3. What immigration laws were adopted in the U.S.?
4. What immigration laws were adopted in the Russian Federation?
5. How do the United States and the Russian Federation resolve the immigration problems?
Text 13
Crime in the USA
1. The crime rate in the U.S., which rose dramatically in the 1960s and 1970s, has gone down steadily since 1980. Department of Justice statistics show that serious crimes (murder, rape, robbery, etc.) declined 7 percent nationwide in 1983 and an additional percent the following year.
2. In some areas, for example in New York City, crime decreased 17 percent over a three-year period, with homicides and burglaries down by 10 percent. However, experts who had predicted a further decline were puzzled when FBI figures for 1985 showed an increase in violent crimes.
3. Public opinion polls show that Americans view crime as one of the most serious problems of their society. Several studies have also shown that the amount of crime, especially violent crime, is frequently overestimated. Experts believe that this awareness and fear of crime is largely caused by the great attention it is given in newspapers and on television, and also because violent crime is a popular theme for television series and films. Many Americans are therefore surprised to learn that, according to Interpol, the «general crime rate per 100,000 inhabitants» for the U.S. is significantly lower than that for several other western nations such as Sweden, New Zealand, or Denmark, and not much higher than those for West Germany, Austria, or England.
4. Nevertheless, among all crimes, murder makes the headlines, and there is no doubt that homicides continue to be a serious problem in America. The U.S. had a murder rate (per 100,000 inhabitants) of 8 in the mid-1980s, compared, for instance, with a rate of 7 for Canada, 5 for Sweden and West Germany, and 4 for Italy. It makes a difference, of course, where someone lives in America. The murder rates (in 1985) for states such as Texas (13.0), Florida (11.4), and Michigan (11.2) contrast with those for Minnesota (2.1), Iowa (1.9), South Dakota (1.8), and North Dakota (1.0). In some parts of the country, above all in decayed, inner-city areas, most people keep their doors locked and do not walk alone at night. In other parts, few people take such precautions.
5. In the United States, as elsewhere, the causes of serious crime are hotly debated and many reasons for it suggested. Among these are unemployment, drug-abuse, poverty, inadequate police enforcement, ineffective courts, racial discrimination, consumerism, television, and “a general decline in middle-class values”. Surprisingly, a major study of crime in the U.S. carried out by Northwestern University in 1982 found that “the number of poor people in a city is only marginally related to property or violent crime”. In other words, American cities with a higher rate of unemployment and poverty do not necessarily also have a higher crime rate. Many experts believe only grass-roots efforts to improve community life overall and to have a lasting effect.
I. Прочитайте и устно переведите весь текст. Перепишите и письменно переведите абзацы 1, 2, 3, 4.
II. Выпишите из абзаца 5 предложение с инфинитивным оборотом «Сложное дополнение» и переведите его.
III. Письменно закончите предложения.
1. The crime rate in the United States of America...
2. In the United States, as elsewhere, the causes of crime...
3. A major study of crime in the U.S. ...
4. Many experts consider...
5. Department of Justice...
IV. Письменно дайте ответы на следующие вопросы.
1. How did the crime rate in the U.S. rise?
2. What do Department of Justice statistics show?
3. How did the crime rate in Russia rise?
4. What are the reasons of crimes in Russia and the USA?
5. What do Russian and American experts think about the crime rate in their countries?
Text 14
Crimes in the USA
1. In the United States, as elsewhere, the causes of serious crime are hotly debated and many reasons for it suggested. Among these are unemployment, drag-abuse, poverty, inadequate police enforcement, ineffective courts, racial discrimination, consumerism, television, and “a general decline in middle-class values”.
2. Surprisingly, a major study of crime in the U.S. carried out by Northwestern University in 1982 found that «the number of poor people in a city is only marginally related to property or violent crime.» In other words, American cities with a higher rate of unemployment and poverty do not necessarily also have a higher crime rate.
3. Many experts are coming to believe that only grass-roots efforts to improve community life overall will have a lasting effect. Many communities across the nation have started their own campaigns against crime, encouraging their citizens to participate in crime-prevention programs and to report crimes. Several civil rights groups actively support such “self-help” campaigns. In some neighborhoods, citizens participate in «neighborhood watch» programs and organize groups to patrol the streets.
4. Public opinion polls show that most Americans feel handguns are responsible for the high murder rate. A majority of Americans, some 70 percent, favor laws which would ban the private ownership of all handguns. At present, there are about 23,000 state and local gun laws and ordinances throughout the U.S. Some states only prohibit carrying concealed handguns: in others owners must register all handguns and have a license to carry them, either open or concealed. In some communities people are not allowed to own any handguns.
5. Although most Americans would like to forbid the owning of handguns, there is still no single federal law to that effect. Perhaps the major reason for this is the lobbying efforts of the National Rifle Association (NRA) and its three million members. They cite the Second Amendment to the Constitution (“... the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed”). They argue that about half of the some 120 million firearms in the U.S. are owned by hunters, and their slogan claims that «Guns don't kill, people do”.
6. Those in favor of a national law point out that the Second Amendment begins with the phrase “A well-regulated militia being necessary to the security of a free state...” This goes back to the time when seven out of the original thirteen colonies required all males to serve in the state militias. When needed, men served as “citizen soldiers”. This, they conclude, is no longer the case, and the easy availability of guns simply leads to too many deaths. At present, a national law forbidding the ownership of all guns appears unlikely. However, more state and communities will probably pass their own much more restrictive laws in the future.
I. Прочитайте и устно переведите весь текст. Перепишите и письменно переведите абзацы 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
II. Выпишите из абзаца 4 предложение, в котором глагол — сказуемое стоит в сослагательном наклонении.
III. Письменно закончите предложения.
1. In the United States the causes of serious crime...
2. Public opinion polls...
3. A national law pointed out...
4. A national law...
5. Seven out of the original thirteen colonies...
IV. Письменно дайте ответы на следующие вопросы.
1. What are the causes of crimes in the U.S. and Russia?
2. Where are major studies of the U.S. crimes carried out?
3. Where are major studies of Russian crimes carried out?
4. Why were public opinion polls held in the U.S.?
5. How many states of the U.S. required all males to serve in the state militias?
Text 15
The Civil Rights
1. The Civil Rights Movement, which had fought its most bitter battles in the 1960s, also led to action and protest in many other areas.
2. Women who had taken part in many of the nationwide civil rights activities became more aware of, and involved in changing their own situation, and the biases and prejudices with which they were faced. On the average, they earned less than men. Their average educational level was lower, and in some cases they were discriminated against in both law (for example, divorce cases) and financial matters (for example, getting a loan).
3. The Constitution (in the 14th Amendment) might say that all “persons” had equal rights and protection under the law, but in practice, men were often “more equal”. Why, for example, were fewer women enrolled in the medical and law schools of the nation's universities? And why, for that matter, were women in the military usually found in secretarial or nursing roles?
4. Progress in many areas can only be judged state by state, for the states control such important areas as marriage and divorce laws, and most work legislation. Today about 10 percent of the all-volunteer military forces in the U.S. are women.
5. The proposed Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) failed to be ratified by enough states, and many believe that some women did not really want full equality under the law. They feared, perhaps, 'that divorce laws which treated men and women equally would often leave women with the children and very little else. Others argue that the ERA failed because too many men used such fears as an excuse to protect their own interests.
6. Despite the failure of the ERA, the fact that many women are taking their convictions to court has had a deep effect not only on how women are being treated but also on the attention their demands have received.
7. Overall, two major trends can be seen. First, there are now more laws which specifically protect women against discrimination. As a result, there have been a large number of law suits in which women claim, for instance, that a man was given a position
although a woman was equally or better qualified. During the last decade, career opportunities for women have markedly improved as a consequence.
8. Secondly, there has been a gradual, but general, improvement in how women are seen and treated in society. No one today, for example, seems surprised to see a woman driving a truck, working as a policeman, as a high school principal. Finally, the move to complete equal rights under the law has also led to a better understanding of some of the worst forms of sexual discrimination. For example, most American cities now have special health, psychiatric, and legal staff to aid in rape cases. Many support houses for abused women, and cases involving sexual harassment are being more actively prosecuted in many parts of the country.
9. Despite a series of recessions, the civilian labor force grew by 37 percent between 1970 and 1984. Between 1982 and 1985, more than 10 million new jobs were created. Reflected in these figures is a sharp rise in the proportion of women who work. In 1950, about two-thirds of American women were housewives: ten years later, about one-half were. More than two-thirds of the women between 25 and 44 are employed, and some 55 percent of married women with children work outside the home today. The proportion of women in the total labor force, presently about 44 percent, is expected to continue growing until the year 2000.
I. Прочитайте и устно переведите весь текст. Перепишите и письменно переведите абзацы 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
II. Выпишите из абзаца 8 предложения, в которых встречаются слова, имеющие —ing окончания. Переведите их на русский язык.
III. Письменно закончите предложения.
1. The Civil Rights Movement...
2. The proposed Equal Rights Amendment...
3. There has been a gradual improvement in...
4. Most American cities have...
5. During the last decade, career opportunities for women...
IV. Письменно дайте ответы на следующие вопросы.
1. Why had women of many countries taken part in the nationwide civil rights activities?
2. What is the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution about?
3. Why did the proposed Equal Rights Amendment of the U.S. fail to be ratified?
4. Are there laws which specifically protect women against discrimination in the United States and the Russian Federation?
5. How is the problem of equal rights resolved in the United States and in the Russian Federation?
Text 16
International Court of Justice
1. The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. Its Statute is an integral part of the United Nations Charter.
2. The Court is open to the parties to its Statute, which automatically includes all Members of the United Nations. A State which is not a Member of the United Nations may become a party to the Statute on conditions determined in each case by the General Assembly upon the recommendation of the Security Council.
3. All countries which are parties to the Statute of the Court can be parties to cases before it. Other States can refer cases to it under conditions laid down by the Security Council. In addition, the Security Council may recommend that a legal dispute be referred to the Court.
4. Both the General Assembly and the Security Council can ask the Court for an advisory opinion on any legal question; other organs of the United Nations and the specialized agencies, when authorized by the General Assembly, can ask for advisory opinions on legal questions within the scope of their activities.
5. Jurisdiction. The jurisdiction of the Court covers all questions which States refer to it, and all matters provided for in the United Nations Charter or in treaties or conventions in force. States may bind themselves in advance to accept the jurisdiction of the Court in special cases, either by signing a treaty or convention which provides for reference to the Court or by making a special declaration to that effect. Such declarations accepting compulsory jurisdiction may exclude certain classes of cases.
6. In accordance with Article 38 of its Statute, the Court, in deciding disputes submitted to it, applies: international conventions establishing rules recognized by the
contesting States; international custom as evidence of a general practice accepted as law;
he general principles of law recognized by nations; and judicial decisions and the teachings of the most highly qualified publicists of the various nations, as a subsidiary means for determining the rules of law.
7. Membership. The Court consists of 15 Judges elected by the General Assembly and the Security Council, voting independently. They are chosen on the basis of their qualifications, not on the basis of nationality, and care is taken to ensure that the principal legal systems of the world are represented in the Court. No two Judges can be nationals of the same State. The Judges serve for a term of nine years and may be re-elected. They cannot engage in any other occupation during their term of office.
8. The Court normally sits in plenary, but it may also form smaller units called chambers if the parties so request. Judgments given by chambers are considered as rendered by the full Court. The seat of the Court is at the Hague.
I. Прочитайте и устно переведите весь текст. Перепишите и письменно переведите абзацы 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
II. Напишите 10 вопросов по тексту.
III. Напишите изложение на английском языке «International Court of Justice».
Text 17
European Legislation
1. Ever since it joined the European Union, Britain has been subject to Community legislation. This legislation has increased since 1986, when the Single European Act provided for the creation of the Single European Market. This established ground rules for the free movement of goods, services, people and capital across the whole Union. In the 1990s the Treaties of Maastricht and Amsterdam have further amended the scope and form of European legislation.
EU Institutions
2. The Council of Ministers, the Commission and the European Parliament are the EU's three legislative organs. The main decision-making body is the Council, which consists of one Government Minister from each member .state. When, for instance, farming matters are being discussed, the UK's Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food attends with his or her European counterparts; if it is pollution control, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.
3. The Commission is the executive of the European Union. It implements the Council's decisions, initiates EU legislation and ensures that member states put it into effect. Each of the twenty Commissioners, who are drawn from all the member states (there are two from the UK), is responsible for a specific policy area, e.g. agriculture and rural development, transport. The Commissioners are entirely independent of their countries, and serve the EU as a whole.