. I’ve seen Ronaldinho Gaúcho play in the World Cup, so he’s certainly the athlete. That leaves Mirosmar, he must be the singer.
Thássia: Nice job.
Braden: Ronadinho Gaúcho 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. But who is Mirosmar José de Camargo?
Thássia: Mirosmar José de Camargo (better known as Zezé di Camargo) is a Brazilian sertanejo singer along with his brother, Welson David de Camargo, (better known as Luciano). Together, they form the Zezé de Camargo &Luciano, one of Brazil's most famous sertanejo singing group ever.
Braden: And everybody knows Lula.
Thássia: Right! Luiz Ignácio Lula da Silva is the 35th and current President of Brazil until 2011.
Braden: Yeah. He’s from a poor family and known in Brazil simply as "Lula."
Thássia: He has arguably done more for the benefit of the average Brazilian and for the country as a whole than any president before him.
Braden: He was ranked the 18th most important person in the world by Newsweek Magazine. What’s the next question on?
Thássia: Travel. Which are the most popular travel destinations in Brazil?
Salvador, São Paulo, and Curitiba
The Amazon, Falls of Iguaçu, and Brasília
Rio de Janeiro, The Amazon, and Salvador
Braden: I’m gonna have to go with C.
Thássia: And that’s right! C. Rio de Janeiro, the Amazon, and Salvador.
Braden: Rio de Janeiro is the most frequently visited city in Brazil.
Thássia: Rio de Janeiro 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.
Braden: Did you know it was once the capital of the Portuguese Empire, and in 2016, will be hosting the Summer Olympics?
Thássia: Yes! We are quite excited about it.
Braden: The Amazon is a close second to Rio but for a completely different reason.
Thássia: Most people who go to the Amazon tend to be there for research and stay for longer periods of time.
Braden: Without question, more money goes toward the Amazon than toward Rio, it's just spent on equipment and transportation, instead of on entertainment.
Thássia: Salvador is one of Brazil's oldest cities and a major center for Brazilian African history, architecture, culture, and cuisine.
Braden: 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.
Thássia: 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.
Braden: What’s the next question about?
Thássia: Economics
Braden: Okay.
Thássia: Brazil is the world's largest exporter of...
iron ore
soybeans
oil
Braden: Mm… That’s a hard one. Brazil has lots of soybeans, so I’m gonna go with B. soybeans.
Thássia: Trick question! The correct answers are iron ore and soybeans.
Braden: Really? I didn’t know about the iron ore.
Thássia: Yeah, Brazil is the world leader in both iron ore and soybean exports and has the largest oil company in the Americas.
Braden: Really?
Thássia: Yes, Brazil, thanks to the Brazilian company Vale, is also the the world's largest iron ore exporter and the third largest supplier to China.
Braden: That’s amazing.
Thássia: Yep. 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.
Braden: Whoa, there’s going to be a lot of money flowing between China and Brazil over the next 10 years.
Thássia: Actually, many people don’t know this, but Brazil’s geographic size and population and GDP are all larger than Argentinas and Mexicos combined.
Braden: Whoa! Those are the second and third largest countries in Latin America, respectively.
Thássia: Yep. Brazil is the powerhouse, south of the border, as you Americans say.
Braden: Cool! Any more questions?
Thássia: No, just one last section about myths.
Braden: Myths, like Greek gods and stuff?
Thássia: No. Myths about Brazil, things that people think about Brazil that aren’t true.
Braden: Oh, well, that’s going to be one long section.
Thássia: Don’t worry, I worked hard to get this as simple as possible. Here, I’ll read this part and you read that part. The biggest myth about Brazil is that it’s just another variation of Latin cultures already common in the United States.
Braden” Brazil is unique and often not considered part of the standard Latin America.
Thássia: Food.
Braden: Brazilians don't eat tortillas, chili, enchiladas, or tacos. In fact, most don't even know what those are.
Thássia: That’s true. Few Brazilians like spicy hot foods. Rarely you will eat food that even has black pepper because it's too hot for us. Culture.
Braden: Brazilian culture is very gentle, which explains why they often don't get along with some of the more brass cultures in Latin America.
Thássia: We work very hard, but always try to treat one another with the highest respect. Society.
Braden: Brazilian society is a blend of African, Native American, Portuguese, German, Italian, Japanese, Greek, Chinese, Korean, Spanish, and many other ethnicities. It makes the American "melting pot" look like chicken soup. You know, I actually agree with that.
Thássia: I told you I worked hard on this section.
Braden: Good job!
Thássia: Natives. Whereas most Latin American countries eradicated and/or oppressed their native populations, in Brazil over 12% of the country’s geographic landmass is reserved for native tribes.
Braden: That's more than double the size of California.
Thássia: Language.
Braden: And last but not least, Brazilians speak Portuguese, not Spanish.
Thássia: Yeah. I don’t know who started teaching that all countries south of the United States speak Spanish, but they are wrong.
Braden: See! I often ran into people at the airport that are surprised to discover that their Spanish is almost useless here.
Thássia: All right, that’s all for our quiz.
Braden: We hope you had fun and that this lesson format was interesting.
Thássia: You could try asking your family and friends these questions, interesting things about Brazil.
Braden: That’s for sure. I’ve been studying Brazil and Portuguese for years and there are new stuff every day.
Thássia: Everyone, come and share any interesting facts you know about Brazil on the website…
Braden and Thássia: At PortuguesePod101.com.
Braden: See you there!
Thássia: Até mais!

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