Утверждено и рекомендовано решением
Научного и учебно-методического совета ВГНА
В качестве учебного пособия
(протокол № от )
© ВГНА Минфина России, 2006
© С.М. Вишнякова, Н.В. Банина, составление, 2006
ВВЕДЕНИЕ
Пособие, представляющее собой аутентичные тексты и разнообразные упражнения по основным правовым и государственным системам Великобритании, США и Российской Федерации, предназначено для студентов-юристов.
Пособие построено по тематическому принципу, воссоздаёт историю и функционирование государственных и судебных структур Великобритании, США и России, освещает их современное устройство.
Юридическая лексика закрепляется в многочисленных упражнениях, имеющих целью формирование речевых навыков. Грамматические упражнения направлены на систематизацию накопленных знаний и на усвоение новых конструкций, характерных для юридических текстов.
Исходя из потребностей будущих юристов, пособие ставит своей целью научить студентов общению на профессиональные темы, проводить презентации, участвовать в диспутах и дискуссиях, читать, переводить и анализировать специальную литературу. Для решения этих задач тексты снабжены вопросами для обсуждения и темами для дискуссий.
Пособие соответствует требованиям учебных программ юридических ВУЗов и дает возможность, благодаря разнообразию текстов и заданий разного объёма и степени сложности, последовательно провести студентов по разделам специальной юридической лексики, заложить основы и сформировать навыки работы с литературой по специальности и использовать полученные знания для бесед и дискуссий на пройденные темы.
Материалы подготовили:
Главы I, II, V, VI – С.М. Вишнякова
Главы III, IV – Н.В. Банина
CHAPTER I LAW
Unit 1 Introduction to Law
Before you read
Discuss these questions.
1Why is law necessary in communities?
2What could you do if there were no laws?
3What does ‘The law of the jungle’ mean? Give your own example.
4Why do people take the law into their own hand?
5Which laws are most often broken in Russia?
Introduction to Law
In the opinion of many people, the law is a necessary evil that should be used only when everyday informal ways of settling disputes break down. If our neighbour plays loud music late at night, we probably try to discuss the matter with him rather than consulting the police, lawyers or the courts. Only when we are injured in a train accident, or when a neighbour refuses to behave reasonably, do we start thinking about the legal implications of everyday activities.
Even so, some transactions in modern society are so complex that few of us would risk making them without first seeking legal advice; for example, buying or selling a house, setting up a business, or deciding whom to give our property to when we die. In some societies, such as the United States, precise written contracts, lawyers, and courts of law have become a part of daily life, whereas in others, such as Japan, lawyers are few and people tend to rely on informal ways of solving disagreements. It is interesting that two highly industrialized societies should be so different in this respect.
On the whole it seems that people all over the world are becoming more and more accustomed to using legal means to regulate their relations with each other. Multinational companies employ expensive experts to ensure them their contracts are valid wherever they do business. Non-industrialized tribes in South America use lawyers in order to try to stop governments from destroying the rainforests in which they live. In the former Soviet republics where law was long regarded as merely a function of political power, ordinary citizens nowadays challenge the decisions of their governments in courts of law. And at a time when workers, refugees, commodities and environmental pollution are travelling around the world faster than ever before, there are increasing attempts to internationalize legal standards. When it helps ordinary people to reach just agreements across social, economic and international barriers, law seems to be regarded as a good thing. However, when it involves time and money and highlights people`s inability to cooperate informally, law seems to be an evil – but a necessary one that everyone should have a basic knowledge of.
Vocabulary
accidentn несчастный случай
behave reasonablyвести себя разумно
break downv сорвать (переговоры); разорвать (отношения)
challenge the decisionsоспаривать решения
commodity,n commoditiesn pl товар, товары
contractn договор; контракт; valid contractюридически действительный
договор; неоспоримый договор
courtn суд; судья; court of lawсуд, действующий по нормам статутного или
общего права
discuss the matterобсудить вопрос
environmental pollutionn загрязнение окружающей среды
implicationn 1условие, предпосылка; 2вывод; значение; смысл; legal
implicationюридический вывод/смысл; юридически подразумеваемое
положение
inabilityn отсутствие право- и/или дееспособности
injurev причинить вред; получить телесные повреждения
lawn 1право; 2закон
lawyern юрист; адвокат; юрисконсульт
legal meansn законные средства
policen полиция; полицейские; consult the policeобратиться в полицию
political powerгосударственная власть, политическая власть
propertyn 1собственность; 2имущество
reach a just agreementдостичь справедливой (законной) договорённости
(соглашения)
refugeen беженец; эмигрант
seek (sought, sought) legal adviceпросить юридического совета; просить о
юридической консультации
set up(a business) основывать (дело)
settle disputeурегулировать спор
solve disagreementустранять разногласия, разрешать разногласия
transactionn сделка; операция; дело
triben племя; род
Reading tasks
AComprehension check.
1Markthese statements T(true) or F(false) according to the information in the text.
aJapanese prefer written agreements to informal ones.
bThere are more lawyers in the United States than in Japan.
cContracts and courts of law are a part of ordinary people`s daily life in all
industrialized countries.
d There are increasing attempts to internationalize legal standards.
2Give examples of the growing uses of law throughout the world.
BAnswer these questions.
1What do people think of law?
2In what circumstances do people think of their everyday activities as legal matters?
3Are laws for lawyers or for ordinary people?
4What will you do if your neighbour plays loud music at night? Will you go to the court?
5How do people solve problems in the United States and in Japan?
6Why do multinational companies employ expensive experts in law?
7In your opinion, is law merely a function of political power?
8Can ordinary citizens challenge the decisions of their governments? How?
9Why do people increase attempts to internationalize legal standards?
10When is law regarded as a bad thing?
11Are there any laws in Russia that you would like to change or introduce?
Language focus
Put the verb in brackets into the correct form, present simple, past simple or present perfect.
It is obvious to everyone that, in a community such as the one in which we 1) _______ (live), some kind of law is necessary. When the world was at a very primitive stage, there 2) _____ (be) no such law. But, for a very long time now, members of every community 3) _______ (make) laws for themselves in self-protection.
Every day of our lives we are restrained and guided by law. It 4) _______ (protect) us while it 5) _________ (restrict) us. Sometimes it 6) _______ (punish) us. It 7) _______(determine) the registration of our births and the distribution of our possessions at death. It tells us how fast we 8) _______ (can) drive and how long we 9) ______ (must) attend school.
Every country 10) _______ (try), therefore, to provide laws which will help its people to live safely and as comfortably as possible. This is not at all an easy thing to do, and no country 11) _______ (be) successful in producing laws which are entirely satisfactory. But we are far better off with the imperfect laws which we 12) _______ (have), than if we had none at all.
Vocabulary tasks
AMatch the English words and expressions with their Russian equivalents.
1law aсуд
2settle a dispute bобратиться в полицию
3 negotiations broke down cюрист
4consult the police dнесчастный случай
5lawyer eюридически подразумеваемое положение
6court fпереговоры сорвались
7accident gзакон
8legal implication hурегулироватьспор
BFind in the text the English equivalents for the following words and expressions.
1консультация юриста
2международные компании
3оспаривать решения
4суды, действующие по нормам статутного или общего права
5собственность
6законные средства
7беженцы
CCompletethe text with the words and phrases from the box.
| agreements conduct enforcement lawless promoting legislature power personal safety property punishing |
A law is a norm for 1) ______ . Law embodies the 2) _______ that a political society has made about how life in that community is to be lived. Law is a method for 3) _____ whatever values a community wishes to achieve – protection of 4) _______, assurance of 5) _______ , clean streets, equal treatment of all races, 6) _______ of contracts. In a 7) _______ community, persons must protect their own lives and property. But law takes over the task of protection by forbidding acts that are socially disapproved, and 8) _______ those acts when they are committed. The first and fundamental positive law of all communities is the establishing of the 9) _______ .
DComplete the following text by translating the words and expressions in brackets.
Use the correct form of the appropriate words and phrases from the box.
| flourish sanction live securely libel enforce threaten murder forbid European Union income tax protect make wills international bodies impose restrictions enforce laws disobey the rules pay compensation broken settle disputes govern |
The Aims of Law
Law has several aims. They are all concerned with making society more stable and enabling people to (1 – процветать). The law forbids certain ways of behaving like (2 – убийство, 3 – письменная клевета),and requires others,like paying (4 – подоходный налог). If people (5 – не подчиняться правилам) the law threatens them with something unpleasant (often called a (6 – санкция)), like being punished or having to (7 – выплачивать компенсацию). The idea is that within this framework of do’s and dont’s people can (8 – жить в безопасности). If they are more secure they will treat one another better.
A second aim is the following. Laws guarantee to people who buy and sell goods, (9 – составлять завещания), form companies and so on that the state will if necessary (10 – обеспечивать соблюдение) these arrangements.
A third aim is to (11 – разрешать споры) about what the law is and whether it (12 – нарушен). Taking these three aims together, we see that law not only (13 – угрожать) those who do what it (14 – запрещать) but promises to (15 – защищать) people’s interests. It (16 – накладывать ограничения) on them but also gives them certain guarantees.
Lastly, a very important aim of law is to settle what the system of government is to be. Today and for the last few hundred years we have been mainly (17 – управлять) by sovereign states. That is changing. We are now increasingly governed, indirectly or directly, by (18 – международные организации), for example the (19 – Европейский Союз). But the state still occupies centre stage, especially when it comes to (20 – обеспечить соблюдение законов).
ECollocations
1Look at the expressions in the box below.
Which means…
a suspected of having committed a crime?
b she doesn’t follow rules?
c we are all equal in the eyes of the law?
d take revenge without using the legal system?
e bossing people about?
f what I say must be respected?
g illegal?
h obeying and respecting the law?
i legally?
|
2Complete these sentences with the expressions in 1.
aAfter years as a ________ citizen, John decided to rob a bank and flee the country.
bPoliceman: You were doing 160 kilometres per hour.
Prince: Yes, but do you know who I am?
Policeman: Yes, but ________.
c There was a constable here earlier. I think Mark’s ________ again!
d I was tempted to ________ and wring his neck.
e ‘Do this! Do that! Be back by 10!’ My father was always ________.
f You can never tell what Ruth’s going to do. She’s ________.
gI’m the boss and ________.
h Most Europeans are required ________ to carry ID cards.
iIn some countries it’s ________ to chew gum.
Discussion
Look at the proposals for laws below. Discuss with your group which would affect you personally. Which of these laws would make the world a better place?
aNo one should work more than a 32-hour week.
bShops should all be open 24 hours a day.
cCars should be banned from city centres.
d The dropping of chewing gum should be forbidden.
e Mobile phones should not be used in public areas.
Over to you
“Society can do without lawyers.”
Write a paragraph containing two arguments for and two against this statement. Then discuss your answer with other students.
Unit 2 What Law Is
Before you read
Discuss these questions.
1What is your understanding of law?
2What categories of law are known to you?
3Are laws always sufficient? Give your own examples of perfect and imperfect laws.
4In your opinion, are laws always fair?
Definitions
Study the dictionary definitions of LAW. Translate them into Russian. Which of them do you consider the most suitable?
1All the rules established by authority or custom for regulating the behaviour of members of a community or country.
Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English
2 The whole system of rules that citizens of a country or place must obey.
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
Longman Business English Dictionary
3The regime that orders human activities and relations through systematic application of the force of politically organized society, or through social pressure, backed by force, in such a society; the legal system.
Black’s Law Dictionary
What Is Law?
The English word “law” refers to limits upon various forms of behaviour.
Some laws are descriptive: they simply describe how people, or even natural phenomena, usually behave. An example is the rather consistent law of gravity; another is the less consistent laws of economics. Other laws are prescriptive – they prescribe how people ought to behave. For example, the speed limits imposed upon drivers are laws that prescribe how fast we should drive. They rarely describe how fast we actually do drive, of course.