The criminal courtsin the UK

Vocabulary Check

Task 1. Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition, if necessary.

1. The British constitution has evolved … many centuries.

2. The British constitution is made … of statute law, common law and conventions.

3. The constitution is adaptable … changing political condition.

4. British Parliament is vested … legislative powers.

5. Government puts the law … effect.

6. The agreement of three elements of the parliament is required … legislation.

7. The first reading of the bill is followed by a thorough debate … generalprinciples … the second reading.

8. Her Majesty’s government is responsible … the administration of national affairs.

9. The composition of government may vary both … the member of ministers and … the title.

10. One of the functions of the Cabinet is initiating and deciding … policy.

11. No change of policy … any importance would be considered without theCabinet sanction.

12. Cabinet meets … private.

13. For Parliamentary elections Great Britain is divided … 650 electoral districts.

14. In Great Britain Queen Elizabeth is … the law.

15. The monarchy is very popular … the majority of the British people.

Task 2. Produce the whole sentence in English.

1. A constitution is more than a mechanical (сводосновныхправил).

2. TheQueenhasthepower (заключать договора, отдавать и присоединять территории, объявлять войну и заключать мир).

3. A constitution (отражаетценности) the country regards as important.

4. Most modern constitutions have adopted (принципразделениявласти).

5. Parliament (создаетзаконы).

6. (Исполнительнаявласть) is represented by the government.

7. Law courts interpret and (применяютзаконы).

8. To become an act of Parliament (законопроект) must be passed in theHouse of Commons, (бытьодобренным) in the House of Lords and(бытьподписанным) by the Queen.

9. The Queen is an important symbol of (национальногоединства).

10. At the second reading a bill is given (детальноеобсуждение).

11. The Lords can only (отложитьпрохождение) of a bill.

12. The party which has majority in the House of Commons (находитсяувласти) for five years.

13. The Cabinet meets (тайно).

14. The Cabinet is also (Апелляционныйсуд).

15. The Lord Chancellor is (главасудейскойвласти) except in Scotland.

16. The Queen’s power is (наследственная) and not elective.

17. As the system of Cabinet developed the Privy Council (утратилзначимость).

18. The Conservative party has no official (постояннойпрограммы).

19. TheQueen (созывает, назначает перерыв и распускает) Parliament.

20. In pre-election manifesto Conservative government states (главныеаспектынутреннейивнешнейполитики).

21. The Liberal Democrats (являютсярезультатомсоюза) of two parties.

22. In Britain the Prime Minister is (действительныйправитель) of thecountry.

Task 3. Make key word transformation to fit the sentence.

1. A constitution is the … and … structure. politics; ideology

2. Most countries have a formal … Constitution … howlaws to be made. write; describe

3. A constitution is a mirror … the national soul. reflect

4. Tories welcome state’s … from direction of theeconomy. withdraw

5. One of reason for having special … laws is to prevent governments from becoming too …. constitute, power

6. If the Lords agree to a bill it will be passed before theQueen for …. sign

7. The function of the Cabinet is the … of governmentdepartments. coordinate

8. … ministers are usually in the Cabinet. department

9. The Prime Minister recommends the highest … tothe Crown. appoint

10. Privy Council used to be a body of … of English monarchs. advice

11. Privy Council consists of members of royal family,… governors, together with other to whom … hasbeen given as an honour. colony; member

12. Tories welcome … of sections of the national industries. privatize

13. The Labors Party believes that private … and freeenterprise should flourish. own

14. The average number of … in each … in England isabout 70000. elect; constituent

15. Tories stress … of the national interest and priorityfor … of law and order. pursuedefend

16. Any … subject aged 21 or over can be nominated asa candidate for any seat position on … of a deposit. Britain,pay

THE CRIMINAL COURTSIN THE UK

Task 1. Skim the text to enlarge your knowledge on the topic.

(…) Whilst the purpose of the civil courts is to adjudicate on disputes between individuals and to provide a remedy for the wronged party, the purpose of the criminal courts is to determine whether the accused person has committed a crime and to punish the wrongdoer. (…) Almost every criminal case is considered in a Magistrates’ Court. (…) In most cases, there are three magistrates who are “lay” persons – in other words, they are not professional judges nor are they lawyers, but, like the jury, they are persons from the local community.

They are called “Justices of the Peace”. The letters J.P. after a name are symbols of community recognition and respectability and they provide the backbone of criminal justice in England. (…) However, there is now an increasing number of “stipendiary” magistrates – paid magistrates who are qualified lawyers. Stipendiary magistrates are, for historical reasons, most common in London and in other large cities.

The judicial reforms which took place in 1972 have introduced a new national criminal court, the Crown Court. (…) This court has jurisdiction in major criminal cases, those punishable by substantial periods of imprisonment. There are three kinds of judges of the Crown Court. Justices of the High Court preside over the trials of the most serious offences, called “upper band” offences. County Court judges, who acquire the title of Circuit judges for this purpose, preside at trials where the accusations are less serious (“lower band”

or “middle band” offences). (…) The third kind of judges are Recorders. These are part-time judges. (…) They must be barristers or solicitors who have been in active practice for at least ten years. There is always a jury unless the defendant pleads guilty.

Task 2. Scan the text. Where do the following sentences fit in the text? Put a number 1-7 next to the sentence.

1. … has committed a crime ….

2. … for at least ten years.

3. … in a Magistrates’ Court.

4. … the third kind of judge ….

5. … the persons from the local community.

6. … in major criminal cases.

7. … “stipendiary” magistrates ….

Task 3. Fill in the correct word or word combination from the list below using them only once.

determine, stipendiary, wrongdoer, jurisdiction, active practice, Justices of the Peace, magistrates’ court, backbone

1. There is now an increasing number of … magistrates who are qualified lawyers.

2. The purpose of the criminal courts is to … whether the accused person has committed a crime and to punish the ….

3. … are laymen who hear criminal cases arising within their area.

4. The Crown Court has … in major criminal cases.

5. Recorders must be barristers or solicitors who have been in … for at least ten years.

6. Almost every criminal case is considered in a ….

7. Justices of the peace provide the … of criminal justice in the country.

 

Task4. Read the text and decide which word A, B or C best fits each gap.

Criminal procedure is composed of the rules governing the series of proceedingsthrough which the substantive criminal law (1)___________. In theUSA, most crimes are defined by local and state government, though the federalgovernment (2)___________ its own criminal code, at Title 18, to dealwith activities (3)_______ beyond state boundaries or having special impacton federal operations.

The procedure for criminal trials in federal courts is (4)_________ Title18. States also have statutes that set out the framework for criminal procedure,subject to important constitutional limits. For example, the U.S. ConstitutionBill of Rights provides basic protections (5)_________ the right to an attorney,the right to not testify, the right to confront witnesses, and the right to ajury trial, among others. State constitutions (6)_________ increase, but not

take away from the federal protections.

The American criminal system is an adversarial and accusatorial model.Criminal procedure must balance the defendant’s rights and the state’s interestsin a speedy and efficient trial with the (7)__________ justice.(8)___________, the rules of criminal procedure are designed to ensure that adefendant’s rights are protected.

The rules of criminal procedure are different from those of civil procedure,because the two areas have different objectives and results. In criminal cases,the state (9)_______ the suit and must show guilt beyond reasonable doubt,while in civil cases the plaintiff brings the suit and must (10)___________show the defendant is liable by a preponderance of the evidence.

1. a. enforces b. must enforce c. is enforced

2. a. has adopted b. had adopted c. is adopting

3. a. to extend b. extending c. being extended

4. a. outlined through b. outlined in c. outlined with

5. a. including b. having included c. is including

6. a. must b. might c. may

7. a. desire to b. desire of c. desire for

8. a. Therefore b. Nevertheless c. However

9. a. must bring b. brings c. is to bring

10. a. obligatory b. unavoidably c. only

Task 5. Choose the best alternative to complete the sentence.

1. A prosecutor is a legal representative who officially accuses someone …

a crime, especially in a court of law.

a. having committed b. to have committed c. of committing

2. Breaking into a dwelling-house at night with intent to commit a felony is …

a. theft b. robbery c. burglary

3. Leaving a deadly poison lying about is an … act.

a. legal b. law abiding c. unlawful

4. … someone suspected of committing a crime, the police must decide ifthey have enough evidence to make a formal accusation, or charge.

a. Arrested b. Having arrested c. Having been arrested

5. Killing a person with malice aforethought is ….

a. manslaughter b. murder c. assassination.

6. One of the main categories of English civil law is a contract – agreements–… between people or companies.

a. connecting b. fastening c. binding

7. In the United States people are accustomed … contracts connected withdaily life.

a. to signing b. to sign c. of signing

8. If no precedent could be found, then the judge made a decision based …existing legal principles.

a. on b. upon c. on with

9. …as a court of appeal it is only the law lords and certain other government-appointed officials who hear cases.

a. Being sitting b. When sitting c. Sitting

10. … in fear is the essence of assault.

a. To put b. While putting c. Putting

11. … the jury to draw inferences of fact is the duty of the judge.

a. To command b. Having commanded c. Commanding

12. And there are some offences where the defendant is given the choice …his case heard in the Magistrates Court or the Crown Court.

a. to have b. to be having c. of having

13. Attempting … murder is a felony punishable with penal servitude for life.

a. of committing b. to commit c. to committing

 

Vocabulary Check