Module 3

I.A. suspect, suspicion, innocent, offender, crime, juvenile delinquency, accuse of, blame for, put the blame on, circle (the criminal), evidence (of the crime), proof (of the crime), guilt, guilty.

B. Commit, prevent, avoid, investigate, arrest, expose, pick on somebody, chase, victimize, car chase, punish, punishment, detective, vandalism, violence.

II.Treat with respect, spot somebody (in the crowd), prejudice (prejudiced opinion or attitude), community service, take the matter to the court of law, curfew, sleep rough, be homeless, it’s up to you (the decision is yours), moratorium on capital punishment, death penalty, plead guilty (not guilty).

III.1. The public is concerned about the level of crime rate among teenagers that does not go down despite the measures taken.

2. Many teenagers break the law because they lack life experience.

3. An increase of police presence in the streets is not enough to reduce the crime rate of the underage people.

4. The psychologists are making attempts to understand the reasons of violence with the use of firearm among angry teenagers.

5. Teenagers often commit copycat crimes to achieve recognition among their peers.

6. Many teenagers have a heightened sense of fairness for which they are prepared to fight with any means.

7. Unacceptable behavior of teenagers is often explained by their desire to draw attention to themselves.

8. Teenagers try to conform to the ideals of their environment, and for this purpose they can break the socially approved norms of behavior.

9. Teenagers seek unusual experience, and that is why many of them choose extreme kinds of sport.

10. Many teenagers like to experience risks, but as they are not quite familiar with the sense of danger, they suffer from it on a number of occasions.

11. There are quite a few social schemes to help teenagers (to) find one’s place in life and (to) avoid unwanted mistakes.

12. It’s important that teenagers feel responsibility both for their own actions and the deeds of others.

IV.

1. – Have you ever heard about The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child?

– Frankly speaking, no. What do you have in mind?

– Children have the right to personal safety, privacy, leisure, education, information, expression of one’s opinion and even to change one’s name or surname.

– I wish I had known about this before.

2. – I want to understand why women’s rights are sometimes violated in the world.

– Perhaps it can be explained by political, economic and cultural reasons.

– Do you mean that women can be denied the right to take part in political life, to get the salary equally with men and may have to cover their faces in public?

– Yes, but in some European countries Muslim women fight for their right to appear in public with their faces covered.

3. – Every person has the right to a decent life, but there are still so many poor and starving people in the world.

– I agree. Mass media often report of the drought and famine in various parts of the globe.

– I wonder how people can help each other in case of disasters and catastrophes.

– Perhaps we can take part in raising charity funds.

4. – You must have heard about the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, haven’t you?

– Yes, I have, but only in general terms. What is it about (What does it say)?

– Every person has the right to freedom of expression and assembly, personal immunity and security of residence, protection from discrimination and genocide.

– Yes, nowadays this document of the United Nations Organization is very important to protect our rights when we need to defend ourselves.

5. – Last night I saw a TV programme about senior citizens and their rights.

– What channel was it?

– Channel 1. It was a talk show featuring those who live in the nursing homes.

– Well, elderly people have the right to respect, recognition of rights and a high quality of living.

V.Even in the richest (wealthiest) state one can see the homeless in the street. Very often these are young people. They become homeless for various (a variety of) reasons. Quite often it is because of a conflict with parents. Another reason is the low living standard in the family when the parents can’t support their grown child. Young people quit homes as a protest against domestic abuse. The reason for sleeping rough can be drug addiction, alcoholism and unemployment. The task of social services is to take the homeless off the street, give them a shelter, advise on (suggest) a training programme and get (return) them to normal life. It’s important for social workers not to stop (to keep) trying in their attempts to help people to find their place in life and to stand firm on both feet.