Boa noite! Good evening!

I am not sure how many of you are aware, but Brazil is currently facing a nationwide greve dos caminhoneiros (truck driver’s strike) that has been deeply affecting our lives and economy for the past week. Therefore, today’s listening and reading practice presents Herança maldita, dependência da matriz rodoviária criou armadilha para o país (Cursed inheritance, dependence on the road matrix has created a trap for the country), an enlightening text by Brazilian journalist and writer Leão Serva on the matter. Bom trabalho! Good job!

Remember our regular steps:

• Listen to the audio first. See if you can identify any words and write them down, if you want to.
• Scroll down and read the text. You can try reading it out loud to practice your pronunciation and speaking skills, or play the audio again and follow as you listen. Read each sentence carefully and see what you can recognize and understand.
• Check translated text in italics. What were you able to grasp? Which parts were the most difficult? It’s a good idea to read the text in Portuguese again now that you know its full meaning.

1.  Ouça/ Listen

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

 

 

2. Leia/ Read

Herança maldita, dependência da matriz rodoviária criou armadilha para o país

Parte 1: O sofrimento causado pelos caminhoneiros à sociedade não seria o mesmo se não vivêssemos na mais absoluta dependência da matriz rodoviária para o transporte de gente e de cargas. Nem mesmo os EUA, que nos “venderam” a obsessão pelos automóveis, têm proporção tão grande de transportes por caminhões.

O Brasil move 60% de suas cargas por rodovias, 20% em trens e 15% por hidrovias ou portos; nos EUA, os trens levam cerca de 42%, os caminhões, 32%, e os barcos, 25%, segundo a CNT (Confederação Nacional dos Transportes). A coisa é ainda mais grave em São Paulo: a Federação das Indústrias do Estado aponta que aqui há um quase monopólio: 93% das cargas são transportadas por rodovias.

Parte 2:  Essa é a herança maldita que recebemos do início do século 20, quando Washington Luís (1869-1957), governador de São Paulo, depois presidente da República entre 1926 e 1930, pregava que “governar é abrir estradas”. Até então, seguíamos o modelo europeu, de incentivo às ferrovias.

É mais barato implantar rodovias. Na ferrovia, a estrada e os veículos são parte do investimento; no modelo rodoviário, o Estado ou a construtora privada pagam o leito; os usuários entram com os veículos e combustível.

E assim, com menos dinheiro (por várias décadas, todo ele público), nossos governos espalharam estradas. Até mesmo na Amazônia, com os maiores rios do mundo, o Brasil implanta estradas de rodagem em vez de hidrovias.

Parte 3:  Tudo parecia bem até a crise do petróleo, nos anos 1970. Naquele momento, quando o barril pulou de US$ 3 para US$ 30, ficou clara a arapuca em que nos metemos: o Brasil não tinha alternativa ao transporte rodoviário, não pôde escapar dos gastos com óleo e quase quebrou. Desde então, outras crises aconteceram. E há sempre alguém lembrando o óbvio, que deveríamos ter apostado mais em ferrovias e hidrovias.

Mas todas as altas de petróleo provocam crises econômicas (ainda mais pesadas no Brasil), em que Estado e empresas ficam sem capacidade de realizar investimentos necessários para construir alternativas. Empurramos o problema com soluções imediatistas, como agora, e seguimos rodando, até a próxima crise.

 

 

Cursed inheritance, dependence on the road matrix has created a trap for the country

Part 1: The suffering caused by the truck drivers to society would not be the same if we did not live in the most absolute dependence of the road matrix for the transportation of people and cargoes. Not even the US, who “sold” us the obsession with automobiles, has such a large proportion of trucking.

Brazil moves 60% of its cargoes by highways, 20% by trains and 15% by waterways or ports; in the United States, trains carry about 42%, trucks, 32%, and boats, 25%, according to the National Transportation Confederation (CNT). This is even more serious in São Paulo: the Federation of State Industries points out that there is almost a monopoly here: 93% of cargoes are transported by highways.

Part 2: This is the cursed inheritance that we received from the early 20th century, when Washington Luís (1869-1957), governor of São Paulo, then president of the Republic between 1926 and 1930, preached that “to govern is to open roads.” Until then, we followed the European model, of incentive to the railroads.

It’s cheaper to implement highways. On the railroad, roads and vehicles are part of the investment; in the road model, the State or the private contractor pay for the channels; users go with the vehicles and fuel.

And so, with less money (for several decades, all of it public), our governments have scattered roads. Even in the Amazon, with the largest rivers in the world, Brazil implements roads instead of waterways.

Part 3: Everything looked good until the oil crisis in the 1970s. At that moment, when the barrel jumped from US $ 3 to US $ 30, it was clear the trap we were in: Brazil had no alternative to road transport, could not escape oil expenses and almost went bankrupt. Since then, other crises have occurred. And there is always someone stating the obvious, that we should have bet more on railways and waterways.

But all oil rises cause economic crises (even more so in Brazil), where state and companies are unable to make the necessary investments to build alternatives. We push the problem with immediate solutions, as now, and keep on rolling, until the next crisis.