In your home town where would you go

• to hear a symphony concert?

• to see an exhibition of paintings?

• to swim indoors?

• to play football?

• to appear as a witness at a trial?

• to see a ballet?

• to report a stolen car?

• to catch a train?

• to read for an exam?

• to dance with your friends?

• to have a meal?

• to buy a present for your friend?

Task 45. Answer the following questions.

1. Is Chelyabinsk your native city?

2. How long have you lived here?

3. How well do you know the city?

4. When was it founded? (1736)

5. On the banks of what river is it situated?

6. How large is the city?

7. What is its population?

8. What is the city known for?

9. Are there any historical places in the city?

10. What do you think are the greatest attractions of the city?

11. Is it possible to say that Chelyabinsk is the centre for art, music and theatre?

12. Monuments to what famous people are there in the city?

13. What are the best known higher educational institutions in Chelyabinsk?

14. What part of the city do you live in?

15. What is this part of the city noted for?

16. What problems does Chelyabinsk have?

17. What improvements are being made in the city?

18. How can we make our city a better place to live?

Task 46. Give a description of Chelyabinsk or your home town.

Task 47. Give written translations of the texts.

Automobiles and crimes

1.

Automobiles and other motor vehicles play a pervasive role in modern life. They profoundly impact criminal justice – as objects of thefts and other crimes, as instruments for committing crimes and as stimulus for crimes such as drunken driving.

More than 2.6 million of motor vehicles in the United States suffered breaks-in, vandalism or the theft of outer parts in 1998. Over 1.2 million were reported stolen. Although less than 1 per cent of all registered vehicles were stolen each year, and 60 per cent of these are recovered, vehicle thefts feed a huge market for stolen cars and parts and result in enormous losses – over five billion dollars in 1998. Fraud in the sale of new and used cars, phony theft and accident insurance claims, and other criminal acts add to the economic impact of automobile crimes.

Criminals use thousands of automobiles in the commission of crimes. Bootleggers¹,drug runners², bank robbers and other types of law breakers need cars to carry things and to escape the police and rival criminals. Cars can also be used to kill or injure. When used as instruments for the commission of crime, vehicles can be seized by the government and subjected to forfeiture proceedings.

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¹bootlegger – торговец контрабандными спиртными напитками

²drug runner – наркокурьер

2.

By far the largest number vehicular crimes involve illegal driving. Speeding and other minor traffic offences usually remain low-level crimes. The most common serious traffic offence is driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs has long been a felony¹ under American law. Other frequent felonies include reckless driving and hit-and-run, when these involve bodily injury.

With millions of people driving billions of miles each year in the United States, accidents, serious injuries, and deaths on the road are inevitable. More than forty-one thousand Americans lost their lives as a result of motor vehicle accidents in 1998. At least one driver was at fault in over 60 per cent of these fatalities.

When a careless driver causes a death, the driver is normally civilly liable² to the victim’s family. Whether the driver is also criminally liable³ depends upon the degree of the driver’s fault and the law of the state where the incident occurred.

Deaths caused by extremely risky driving may be punished as murder. Most states punish these deaths as murder only when the driver was aware of the risk.

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¹felony – фелония (тяжкое уголовное преступление, за которое в США предусматривается серьёзная уголовная ответственность и наказание от длительных сроков тюремного заключения до смертной казни. К фелонии обычно относятся такие преступления как предумышленное убийство – murder; поджог – arson; ограбление – robbery; нападение при отягчающих обстоятельствах – aggravated assault; подлог/подделка документов – forgery)

²to be civilly liable – подлежать гражданско-правовой ответственности

³to be criminally liable – подлежать уголовной ответственности