English для юристов. Гончар

Part ІI. BASIC COURSE

2.A. Here are some simple instructions on “How to rob a bank”. Put them in order.

___You go in.

___Someone sets off the alarm.

___You put stocking over you head.

___The police arrive.

___One person waits in the car.

___You steal a car.

___You rush out.

___You make the customer lie on the floor.

___You drive to the bark.

___You change the number plates.

___You get our your shotguns.

___The bank clerk hands over the money.

DISCUSSION

B. What is the fair punishment for this crime?

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Module 7 Unit 3

Text: European Union (part 2)

Vocabulary in use

Pre reading tasks

1.Describe the nowadays relations between your country and European Union? Is your country a member of it?

2.Match the following English words and expressions with their Ukrainian equivalents:

Reading tasks

1.Read the text to understand what information is of primary im portance or new for you.

THE EUROPEAN UNION (part 2)

The European Parliament (EP) is the democratic voice of the peoples of Europe. Directly elected every five years, the members of the European Parliament (MEPs) sit not in national blocs but in seven political groups. Each group reflects the political ideology of the national parties to which its members belong. Some MEPs are not attached to any political group. In the European election of June 1999, nearly 30 % of the MEPs elected were women.

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Part ІI. BASIC COURSE

Parliament’s principal roles are as follows:

–to examine and adopt European legislation. Under the co5 decision procedure, Parliament shares this power equally with the Council of Ministers;

–to approve the EU budget;

–to exercise democratic control over the other EU institutions;

–to assent to important international agreements such as the acces5 sion of new EU Member States and trade or association agreements between the EU and other countries.

As with national parliaments, the EP has parliamentary committees to deal with particular issues (foreign affairs, budget, environment and so on). Via one of these, the Committee on Petitions, European citizens can also submit petitions directly to the European Parliament. The Parliament elects the European Ombudsman, who investigates co5 mplaints from citizens about maladministration in the EU.

The Council of the European Union — formerly known as the Council of Ministers 5is the main legislative and decision5making body in the EU. It brings together the representatives of the all the Member State governments, which you elect at national level. It is the forum in which the representatives of your governments can assert their interests and reach compromises. They meet regularly at the level of working groups, ambassadors, ministers or — when they decide the major policy guidelines — at the level of presidents and prime ministers, i.e. as the European Council.

The Council — together with the European Parliament — sets the rules for all the activities of the European Community (EC), which forms the first «pillar» of the EU. It covers the single market and most of the EU’s common policies, and guarantees freedom of movement for goods, persons, services and capital.

In addition, the Council is the main responsible for the second and third «pillars», i.e. intergovernmental cooperation on common foreign and security policy and on justice and home affairs. That means, for example, that your governments are working together within the EU to combat terrorism and drug trafficking. They are joining their forces to speak with one voice in external affairs, assisted by the High Representative for common foreign and security policy.

The European Commission does a lot of the day5to5day work in the European Union.

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Module 7. Unit 3

It drafts proposals for new European laws, which it presents to the European Parliament and the Council. The Commission makes sure that EU decisions are properly implemented and supervises the way EU funds are spent. It also keeps an eye out to see that everyone abides by the European treaties and European law.

The European Commission consists of 20 women and men (more in 2004), assisted by about 24 000 civil servants. The President is chosen by the governments of the EU Member States and must be approved by the European Parliament. The other members are nominated by the member governments in consultation with the incoming president and must also be accepted by Parliament.

The Commission is appointed for a five5year term, but it can be dismissed by Parliament.

The Commission acts independently of the governments of the Member States. Many, but not all, of its staff work in Brussels, Belgium.

Court of Justice. When common rules are decided in the EU, it is of course vital that they are also followed in practice — and that they are understood in the same way everywhere. This is what the Court of Justice of the European Communities ensures. It settles disputes over how the EU treaties and legislation are interpreted. If national courts are in doubt about how to apply EU rules they must ask the Court of Justice. Individual persons can also bring proceedings against EU institutions before the Court. It consists of one independent judge from each EU country and is located in Luxembourg.

European Court of Auditors. The funds available to the EU must be used legally, economically and for the intended purpose. The Court of Auditors, an independent EU institution located in Luxembourg, is the body that checks how EU money is spent. In effect, these audit5 ors help European taxpayers to get better value for the money that has been channelled into the EU.

The European Central Bank is in charge of the single currency, the euro. The Bank independently manages European monetary policy — deciding, for example, how high interest rates should be. The Bank’s main objective is to ensure price stability, so that the European economy will not be damaged by inflation. But the monetary policy also supports other political objectives decided in the EU. The Euro5 pean Central Bank is based in Frankfurt in Germany. It is managed by a president and an executive board in close cooperation with the national central banks of the EU countries.

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Part ІI. BASIC COURSE

The European Investment Bank lends money for investment projects of European interest, in particular projects that benefit less well5off regions. It finances, for example, rail links, motorways, airports, environmental schemes, and (via partner banks) investment by small businesses (SMEs) that helps create jobs and growth. Loans also suppo t the Union’s enlargement process and its development aid policy. The Bank is based in Luxembourg and raises its funds on the capital markets. As a non5profit organisation it is able to lend on favourable terms.

The Economic and Social Committee. Ranging from employers to trade unions and from consumers to ecologists, the 222 members (more in 2004) of the Economic and Social Committee represent all of the most important interest groups in the EU. It is an advisory body and has to give its opinion on important aspects of new EU initiatives. This is part of the common European tradition of involving civil society in political life.

The Committee of the Regions. Many decisions taken in the EU have direct implications at the local and regional level. Through the Committee of the Regions, local and regional authorities are consulted before the EU takes decisions in fields such as education, health, employment or transport. The Committee’s 222 members (more in 2004) are often leaders of regions or mayors of cities.

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2. Answer the following questions using the information from the text:

1.What are the principle roles of the European Parliament?

2.What is the main legislative body in the EU?

3.What does the Council of the EU do together with the European Parliament?

4.What forms the second and third «pillar» of the EU?

5.What is the composition of the European Commission? How are the members nominated?

6.Which body ensures the right application of the EU rules?

7.What is the function of the European Court of Auditors?

8.What are the European Central Bank and the European Investment Bank in charge of?

9.Why is the Committee of the Regions called in this way? What is it called upon?

3.There are the words used in the text several times such as European.

Find them and give the expressions containing these words.

4.PREPOSITIONS. Choose the right preposition in brackets according to the contents of the sentences (via, of, on, in, against, before, by).

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Part ІI. BASIC COURSE

1.Intergovernmental cooperation … common foreign and security policy forms the second «pillar» of the EU.

2.The European Commission ensures that everyone abides …the European Treaties and European Law.

3.Any person can bring proceeding …EU institutions …the Court of Justice.

4.What is the European Central Bank in charge …?

5.Is the European Investment Bank able to lend money …favourable terms?

6.The European tradition of involving society … political life is a part of new EU initiative.

7.The European Investment Bank finances less well5off regions …partner banks.

8.If you are …doubt about how to spend a week5end, go to Europe, you won’t be sorry.

5.The political structure of the EU includes three branches. Which bodies represent the corresponding legislative, executive and judicial branches. Summarise their functions according to the group.

6.Work in pairs. Your friend would like to know as much as possible about the bodies of the EU. Help him formulate 9 questions on the main EU institutions and answer them. Use the text if necessary.

BUILD UP YOUR VOCABULARY

7.Find an odd word in the following chains, explain your choice:

currency5 euro5 taxpayer5inflation5budget5loans; MEPs5civil servants5taxpayers5ambassadors5 ministers; dispute5complaint5proposal5proceedings against;

to draft5to adopt5to implement5to apply5to belong

8.Using synonyms and antonyms we can avoid repetitions, find in the text the following words:

Antonyms for — to borrow, profit, dependent, employee, to appoint, external;

Synonyms for — assist, prosperous, aim, agreement, very impor5 tant, to establish;

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Module 7. Unit 3

Post reading tasks

1.In the table above the number of votes in the Council of the EU and the number of members of the European Parliament are presented. Compare two columns. Why are they different in figures? Use the information from the text and speak on the principle functions of the European Parliament and the Council of the EU.

2.Read the text and fill in the gaps with the words from the box below:

The federalization is the main trend of development of the Euro5 pean communities and the Union since the moment of their estab5 lishment and till now. The most fundamental achievements on this path are:

5 the creation of a … as a basis for the single internal market of the EU;

5 the creation of an economic and financial … based on the single … unit of EU — the Euro (not yet participated by Britain, Denmark, and Sweden);

5 the creation of the Schengen … and introducing a single … for foreigners on the basis of the Schengen Agreements;

5 the development and carrying out by the EU institutions of the common policy in various …: a common agricultural policy, a policy of competition, …, transport, ecological policy etc.;

5 the formation of the EU legislation — an independent legal system regulating many important spheres of social … with the participation of Member States, juridical persons, and common citizens;

In the beginning of the 21st century the European Union entered a new … of transformations aimed at making this organization a more democratic one capable of efficient functioning in the conditions of about thirty Member States.

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Module 8 Unit 1

Text: Judiciary

Vocabulary in use

Pre reading tasks

1.Give the definition of the legal term judiciary? Predict the list of words which to your mind could be used in the text.

2.Match the following English words and expressions with their Ukrainian equivalents:

Reading tasks

1.Scan the text and note all the words and phrases that you think are terms closely connected with the judicial system of a country. Compare them with the words which you have predicted.

JUDICIARY

Article III of the United States Constitution establishes the judicial branch as one of the three separate and distinct branches of the fed5 eral government. The other two are the legislative and executive branches.

The federal courts are often called the guardians of the Constitution because their rulings protect rights and liberties guaranteed by the

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Module 8. Unit 1

Constitution. Through fair and impartial judgments, the federal courts interpret and apply the law to resolve disputes. The courts do not make the laws. That is the responsibility of Congress. Nor do the courts have the power to enforce the laws*. That is the role of the President and the many executive branch departments and agencies.

The Founding Fathers of the nation considered an independent federal judiciary essential to ensure fairness and equal justice for all citizens of the United States. The Constitution they drafted promotes judicial independence in two major ways. First, federal judges are appo5 inted for life, and they can be removed from office only through impeachment and conviction by Congress of «Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanours.» Second, the Constitution provides that the compensation of federal judges «shall not be di5 minished during their Continuance in Office»**, which means that neither the President nor Congress can reduce the salary of a federal judge. These two protections help an independent judiciary to decide cases free from popular passions and political influence.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the federal judiciary. Congress has established two levels of federal courts under the Supreme Court: the trial courts and the appellate courts.

The United States district courts are the trial courts of the federal court system. Within limits set by Congress and the Constitution, the district courts have jurisdiction to hear nearly all categories of federal cases, including both civil and criminal matters. There are 94 federal judicial districts, including at least one district in each state, the Dist5 rict of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Each district includes a United States bankruptcy court as a unit of the district court. Three territor5 ies of the United States — the Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands — have district courts that hear federal cases, including bankruptcy cases.

The 94 judicial districts are organized into 12 regional circuits, each of which has a United States court of appeals. A court of appeals hears appeals from the district courts located within its circuit, as well as appeals from decisions of federal administrative agencies. In addition, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has nationwide jurisdiction to hear appeals in specialized cases, such as those involving patent laws and cases decided by the Court of International Trade and the Court of Federal Claims.

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