Understanding the law ВСЕ УПРАЖНЕНИЯ. The Royal Courts of Justice Vocabulary List
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Vocabulary notes Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626) – English philosopher, essayist and statesman. Under James I he advanced from the knight (1603) to attorney general (1613) to Lord Chancellor (1618). In 1621 he pleaded guilty to charges of accepting bribes and was fined and banished from the office; he spent the rest of his life writing in retirement. Bacon’s best-known writings are his aphoristic Essays (1597-1625). His major contribution to philosophy was his application of induction, the approach used by modern science. Magna Carta [Lat., = great charter], the most famous document of British constitutional history, issued (1215) by King John at Runnymede under compulsion by the barons. The purpose of the original charter was to ensure feudal rights and to guarantee that the king could not encroach on baronial privileges. The document also guaranteed the freedom of the church and the customs of the towns; implied laws protecting the rights of subjects and communities, which the king could be compelled to observe; and vaguely suggested at least to later generations guarantees of trial by jury and Habeas Corpus.
Reading Comprehension Exercises
1. Find in the text who in the UK is responsible for upholding the law and what it means. 2. Find out what most important characteristics and duties the judiciary have. 3. Find out what principle is stated both by Lord Chief Justice Hewart and in the European Convention on Human Rights.
1. Look more closely through the part “The Prosecution of Francis Bacon” and decide which of the following statements renders the main idea of the given part. a. Francis Bacon was a deeply flawed, vain and ambitions character. b. The corruption of Lord Chancellor Bacon is the most infamous stain on legal history record. c. A judge should not try a case if he is associated with either party. 2. Look through the second part of the chapter and mark the statement that represents the main idea of the given passage. a. The use of Latin in the courts in now discouraged b. The quotation is a statement of how the courts should always do justice according to law, no matter the consequences c. The Latin saying “Fiat justitia, ruat coelum” (Let justice be done though the heavens should fall) – remains one of the popular quotations used by barristers. Vocabulary Work Exercises I. Suggest Russian equivalents of the following expressions and use them in your own sentences based on the text. 1. unfair prosecution; 2. take bribes; 3. prejudice; 4. uphold the law; 5. be biased; 6. pay a fine; 7. allege; 8. his property was forfeit; 9. libel; 10. outlaw smb.; 11. plead for mercy; 12. ruling; 13 fallible; 14. malice; 15.appalling injustice. II. Suggest English equivalents of the following expressions and use them in your own sentences based on the text. 1.служители закона; 2. выступать против; 3. бежать из страны; 4. клясться; 5. плебисцит; 6. объявление вне закона; 7. просить о пощаде; 8. единогласно; 9. защищать закон; 10. судебная власть; 11. аннулировать решение; 12. неподкупность; 13. общеизвестно; 14. издать судебный приказ о передаче арестованного в суд. III. Match the expressions on the left (A) with their proper translation on the right (B).
IV. Guess the concept of the following definitions. 1. Declare smb a criminal. 2. Have smth. taken away from one as a punishment. 3. Support, prevent from being weakened. 4. An official paper given in law to tell smb to do or not to do a particular thing. 5. Unfair and often unfavorable feeling or opinion not based on reason or enough knowledge. V. Give definitions of the following words and word combinations. 1. an unfair prosecution; 2. unanimously; 3. malice; 4. ruling; 5. plebiscite. VI. Match the words and word combinations on the left (A) with their definitions on the right (B) and give their Russian equivalents.
VII. Translate the sentences from English into Russian. 1. It is a truth universally acknowledged that the constitution of a modern democracy governed by the rule of law must effectively guarantee judicial independence. 2. The case was a milestone in establishing the right of free speech. 3. Justice is portrayed as blind, not because she ignores the facts and circumstances of individual cases, but because she shuts her eyes to all considerations extraneous to the particular case. 4. Not only must judges never actually be biased, they must also never allow themselves to be put in a position where they might be accused of bias. 5. The legal system is after all run by human beings for human beings, and all human beings are fallible. VIII. Complete the sentences with the words from the box.
1. The newspaper reporters ________ that the man was murdered but they have given no proof. 2. If a man put his country in danger by helping the enemy, his life and possessions were ______to the crown. 3. Rod Stewart has won the first round in a $15 million ________action against a newspaper which claimed he cheated on wife Rachel Hunt with her agreement 4. We saw it eye to eye and the vote was ___________. 5. The judge has made several ___________on these matters. 6. Justice is portrayed as blind because she shuts her eyes to __________. 7. If the judge was biased, the ruling of the court should be set aside and the case _________. 8.Cases of judicial corruption, where a judge has actually taken a bribe offered by one of the parties to __________, are however, almost unheard of in our many centuries of legal history. 9. The judges as a whole are called the ________ and one of their most important characteristics is that they are __________. 10. ______________is the crime of giving and taking bribes. IX. Fill in the appropriate prepositions from the box.
1. The courts and the judges who preside _____them are responsible_____ upholding the law. 2. Chancellor Bacon was called ______to decide two cases. 3. Bacon actually decided the case ______the person who gave the bribe. 4. Nevertheless he was still charged _____ corruption. 5. _____ due course he confessed his crimes and pleaded _____ mercy. 6. The Spanish authorities applied _____ a warrant _____ the arrest of General Pinochet and his extradition ____ Spain ____ charges that he was responsible ____”genocide, torture and terrorism’’. 7. ____ the years there have been many notable examples of judges who have stood ___ ___ the power of the throne. 8. The public ____ large – everyone in the country - has an interest _____ justice being done. 9. Every time a judge tries a case, he himself is _____ trial. 10. F. Bacon was dismissed ____office, fined and imprisoned ____the Tower of London _____taking bribes. X. Translate these sentences from Russian into English using active vocabulary. 1. Неподкупность и честность - превыше всего - вот истинная добродетель служителей закона. 2. Судья должен дать клятву рассматривать дела справедливо и беспристрастно. 3. Служитель закона должен быть объективным, суметь противостоять давлению извне, игнорировать обстоятельства, не имеющие прямого отношения к делу. 4. Как только судебный приказ был выдан, господин Х. был арестован по обвинению в получении взятки. 5. Общеизвестно, что если судья будет необъективен и предвзят, то постановление будет отменено и дело пересмотрено. Grammar Revision Exercises I. Translate these sentences from Russian into English paying attention to the Passive voice. 1. First the printers of the paper were arrested on the orders of the King and then Wilkes himself. 2. A writ of habeas corpus was immediately issued by the Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, Sir Charles Pratt, to have Wilkes brought before the court. 3. Wilkes was tried in his absence and outlawed. 4. To this day, when judges are appointed they must swear an oath to ‘do right to all manner of persons without fear or favor, affection or ill will’. 5. Cases in which this royal promise was broken abound, with a succession of Kings and Queens influencing the outcome of State Trials (cases said to involve the security of the State) with the spoken and unspoken threat of terror. 6. Nevertheless, he was still charged with corruption, for he had received gifts knowing that they were being given corruptly. 7. N. was tried by his fellow peers in Parliament (since the Magna Carta laid down that a man must be tried by his equals, it followed that a peer had to be tried by other peers – a privilege given to peers right up to the twentieth century, when it was abolished). 8. Everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal established by law. 9. N. applied for his release from detention on the grounds that as a former Head of State he was immune from prosecution for things which he was alleged to have done in that capacity. 10. Justice may have been done but it had not been ‘seen to be done’ – the links between the Judge and Amnesty International ‘were so strong that public confidence in the administration of justice would be shaken’ if they had not overturned the ruling. 11. P. is said to have excused this wicked deed with the words ‘Fiat justicia, ruat coelum’. Speaking Exercises I. Say whether the following statements are true or false. Explain why. 1. The UK legal system has flourished with the support of the written constitution. 2. Since the medieval times the source of law and order has been the judiciary. 3. Over the years there have been no judges who have stood up to the power of the throne or the State and acted independently. 4. The decision of the judges of the Court of Appeal cannot be reversed. 5. Not only the judges have the awesome power to take away a man’s liberty by sending him to prison, the police also have the right to enforce the law and arrest anyone suspected of breaking it. II. Answer the questions about the text. 1. What is the fundamental idea of justice? 2. What are the judges as a whole called and what is one of their most important characteristics? 3. What notable examples of judges who have stood up to the power of the throne can you give? 4. What case is considered a milestone in establishing the right of free speech? “The Case of John Wilkes” 1. Why were the printers and Wilkes arrested? 2. What did Sir Charley Pratt order? 3. Why did Wilkes become a popular hero? 4. What happened to his property after he fled the country? 5. Why was he finally imprisoned? 6. Who and why reversed the sentence outlawry? 7. Why is justice portrayed as blind? 8. When and what do judges swear an oath to do? 9. What position must judges never allow themselves to be put in? The Prosecution of Francis Bacon 1. How was Francis Bacon reputed? 2. What was he charged with? 3. Who was he tried by and what was he ordered to do? 4. Why did he try to climb into favour after he was released from prison? 5. Find in the text & comment on his saying “I was the justest judge…” 6. What are “musts” for a judge when trying a case? 7. What principle is stated both by Lord Chief Justice Hewart and in the European Convention on Human Rights? The Case of General Pinochet 1. What warrant did the Spanish authorities apply for and on what charges? 2. On what grounds did General Pinochet apply for his release from detention? 3. Who was the case tried by and why was the ruling set aside and the case heard afresh? 4. What courts may guarantee the correct application of the law if a legal system goes wrong? Piso’s Justice 1. Who was Piso and what Latin saying is he famous for? 2. What is the modern meaning of this statement? 3. What powers do Parliament and the police have? III. Draw up the plan for rendering the text and then summarize it. IV. Working in pairs find the information on the following themes. 1. Main characteristics of the judiciary. 2. Cases of judicial corruption in the UK legal history. 3. The value and importance of an independent judiciary. V. Discuss the following issues. A: Picture discussion.  1. Describe the details of this statue, which stands above the famous court in London. 2. Discuss the symbolic significance of the sword and the scales. 3. Find the information in the Internet (photos, video, documents etc.) on the system of justice that operates in your country and make presentation in class. 4. How confident are you that you would be acquitted if you were charged with a crime that you had not committed? |