Dear Language Enthusiast, Greetings from Transparent Language! Every so often we send out this free newsletter with topics of interest to Portuguese language enthusiasts. Since the introduction of the newsletter last year, we have received dozens of letters from readers with positive feedback and suggestions. We are delighted that the newsletter has been so well received, and are grateful for your insightful comments. Of all the suggestions readers have sent, perhaps the most common one is to offer our newsletter in both English and Portuguese. So, in response to your feedback, from this issue on we are proud to offer newsletters in both languages. We have first presented the following newsletter in Portuguese, followed immediately by the English version. This will be a good tool for practicing your Portuguese skills. The topic for this month's newsletter is the destruction of the Amazon River basin and Brazil's plan to save the rainforests. Sincerely, Transparent Language www.transparent.com Em Português: Salvando as Florestas Tropicais: Recentemente, o Brasil relatou que a destruição da Bacia do Rio Amazonas aumentou 30 por cento no ano passado. Como resultado, o Brasil anunciou que todas as novas licenças para derrubada da mata serão suspendidas. Todas as licenças existentes serão revisadas, os violadores serão processados e uma lista será feita com todas as áreas que tem sido desmatadas até o presente momento. É estimado que as áreas derrubadas totalizam-se em cerca de 5.000 acres de terra. Todavia, prévios dados sugerem que 6.500 milhas quadradas foram totalmente derrubadas em 1998. É uma área proporcional a metade do tamanho da Bélgica. Esses valores representam um aumento de 27 por cento desde o ano anterior. Foi estimado que em 1997, o equivalente a 5.000 campos de futebol foram destruídos diariamente. E os números foram levemente mais baixos em 1996. Se essas medidas forem bem sucedidas, poderiam ajudar a diminuir a medida proporcional do desmatamento. Infelizmente, tentativas anteriores para que isso fosse feito, tiveram um pequeno resultado. Muitas regras têm sido somente parcialmente implementadas, ou não têm sido implementadas de forma alguma. Uma coisa é bem clara: o Governo Brasileiro ainda tem que fazer com que o meio-ambiente seja a maior prioridade em suas leis, ou regras. Talvez esse recente esforço produzirá melhores resultados. In English: Saving the Rainforests: Brazil recently reported that the destruction of the Amazon River basin increased by 30 percent last year. As a result, Brazil has announced that all new permits for clearing land in the rainforest will be suspended. All existing permits will be reviewed, violators will be prosecuted, and a list will be compiled of all the areas that have been cleared to date. It is estimated that these cleared areas total about 5,000 acres of land. However, preliminary data suggests that 6,500 square miles was totally cleared in 1998. That's an area half the size of Belgium. These figures represent a 27 percent increase from the previous year. It was estimated that in 1997 the equivalent of 5,000 soccer fields was destroyed every day. And the numbers were only slightly lower in 1996. If these measures are successful, it could help to slow down the rate of deforestation. Unfortunately, past efforts to do this have had little effect. Many policies have been only partially implemented, or not implemented at all. One thing is clear: the Brazilian government has yet to make the environment a major priority in its policies. Perhaps this recent effort will yield better results. PortugueseNow! is the premier learning tool in which to teach yourself a foreign language. We have included some tips to help you get the full use out of your language software. Tips for PortugueseNow! 1. To play the video for an entire Title, select any word in the first Segment of the Title, then choose "Video / Segments". To stop the video at any time, choose "Video / Stop." 2. To practice vocabulary, look at an illustration in an Illustrated Title and try to name as many objects as you can in the foreign language. Type your answers in the Notes tab. To go to the previous or next Illustration, click the previous and next buttons below the illustration. To order PortugueseNow! or other language learning products visit www.transparent.com.

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