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13)Такое поведение в общественном месте является недопустимым. (not, permissible)

LESSON 3

A. READING

A1. Read the text below, define its main ideas. Pay attention to the underlined words. What might be the title of the text?

_____________________

In the past ten years criminal incidents in Great Britain have become rarer. Burglary and car crime are about half as common as they used to be earlier, robbery has fallen by a fifth. Instead of calming down, though, the public seems to have become more troubled by minor offences being committed by young people. Concerns about anti-social behavior are more widespread than anxieties about crime. More people see loitering teenagers as a problem these days, they believe anti-social behaviour in the streets to be a big problem in their area.

What does anti-social behaviour mean? It causes or is likely to cause harassment, alarm, or distress and covers a wide range of anti-social actions which impact on individuals and damage the wider community. Anti-social behaviour may be both criminal and non-criminal and includes such actions as, for example, attacks, begging, drug dealing, hate behaviour, threatening behaviour, prostitution, graffiti, shouting and public disorder, racism, vandalism, under age drinking, verbal abuse, street robberies, vehicle crime, etc.

Having identified anti-social behaviour as a problem issue, the UK Government published a White Paper* called “Respect and Responsibility” which outlined the strategy to deal with the problem. In January 2004 Anti-

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Social Behaviour Bill became a law and came into force introducing a whole lot of new laws aimed to reduce a wide-range of low-level crime from noisy neighbours to graffiti and litter. Here are some of new laws:

11)police are given the power to disperse groups of to or more people from an area if they are behaving or have the potential to behave in an anti-social manner;

12)16 and 17 year-olds may also be given on-the-spot fine for such offences as throwing fireworks and making hoax 999 calls*;

13)police can take home under-16s if they are out on the streets after 9 p.m. without an adult;

14)accredited private security firms have police powers to issue £30 on- the-spot fine to cyclist for riding on the pavement;

15)local authorities have new powers to shut down noisy pubs and clubs, and even to fine noisy neighbours (up to £100) or to confiscate their stereos;

16)people aged 16 or over who are found drunk and disorderly in a

public place can be fined for £40

However, the new Act has come in for criticism and provoked much debate in the media because of certain aspects that will impact on the lives of young people. Some people consider this Act to be a political trick of the government to win popularity. They think this Act in practice will criminalize and victimize young people without giving them the support they need to help them to change their behaviour.

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*White Paper – (in Britain) an official report presenting the government’s policy on a particular question to be discussed in Parliament

*999 calls – people dial this number when they want to report about a crime being committed

B. COMPREHENSION

B1. Agree or disagree with the following statements:

1.Criminal situation in Great Britain has become harder.

2.The British public is much worried about behaviour of young people.

3.People do not like the loitering youngs and see them as a problem these days.

4.Anti-social behaviour is considered criminal in Great Britain.

5.The British Government introduced a new law concerning criminal behaviour.

6.The British police are now given more powers than earlier.

7.All people are happy to have the new law on anti-social behaviour.

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2.Answer the questions on the text.

1.What is the reason for anxiety of the British people?

2.Why do people see loitering young people as a problem?

3.What does anti-social behaviour mean?

4.What kinds of actions are considered as anti-social ones?

5.What steps did the British Government take to deal with this problem?

6.What can police do with those who behave in an anti-social manner?

7.Why do some people strongly disagree with the new Act?

C. VOCABULARY

C1. Which words do the following sentences define? Underline the correct word.

1.The crime of stealing money or other things from a bank, shop, etc, especially by using threats or violence. (burglary/ fine/ hoax/ robbery)

2.Not very important, less serious or dangerous. (widespread/ minor/ compulsory/ peculiar)

3.To make something happen, especially something bad. (issue/ originate/ cause/ damage)

4.To give the main ideas of something, summarize. (outline/ permit/ disperse/ oblige)

5.Something that you have to do as a duty or a job. (security/ anxiety/ responsibility/ begging)

6.To make something smaller or less in amount, importance, price, etc., to cut down (provoke/ resign/ reduce/ consume)

7.To have an effect or influence on someone or something. ( require/ commit/ forbid/ impact on)

C2. Translate the following expressions and sentences using the text

a.криминальные происшествия стали вполовину меньше обычного, чем были раньше;

b.мелкие правонарушения, совершаемые молодыми людьми;

c.анти-социальное поведение вызывает беспокойство и тревогу среди широкой публики;

d.документ обрисовывает в общих чертах стратегию решения этой проблемы;

e.комплекс новых законов, направленный на то, чтобы сократить уровень незначительных преступлений;

f.молодые люди могут быть оштрафованы на месте;

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g.политический трюк правительства, чтобы завоевать популярность

D.DISCUSSION

D1. Think about the following:

a)Will new anti-social behaviour laws protect young people or discriminate against them?

b)Can you think of some reasons why people (usually young ones) behave antisocially?

c)Will the laws tackle the root causes of anti-social behaviour or are just a trick to win over voters?

d)Is this Act a response to a moral panic or a threat to society?

e)Will the new laws save the Government money or hit the taxpayers harder?

LESSON 4

A. LANGUAGE STUDY. CONVERSION.

A1. Conversion is a process of making words of one category of parts of speech from words of another one (for example, making verbs from

In English it is a highly-productive, simple and easy way of enriching the vocabulary with new words. Find cases of conversion in the following sentences and translate them into Russian.

1.The clerk was eyeing him expectantly.

2.An aggressive man battled his way to Stout’s side.

3.I was to room with another girl called Jessie.

4.The leaves yellowed.

5.This is the queerest do I’ve ever come across.

6.He has still plenty of go at his age.

7.Charlie went on wolfing the chocolate.

8.I pity any detective who would have to dog Charlie through those twenty months.

9.“If anybody oranges me again tonight, I’ll knock his face off!” (says the annoyed hero of a story by O’Henry when a shop-assistant offers him oranges for the tenth time in one night instead of peaches for which he is looking)

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10.Joke: “Mother”, said Johnny, “is it correct to say you “water a horse” when he’s thirsty?” – “Yes, quite correct”. – “Then I’m going to milk the cat”. (The joke is based on the mistaken association: to water a horse means to give him water, but to milk implies getting milk from an animal – to milk a cow)

A2. Now decide what grammar category the italicized words belong to and translate the sentences.

1)He began to nose about like an old bloodhound.

2)People all over the world protest against the cruelties in Chile.

3)Newspaper reports resulted in serious damage to his reputation.

4)Newspaper reports about latest news.

5)Our boss suspects him to be a liar.

6)Are political suspects kept under police observation in your country?

7)What causes crime?

8)What causes for complaint have you got?

9)If a judge sentences someone he (she) says what punishment for their crime will be.

10)He places everything in the right order.

B. DISCUSSION

B1. As you know some things are allowed in one country, but are banned in other country. Work in pairs to decide whether the following things are allowed or banned in your country.

smoking consuming alcohol abortion

hunting euthanasia gay families death penalty

If some of the things are legal, do you think they should be banned?

C. READING

C1. Read these short texts and answer the questions below them.

SHOULD IT BE BANNED?

The remote Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is thought to be the first country to introduce a total ban on tobacco sales. All shops, hotels, restaurants and bars are no longer allowed to sell tobacco products, with

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severe penalties imposed on those who flout the law, including a fine and the loss of their business license. Foreigners selling tobacco to locals will also be punished. A tax is being levied on all tobacco products brought into the country for personal consumption by Bhutanese. The government eventually wants Bhutan to be a smoke-free nation.

As for the USA, new anti-smoking laws introduced in the country have provoked a strong debate. Some bar owners say their business are suffering and smokers say their rights also being infringed, while nonsmokers delight in a fresh environment. The state of California has some of the toughest and most extensive anti-smoking legislation anywhere in the world: smoking is prohibited in any workplaces, bars, restaurants, playgrounds and other public places, also smoking is forbidden within 20 feet of all entrances, exits, open windows and ventilation systems. Violation will carry a fine of $100.

a)Is it allowed to smoke cigarettes in Bhutan?

b)What penalty is imposed on those who sell tobacco products in that country?

c)What can you say about anti-smoking policy in the United States?

In 2005 Iranian parliament liberalized the country’s abortion laws. Previously, abortion was only allowed if the mother’s life was proven to be in danger. Now a pregnancy can be terminated in the first four months if the fetus is mentally or physically handicapped. Both parents must give their agreement and three doctors have to confirm that the fetus is damaged. Under this bill, even if a woman is pregnant as a result of rape she still doesn’t have the right to an abortion. An illegal abortionist and the mother in question can be sentenced to between 3 and 10 years in jail.

a)On what condition can a pregnancy be terminated under the Iranian law?

b)What penalty threatens those who break the law?

c)How do you understand the expression “the mother in question”?

When people talk of somebody being nannied they mean that they are being looked after too carefully and are overprotected, as if they were a young child. Some people believe Britain has become a nanny state in which the government goes too far in its efforts to look after people’s interests and does not allow them to make decisions for themselves. Examples of state

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interference have included the proposed banning of unpasteurized milk, the banning of the sale of beef on the bone, and campaigns to reduce smoking.

Some people in the USA are also worried about the government making too many rules, although this is not referred to as the nanny state and has not produced the same amount of public annoyance as in Britain. But some businesses are so afraid of being sued and having to pay heavy costs that they limit their own activities without waiting for the government to make laws. For example, some restaurants refuse to serve alcoholic drinks to women who are pregnant, since alcohol could hurt the baby and they could then be sued as a result.

a)What does it mean when somebody is being nannied?

b)Why are British people annoyed with their government’s certain actions?

c)What are some American businessmen afraid of?

D. DISCUSSION

D1. Discuss the following questions relating to the above-mentioned issues. Use the helpful expressions below to say what you think.

1.What do you think about the anti-smoking laws in Bhutan and California? Do you think the government infringes smokers’ rights, or it protects the nation’s health?

2.Concerning the abortion problem, do you agree with the statement that an unborn child has rights (the right for life, particularly) which must be protected? Are you pro-life (against abortion) or pro-choice (in favour of a woman’s right to make a choice)?

3.In your opinion, how far should the government decide what is the best for us, and how far should we have the right to control our lives?

USEFUL LANGUAGE

Personally, I think (don’t think) it’s a good idea because … I am deeply, morally against/ for …

I don’t see anything wrong with … I think it depends on …

It seems to me that …

I agree (don’t agree) with this law because I think everyone should have right to … People should be free to …

I think it’s wrong to …

This shouldn’t be allowed because …

On the one hand …, but on the other hand …