III. Insert the proper word into the following sentences and explain its meaning with the help of the dictionary
1. I believe that my friend is … because he killed in self-defense.
2. The length of … varies from a few days to a lifetime.
3. Serious crimes foresee … as a usual punishment.
4. The Netherlands provide fairly good living conditions in a … .
5. … can result in cutting off the offender’s hand or foot in Saudi Arabia.
IV. Find a proper definition for the following words.
| 1. fine | a) the action or crime of stealing |
| 2. imprisonment | b) culpable of or responsible for a specified wrongdoing |
| 3. life sentence | c) the state of being imprisoned |
| 4. theft | d) a sum of money exacted as a penalty by a court of law or other authority |
| 5. guilty | e) a punishment of life imprisonment or of imprisonment for a specified long period |
V. Put the right proposition after each verb.
1. John confessed … shoplifting.
2. Tom was accused … bigamy.
3. Geoffrey was charged … assault.
4. Sven was convicted … murder.
5. Tony was found guilty … kidnapping.
6. Mary was sentenced … 4-year imprisonment … smuggling.
7. Nick was arrested … possession of marijuana.
VI. Put the verbs to steal or to rob into the correct tense form.
1. Last night an armed gang … the post office.
2. My handbag … at the theatre yesterday.
3. Every year large number of banks … .
4. She regularly … from her employees.
5. They stole …$5,000.
VII. Give a short summary of the text in English.
VIII. Retell the text.
Essential vocabulary
| accused | обвинувачений |
| administer | управляти, вести (справи) |
| adversarial system | принцип змагання |
| appoint | призначати (на посаду) |
| argue | обговорювати; переконувати; свідчити, бути доказом |
| argument | дискусія, доказ, аргумент |
| burden | ноша, тягар |
| charge | обвинувачення |
| compelling | непереборний |
| compose | складати |
| corporate entity | спільне підприємство |
| counsel | радити, рекомендувати |
| court setting | судове засідання |
| defense attorney | адвокат захисту |
| detail | удаватися в подробиці, деталізувати |
| disinterested | незацікавлений |
| dispose | закінчувати, завершувати |
| dispute | спір |
| elect | вибирати |
| event | подія, випадок |
| evidence | свідчення, доказ |
| incriminate | обвинувачувати (у злочині), ставити за провину, інкримінувати |
| judge | суддя |
| jury panel | журі (список) присяжних засідателів |
| panel of judges | склад суддів |
| party | сторона (у суді) |
| reasonable | розсудливий, прийнятний |
| settle | вирішувати (спори) |
| sound | розумний |
| suspect | підозрюваний, підозріла особа |
| unbiased | неупереджений |
| venue | судова округа, де має слухатися справа; місце збору (зустрічі) |
Text 3. The Courts
The courts serve as the venue where disputes are settled and justice is administered. With regard to criminal justice, there are a number of critical people in any court setting. They are referred to as the courtroom work group including the judge, prosecutor, and the defense attorney. The judge is a person, elected or appointed, who is knowledgeable in the law, and whose function is to objectively administer the legal proceedings and offer a final decision to dispose of a case.
In the U.S. and in a growing number of nations, guilt or innocence is decided through the adversarial system. In this system, two parties will both offer their version of events and argue their case before the court. The case should be decided in favor of the party who offers the most sound and compelling arguments based on the law.
The prosecutor is a lawyer who brings charges against a person, persons or corporate entity. It is the prosecutor's duty to explain to the court what crime was committed and to detail what evidence has been found which incriminates the accused.
A defense attorney counsels the accused on the legal process, likely outcomes for the accused and suggests strategies. It is the defense attorney's duty to represent the interests of the client, raise procedural and evidentiary issues, and hold the prosecution to its burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The final determination of guilt or innocence is typically made by a third party, who is supposed to be disinterested. This function may be performed by a judge, a panel of judges, or a jury panel composed of unbiased citizens.
I. Answer the questions.
1. What are the main functions of the court?
2. Who belongs to the courtroom work group?
3. What are the judge’s duties?
4. What does the adversarial system mean?
5. What are the defense attorney’s duties?
II. Are these statements true or false according to the text?
1. The prosecutor determines the final decision in the court.
2. The adversarial system is used in all countries of the worlds to decide if the person is innocent or guilty.
3. That party wins in the courtroom that brings the most sound facts and evidences.
4. The prosecutor details the found evidences showing that the accused is guilty.
5. The judge is responsible for the ultimate decision in the court.