Read the following descriptions. Each of them refers to numerical information that you will hear on the tape.

__________1. The date the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment was unconstitutional

__________2. The date when capital punishment was reinstated

__________3. The number of executions that have been carried out since capital punishment was reinstated

__________4. The percentage of people in the United States who say they favour the death penalty in cases of murder

__________5. The people in the United States who say they favour the death penalty in cases of murder, expressed as a fraction

__________6. The number of murders per 100,000 people per year in the United States

__________7. The number of murders per 100,000 people per year in Japan

__________8. The number of murders per 100,000 people per year in France

Now listen and write the correct numbers in the blanks. Then compare your answers with a partner.

3. You will hear and take notes on a lecture given by Jonathan Stack, a filmmaker who has made several documentaries on prisons. Mr. Stack frequently lectures on criminal justice. The title of this lecture isThe Death Penalty.

Using your notes, complete the following summary of the lecture. You will need to use more than one word in most of the blanks.

The Death Penalty

Mr. Jonathan Stack

Mr. Stack said that the death penalty is the most ______________________ issue in criminal justice. He does not believe in capital punishment. His first argument was that capital punishment does not ______________________ crime. Some states that practice this form of punishment also have high rates of ______________________. Secondly, he argued that capital punishment is not fair. The majority of people sentenced to death are _____________________.

Furthermore, a higher percentage of ______________________ are likely to be executed than whites. Finally, he pointed out that because we are human, we sometimes ______________________. He gave an example from the state of Illinois, where ______________________. He concluded by arguing that killing someone is ______________________.

Compare your summary with a partner. Remember that the ideas should be similar, but the words you use do not have to be exactly the same.

Continue the table below with the following words and expressions describing polar views. The first few are done for you.

· con

· objection to smth

· defender

· pro

· supporter

· to accept smth

· to admit smth

· to agree to/with smth

· to confirm smth

· to consent to smth

· to contradict to smth

· to deny smth

· to disagree with smth

· to object to smth

· to oppose smth

· to reject smth

Speaking 3

Consider everything you read and heard about capital punishment. Discuss the pros and cons in small groups. List them on the chart below. Then form different small groups, and compare your charts.

/Adapted from Academic listening encounters: life in society. Student’s Book. Kim Sanabria/

2. Work in small groups and discuss these questions:

1. Which punishment do you prefer for people convicted of murder: the death penalty or life in prison with no chance of parole?

2. Do you agree or disagree with the statements below? Give reasons.

a. The death penalty is fair because it prevents killers from killing again.

b. The death penalty is unfair because sometimes an innocent person is executed.

c. The death penalty is unfair because it's applied differently from county to county and state to state.

d. The death penalty is fair because it gives satisfaction and closure to the families of murder victims.

e. The death penalty is fair because it's an eye for an eye -- the killer is killed.

f. The death penalty is unfair because it's applied unequally to blacks compared to whites.

3. Do you think the moratorium on state executions in Russia should be lifted?

Writing 3

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 2052