Text d Retrospective of British Legislation

Task:  read the text and give your understanding of the underlined parts of the sentences.

In early times there were few statutes and the bulk of law was case law, though legislation in one form or another dates from A.D. 600.

The earliest Norman legislation was by means of Royal Charter, but the first great outburst of legislation came in the reign of Henry II (1154 – 1189). This legislation was called by various names: here were Assizes, Constitutions, and Provisions, as well as charters. Legislation at this time was generally made by the king, but sometimes by a kind of Parliament which consisted in the main of a meeting of nobles and clergy summoned from the shires.

In the 14th century parliamentary legislation became more general. The Tudor period saw the development of modern procedure, in particular the practice of giving three readings to a bill.

From the Tudor period onwards Parliament became more and more independent and the practice of law making by statutes increased.

Text e Early Systems of Law

Task: read the text and insert a suitable law term from the box

law	verdict	case	codify
legal	code	jury	court

One of the earliest systems of law of which we have knowledge is the collection of laws, known as the Code of Hammurabi, the Babilonian king, who lived in about 1800 B.C. Another early _______ is the code of Hebrew Law, contained in the Book of Exodus in the Bible.

In Greece each city state had its own ______ . Some laws were common to many states. In the seventh century B.C. the Greeks began to put their laws into writing. About 594 B.C. Solon, the famous Athenian law-giver, provided a new code of law. The Athenians did not consider it necessary to have _______ experts for non-criminal cases. In a civil ______ the _____ was given by a jury. The members of the _______ listened to speeches made by persons who had brought the case before them.

Roman Law is one of the greatest systems that has ever existed. It was based upon custom. Roman Law has had a strong influence on the law of most European countries and on Anglo-Saxon law, which is the other great law system of the world. In the eleventh century many European countries began to use Roman Law in their _______. In France, however, until Napoleon _______ the law in 1804, each province had its own laws. The Napoleonic Code was a splendid achievement, and it has influenced the laws of many countries in Europe and South America.

Dialogue 1. Never Leave till Tomorrow …

Task:  Read the dialogue, reproduce it a) abridged, b) in the form of a monologue.

Mary: Are you doing anything tonight, Heather? Why don’t we go to the concert? Your favourite jazz is playing.

Heather: Thanks. That would be great. But the trouble is I have to prepare a report for the conference. It’s due¹ tomorrow.

Mary: You surprise me! Why did you put it off for so long. As far as I remember you got this assignment several weeks ago.

Heather: Yes, I know. It’s always like that with me. You see, the theme of the report seemed easy at first and I thought it wouldn’t take me long.

Mary: What is it about?

Heather: About the legal heritage of Greece.

Mary: Was it your choice?

Heather: Well, I am interested in history, you know. The historical development of legal system seems appealing. And I decided to start with Greece. The ancient Greeks were among the first to develop a concept of law that separated everyday law from religious beliefs. Besides they thought that laws were made by the people for the people.

Mary: By the way, have you heard the name Draco?

Heather: No, but why? What has it to do with the legal heritage of Greece?

Mary: Draco was a Greek and lived in the 7^th century B.C. And it was Draco who drew up Greece’s first written code of laws. And according to this code death was the punishment for the most offences.

Heather: Oh, I see why the term “draconian” is usually applied to extremely harsh measures. There is another name, Solon. He was Athen’s lawgiver who devised a new code of laws.

Mary: What exactly are you going to say about Solon’s law in your report?

Heather: Well, I don’t really know. A lot is worth speaking about. But I have to stop on the most important facts. For example, citizens of Athens were eligible to serve in the assembly. Courts were established in which they could appeal government decisions, etc.

Mary: Will you mention the concept of “natural law” in your report?

Heather: I don’t know much about it. Only that it was based on the belief that certain basic principles are above the laws of a nation.

Mary: And you should say that they arise from the nature of people. That’s why the term “natural law” appeared.

Heather: Thanks for advice. I like to talk to people who know the subject.

Mary: You’ve thought it over, so what is left?

Heather: I need to put all my thoughts on paper and make them clear, logical and interesting.

Mary: You’ll manage, you’ve got a night ahead. I won’t keep you any more. Good luck.

Heather: Thanks.

Notes:

^1. It’s due ..... – Это должно быть...

Ex. 1. How is the following expressed in the dialogue?

1. suitable to be chosen

2. to come into being, to appear

3. something which is passed down over many years within a family or nation

4. crime

5. to invent

6. task

7. cruel

8. to make a strong request for help, support

Ex. 2. Study the dialogue and make a list of expressions the speakers use to:

• give their opinion

• say they understand you

• say they agree with you

• clarify something

Ex. 3. Give Ukrainian equivalents to the following:

1. to develop a concept of law

2. religious beliefs

3. laws were made by the people for the people

4. to draw up

5. punishment for most offences

6. extremely harsh measures

7. lawgiver

8. to be eligible

9. to appeal government decisions

10. basic principles

Ex. 4. Present the information from the dialogue making use of the following verbs:

to ask, to get interested in, to mention, to stress, to add, to make smth. clear, to agree, to disagree, to state, to underline, to remind, to wonder, to admit, to advise, etc.