C. Judges in Great Britain
TASK 1. Before listening to the tape, read the following text and answer the questions
In Britain, the vast majority of judges (that is, the people who decide what should be done with people who commit crimes) are unpaid. They are called "Magistrates", or "Justices of the Peace" (JPs). They are ordinary citizens who are selected not because they have any legal training but because they have "sound common sense" and understand their fellow human beings. They give up tune voluntarily.
A small proportion of judges are not Magistrates. They are called "High Court Judges" and they deal with the most serious crimes, such as those for which the criminal might be sent to prison for more than a year. High Court Judges, unlike Magistrates, are paid salaries by the State and have considerable legal training.
Magistrates are selected by special committees in every town and district. Nobody, not even the Magistrates themselves, knows who is on the special committee in their area. The committee tries to draw Magistrates from as wide a variety of professions and social classes as possible.
On this tape, a Magistrate describes the sort of people who come before him, gives examples of a few typical cases and finally talks about the difficulty of deciding between when to help a person and when to punish him.
1.What kind of people are Magistrates?
2.Why are they selected?
3.Who would judge a person who had committed a crime like murder?
4.Who selects Magistrates and what is unusual about the system?
5.What does the Magistrate on the tape talk about?
TASK 3. Match each word or expression on the left with the correct definition on the right
a) inadequate1. the main impression
b) punishment2. not to have enough sympathy
c) overwhelming impression3. treat too softly
d) insufficiently concerned with4. inadequacies
e) shortcomings5. the prison sentence or fine given to a criminal
f) molly - coddle6. used for people who somehow
lack the necessary intelligence or maturity to
make a success of their lives