Эксперт

Сергей

Задать вопрос

Мы готовы помочь Вам.

Ex. 1 Answer the following questions as honestly as possible. What would you do in the following situations?

1. You’re lying in bed one night when you hear a noise that seems to come from somewhere in your house or apartment. If I heard a noise, I would go to another room. If I were alone, I would call police.

2. A dangerous criminal has been arrested. Unknown to the police, you were a witness to the crime but if this becomes known you will have to give evidence against the man in court. If I came to court, I would tell everything. If I were called to court, I would come alone.

3. You’ve left home and are on your way to work. Some 15 minutes from your house, you start to wonder if you closed your front door properly. You think you did but you’re not positive. There have been a number of burglaries in your neighbourhood. If I didn’t know about it, I would come back and see if I had closed the door. If I came to my house, I would check it.

4. You’ve recently won an extremely large amount of money on the lottery. The story has appeared in a local newspaper and now everybody knows where you — and all your money — can be found.If I won a lot of money, I would give some money to people who are poor. If I had a large amount of money, I would buy a car.

5. You’re due to go on holiday abroad for two weeks tomorrow, when you hear that two of your neighbours were burgled last night. If I heard that two of my neighbours had been burgled last night, I wouldn’t go abroad. If I heard about it, I would come to police and asked about it.

6. In a crowded cafe you see a woman steal someone’s bag. If I saw it, I would call police. If I saw a woman steal someone’s bag, I would tell other people about it.

7. As you leave a car park you see a driver crash into a parked car and then drive off. If I saw a driver crah into a parked house, I would go to him. If I saw him drive off, I would call police.

8. An untidy-looking man is lying in the gutter and groans as you pass by. There are spots of blood on his clothes. If I saw a man lying in the gutter and groaning as I pass by, i would call ambulance. If I saw spots of blood on his clothes, I would help him.

9. A tough-looking man lights a cigarette in the non-smoking part of the train. If I saw a tough-looking man lighting a cigarette in the non-smoking part of the train, I would ask him not to do it. If I saw it, I would come into another part of the train.

Ex. 2 Read the text and find the English names for the following crimes:

Подделка документов; кража; изнасилование; кража со взломом; тяжкое уголовное преступление; уголовно-наказуемый проступок; преднамеренное убийство; нападение; похищение с целью получения выкупа; мелкая кража на рабочем месте; растрата (хищения); азартная игра; проституция; колдовство; грабеж; вандализм; преступление против собственности; мошенничество; угон транспортного средства; нарушение общественного порядка; компьютерное преступление; бродяжничество; биржевые махинации; взятие заложников; захват самолета; поджог; преступление против общественного порядка или общественной морали; незаконная продажа наркотиков; убийство по политическим мотивам; экономическое преступление; пребывание в общественном месте в состоянии опьянения; террористический акт; преступление против людей; политическое преступление; сексуальное нападение; воровство; организованная преступность; гангстерское ростовщичество; беловоротничковое преступление (преступная махинация, совершенная служащим или лицом, занимающим высокое общественное положение); мошенничество при уплате налогов; преступление по страсти.

Forgery; theft; rape; burglary; serious criminal offense; criminal act; premeditated murder; attack; kidnapping; petty theft by employees; embezzlement; gambling; prostitution; witchcraft; robbery; vandalism; crime against property; fraud; vehicle theft; crimes against public order; computer crime; vagrancy; stock market swindles; vagrancy; aircraft hijacking; arson; a crime against public order or public morality; illegal sale of drugs; murder for political reasons; economic crime; public drunkenness; terrorist act; crime against people; political crime; sexual assault; theft; organized crime; gangsters; white-collar crime (criminal fraud committed by an employee or a person occupying a high social position); tax fraud; crime of passion.

CRIME

Crime is a term that refers to many types of misconduct forbidden by law. The list of acts considered crimes is constantly changing. For example, people in the United States no longer are charged with witchcraft, though many were accused of that crime in colonial Massachusetts. Today, it is becoming a serious crime to pollute the air and water. In England during the 1700’s, it was not a crime for people to steal money entrusted to their care by an employer. Today, this type of theft, called embezzlement, is a crime.

From a legal standpoint, a crime is a violation of the criminal law. Such law deals with actions considered harmful to society. On the other hand, most harmful acts causing injury to another person are violations of the civil law. Some overlapping occurs in this classification. For example, murder and rape are committed against individuals, but the law considers them crimes because they threaten society. For this reason, a crime is regarded as an offense against the state.

An act is viewed as a crime if enough evidence exists to make a police officer, a prosecutor, or a judge believe that a violation of criminal law has taken place. However, the law does not consider accused people to be criminals unless a judge or jury finds them guilty.

Types of Crimes

Crimes may be classified in various ways. For example, they sometimes are grouped according to the seriousness of the offense. For statistical purposes, many governments divide crimes into offenses against people, against property, and against public order or public morality. Some social scientists classify crimes according to the motives of the offenders. Such crimes might include economic crimes, political crimes, and crimes of passion. Other important kinds of crime include organized crime and whitecollar crime.

Crimes are frequently classified according to their seriousness as felonies or misdemeanors. Generally, felonies are more serious than misdemeanors. Felonies are punishable by death, or by imprisonment for a year or more. A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine or by imprisonment for less than a year. The classification of crimes as felonies or misdemeanors is inexact. Not all courts draw the same distinction between felonies and misdemeanors.

Crimes against people or property. Crimes against people include assault, kidnapping, murder, and sexual attacks. Such crimes usually bring severe punishment. Crimes against property include arson, motor vehicle theft, burglary, embezzlement, forgery, fraud, larceny, and vandalism. In most cases, these crimes carry lighter penalties than do crimes against people. Robbery is the crime most difficult to classify. The law generally considers robbery a crime against the person. Robbery involves taking property from a person by using force.

Crimes against public order or morality include disorderly conduct, gambling, prostitution, public drunkenness, and vagrancy (having no permanent residence or visible means of support). These offenses generally involve lighter penalties than do crimes against people or property. Criminologists question whether some offenses against public order or morality should be considered crimes.

Organized crime consists of large-scale activities by groups of gangsters or racketeers. Such groups are often called the crime syndicate or the underworld. Organized crime specializes in providing illegal goods and services. Its activities include gambling, prostitution, the illegal sale of drugs, and loan-sharking (lending money at extremely high rates of interest). Many of these activities are often called victimless crimes because both the buyer and the seller take part in them willingly.

White-collar crime originally included only criminal acts committed by business and professional people while earning their living. The term referred to such crimes as stock market swindles and other kinds of fraud. Today, the term covers such acts as cheating in the payment of taxes – which may or may not be done in connection with one’s business. It may apply to petty thefts by employees, as well as to million-dollar stock market swindles. It could also include a service station owner’s charging for an automobile repair that was not made, or a physician’s billing a patient for services that were not performed. The increasing use of computers has created new opportunities for white-collar crime. Computer crimes are difficult to detect but easy to accomplish once a criminal learns the code or password to activate the system. Thus, automatic bank tellers increase the possibility of fraud or theft. Computer access by bank employees creates additional opportunities for embezzlement.

Political crime became an increasingly serious criminal activity during the late 1900’s. It includes acts of terrorism against innocent people and assassinations of leading political figures throughout the world. Unlike many criminals who seek money or personal gain through crime, most terrorists and assassins commit crimes to show support for a political cause. Political crimes, such as airplane hijackings, assassinations, and the taking of hostages, have become more frequent. As a result, most governments have taken steps to guard against terrorists. For example, security at airports, embassies, and other potential targets has been increased, and specially trained law enforcement or military units have been formed.

Ex. 4 Fill in the gaps in the sentences with the correct word denoting a crime:

1. The Minister sued the newspaper for defamation after it printed a story linking him to a well-known mafia boss.

2. The man was accused of fraud after it was found that the paintings he was offering for sale were copies of the original.

3. The young boys were found guilty of theft after they were caught thieving from a newsagent’s.

4. The man, who set fire to a number of factories, was not suspected of arson until police received a tip-off.

5. The charge of murder was reduced to involuntary manslaughter when it was proved that the killing had been accidental.

6. Anyone who goes onto that land without permission may be arrested for trespassing.

7. The woman was charged with bribery after she offered to pay the policeman a sum of money to overlook the offence.

8. In the seventeenth century a man called Guy Fawkes was executed for political crime after he took part in a plot to blow up the British Parliament building.

9. The bomb explosion was one of the worst acts of terrorism Italy has experienced in recent years.

10. Stevens was imprisoned for a ₤60 000 fraud in which he sold holidays that did not really exist.

11. Two of ms Green’s employees lied to the judge to protect her. They were both convicted of perjury.

12. That terrorist group was responsible for the hijacking of a passenger plane earlier this year.

13. Two men who stole top secret documents were sentenced to life imprisonment for disclosure of secret.

14. After the politically motivated killing of recent years, most leaders are afraid of political killing.