France
Debate: CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: FOR AND AGAINST
The fundamental questions raised by the death penalty are whether it is an effective deterrent to violent crime, and whether it is more effective than the alternative of long-term imprisonment. Study the information above and give your opinion on this problem.
· Do you agree that capital punishment can be seen as a deterrent to violent crime?
· Can capital punishment be considered as the society's desire for retribution?
· Should murderers be subject to the principle «an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth» and receive the death penalty?
· Should we try to correct the offender's moral attitudes and anti-social behaviour and to assist him or her to return to normal life (to rehabilitate the offender) in any case?
CREATIVE WRITING
Taking into account the vocabulary and the ideas of the texts above write an essay on the points concerning capital punishment:
· Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
· In skating over thin ice our safety is in our speed.
· The pain of the mind is worse than the pain of the body.
· It is never late to mend.
· If someone takes advantage of my trust, it’s his fault, and if he does it a second time, it’s mine.
· It is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer.
Be sure of the right translation of the statements in connection with the topic discussed.
Task 13. Study the information below and give your opinion on the problem of corruption.
Corruption — improper and usually unlawful conduct intended to secure a benefit for oneself or another. Its forms include bribery, extortion, and the misuse of inside information. It exists where there is community indifference or a lack of enforcement policies. In societies with a culture of ritualized gift giving, the line between acceptable and unacceptable gifts is often hard to draw. Corruption obtains when an official transfers a benefit to an individual who may or may not be entitled to the benefit, in exchange for an illegal payment (the bribe). By taking the bribe, the official breaks a legally binding promise he gave to his «principal» (usually the state administration or a private company) to allocate the benefit to those entitled to it. Corruption is neither a property of a social system or an institution, nor a trait of an individual's character, but rather an illegal exchange.
Many argue that in the long term corruption breeds inefficiency. Also, with multiple officials and many potential bribers, corruption can generate further corruption, leading a country to fall into a «trap» where bribery is pervasive. In extreme cases, where everybody takes bribes, the concept loses analytical clout.
In accordance with its own empirical findings, the World Bank, which studies the problem of corruption, promotes policies fostering economic deregulation and liberalization, civil liberties, and the rule of law. Yet, no single recipe exists to eradicate corruption and more work is needed to isolate mechanisms that fetter this social bad.
Task 14. Debate: ANTI-CORRUPTION METHODS
Read the newspaper articles below and answer the following questions:
(1) What do you think about the problem of corruption in Russia and in other countries?
(2) How to fight against corruption?
ANTI-CORRUPTION IN RUSSIA
MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin criticized the punishment system Wednesday for those found guilty in Russia of corruption.
Speaking at a session of the Anti-Corruption Council, Putin said 692 people had been found guilty on corruption charges in the first half of this year, but “only eight percent of bribe-takers were sentenced to prison terms".
"Most of them were ordered to pay fines, which the criminals are not paying by finding all possible loopholes in the law,” he said.
The president said, however, that the number of corruption-related crimes had decreased in the country in the first six months of this year, totaling 29,500 in comparison to 34,000 in the same period of 2012.
“But we definitely need to analyze these figures,” he said. “There is no room for self-complacency in considering the hidden and latent nature of corruption crimes.”
The president also said the fight against corruption in the judiciary and law enforcement should be particularly brutal, as it “erodes public trust in the authorities and state policy.”
The Russian government has been campaigning for years to stamp out corruption among officials, but with little apparent success. Russia was ranked 133rd of 174 countries in Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index last year.
NOVO-OGARYOVO, November 15 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to fight corrupt officials regardless of their rank or any other factors that may hinder the effort.
“We will in the most serious way … continue eradicating this infection regardless of position or party membership,” Putin said at a meeting of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, which is tasked with promoting the country’s development, including fostering young leaders.
“Let everyone know about that,” he said.
He said that more than 7,500 anti-corruption cases had been initiated only on the basis of evidence gathered by the Federal Security Service. The cases involved representatives of many parties.
Putin noted the case of a former Tula Region governor – a clear reference to Vyacheslav Dudka, who recently received over nine years in prison for taking a 40 million ruble ($1.2 million) bribe.
He also referred to other cases, including Wednesday’s detention of the mayor of the southern Russian city of Astrakhan, Mikhail Stolyarov, a member of the pro-Kremlin ruling party United Russia, who is reportedly suspected of extorting a $300,000 bribe.
Putin said he was monitoring the investigation into Stolyarov.
“Regarding such high-profile cases … law enforcement agencies preliminarily report to me about federal officials, about regional and municipal heads,” the president said.
MOSCOW, December 3 (RIA Novosti) – Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the establishment of a new anti-corruption department in the presidential administration, according to a decree published Tuesday.
The department will be responsible for monitoring current anti-corruption laws and suggesting legislative changes to counter corruption, the Kremlin said. ...
Russia is perceived to be the most corrupt of the world’s leading economies in surveys conducted by anti-graft organization Transparency International, on a par with Pakistan, Gambia and Mali.
Despite a recent high profile anti-corruption drive, even government officials admit that billions of dollars are paid in bribes in Russia every year and that graft remains endemic.
(http://en.rian.ru/russia)
Task 15. Complete the sentences with the appropriate words from the table
| bribe-takers were sentenced; legislative changes; fight corrupt officials; judiciary and law enforcement; senior security officials; to pay fines; chaired; corruption-related crimes; suspected of extorting; found guilty; basis of evidence |
1) Speaking at a session of the Anti-Corruption Council, Putin said 692 people had been ____________on corruption charges in the first half of this year, but “only eight percent of ________________to prison terms.”
2) Most of them were ordered to__________, which the criminals are not paying by finding all possible loopholes in the law.
3) The president said, however, that the number of _________ had decreased in the country in the first six months of this year, totaling 29,500 in comparison to 34,000 in the same period of 2012.
4) The president also said the fight against corruption in the ___________ should be particularly brutal, as it “erodes public trust in the authorities and state policy.”
5) Russian President Vladimir Putin pledged to ___________ regardless of their rank or any other factors that may hinder the effort.
6) He said that more than 7,500 anti-corruption cases had been initiated only on the __________ gathered by the Federal Security Service.
7) He also referred to other cases, including Wednesday’s detention of the mayor of the southern Russian city of Astrakhan, Mikhail Stolyarov, a member of the pro-Kremlin ruling party United Russia, who is reportedly _______________a $300,000 bribe.
8) The department will be responsible for monitoring current anti-corruption laws and suggesting ___________to counter corruption.
9) Russia’s presidential administration already has an anti-corruption council, which is __________ by Putin and attended by top government ministers and ___________.
Task 16. Render the text below into English in writing paying attention to the notes in brackets. Give a gist of this text in English.
правовое регулирование
этики официальных лиц
В американском обществе, где основой благоденствия индивида (basis of an person's well-being) служит материальный успех, а пути его достижения ограничены нормами права, проявляется стремление достигнуть желаемых результатов обходными путями (in a roundabout way). Один из них — подкуп должностных лиц (bribery of officials), занимающих ключевые посты во властных и экономических структурах общества и государства. Способы оказания такого рода воздействия многочисленны и разнообразны.
Термин «коррупция» не имеет четкого юридического определения. Строго говоря — это не правовой термин. Авторитетный юридический энциклопедический словарь Джеймса Бэллентайна определяет коррупцию как «трудный термин, не всегда правильно понимаемый; подразумевает множество форм правонарушающего поведения официальных лиц». Слово «коррумпированный» данный словарь толкует как «извращающий назначение органов государства в целях извлечения личной выгоды; препятствующий процессу отправления правосудия».
Классическое пособие Роллина Перкинса по уголовному праву содержит следующее доктринальное описание коррупции: «Слово «коррупция» указывает на нечистоплотность и непорядочность и когда оно встречается в уголовном законе, оно означает безнравственное или в огромной степени ненадлежащие действия… Неправомерное отправление должности (to exercise one's duty) является коррумпированным поведением должностного лица в ходе исполнения его должностных обязанностей или когда оно действует под видом отправления должности».
К актам коррупции обычно относят следующие действия:
(а) попытка получения или получение, прямо или косвенно, правительственным чиновником или лицом, осуществляющим любых видов публичные функции, денежных средств, а также иных доходов, таких как подарок, предпочтение материального характера, преимущество для себя или иного лица или организации, в обмен на конкретное действие или бездействие при осуществлении его публичных функций;
(б) предложение или предоставление, прямо или косвенно, правительственному чиновнику или лицу, осуществляющему публичные функции, любых видов денежных средств, а также иных доходов, таких как подарок, предпочтение, обещание или преимущество для себя либо иного лица или организации, в обмен на любое действие или бездействие при осуществлении его публичных функций;
(в) действие или бездействие, совершенные правительственным чиновником или лицом, осуществляющим публичные функции, в нарушение своих обязанностей с целью незаконного приобретения дохода (illegal profit) для себя или третьих лиц;
(г) противозаконное использование или сокрытие имущества, приобретенного в результате одного из вышеупомянутых действий;
(д) участие в качестве основного исполнителя (actual doer), соучастника (accomplice), подстрекателя (instigator), пособника (accomplice), либо иным образом, в совершении или покушении на совершение (committing or attempt upon committing a crime), а также в пособничестве или сговоре с целью совершения одного из вышеупомянутых действий.
Таким образом, коррупция как социальное явление подрывает легитимность публичных институтов власти (to undermine legitimacy of public authorities). Нарушая установленный правопорядок, она способна создавать перекосы в регулируемых государством экономических отношениях и провоцировать ошибки в публичном администрировании.
Коррупция оказывает также деморализующее влияние на общество (to demoralize the society). Когда обнаруживается, что коррумпирована хотя бы часть чиновничьего аппарата органов власти, подрывается общественное доверие к государственной власти, поскольку сама система уже не представляется неподкупной.
По данным Министерства юстиции США, такого рода всеохватывающая коррупция, например, наблюдалась в штатах Оклахома, Нью-Йорк и Миссисипи. Во Флориде в 1930-е годы даже возникло понятие «фундаментальная коррупция социальной инфраструктуры».
Источник: США: правовое регулирование этики официальных лиц. М., 2002. С. 4—15.
Task 17. Study the text below, making sure you fully comprehend it. Where appropriate, consult English-Russian dictionaries and/or other reference & source books on law. Pay special attention to the words and word combinations in bold type.
E-MAIL FRAUD
Fraud has existed perhaps as long or longer than money. Any new sociological change can endanger new forms of fraud, or other crime. Almost as soon as e-mail became widely used, it began to be used to defraud people via E-mail fraud. E-mail fraud can take the form of a «con game» or scam. Confidence tricks tend to exploit the inherent greed and dishonesty of their victims; the prospect of a «bargain» or «something for nothing» can be very tempting. E-mail fraud, as with other «bunco schemes» relies on naїve individuals who put their confidence in get-rich-quick schemes such as «too good to be true» investments or offers to sell popular items at «impossibly low» prices. Many people have lost their life savings due to fraud.
Forms of E-mail fraud:
Spoofing. E-mail sent from someone pretending to be someone else is known as spoofing. Spoofing may take place in a number of ways. Common to all of them is that the actual sender's name and the origin of the message are concealed or masked from the recipient. Many, if not most, instances of E-mail fraud use at least minimal spoofing, as most frauds are clearly criminal acts. Criminals typically try to avoid easy traceability.
Fishing for data. Some spoof messages purport to be from an existing company, perhaps one with which the intended victim already has a business relationship. The «bait» in this instance may appear to be a message from «the fraud department» of, for example, the victim's bank, which asks the customer to: «confirm their information»; «log in to their account»; «create a new password», or similar requests. If the «fish» takes the «bait», they are «hooked» — their account information is now in the hands of the con man, to do with as wish.
Bogus offers. E-mail solicitations to purchase goods or services may be instances of attempted fraud. The fraudulent offer typically features a popular item or service, at a drastically reduced price.
Items may be offered in advance of their actual availability, for instance, the latest video game may be offered prior to its release, but at a similar price to a normal sale. In this case, the «greed factor» is the desire to get something that nobody else has, and before everyone else can get it, rather than a reduction in price. Of course, the item is never delivered, as it was not a legitimate offer in the first place. Such an offer may even be no more than an attempt to obtain the victim's credit card information, with the intent of using the information to fraudulently obtain goods or services, paid for by the helpless victim, who may not know they were scammed until their credit card has been «used up».
Requests for help. The «request for help» type of E-mail fraud takes this form. An E-mail is sent requesting help in some way, but including a reward for this help as a «hook», such as a large amount of money, a treasure, or some artifact of supposedly great value.
This type of scam has existed at least since the Renaissance, known as the «Spanish Prisoner» or «Turkish Prisoner» scam. In its original form, this scheme has the con man support to be in correspondence with a wealthy person who has been imprisoned under a false identity, and is relying on the confidence artist to raise money to secure his release. The con man tells the «mark» (victim) that he is «allowed» to supply money, for which he should expect a generous reward when the prisoner returns. The confidence artist claims to have chosen the victim for their reputation for honesty.
Other forms of fraudulent help requests are represented by romance scam. Under this, fraudsters (pretended males or females) build online relationships, and after some time, they ask for money from the victims, claiming the money is needed to the fact they have lost their money (or their luggage was stolen), they have been beaten or otherwise harmed and they need to get out of the country to fly to the victim's country.
This confidence trick is similar to the face-to-face con, known as the «Stranger With a Kind Face», which is the likely origin of at least the title of the vaudevillian routine known by the same name, as «Niagara Falls», or «Slowly I turned…»
The modern E-mail version of this scam, is known as the «Nigerian scam», «Nigerian All-Stars», etc., because it is typically based in Nigeria, as an advance fee fraud. The lottery scam is a contemporary twist on this scam.
(http://www.dom-da.ru/doma)
Notes:
| «con game» or scam | мошенничество; жульничество; обман |
| spoofing | надувательство |
| bogus offers | липовые предложения |
| If the «fish» takes the «bait», they are «hooked». | Если «рыбка» захватит «наживку», она «на крючке». |
ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:
1. Why has fraud existed as long as money?
2. What qualities of character does e-mail fraud exploit?
3. Why are people so much attracted by get-rich-quick schemes?
4. What are the forms of e-mail fraud?
5. Characterize the main forms of e-mail fraud.
Task 18. Replace the words and word combinations in brackets by their equivalents from the text above:
(1) (Мошенничество) has existed perhaps as long or longer than money.
(2) Almost as soon as e-mail became widely used, it began to be used (одурачивать людей с помощью интернет - мошенничества).
(3) (Мошенничество на доверии) tend to exploit (врожденную жадность и нечестность) of their victims: (перспектива совершить выгодную сделку) or «something for nothing» can be very tempting.
(4) E-mail sent from someone (притвор яющимся кем - то другим) is known as spoofing.
(5) The actual sender's name and the origin of the message (скрыты или замаскированы от получателя).
(6) Criminals typically try (затруднить поиск / отслеживаемость).
(7) (Если «рыбка» захватит «наживку», она «на крючке») — their account information is now in the hands of the con men, who do with as they wish.
(8) E-mail (запросы о покупке товаров или услуг) may be instances of attempted fraud.
(9) Of course, the item is never delivered, as it was not a (законное предложение) in the first place.
Task 19. Match the English expressions with their Russian equivalents in the table:
| (1) fraud | (a) врожденная жадность и нечестность |
| (2) to be defrauded | (b) заявить о чем-л. в правоохранительные органы |
| (3) a confidence trick | (c) предполагаемая жертва |
| (4) inherent greed and dishonesty | (d) мошенничество |
| (5) to put confidence in get-rich-quick schemes | (e) запросы о покупке товаров или услуг |
| (6) to be concealed or masked from the recipient | (f) собрать деньги для обеспечения чьего-либо освобождения |
| (7) fishing for data | (g) затруднить поиск / отслеживаемость |
| (8) to try to avoid easy traceability | (h) спрятаться или замаскироваться от получателя |
| (9) the intended victim | (i) Это было незаконное предложение. |
| (10) solicitations to purchase goods or services | (j) выуживание информации |
| (11) prior to release | (k) довериться схемам быстрого обогащения |
| (12) It was not a legitimate offer. | (l) мошенничество с выплатой денег авансом |
| (13) a generous reward | (m) еще до выпуска в продажу |
| (14) to raise money to secure sb's release | (n) щедрое вознаграждение |
| (15) an advance fee fraud | (o) мошенничество на доверии |
| (16) web bugs | (p) стать жертвой мошенничества |
| (17) to report sth to law enforcement authorities | (q) сетевые жучки для прослушивания |
Task 20. Translate the following word combinations into English in writing:
мошенничество с выплатой денег авансом
щедрое вознаграждение
собрать деньги для освобождения
мошенническая просьба о помощи
мошенническим образом приобрести товары или услуги
незаконное предложение
до выпуска в продажу
запрос о покупке товаров или услуг
снижение цены
по невероятно низкой цене
врожденная жадность
потерять свои сбережения
намеченная жертва
выуживание информации
зацепить на крючок
захватить наживку
прослеживаемость
притворяться кем-то
скрыты или замаскированы
довериться схемам быстрого обогащения
Task 21. Match the English expressions with their Russian equivalents in the table:
(a)
| (1) to have an alibi | (a) «железное» алиби |
| (2) to raise an alibi | (b) сомнительное алиби |
| (3) corroborated / substantiated alibi | (c) установленное алиби |
| (4) dubious / questional alibi | (d) иметь алиби |
| (5) established alibi | (e) подтвержденное алиби |
| (6) ironclad alibi | (f) заявить алиби |
(b)
| NB | sentence — 1) наказание; 2) приговор; приговаривать; 3) решение церковного суда |
| (1) a sentence | (a) наказание, определенное в законе |
| (2) sentence fixed by law | (b) приговорить к длительному сроку лишения свободы |
| (3) to pass a sentence | (c) отбывать наказание |
| (4) to sentence long | (d) выносить приговор |
| (5) to sentence short | (e) приговор |
| (6) life sentence | (f) отбыть наказание |
| (7) to serve sentence | (g) приговорить к краткому сроку лишения свободы |
| (8) to sentence to community service | (h) пожизненное заключение |
| (9) suspended / conditional sentence | (i) условное наказание (условный приговор) |
| (10) to complete the sentence | (j) приговорить к общественным работам |
QUOTATIONS FOR COMMON DISCUSSION
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