Какие слова и термины из области правопорядка и преступлений Вы знаете? Прочитайте и переведите текст.
Law, Order, Crime
When somebody breaks the lawand does something against the lawthe police must investigatewho is responsible for a crime. If they find the person who committed the crime, they arrest him or her. At the police station the person is questionedand chargedwith the crime. He must then be sent to courtfor trial.
The person charged with the crime is now called the defendantor accused.In court, he must try to prove that he is innocent. The jury listens to all the evidencefor and against the defendant and then makes their decision.
If the jury decides that the defendant is guilty,the judgewill give the sentence.For example, if a person is convicted ofmurder, the sentence will be many years in prison.The person then becomes a prisonerand the place he lives in is called a cell.For minor offences(that is, crime that is not serious, e.g. illegal parking), the punishmentis usually a fine. To fightcrime the courts now give tougher punishmentsfor crimes committed than in the past (e.g. bigger fines or longer prison sentences). There is capital punishment(death by electric chair or hanging) for some crimes. If a person convicted of a crime is put on probation,instead of punishment, he must behave well for a period of 1-3 years. If he is convicted of another crime while on probation, he will also be punished for the original crime. Suspended sentence1is a prison sentence of less than two years which does not take effect unless the convicted person commits another crime during the period specified by the court. Corporal punishmentconsists of causing a person to physical pain, e.g. by whipping. A community service order2is a court order to a person convicted of a crime to do a certain number of hours of work without pay in the local community instead of another form of punishment.
Common offences like theft, robbery, burglary, shoplifting;more serious offences such as murder, manslaughterand rape,crimes against public morals, pollution and traffic offences are aris-
ing every day in the courts. Thief, robber, burglar, shoplifter, murderer, rapist are criminals.
People who defendcriminals and present evidence are called barristers (lawyers)or attorneys(in Am Eng).
Notes to the Text
1. Suspended sentence — отсрочка исполнения приговора или наказания
2. community service order — направление на общественные работы
Упражнение 1.Поставьте следующие события в правильной последовательности.
1. You are convicted of an offence.
2. You are sentenced to punishment for an offence.
3. You are tried for an offence.
4. You are suspected of an offence.
5. You plead guilty or not guilty to an offence at the trial.
6. You are arrested for an offence.
7. You are accused of an offence (You are charged with an offence).
Упражнение 2.Заполните пропуски.
1. The ... must decide if the accused is innocent or ... 2. The police were sure the man was a ... , but it would be difficult to ... it in court. 3. Two months later the defendant was sent to court for ... 4. If the accused is convicted of rape, the ... may be at least ten years in ... 5.... defend people and present... 6. If you park your car illegally, you will have to pay a ... 7. In Britain it is ... the law to drive a motor vehicle without insurance. 8. Fortunately, it was only a minor ... and we were not taken to the police station. 9. The ... sentences people. 10. I have never ... the law and ... a crime. 11. Police are allowed to stop anyone in the street and ... them.
Упражнение 3.Подберите к словам и словосочетаниям в колонке А соответствующие по значению из колонки В.
А В
1. wrong a. punishment
2. ask questions b. provide facts
3. commit a crime с kill someone by intention
4. arrest d. question
5. evidence e. investigate
6. sentence f. kill someone by accident
7. theft g. break into a shop / house
8. rob h. take to the police station
9. burgle i. steal from a shop when open
10. steal j. steal from people or places
11. shoplift k. break the law
12. murder 1. illegal, against the law
13. manslaughter m. information about the crime
14. capital punishment n. stealing
15. try to find out what hap- o. take
pened p. death sentence
16. prove
Упражнение 4.Заполните пропуски.
1. We think the driver of a BMW will be charged with ... because he did not mean to kill the boy. 2. Did he kill his partner? Yes, he has been charged with ... 3. He took the money from women's bags. He has been charged with ... 4. She stole things from a supermarket, so she will be charged with ... 5. Two boys have been charged with ... because they broke into a shop in the middle of the night and took money.
Упражнение5. Замените выделенные слова и словосочетания близкими по значению словами или словосочетаниями.
1. If someone commits a crime, the police must try to find out what happened.2. When the police find the persons responsible for the crime they take them to the police stationand ask thema lot of questions.3. To reach their decision, the jury must listen carefully to the information about the crime for and against the accused.4. It was only a minor offence and a driver had to pay money.5. If you do something wrong,then you commit a crime. 6. Death sentenceis a comparatively rare event now. 7. What can government do to stopcrime?
Упражнение б.Составьте словосочетания глаголов из колонки А и существительных из колонки В.
А В
1. make a. the sentence
2. commit b. of the crime
3. break с against the law
4. give d. the law
5. listen to e. decisions
6. be charged f. the evidence
7. be convicted g. with the crime
8. do smth. h. a crime
Упражнение7. Заполните пропуски антонимами.
guilty ... lawful ...
illegal ... usual, common
minor ... right
Упражнение 8.Заполните таблицу на словообразование.
| Verb | Noun | Verb | Noun |
| accuse • • • | conviction question | punish • • • sentence | • • • commitment • • • |
Упражнение 9. А.Назовите 20-25 ключевых слов и словосочетаний на тему «Law and order, crime».
В. Speak about:
1. Individual actions necessary to prevent a crime from happening (to stop a crime).
2. Capital punishment for some crimes.
3. Do you think people should be allowed to use a gun or knife in self-defence?
Text 3
Какие виды права вы знаете? Прочитайте и переведите текст.
The lawis the whole body of laws considered collectively. There are many ways in which the law can be classified. It can be divided into common law, civil law, criminal law, constitutional law, substantiveand procedural laws,etc.
By the words «common law»we mean law which is common to the whole country — national law in contrast to local law. Common law (in England) is unwritten law based on judicial decisions made by judges in previous cases (case law)in contrast to the law made by Parliament or other law-making body (statute law).It distinguishes the common law legal systems based on precedents from the civil law jurisdictionsbased on civil codes. Law of equityis the application of principles of justiceoutside common law or statute
law, used to correct laws when these would apply unfairly in special circumstances.
A simple distinction between the criminal law(the foundation of which is the common law), and the civil lawis that the latter regulates the relationships between individuals or bodies and the former regulates the legal relationships between the state and individual people and bodies. Examples of the civil law include breaches of contract (the law of contract), tort(literally meaning «wrong»), propertyor claims for damages for negligent conduct.Consider the following situation. You decide to buy a cellphone from a local shop. You pay the correct price and take the cellphone away. You have entered into a contract with the owner of the shop. After three days the cellphone fails to work. This is a common situation and usually the shopkeeper will replace the cellphone or return your money. If not, you may wish to take legal actionto recover your loss. As the law of contract is part of the civil law the partiesto the action will be you (an individual) and the owner of the shop (an individual person or body). Hence, the civil law is more concerned with apportioning losses than determining blame. Given that the defendant has damaged the victim's property,the question in the civil law is who should pay for that damage. If the victim is wholly innocent and the defendant even only little to blame,then the defendant should shoulderthe liability.
Now let us look at some examples of the criminal law. This is the law by which the state regulates the conduct of its citizens. Criminal offences range from the petty (e.g. parking offences) to the very serious (e.g. murder). Look at the following situation. You are driving your car at 70 m.p.h. (112 kilometers per hour) in an area, which has a speed limit of 40 m.p.h. You are stopped by a police officer and subsequently a caseis brought against you for dangerous driving. This is a criminal offence. The parties to the action will therefore be the state (in the form of prosecuting authority)and you (an individual).
Although the division between the civil and criminal law is clear, there are many actions, which will constitute a criminal offence and a civil wrong. For example, you are driving your car too fast. Suppose that while you were doing this you knocked over and injured an elderly man. You will have committed a criminal offence (dangerous driving) and a civil wrong (negligence). The legal consequences under the criminal and civil law will be different. You would be prosecuted by the state in the criminal courts for dangerous driving and sued by the elderly man in the civil courts for negligence.The two actions will be totally separate.
The law of contract and the criminal law are two areas of substantive law. «Substantive lawlays down people's rights, duties, liberties and powers». By this is meant the actual content or substance of the law. These are the rules on which the courts base their decisions.
Procedural lawis also a set of rules. Rules of procedure are the rules, which govern such matters as how the case is to be presented, in what court it shall lie, or when it is to be tried. Procedural rules are, in other words, the rules, which govern the machinery as opposed to the subject-matter. It is a striking fact that in the earlier stages of legal development these rules assume paramount importance: form is better understood than substance, and formal requirements, rather than abstract principles, usually determined legal rights. However, the rules of procedure are now more flexible than once they were.
Упражнение 1.Прочитайте определения юридических терминов. Дайте русские эквиваленты выделенным словам и словосочетаниям. Переведите предложения.
1. The person charged with the criminal offenceis the defendant. 2. A criminal case is brought by a prosecutor.3. A successful criminal prosecutionwill result in a conviction. 4. Theword «guilty»is used primarily of criminals. The corresponding word in civil cases is «liable»,but this word is also used in criminal contexts. 5. The party bringing a civil action is the plaintiff.6. The partyis one of the persons or sides in a legal agreement or dispute. 7. The defendant in a civil case is suedby the plaintiff. 8. If the plaintiff is successful, the defendant will be found liable.9. The distinction between crimes and civil wrongs relates to the legal consequences.10. A court order not to do something is an injunction. 11. Judgmentis the decision of a judge or court. 12. Procedureis the regular order of doing legal things. 13. A proceedingis a course of action. 14. Damagesare money given as legal compensation. 15. To sueis to take legal action against someone in a civil case.
Упражнение 2.Заполните пропуски следующими словами:
judgment prosecutor conviction plaintiff sues prosecution punishment injunction punished
1. In criminal proceedings a (1) ... prosecutes a defendant. 2. The result of the (2) ... if successful is a (3) ... 3. And the defendant may be (4) ... by one of a variety of punishments ranging from
life imprisonment to a fine or else may be released or discharged without (5) ... 4. In civil proceedings a plaintiff (6) ... (e.g. brings an action against) a defendant. 5. The proceedings if successful result in judgment for the plaintiff, and the (7) ... may order the defendant to pay the (8)... money, or transfer property to him, or to do or not to do something [(9) ...], or to perform a contract.
Упражнение3. Заполните пропуски, разместив следующие слова и словосочетания в соответствующую колонку:
crime, life imprisonment, to convict, civil wrong, guilty, plaintiff, defendant, to prosecute, liable, to punish, prosecution, conviction, judgment for the plaintiff, prosecutor, offence, punishment
Civil