Test 6 (Variant d)

1. Read the text:

JURY SERVICE

The right to trial by a jury is one of the most important rights guaranteed by Constitutions of many countries. The job of a juror is to listen to all the evidence presented at trial and to “decide the facts” - that is, to decide what really happened. The judge, on the other hand, ”decides the law” - that is, makes decisions on legal issues. A juror does not need any special knowledge or ability. A juror should keep an open mind, concentrate on the evidence being presented, use common sense, and be fair and honest. A juror should not be influenced by sympathy or prejudice and be impartial with regard to all people and all ideas. In most countries jurors are selected at random from voter registration records and placed on a list of potential jurors. To be eligible for jury service, one must be over 18 years of age, a citizen of the country in which he or she is to serve as a juror, able to communicate in the language of the country. A group of people from which trial juries are chosen is called “a jury pool”.

The first step in the selection of the trial jury is the selection of a “jury panel”. Those selected for a jury panel are then directed to report to a courtroom in which a case is to be heard. The judge assigned to the case tells the panel members about the case and introduces the lawyers and the people involved in the case. Panel members take an oath, and the judge and the lawyers question the members of the panel. This process of questioning is called VOIR DIRE, a phrase meaning “to speak the truth”. During VOIR DIRE the judge and the lawyers are trying to make sure that members of the jury do not have opinions or past experiences which might prevent them from making an impartial decision. During VOIR DIRE the lawyers may ask the judge to excuse any member of the panel from sitting on the jury for some particular case. This is called CHALLENGING A JUROR. There are two types of challenges. The first type of challenge is called a CHALLENGE FOR CAUSE, which means that the lawyer has a specific reason for thinking that the juror would not be able to be impartial.

The second type of challenge is called a PEREMPTORY CHALLENGE, which means that the lawyer does not have to state a reason for asking that the juror be excused. Unlike challenges for cause, however, the number of peremptory challenges is limited. Those jurors who have not been challenged become the jury for the case.

2. Answer the questions to the text:

1. What are educational requirements for a juror? 2. How are jurors elected? 3. What is ‘challenging a juror’? 4. Why is the procedure ‘voir dire’ held?

3. Analyse the underlined in the text phenomena.

4. Insert the required articles:

1. ... bank is ... place where they lend you ... umbrella in ... fair weather and ask for it back when it begins to rain. (R. Frost) 2. ... more corrupt ... state, ... more laws. (Tacitas) 3. ... crime is a problem of all big cities. 4. ... Bank of England is ... state bank of ... United Kingdom. 5. It is better to go to ... prison as a visitor than to go to ... prison as a convict.

5. Insert the required prepositions:

1. Their research work resulted ... a new breakthrough in communication technology. 2. Can you wait a while? Mr Brooks is engaged ... conversation. 3. A sophisticated alarm system prevented burglars ... breaking ... the house. 4. His aggression was definitely aimed ... everybody around him. 5. The manager reported that the incomes of the firm increased ... 23 per cent. 6. This barrister is famous ... the rare ability to lose any case he takes. 7. In a legal state the demand ... lawyers should be very high. 8. ... my point of view he is absolutely innocent.

6. Insert the required pronouns:

1. ... his sons, Alfred and Douglas, received law degree, but ... of them want to work for his firm. 2. Mr Jones is not sending an inspecting team, he is coming .... 3. My point is that the police needed ... to arrest. 4. There is ... suspicious about the case, I just smell it. 5. We need ... more reliable witnesses.

7. Put the verbs in brackets into correct tense forms:

1. Mom, Mr Norm (to phone), he (to ask) to postpone the appointment for two hours, because he (to see in) his mother-in-law tomorrow at 10 a.m. 2. The county council (to receive) 2 mln. pounds for roads maintaining last year. 3. If he (not/to buy) that fancy car last month he (to have) money to hire a good lawyer and (not/to lose) the case. 4. She (not/to work) and (to have) plenty of time for charity activity. 5. Phone me when you (to decide) to take the job. 6. Your telephone bill (not/to pay) yet and we (to have) to cut your line if you (not/to settle) it till Monday afternoon. 7. Margaret insisted that she (to stay) at her friend’s when the theft (to commit). 8. Our house (to redecorate) now, so we (to eat out) every day. 9. Yes, I (to meet) Mr Fist the day before I (to return) home. 10. He usually (to take) the most complicated cases and the highest fee. 11. They (to hear) the case for three days already. 12. At 9 p.m. yesterday, when I (to come) to the office to take some papers, there (to be) nobody there, only a caretaker (to clean) the floor. 13. Well, I (to give) him one more chance to prove that he (to be) worth something, but it (to be) the last one. 14. They (to receive) the documents sent by FEDEX by 5 p.m. today, in three hours. 15. I just (not/can) phone you last Sunday, I (to be) in the middle of nowhere. 16. She said she never (to see) Martin again.