LAW AND ORDERTask 1. What do we call: a) the lawyers acting for an accused person; b) 12 people who listen to the case and give their verdict; c) the person who directs proceedings, explains the legal aspect of the case and passes sentence on the accused; d) the lawyers who conduct legal proceedings against the defendant; e) the person who gives evidence in the court under oath.
Task 2. Put in the right preposition. a) He was sentenced....... five years. b) She got a sentence....... six months. c) He was accused....... murder. d) She's been charged....... theft. e) He appeared....... court....... handcuffs. f) They were brought....... the judge. g) He confessed....... being a spy....... military intelligence.
Task 3. Here is a quiz on some points of law – English style. Answer the questions Yes or No. Then compare your guesses with the answers at the end of the quiz. Will the answers be different in your country? 1. Is it a crime to try and kill yourself? 2. Is it illegal to help somebody to commit suicide? 3. Can you be executed for murdering a policeman? 4. If, after a murder, all the victim 's relatives plead: 'Please don't prosecute!' can charges against the suspected culprit be dropped? 5. If two armed thieves break into a house, guns in hand, and one of them shoots and kills the house-owner, is his accomplice guilty of murder? 6. If I surprise an intruder in my lounge at night stealing my millions, have I a legal right to assault him with a weapon? 7. If I set a trap - a fifty-kilo weight just above the front door - for any burglars who might try and enter the house, am I breaking the law? 8. After a divorce or legal separation, can a wife be required to pay alimony to her ex-husband? 9. If I promise to marry my girlfriend and then change my mind shortly before the wedding, can she take me to court? 10. If you said to your teacher in the middle of one of his lessons: ‘You don't know the first thing about teaching!’ could he bring a civil action against you? 11. Would I be in danger of committing an offence if I put an advertisement for my school in the paper saying: ‘Male white teacher required?’ 12. If, as a defendant (or the accused), I am not satisfied with the way my barrister has handled my defence, can I sue him? 13. If you were in my house - uninvited - and the ceiling, which had had a large crack in it for some time, caved in and broke your leg, would it be a good idea to consult your solicitor? 14. Can a person suspected of and charged with rape be allowed bail? Answers 1. No, not any more. 2. Yes, even mercy-killing (euthanasia) is against the law. 3. No. Capital punishment was abolished in the 1960s. 4. No. Murder is a crime against society (this involves criminal law) and not just a civil matter between individuals. 5. Yes. Joint guilt. In the eyes of the law, both are guilty. 6. No - at least, only in self-defence. 7. Yes. 8. Yes. 9. No, not now. Some years ago she could have sued me for breach of promise. 10. Yes, he could claim it was slander (or libel, if you wrote it in a newspaper). He probably wouldn't, though, because of the legal costs. 11. Yes, because of the Sex Discrimination Act and the Race Relations Act. 12. No. 13. Yes. You could sue me for negligence and I would probably have to pay damages. 14. Yes.
Task 4. Here is the story of a very unfortunate, irresponsible man called Mr. N.O. Body. Imagine that he was stopped by the police at each and every point of the drama. Read about what happened and, after each piece of information you receive, decide what punishment he deserves. Here are some of the sentences you might wish to hand out: You might feel the death penalty is in order, or life imprisonment, even solitary confinement. You could put him on probation, give him community service or impose a fine - anything from £10 to £1,000. You might consider corporal punishment (a short, sharp shock), a shortish prison sentence or, of course, you could make that a suspended sentence. You might make him pay compensation, or would you like to see him banned from driving? No? Well, his licence could be endorsed. Or would you dismiss the case, find him not guilty of any crime, acquit him, find the case not proved? 1. Mr. Body drank five pints of beer and five single whiskies in a pub, got into his car and drove away. 2. He did not drive dangerously but exceeded the speed limit as he wanted to catch up with a friend who had left his wallet in the pub. 3. As he was driving along, a little girl ran into the road and he knocked her down. 4. There was no way he could have stopped, drunk or sober. 5. The little girl suffered only bruises and superficial injuries. 6. Mr. Body's wife had left him two days before. 7. Six months later, it was clear that the little girl was to suffer from after-effects of the accident and would stutter for many years. 8. Mr. Body had never previously received any summons for traffic offences. 9. The little girl admitted that it was all her fault. 10. The passenger in Mr. Body's car was killed outright as he went through the windscreen.
Task 5. Discuss the answers to these questions. 1. Which aspects of the law seem unsatisfactory to you? 2. What punishments would you, as a judge, give for the crimes in Section 1.2, Task 4? You may need to specify cases and give particular instances. 3. How have criminals been portrayed in films you have seen recently? Were the criminals portrayed as heroes, idiots or evil individuals? 4. What - in detail - would happen to you in your country if you were caught: a) speeding in your car? b) in possession of soft drugs? c) with a gun in your pocket? d) breaking into a house?
? VOCABULARY PRACTICE
|
