Vocabulary

Hebrew – иудейский, древнееврейский

witchcraft – колдовство

idolatry – идолопоклонство

blasphemy – богохульство

sacrilege – святотатство , кощунство

treason – Предательство

high treason — государственная измена

traitor – предатель

banishment – изгнание

stake – смерть на костре

Task 12. Define or paraphrase the following words and expressions from Task 11:

• infliction of death;

• to bear false witness;

• witchcraft;

• idolatry;

• blasphemy;

• sacrilege;

• banishment;

• a heretic.

Task 13. Read the text again and circle the true sentences. Correct the sentences that are false.

1. Ancient Hebrew law prescribed death for homicide only.

2. Labor and banishment were recognized by Roman law as well as the death penalty.

3. In Anglo-Saxon England a murderer could escape death.

4. In ancient Greece even a free man could be executed as severely as a slave.

5. The UK restricted death to treason and capital murder.

6. Beheading is used in the East as well as in some European countries (Britain).

 LISTENING

3.2. Death penalty

You will hear a lecture on death penalty by Jonathan Stack and his answers to the students’ questions.

A. Lecture.

Task 1. Find synonyms for the following words and phrases from the lecture:

• death penalty;

• deter crime;

• homicide.

Task 2. Listen to the lecture and put down 4 arguments against death penalty.

Task 3. Listen to the lecture again and say whether the following statements are true or false:

1. Capital punishment in the USA has been constitutional since 1972. T / F

2. Over 500 executions have been carried out in the USA since 1976. T / F

3. In the USA, capital punishment is usually carried out by beheading or hanging. T / F

4. Capital punishment is not used as a punishment in some states. T / F

5. Poor Afro-American males are most likely to be sentenced to death. T/ F

6. In Illinois, 60% of prisoners sentenced to capital punishment were released some years ago. T / F

B. Answering the students’ questions.

Task 4. Listen to Jonathan Stack’s answers to his students’ questions and complete the summary with suitable words or expressions.

The recent surveys show that _______________ of Americans are for capital punishment. However, _______________ don’t always give an adequate interpretation of reality. They rather reflect people’s concern about _______________, the rates of which are much higher in the USA than in _______________ or _______________ (in the USA, there are about _______________ homicides per _______________ people).

It’s quite easy to understand why people want _______________. One’s immediate response to _______________ would be _______________. But this is not the answer. The legal system allows us to _______________ above our _______________ response to crime.

Mr. Stack also points out that capital punishment is very _______________. If it were not, about 50,000 people would be _______________ in the USA every year, which would make the state _______________.