Comprehension check

I. Answer the questions:

1. What document was the initial list of human rights?

2. What provisions and rights were included in it?

3. What is the concept of "natural rights"?

4. Who was the first philosopher to use the term "human rights"?

5. What were the consequences of two revolutions in the late 1700s?

6. What did the laws gained by the labor unions grant workers?

7. What appeal told about?

8. What are the main principles of Amnesty International?

2. Fill in the gaps with the suitable prepositions given below.

On by about for to with in

1. Two revolutions occurred which drew heavily on… the concept.

2. Helsinki Watch, which later merged with other groups to form Human Rights Watch, started as a few Russian activists who formed to monitor the Soviet Union's compliance with the human rights provisions in the Helsinki accords.

3. Labor unions brought about laws granting workers the right to strike, establishing minimum work conditions, forbidding or regulating child labor, establishing a forty hour work week.

4. It set forth a simple plan of action, calling for strictly impartial, non-partisan appeals to be made on behalf of these prisoners

5. Governments everywhere, regardless of ideology, adhere to certain basic principles of human rights in their treatment of their citizens.

6. The appeal called on governments everywhere to free "prisoners of conscience".

7. Early staff members of the modern organization named Amnesty International operated with no oversight, and money was wasted.

8. Amnesty International does not take positions on many issues which many people view as human rights concerns (such as abortion) and does not endorse or criticize any form of government.

9. After the king violated a number of ancient laws and customs by which England had been governed, his subjects forced him to sign the Magna Carta.

10. Many people, disgusted with the actions of governments in power, first got involved with revolutionary groups because of this.

III. Match the following terms and verbs with their vocabulary definitions

1. Slavery a. The state or fact of being a farm worker who has to work for

a particular person

2. bribery b. system of having people who is treated as a piece of property

3. misconduct c. bad, serious or sad condition or situation

4. provisions d. a serious book or article that examines a particular subject

5. serfdom e. the condition of being ruled in a hard and cruel way

6. plights f. taking of favors or gifts that influence judgment

7. treatise g. an act of evil, cruelty

8. atrocity h. inter. bad behavior, esp. unacceptable sexual behavior

9. violence i. condition in an agreement or law

10. oppression j. rough treatment; use of physical force on others, esp. to hurt or harm

illegally