UNIT 2. HUMAN RIGHTS
STARTING UP
1.What human rights can you name?
2.Do you think human rights are important? Which are the most important ones?
3.Do you feel you have all the human rights you need?
4.How can people may be sure their human rights are protected?
5.Can you think of any famous people who have fought to protect human rights?
6.Do you ever feel your human rights are being violated?
7.What categories of people demand special attention concerning their rights?
READING
*A. Read the text and answer the questions:
Human rights are moral principles or norms that describe certain standards of human behaviour and are regularly protected as natural and legal rights in municipal and international law. They are commonly understood as inalienable, fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being and which are inherent in all human beings, regardless of their nation, location, language, religion, ethnic origin or any other status. They are applicable everywhere and at every time in the sense of being universal.
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The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is a historic document that was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly at its third session on 10 December 1948. The Declaration consists of 30 articles affirming an individual's rights which, although not legally binding in themselves, have been elaborated in subsequent international treaties, economic transfers, regional human rights instruments, national constitutions, and other laws.
The doctrine of human rights has been highly influential within international law, global and regional institutions. Actions by states and non-governmental organizations form a basis of public policy worldwide. The idea of human rights suggests that if the public discourse of peacetime global society can be said to have a common moral language, it is that of human rights. The strong claims made by the doctrine of human rights continue to provoke considerable scepticism and debates about the content, nature and justifications of human rights to this day.
Human rights can be classified and organized in several different ways. At an international level the most common categorization of human rights has been to split them into civil and political rights, and economic, social and cultural rights.
Civil and political rights are enshrined in articles 3 to 21 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). Economic, social and cultural rights are enshrined in articles 22 to 28 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and in the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).
The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) is a United Nations body whose mission is to promote and protect human rights around the world. The UNHRC has 47 members elected for staggered three-year terms on a regional group basis. The 38th session of the UNHRC began June 18, 2018. It ended on July 7, 2018. The headquarters of UNHRC is in Geneva, Switzerland.
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1.Give the definition of human rights.
2.When was the Declaration of Human rights created?
3. What principles of human rights are fulfilled by the UN and its agencies?
4.How can human rights be classified?
5.What is the purpose of the United Nations Human Rights Council?
*B. Give the definitions for the following words and phrases or explain in other words.
1.The United Nations Human Rights Council.
2.The Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
3.United Nations General Assembly.
4.Applicable.
4.Economic transfers.
5.International treaties.
6.Justifications of human rights.
7.Enshrined in articles.
8.Promote and protect human rights.
*C. Give the Russian equivalents for the following word combinations:
violations of human rights, fundamental freedoms, declaration, collective security, force of law, presumption of innocence, human rights provision, to proclaim individual rights, prohibition of slavery, intergovernmental organization, statements of moral principles, enforcement power.
GRAMMAR:
Passive Voice
Object |
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Subject |
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Verb |
(becomes object |
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(becomes subject) |
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or is dropped) |
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|
||
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The house |
was destroyed |
by the flood |
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|
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We pay attention not to the subject, but to the action or the object.
Form of the Passive:
Subject + to be in the tense of the active verb + Past Participle
*A. Complete the sentences using the verbs in brackets:
1.The Universal Declaration of Human Rights _________ by the United Nations General Assembly at its third session on 10 December 1948. (adopt)
2.30 articles _________ in the Declaration of Human Rights. (include)
3.The law _________ the law with three amendments. (accept)
4.He ___________ ambassador to the Arab Emirates. (appoint)
5.No weapons __________ to carry in public places. (allow)
*B. Transform sentences to Passive Voice:
1. They have reached the agreement on the delivery of humanitarian
aid.
2.He wrote an article on environmental protection.
3.They signed the convention last summer.
4.People violate human rights daily.
5.The doctrine of human rights continue to provoke considerable scepticism.
6.Someone handed the judge a document.
7.They haven’t sent me the message.
**C. Paraphrase the sentences using Passive voice. Pay attention to prepositions:
1. The manager accused the cashier of stealing money. The cashier …………
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2.Nobody listens to Paul. Paul …………………
3.Nobody spoke to me. I …………
4.Somebody is asking for Peter on the phone. Peter ……………
5. They always refer to Alexander the Great as a fine general. I ……………
**D. Complete the sentences using one of these verbs in the correct forms:
cause |
damage hold include make show |
1.Many car accidents………. by driving at high speed.
2.The house ……..in a hurricane a few days ago.
3.You don’t have to give a tip. Service………in the bill.
4.A theatre is a place where performances……… .
5.The elections for President in Russia…………every 5 years.
***E. Complete these sentences with one of the verbs in the correct form. Sometimes you need Have (“might have”, “could have”):
carry cause do make repair send wake up
1.She is going to leave this city tomorrow. Something must……..before it’s too late.
2.I haven’t got the documents. It might………to the wrong person.
3.A decision will not……….until the next Monday.
4.Do you think that less money should……..on armaments?
5.This road is destroyed. It should……….a long time ago.
6.The elderly man couldn’t walk himself and had to……….. .
7.The police don’t know how the fire started but it might…………by an electrical fault.
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ORAL PRACTICE
**A. Read these statements, decide if you agree or disagree. What is your opinion:
1.Everyone should have the right to carry a gun.
2.Everyone should have the right to decide whom to marry.
3.Women should take an active part in the government.
4.Violence on television should be prohibited because it encourages people to act violently.
5.If a person wants to bully others, he should be allowed to do so.
6. Every person should have the rights to own a house, land or business.
***B. Which human rights are violated in the situations below. Explain the reason:
1.Parents have to pay for their children’s education.
2.There was a robbery in a man’s house. The man went to the police but they told him that his case was not important.
3.Women are neglected by the labour department. They are not provided with promotion at the workplace and are paid less than men.
4.A journalist writes an article where he suggests his point of view opposing his country`s foreign policy. The government told him that he must leave the country immediately and never return.
5.An employer doesn’t give the job to a man because he is African.
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