The Magna Carta
Past Simple
Task 1 Complete the sentences. Use one of the verbs in the past simple.
work die enjoy happen rain start stay arrive
1. Harry _ last Sunday.
2. It was hot in the room, so I _ the window.
3. The concert _ at 7.30 and _ at 10 o’clock.
4. The train _ on time.
5. The accident _ last Saturday afternoon.
6. It’s a nice day today, but yesterday it _ all day.
7. We _ our holiday last year. We _ at a very nice place.
8. Ann’s grandfather _ when he was 90 years old.
Task 2. Write the past simple of the irregular verbs and translate them into Russian.
know
leave
sell
bring
see
spend
begin
put say
write
read
speak
pay
buy
have
take Cut
hear
hurt
let
steal
hide
show
shoot
Task 3 Complete these sentences using the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
We stayed (stay) in Athens for a couple of days before flying to Rome.
1. I first _________ (meet) Jenny two months ago.
2. Ben ________ (get) into bed, ________ (switch) off the light and ________ (go) to sleep.
3. I _______ (see) the robber. He __________ (run) across the road.
4. Julie _____________ (love) skiing until she ___________ (break) her arm.
5. She _________ (open) the door and ________ (come) into the room.
6. It _______ (start) snowing so they ____________ (drive) home from the party.
7. I ________________ (arrive) at work and then ___________ (remember) it was Sunday!
Task 4. Write the questions.
1. Vincent van Gogh sold only two of his paintings while he was alive.
2. It snowed in Sahara Desert in 1979.
3. It took 1,700 years to build the Great Wall of China.
4. King Francis I of France bought the painting The Mona Lisa to put in his bathroom.
Past Continuous – Past Simple
Task 5. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form: the Past Continuous or the Past Simple.
When she came (come) into the room I was listening (listen) to the radio.
1. We __________ (go) down the lift when suddenly it ______________ (stop).
2. ______________ (they/have) dinner when you _____________ (call) to see them?
3. When the doorbell _________ (ring) I __________(get) up and ____________ (answer) it.
4. When I __________ (open) the door, a friend ___________ (stand) there.
5. ‘When I _________ (arrive) back at the car park, my car wasn’t there!’ ‘Oh, no! What
___________ (you/do)?’ ‘I _____________ (report) it to the police.’
Task 6. Put the verbs in brackets into the Past Continuous or the Past Simple form.
A policeman is asking Mrs Hutchinson about a car accident she happened to see yesterday.
P: What 1) were you doing when you 2) (see) the accident. Madam?
H: I 3) (walk) down the street.
P: What exactly 4) (you/see)/
H: Well, the driver of the car 5) (drive) down the road when suddenly the old man just 6) (stop) in front of him! It 7) (be) terrible!
P: Was the driver speeding?
H: No, not really, but the old man 9) (not/look) both ways before he
10) (try) to cross the road.
P: 11) (anyone else/see) the accident?
H: Yes, the lady in the post office.
P: Thank you very much.
Used to
Task 7. Put the verb in each sentence into the used to form and the other verb into the Present Simple.
When Margaret first became a doctor, she (work) in a small hospital in Brighton, but now she (work) in a large hospital in London.
1. Robert (be) interested in football, but he (not/be) very interested in it any more.
2. Nowadays Kate (never/go) dancing, but she (go) a lot before she
was married.
3. That shop (be) a grocer’s when I was a child. Now it (be) a supermarket.
4. Britain (have) a military service, but it (not/have) it any more.
5. France (be) a republic now, but it (be) a monarchy.
Past Perfect
Task 8. Complete these sentences using the correct form of the verbs in brackets.
1. She went to the supermarket, but she had (forget) her money.
2. He didn’t go to school because he (catch) a cold.
3. When he got to the station, the train (leave).
4. In the middle of the film he remembered he (see) it before.
5. Nadia said she was very sorry for what she (do).
6. It wasn’t surprising that she was tired: she (not/sleep) for two days.
7. The children were very excited because they (not/see) a tiger before.
8. The road was blocked because a lorry (break down).
9. My mother felt very nervous on the plane because she (not/fly) before.
10. When the police arrived to arrest him, Thompson (leave).
Task 7. Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use between two and five words, including the word given.
1. It was not her first visit to Prague.
been She _ Prague before.
2. They studied very hard and then took the test.
had They _ before taking the test.
3. They arrived late and missed the start of the film.
started The film _ by the time they got there.
4. She had to borrow some money after losing her purse.
had She had to borrow some money because _ her purse.
5. The noise woke her up after an hour’s sleep.
been asleep She _ for an hour when the noise woke her up.
Past Perfect Continuous
Task 8. Fill in the gaps with one of the verbs from the list in the Past Perfect Continuous.
play work argue try eat watch
Emily was angry. She had been arguing with her parents for an hour.
1. Hannah felt sick. She ___________________________________ chocolates all afternoon.
2. Allan had a headache. He _______________________________ computer games for six hours.
3. Simon was confused. He _________________________________ to win the game for hours.
4. Emily was frightened. She _____________________________ a horror film for half an hour.
5. John was very tired. He __________________________________ all night.
Task 9. Translate the texts in written form .
The Magna Carta
At the heart of the English system are two principles of government ? limited government and representative government. The idea that government was not all-powerful first appeared in the Magna Carta*, or Great Charter, that King John* * signed in 1215 under the threat of civil war. Earlier kings of England had issued charters, making promises to their barons. But these were granted by, not exacted from the king and were very generally phrased. Later the tension between the Kings and the nobility increased. Since 1199 John's barons had to be promised their rights. It is, therefore, not surprising that Stephen Langton, archbishop of Canterbury, directed baronial unrest into a demand for a solemn grant of liberties by the king. The document known as the Articles of the Barons was at last agreed upon and became the text from which the final version of the charter was drafted and sealed by John on June 15, 1215.
The Magna Carta established the principle of limited government, in which the power of the monarch, or government, was limited, not absolute. This document provided for protection against unjust punishment and the loss of life, liberty, and property except according to law. It stipulated that no citizen could be punished or kept in prison without a fair trial. Under the Magna Carta, the king agreed that certain taxes could not be levied without popular consent.
Although the Magna Carta was originally intended to protect aristocracy and not the ordinary citizens, it came in time to be regarded as a cornerstone of British liberties. It is one of the oldest written constitutional papers.
*Magna Carta — Великая Хартия Вольностей
** King John — Иоанн Безземельный, английский король
Task 10. Translate the texts in written form .
The Bill of Rights
The Bill of Rights (1689) is one of the basic instruments of the British constitution, the result of the long 17th-century struggle between the Stuart kings and the English people and Parliament. The Bill of Rights provided the foundation on which the government rested after the Revolution of 1688. The Revolution settlement made monarchy clearly conditional on the will of Parliament and provided a freedom from arbitrary government of which most Englishmen were notably proud during the 18Ih century.
The main purpose of the act was unequivocally to declare illegal various practices of James II. Among such practices proscribed were the royal prerogative of dispensing with the law in certain cases, the complete suspension of laws without the consent of Parliament, and the levying of taxes and the maintenance of a standing army in peacetime without specific parliamentary authorization. A number of clauses sought to eliminate royal interference in parliamentary matters, stressing that elections must be free and that members of Parliament must have complete freedom of speech. Certain forms of interference in the course of justice were also proscribed. The act also dealt with the proximate succession to the throne, provided the heirs were Protestants. It is the constitutional paper of great importance, which prevented the sovereign from abusing his authority.
Task 11. Get ready to speak on one of the topics (Устный ответ по одной из тем):
1. The Legal Heritage of Greece and Rome.
2. The Laws of Babylon.
3. Habeas Corpus Act (Let the Body be Brought…)
2. Laws of Babylon
One of the most detailed ancient legal codes was drawn up in about 1758 B.C. by Hammurabi, a king of Babylonia. The entire code, consisting of 282 paragraphs, was carved into a great stone pillar, which was set up in a temple to the Babylonian god Marduk so that it could be read by every citizen.
The pillar, lost for centuries after the fall of Babylon in the 16th century B.C., was rediscovered by a French archaeologist in 1901 amid the ruins of the Persian city of Susa. Hammurabi’s words were still legible. The pillar is now in the Louvre museum in Paris.
The laws laid down by Hammurabi were more extensive than any that had gone before. They covered crime, divorce and marriage, the rights of slave owners and slaves, the settlement of debts, inheritance and property contracts; there were even regulations about taxes and the prices of goods-Punishments under the code were often harsh. The cruel principle of revenue was observed: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, which meant that, criminals had to receive as punishment precisely those injuries and damages they had inflicted upon their victims. Not only murderers but also thieves and false accusers faced the death penalty. And a child who hit his father could expect to lose the hand that struck the blow. The code outlawed private blood feuds and banned the tradition by which a man could kidnap and keep the woman he wanted for his bride. In addition, the new laws took account of the circumstances of the offender as well as of the offence. So a lower-ranking citizen who lost a civil case would be fined less than an aristocrat in the same position – though he would also be awarded less if he won.
Nevertheless, Hammurabi’s laws represented an advance on earlier tribal customs, because the penalty could not be harder than the crime.
Тексты для аудиторной работы:
THE FIRST LAWS: LAWS OF BABYLON
Text 1. The Birth of Law
Rules and laws ? and the conventions or customs from which they are descended ? have been a part of human life ever since our ancestors first began to live in large and settled groups. But our knowledge is vague of laws that were in effect before the invention of writing in about 3500 B.C. The earliest known legal text was written by Ur-Nammu, a king of the Mesopotamian city of Ur, in about 2100 B.C. It dealt largely with compensation for bodily injuries, and with the penalties for witchcraft and runaway slaves.
Text 2. Laws of Babylon
One of the most detailed ancient legal codes was drawn up in about 1758 B.C. by Hammurabi, a king of Babylonia. The entire code, consisting of 282 paragraphs, was carved into a great stone pillar, which was set up in a temple to the Babylonian god Marduk so that it could be read by every citizen.
The pillar, lost for centuries after the fall of Babylon in the 16th century B.C., was rediscovered by a French archaeologist in 1901 amid the ruins of the Persian city of Susa. Hammurabi’s words were still legible. The pillar is now in the Louvre museum in Paris.
The laws laid down by Hammurabi were more extensive than any that had gone before. They covered crime, divorce and marriage, the rights of slave owners and slaves, the settlement of debts, inheritance and property contracts; there were even regulations about taxes and the prices of goods. Punishments under the code were often harsh. The cruel principle of revenge was observed: an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, which meant that criminals had to receive as punishment precisely those injuries and damages they had inflicted upon their victims. Not only murderers but also thieves and false accusers faced the death penalty. And a child who hit his father could expect to lose the hand that struck the blow.
The code outlawed private blood feuds and banned the tradition by which a man could kidnap and keep the woman he wanted for his bride. In addition, the new laws took account of the circumstances of the offender as well as of the offence. So a lower-ranking citizen who lost a civil case would be fined less than an aristocrat in the same position ? though he would also be awarded less if he won.
Nevertheless, Hammurabi's laws represented an advance on earlier tribal customs, because the penalty could not be harder than the crime.
Найдите в тексте эквиваленты следующих слов:
Вор
Клеветник
правонарушитель
правонарушение
смертная казнь
наказание
Штрафовать
получать компенсацию
кровная месть
налоги
наследство
долги
цены на товары
Ответьте на следующие вопросы к тексту 2.:
1. Why do you think Hammurabi decided to have his laws carved into a pillar?
2. Why was the pillar set up in a temple?
3. What spheres of human life were covered by Hammurabi’s code? Explain the choice.
4. How do you understand the principle "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth"?
5. In your opinion, were punishments always fair?
6. Why do you think people of different ranks were treated differently by Hammurabi’s code?
THE FIRST LAWS: ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME
Text 3. The Legal Heritage of Greece and Rome
The ancient Greeks were among the first to develop a concept of law that separated everyday law from religious beliefs. Before the Greeks most civilizations attributed their laws to their gods or goddesses. Instead, the Greeks believed that laws were made by the people for the people.
In the seventh century B.C., Draco* drew up Greece's first comprenensive written code of laws. Under Draco's code death was the punishment for most offences. Thus, the term draconian usually applies to extremely harsh measures.
Several decades passed before Solon ? poet, military hero, and ultimately Athens’ lawgiver ? devised a new code of laws. Trial by jury, an ancient Greek tradition was retained, but enslaving debtors was prohibited as were most of the harsh punishments of Draco's code. Under Solon's law citizens of Athens were eligible to serve in the assembly and courts were established in which they could appeal government decisions.
What the Greeks may have contributed to the Romans was the concept of “natural law.” In essence, natural law was based on the belief that certain basic principles are above the laws of a nation. These principles arise from the nature of people. The concept of natural law and the development of the first true legal system had a profound effect on the modern world.
Text 4. Solon (b. 630 ? d. 560 B.C.)
Solon, the Athenian statesman, is known as one of the Seven Wise Men of Greece. He ended exclusive aristocratic control of the government, substituted a system of control by the wealthy, and introduced a new and more humane law code. He was also a noted poet.
Unfortunately it was not until the 5th century B.C. that accounts of his life and works began to be put together, mostly on the evidence of his poems and his law code. Although certain details have a legendary ring, the main features of his story seem to be reliable. Solon was of noble descent but moderate means.
He first became prominent in about 600 B.C. The early 6th century was a troubled time for the Athenians. Society was dominated by an aristocracy of birth, who owned the best land, monopolized the government, and were themselves split into rival factions. The social, economic, and political evils might well have culminated in a revolution and subsequent tyranny (dictatorship), as they had in other Greek states, had it not been for Solon, to whom Athenians of all classes turned in the hope of a generally satisfactory solution of their problems. Because he believed in moderation and in an ordered society in which each class had its proper place and function, his solution was not revolution but reform.
Solon's great contribution to the future good of Athens was his new code of laws. The first written code at Athens, that of Draco, was still in force. Draco's laws were shockingly severe (hence the term draconian) so severe that they were said to have been written not in ink but in blood. On the civil side they permitted enslavement for debt, and death seems to have been the penalty for almost all criminal offenses. Solon revised every statute except that on homicide and made Athenian law altogether more humane.
THE FOUNDATION OF BRITISH LAW: HABEAS CORPUS ACT
Text 5. "Let the Body Be Brought..."
In Britain, the United States and many other English-speaking countries, the law of Habeas Corpus guarantees that nobody can be held in prison without trial. Habeas Corpus became a law because of a wild party held in 1621 at the London home of a notoriously rowdy lady, Alice Robinson. When a constable appeared and asked her and her guests to quiet down, Mrs. Robinson allegedly swore at him so violently that he arrested her, and a local justice of the peace committed her to jail.
When she was finally brought to trial, Mrs. Robinson's story of her treatment in prison caused an outcry. She had been put on a punishment diet of bread and water, forced to sleep on the bare earth, stripped, and given fifty lashes. Such treatment was barbaric even by the harsh standards of the time; what made it worse was that Mrs. Robinson was pregnant.
Public anger was so great that she was acquitted, the constable who had arrested her without a warrant was himself sent to prison, and the justice of the peace was severely reprimanded. And the case, along with other similar cases, led to the passing of the Habeas Corpus Act in: Britain in 1679. The law is still on the British statute books, and a version of it is used in the United States, where the law is regarded as such an important guarantee of liberty that Article 1 of the U.S. Constitution declares that "Habeas Corpus shall not be suspended except in cases of rebellion or invasion".
Habeas Corpus is part of a Latin phrase — Habeas corpus ad subjiciendum — that means "Let the body be brought before the judge." In effect, a writ of Habeas Corpus is an order in the name of the people (or, in Britain, of the sovereign) to produce an imprisoned person in court at once.
TASK I. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words am expressions:
1. мировой судья
2. ордер на арест
3. варварское отношение
4. восстание, мятеж, бунт
5. вторжение, нападение, нашествие
6. недовольство общественности
7. печально известный, пользующийся дурной славой
8. заключить в тюрьму
9. вызвать гневный протест
10. привести к принятию закона ,
11. получить строгий выговор
12. предстать перед судом
13. быть оправданным
14. быть приостановленным
15. от имени народа / монарха
THE EUROPEAN LAW IN THE 19TH CENTURY: NAPOLEONS CODE
Text 6. Napoleon's Law
The laws of much of continental Europe (particularly France), of Quebec in Canada, and of much of Latin America ? along with the civil laws of Louisiana ? owe their modern form largely to the work of a man who never even studied law. Napoleon Bonaparte, the Corsican soldier who became emperor of France after the French Revolution, established in 1800 five commissions to refine and organise the diverse legal systems of France. The result, enacted in 1804, was Napoleon's Code.
Some of its original 2,281 articles were drafted by Napoleon himself, and all were affected by his thinking, even though he was completely self-taught in legal matters. The code was a triumphant attempt to create a legal system that treated all citizens as equals without regard to their rank or previous privileges. It was also so clearly written that it could be read and understood by ordinary people at a time when only Latin scholars could make sense of the earlier laws handed down since Roman times. The code was adopted intact in most of the areas of Europe that Napoleon dominated and spread from there across the Atlantic, taking root particularly in French-speaking American communities. Many of its principles are still in force today.
TASK 1. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and expressions:
1. вопросы права
2. изучать право
3. различные, несхожие правовые системы
4. создать правовую систему
5. император
6. гражданское право
7. первоначальный вариант статей
8. подвергаться влиянию чьих-либо идей
9. передавать (из поколения в поколение)
10. господствовать, властвовать
11. обращаться как с равными
12. разобраться в чем-то
13. приживаться, укореняться
14. быть в силе
15. без учета привилегий
Лексический минимум
body injuries
телесные повреждения
племенной
жертва
accuser обвинитель
advance продвижение вперед, успех, прогресс, достижение
bride невеста
circumstances обстоятельства
citizen гражданин
civil case гражданское дело
code of laws свод законов
compensation компенсация
comprehensive всесторонний, полный, всеобъемлющий
concept понятие, идея; концепция
convention соглашение, договорённость
court суд; амер. судья; судьи
custom обычай, традиция
customs обычай, традиция
damage убыток, ущерб
death смерть
death penalty смертная казнь
eligible имеющий право, могущий быть избранным
false ложный, фальшивый
feud бессрочная аренда коронной земли
harsh суровый, строгий (о законе, наказании)
harsh жесткий, суровый
heritage наследство; наследие
lawgiver законодатель
legal правовой, юридический; судебный
measure мера
natural law естественное право
offence преступление, правонарушение
offender преступник
penalty наказание; взыскание; штраф
punishment кара, наказание
punishment кара, наказание
rank звание, чин, социальное положение
revenge месть, мщение, отмщение
runaway беглый, сбежавший
slave невольник, раб
thief (-ves) вор
under the law по закону, в соответствии с законом
victim жертва
witchcraft магия
written записанный, написанный
to accuse обвинять
to arise (from) происходить, проистекать
to award присуждать, награждать
to ban налагать запрет, защищать
to develop разработать, развивать
to devise a code of laws разрабатывать, продумывать
to establish учреждать
to face сталкиваться лицом к лицу(c чем-л)
to fine налагать взыскание, штраф
to inflict наносить, причинять
to lose проиграть
to observe соблюдать
to outlaw объявлять незаконным; запрещать
to prohibit запрещать
to receive получать
to represent означать; символизировать; олицетворять
to strike a blow наносить удар
to take into account принимать во внимание
Контрольная работа большая и сложная.
