Read the beginning of an article about street violence and, in pairs, discuss what you think happened to Stephen Marriott.
ºB Listen and choose the correct answer; a), b) or c).
1. Stephen
1. saw the incident with two male friends.
2. was the only person to see the incident.
3. was one of three people who saw the incident.
2. When Stephen went to help,
1. the boys threw bricks at him.
2. one of the boys hit him with a brick.
3. the boys threw a brick at the old man.
3. The boys then
1. punched his nose.
2. twisted his arm.
3. cut his face.
4. The old man
1. walked away.
2. helped Stephen to get to a pub.
3. called the police.
5. Stephen
1. recovered quickly and went home.
2. had to go to hospital for stitches.
3. shows no sign now of his injuries.
6. The boys
1. only served short prison sentences.
2. were fined.
3. were never caught.
Answer the following questions:
· Why do you think the other two witnesses didn't stop?
· Why do you think Stephen 'didn't feel a thing' after the attack?
· Why does he feel bitter?
Law breakers
Ex. 15 Match the words denoting law breakers with appropriate definitions:
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Ex. 16 Fill in the gaps the correct words denoting criminals:
- The ________ claimed she had simply forgotten to pay when she left the store with a book.
- Many _________s selling narcotics on the street are addicted themselves.
- At first he was afraid to call the police when _________s demanded a $10 000 ransom for the safe return of his daughter.
- ________s broke into our office last night and took the computers.
- Five bank ________s threatened the cashier with shotguns.
- Two businessmen were taken hostage by ________s while travelling in the Middle East.
- Don’t put your wallet in your back pocket: ________s will steal it.
- John Lennon’s ________ was Mark Chapman.
Ex. 17 Complete the table:
| Crime (n) | Criminal (n) | Commit the crime (v) |
| theft | ||
| burglar | ||
| embezzlement | ||
| to rape | ||
| blackmail | ||
| robber | ||
| mugging | ||
| to murder | ||
| assassination |
Ex. 18 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in brackets:
- Nobody at the company realised that he had been (embezzle) _________ money until someone noticed some errors in the books.
- The (rape) _______ admitted that he had spoken to the woman but denied that he had (rape) _____ her.
- The (blackmail) _______ was caught when someone recognised her handwriting.
- Armed (rob) _______ is increasingly common, with criminals using shotguns and other weapons.
- The (mug) _______ came up to her in the street and produced a knife.
- The (murder) _______ of women are often their husbands (48%) whereas only 10 percent of men (murder) _______ by their wives.
- The (theft) ________ got into the gallery at night and took three Picassos.
- The (arson) ________ who set fire to Anne Hathaway’s cottage did it because he had a row with his girlfriend.
Ex. 19 A. Think about these questions:
Do you think there is any joy attached to what a criminal does?
If crime has so many negative consequences attached to it, why do some criminals continue to commit crimes, even after they have spent time in prison?
What makes us sympathise criminal in many films where they are presented as positive characters?
B. Here are some abstracts from a review on the book “Seductions of Crime” written by American sociologist Jack Katz, where he presents a criminal’s-eye view of the driving forces behind seemingly irrational, brutal acts that in fact have their own logic. Read the passages and point out the reasons for committing crimes stated by Jack Katz.
The Seductions of Crime
Jack Katz is convinced that crime pays – and that it can be fun too.
The book grew of what Katz discovered to be a void in the academic literature. But Katz also discovered that in popular literature and other sources, including some research with Los Angeles criminals, there was a wealth of information that detailed the moods and calculations of criminals and formed a vantage point for a different way of looking at crime.
When a husband or a wife turns a shotgun on a spouse in a typical domestic homicide, Katz asserts, the resulting “righteous slaughter” often compensates for the killer’s humiliation in some long-standing dispute and the killer may see himself as a defender of traditional values against the abusive mate.
Crimes such as shoplifting and vandalism often are attractive because of the “sneaky thrills” experienced by the offenders, Katz says, noting that the threat of being caught is an essential part of the thrill.
Furthermore, career criminals such as armed robbers are so committed to their carefully constructed images as “bad” characters that the prospect of jail time is no deterrent, Katz maintains.
Nor is money the prime objective for such “hard men.” One criminal quoted by Katz put it this way: “Straight people don’t understand. I mean, they think dudes is after the things straight people got. It ain’t that at all. We the show people. The glamour people. Come on the set with the finest car, the finest woman…Hear people talking about you. Hear the bar get silent when you walk in the door.”
Criminal thinking is frequently “unpredictable” because the “mythology” guiding criminals is “often very idiosyncratic,” Katz said. In fact, crime may be committed to sustain an image rather than for money, he added.
Expanding on that subject, he noted that criminals seldom open savings accounts. “The money is burned,” he said. “You use it as fast as you can, because if you don’t, it’ll give people the wrong impression about why you’re doing it [committing crimes]. You get tremendous risks to get that money but you throw it around – to girlfriends, to buy cocaine for people, to have parties.”
Law professor Franklin E. Zimring gives Katz especially high marks for his portrait of armed robbers and for his emphasis on “crime as recreation”. Armed robbery, Zimring said, is apparently a lot like hang-gliding, a “crazy” activity that thrives because “it feels good and there’s a subculture to support it”.
Crime prevention
º Ex. 20 A First read the following sentences, then listen to the text of Part 4 and tick Rthe factors mentioned.
- Programmes showing violence and crime should be banned.£
- Valuable items should be labelled.£
- Children should be taught that crime is bad.£
- We should punish children if they steal.£
- Criminals should be fired from work.£
- Neighbourhood watch schemes should be organised.£
- Everyone should get a gun.£
- Burglars should be locked up in prison.£
- Criminals should be punished with longer prison sentences.£
B For questions 2-11 choose from the statements A-E. Some of the statements may be chosen more than once. When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order. There is an example at the beginning (1). Which statement or statements:
- suggests installing an alarm? A
- place responsibility on the government?£ £ £
- blames unemployment?£
- suggests harsher punishments?£
- say that people are responsible for solving the problems?£ £ £
- suggest teaching children about crime?£ £
- blames television? £
- stresses preventing crimes?£
- suggests that citizens should be better organised?£
- disapproves of personal weapons?£
- says a bigger police force is needed?£
Ex. 21 Look at the police leaflet advising the public on ways to keep themselves safe. Put a tick (ü) in the boxes next to the precautions which you and your family have taken/ can you suggest any other ways of preventing crime?
| IT’S BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY | ||
| Reduce your chances of becoming a victim of crime by taking the following precautions: | ||
| Protect Yourself | Protect Your Property | Protect Your Children |
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Home Alone
Ex. 22 In the following text, the writer gives an account of the fear and insecurity she feels at night in bed when her husband is away from home. Choose which of the paragraphs A-G match the numbered gaps (2,4,6,8,10 and 12). There is one paragraph which does not fit anywhere.
It is a still, cold night. A silver frost covers the ground, glistening in the light of a perfect full moon. In the distance can be heard the plaintive howling of the wolves in the zoo. One by one all the lights go out.
[2]
But what was that? I sit bolt upright in bed. I surely heard a door opening? I slide noiselessly out of bed and tiptoe across the landing, my heart pounding, my ears straining for further evidence of intrusion. I sit on the top step and resume my lonely vigil. It is 4 a. m. and I am home alone.
[4]
I always start the night off well. I watch television to the point where my eyelids are starting to confuse the plot -taking care to avoid all programmes that might possibly provide fodder for my over-voracious imagination. Thus thrillers are out, and even the news – every lunatic and terrorist in the south-east seems to be on the run from prison or mental hospital the night my husband is away.
[6]
Having satisfied myself that all is secure and that there is no maniacal rapist secreted about the place, I turn on the burglar alarm and make my way upstairs.
[8]
When we were first married, I used to heave the wardrobe door across the bedroom door – the possible hazards of fire had not at that time occurred to me, although it was a little inconvenient if the phone rang downstairs or one needed the loo in the middle of the night.
[10]
One friend of mine confided that when her husband is away, she wanders around the house talking to herself in n a very loud voice and even stands upstairs and shouts down to him to come to bed. This does not however solve the problem of sleeping.
[12]
I did once heed my sister's advice to sedate myself with a bottle of wine. I slept like a log, but woke the next morning with a thumping hangover and found that I had been so drunk that I had left the patio doors not only unlocked but open. I shall definitely sleep tonight. The house is securely locked, the burglar alarm is on and I have taken my neighbour's advice and brought up to bed with me a pot of black pepper to throw in the face of any possible assailant. But what if ...?
AWhen I must finally switch off – always remembering to pull out the plug – I begin my tour of inspection. All windows and patio doors are checked and doors seen bolted. I then unplug the downstairs phone. I then check behind all interior doors, in the garage, under the stairs – and the beds – and in the wardrobes.
BAnother friend always sleeps with a sharp knife under her pillow. Yet another friend suggests getting a dog. A dog? Haven't I got enough to worry about without me and my babies being savaged in our beds?
CBy this time, of course, I am wide-awake.
DBy day I am an eminently sensible woman. But turn the clock round to midnight, remove my husband to foreign climes and you will see before you a neurotic wreck, whose nerves explode at the slightest creak of a central heating pipe.
ESo we eventually decided against the idea of a guard dog even though this appealed to the children.
FThe arrival of the children made life more problematic, however. Not only was the wardrobe a no-no, but for heaven's sake, if I was murdered in my bed how long would it be before anyone heard those poor, crying, starving babies the next morning?
GI sit rigid in my bed in the dark. My bedroom door is wide-open onto the large, square, well-lit landing. I have full view of my children's bedrooms, which open onto it, and of the staircase, which rises into it. Every fibre of my being is stretched, taut and alert, listening; the silence roars in my ears. All is well. Eventually I lower my guard, relax back into my pillows and start to drift away from this threatening world.
Ex. 23 For questions 1-6, read the three texts below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
Home Security
Home: it's one of the most emotive words in any language. The place itself has (1) ____ people with privacy and security ever since individual dwellings first appeared nearly two million years ago. But nowadays, that sense of security has a twist. (2) ____safe people fee at home, when they are away, they worry their home will be broken into. What's more, the fear is far from (3) ___.In spite of falling burglary rates in the UK, a recent survey found ___ that a house left unoccupied for a month a year is 43 per cent more likely to be burgled than an identical one that is never empty at night. Having someone (4)____ during the day is no (5)____ either: about 55 per cent of domestic burglaries happen between 6pm and 6am. At the same time, people are spending longer away, on business and on holiday. Many are, therefore, prepared to (6) ___ a little privacy, employing professional housesitters to live in their homes in their absence.
1 A produced B offered C provided D donated
2 A Regardless B Nonetheless C However D Albeit
3 A groundless B aimless C faultless D clueless
4 A look over B check out C call on D pop in
5 A restraint B deterrent C hindrance D impediment
6 A withhold B sacrifice C deny D refrain
Top-Cop Safety
º Ex. 24 You will hear a journalist interviewing a police sergeant on the subject of personal safety. For questions 1-11 complete the notes with a word or phrase.
| In the street, walk | ||
| and | ||
| Muggers choose | ||
| Let possible assailants know you might | ||
| Keep a safe distance from others at | ||
| If you resist a mugger you might get | ||
| Most muggers have | ||
| Drivers might be targets if they are | ||
| Park in safe spots such as | ||
| or | ||
| A car alarm |
º Ex. 25 You will hear a radio programme about the use of closed circuit televisions (CCTVs).
A. For questions 1-5, choose the alternative (A, B, C or D) which best fits according to what you hear.
1. The reporter thinks that
- a novelist’s predictions are coming true.
- her every move is being watched.
- all public places should have CCTVs.
- the authorities are watching people by means of hidden cameras.