Reading practice

T E X T 1

Pre-reading Activity

Task 1. Before you read the text give your opinion on the following.

1. What’s the law?

2. Are laws necessary and why?

3. What are laws made for?

Task 2. Discuss your answers in pairs.

Reading Activity

(!) Read the text to find the answers to the above questions.

YOU AND THE LAW

If every person on earth were a hermit and had no contact with other people, there would be no need for laws. Fortunately, human beings live in social groups. This helps each person in the group live a better life. But this also means that people must work and cooperate with each other. Unfortunately, it seems that some people in society behave in antisocial ways. Some individuals are irritable, some angry, some selfish, some aggressive and some violent. These hostilities may be turned against other persons or groups in society. Laws are made to protect people from the “bad” actions of others . In effect, the idea of law is to put limits on people’s greed, drives and emotions. As individual, we all have certain freedoms and rights. Sometimes, for the protection of society, the law places limits on the rights. As a famous judge once pointed out, ”Your right to swing your fist ends at the point where the other fellow’s nose begins”.

Imagine for a moment what your world would be like without laws. None of your possessions would be safe – your radio, television, stereo player, bicycle or even your clothes. Someone bigger, stronger or faster could take them from you. Even your person could not be safe from attack. The law of the jungle, “might makes right”, would take over.

We may not always agree with the laws we live by. In fact, we may not always know what the laws are. However, we are expected to live by these laws. Ignorance is no real excuse and no guarantee against being charged. If we feel that a certain law is unfair, we have the right to appeal it or work to change it. We do not have the right to break it.

Laws basically exist to maintain order and stability. The most obvious function of the law is social control. Other functions include dispute settlement, innovation or social engineering and allocations of goods and services. Modern law in Western societies is adapted to a market society that puts high value on freedom to buy and sell.

Post-reading Activity

Task 1. Compare the answers from the text with the ones you gave before reading.

Task 2. Are you a law-abiding person? Give the reasons why you think so. Would you do something against the law? (what? why?)

Task 3. Skim this information to figure out your eventual behaviour in the same situation as described.

Would you hand in a windfall?

How honest are you? A local businessman who recently stumbled on* a briefcase containing more than $ 2,500 in cash handed it straight in to police. The owner, a shopkeeper, was so relieved he gave the man a $ 100 reward.

Would everyone else be as honest if the same thing happened to them?

• It depends how much was in it. If it was a lot of money, say $10,000, then I would take it to the police. But if it was not so much I would probably be very tempted to keep it.

• I would take it to the police station.

• I think you would just think to yourself what if it this happened to you and lost a lot of money.

• I would definitely take it to the police station. I am an honest person. It would never occur to me to do anything other than that.

• I would be very tempted to keep it, but I think I would probably have to hand it in, so there was no comeback*.

• It could be anything – something dodgy*.

Notes: windfall: an unexpected gift of money, piece of good luck etc.;

comeback: (here) trouble that comes later; stumbled on: found by chance; dodgy: dishonest (slang).

Task 4. Try to recollect some similar episodes you read about (heard of) or speak on your personal experience.

T E X T 2

Pre-reading Activity

Task 1. Answer the following questions.

1. Is it easy to be young? Give your reasons why? (why not?)

2. What legal right does a teenager have in our country?