Task 3. Directions: Select the best answer for each question

1. In recent years, attacks by Dobermans on small children have risen dramatically. Last year saw 35 such attacks in the continental United States alone, an increase of almost 21% over the previous year's total. Clearly, then, it is unsafe to keep dogs as pets if one has small children in the house.

The argument above depends upon which of the following assumptions?

(A) No reasonable justification for these attacks by Dobermans on small children has been discovered.

(B) Other household pets, such as cats, don't display the same violent tendencies that dogs do.

(C) The number of attacks by Dobermans on small children will continue to rise in the coming years.

(D) A large percentage of the attacks by Dobermans on small children could have been prevented by proper training.

(E) The behavior toward small children exhibited by Dobermans is representative of dogs in general.

 

2. Statistics show that more than half of the nation's murder victims knew their assailants; in fact, 24% last year were killed by relatives. Nor was death always completely unexpected. In one study, about half the murder victims in a particular city had called for police protection at least 5 times during the 24 months before they were murdered. Nonetheless, most people are more likely to fear being killed by a stranger in an unfamiliar situation than by a friend or relative at home.

Which of the following, if true, best explains the reaction of most people to the likelihood of being murdered?

(A) Statistics are likely to be discounted no matter what the source, if their implication seems to run counter to common sense.

(B) In the face of such upsetting problems as murder and assault, most people are more likely to react emotionally than rationally.

(C) A study taken in only one city is not likely to have an effect on attitudes until similar studies have been undertaken at the national level and have yielded similar results.

(D) Most people do not consider themselves to be in the high-risk groups in which murder occurs frequently between relations, but do see themselves as at least minimally susceptible to random violence.

(E) People who seek police protection from relatives and friends are often unwilling to press charges when the emotions of the moment have cooled.

 

3. The rate of violent crime in this state is up 30% from last year. The fault lies entirely in our court system: Recently our judges' sentences have been so lenient that criminals can now do almost anything without fear of a long prison term.

The argument above would be weakened if it were true that

(A) 85% of the other states in the nation have lower crime rates than does this state

(B) white-collar crime in this state has also increased by over 25% in the last year

(C) of the police in this state have been laid off in the last year due to budget cuts

(D) polls show that 65% of the population in this state oppose capital punishment

(E) the state has hired 25 new judges in the last year to compensate for deaths and
retirements

 

4. The state legislature has proposed a new law that would provide a tax credit to people who install alarm systems in their homes. Members of the legislature claim that the new law will reduce crime, citing studies showing that crime rates fall as the percentage of homes with alarm systems rises.

Which of the following, if true, would cast the most doubt on the claim that the new law will reduce crime?

(A) No law can prevent crime altogether.

(B) The amount of the tax credit is so low relative to the cost of alarm systems that very few people will install alarm systems in order to obtain this credit.

(C) Neighborhood crime prevention programs can reduce crime as effectively as alarm systems can.

(D) The state would have to build more prisons to house all the people caught by the new alarm systems.

(E) The state cannot afford to reduce taxes any further.

5. Countries A and B are in competition to draw tourists to their countries. In Country A, about 2,500 violent crimes are reported per year. In Country B, about 1,000 violent crimes are reported per year. Trying to draw tourists away from Country A, officials in Country B use these violent crime statistics to claim it has a lower violent crime rate than Country A.

Which of the following, if true, would expose the flaw in Country B's argument that it has the lower violent crime rate?

(A) Most violent criminals in Country B are repeat offenders.

(B) White-collar crime is higher in Country B than in Country A.

(C) The population of Country A is 20 times greater than the population of Country B.

(D) Country B has fewer tourists than Country A.

(E) Country A has a better prison system than Country B.

 

6. During the Second World War, about 375,000 civilians died in the United States and about
408,000 members of the United States armed forces died overseas. On the basis of those
figures, it can be concluded that it was not much more dangerous to be overseas in the armed
forces during the Second World War than it was to stay at home as a civilian.

Which of the following would reveal most clearly the absurdity of the conclusion drawn above?

(A) Counting deaths among members of the armed forces who served in the United States in addition to deaths among members of the armed forces serving overseas

(B) Expressing the difference between the numbers of deaths among civilians and members of the armed forces as a percentage of the total number of deaths

(C) Separating deaths caused by accidents during service in the armed forces from deaths caused by combat injuries

(D) Comparing death rates per thousand members of each group rather than comparing total numbers of deaths

(E) Comparing deaths caused by accidents in the United States to deaths caused by combat in the armed forces

7. In interviews with jurors inquiring how they arrived at their verdicts, researchers found that 40% of the references jurors made were to factors that had not been included in courtroom testimony. To improve the jury system, the researchers suggested that judges give instructions to the jury at the beginning of a trial rather than at the end. They argued that this would permit jurors to concentrate on the most relevant evidence rather than filling in gaps with their own assumptions, which have little to do with the legality of a case.

The answer to which of the following questions is LEAST directly relevant to evaluating the researchers' suggestion above?

(A) Is it possible for a judge to instruct a jury at the end of a trial in such a way that jurors will disregard any irrelevant factors they had been using to weigh the evidence?

(B) Will a jury that hears a judge's instructions at the beginning of a trial be able to weigh the evidence accordingly once that evidence has actually been presented?

(C) Will having judges give instructions at the beginning of a trial rather than at the end significantly alter the customary procedures employed by the judicial system?

(D) When jurors are queried as to how they arrived at their verdicts, does their interpretation of their decision-making process include many references to factors that were not, in fact, influential?

(E) If jurors hear the judge's instructions at the beginning of a trial, what percentage of the factors that influence their decisions will be matters that were not presented in the evidence?

 

Task 4.

a) Writing independent assignment (150-180 words):

“Crime and bad lives are the measure of a state’s failures” (H.G. Wells (British novelist))

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

or

b) Writing independent assignment (150-180 words):

“Laws pertaining to relatively minor crimes must be vigorously enforced if a society hopes to stop more serious crimes.”

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

Unit IV. COURT SYSTEM

Vocabulary

Law закон, право, общее право

federal law федеральный закон

judicial branch of powerсудебная ветвь власти

syn. judiciary

judicial supervision судебный надзор

judicative act судебный акт

justiceправосудие

to administer justice свершать правосудие

court суд

syn. tribunal

hierarchy of courts cудебная иерархия

courts of first instance суды первой инстанции

(общей юрисдикции)

(original jurisdiction) суды первой инстанции (общей юрисдикции)

courts of second instance суды второй инстанции (юрисдикции)

(appellate jurisdiction) суды второй инстанции (юрисдикции)

courtroom зал суда

The Constitutional Court Конституционный Суд

to be in accordance with быть в соответствии с конституцией

the constitution

The Supreme Court Верховный Суд

District courtsрайонные/окружные суды

The Supreme Arbitration CourtВерховный Арбитражный Суд

The Magistrate's CourtCуд Магистрата, Магистратский Суд, Мировой Суд

The Crown Courtсуд короны

The County Courtсуд графства

The High Court of JusticeВысокий суд правосудия

The Court of AppealАпелляционный суд

The House of Lordsпалата лордов (9 судебных лордов,

(9 Law Lords)лорды-судьи)

Lord Chancellor лорд-канцлер (высшее судебное должностное лицо; является председателем юридической комиссии Тайного совета [Privy Council].

The European Court of JusticeЕвропейский суд правосудия

The European Court of Европейский суд по правам человека

Human Rights

trial судебное разбирательство; судебный процесс; слушание дела по существу

appeal апелляция, апелляционная жалоба; обжалование

caseдело

civil, criminal and administrative гражданские,

cases уголовные и административные дела

to hear a case in court разбирать, заслушивать дело в суде

the hearing of a case слушанье дела

to examine a case рассматривать дело

prosecutionобвинение

defence защита

defense (AmE)

сross-examinationперекрестный допрос

Vocabulary exercises

Exc. 1. Match the terms with their definitions

law, court, courtroom,tribunal, judiciary, justice,the Magistrate's Court,Lord Chancellor,the House of Lords, theSupreme court,the Court of Appeal, the Supreme Arbitration Court

1) place where legal cases are held;

2) a system of courts of law;

3) a British officer of state who presides over the House of Lords in both its legislative and judicial capacities, serves as the head of the British judiciary;

4) a room in which a court of law is held;

5) the administration of law; esp.: the establishment or determination of rights according to the rules of law or equity;

6) a court hearing appeals from the decisions of lower courts;

7) a court or forum of justice;

8) the upper chamber of the British Parliament composed of the lords temporal and spiritual;

9) a court that has minor civil or criminal jurisdiction;

10) the highest judicial tribunal in a political unit (as a nation or state);

11) a court hearing and determining cases in controversy by arbiters;

12) a rule or order that is advisable or obligatory to observe.

 

Text 1.