Key vocabulary

China’s death penalty reform

Task 1 DEATH PENALTY METHODS: Talk about the following methods of capital punishment that are used around the world. What are the worst things about each method?

· Hanging

· Lethal injection

· Guillotine

· Beheading

· Firing squad

· Electrocution (electric chair)

· Stoning

· Gas chamber

Task 2 AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL: Discuss the following statement from Amnesty International about the death penalty: “The death penalty is the ultimate, irreversible denial of human rights. [It is] a system riddled with economic and racial bias and tainted by human error. ”

Task 3 DEBATES : Debate each of the arguments about the death penalty below. Student A agrees with the first argument, Student B, with the second.

1. All killing is wrong. vs. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

2. It saves taxpayers’ money – no prison bills. vs. No price can be put on human life.

3. The death penalty reduces the number of crimes. vs. Not true.

4. The death penalty takes away human rights. vs. So does multiple murder.

5. Mistakes are made. Innocent people die. vs. No system is perfect.

6. The death penalty gives society the message that killing is OK. vs. That’s not true.

7. Executed ‘terrorists’ may become ‘martyrs’. vs. Society wants terrorists to die.

8. It provides closure for victims’ families. vs. That’s a poor reason to kill someone.

9. Most of the public supports the death penalty. vs. Not true.

Key vocabulary

o capital punishment

o death sentence

o execute

o miscarriage

o cautiously

o atrocious

высшая мера наказания

смертный приговор

приводить в исполнение, казнить

ошибка

осторожно, осмотрительно

жестокий, ужасный, отвратительный

Task 4 SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

a. announced 1. mistakes

b review 2. criminals

c. process 3. carefully

d. miscarriages 4. examine

e. cautiously 5. declared

f. put together 6. found

g. estimates 7. system

h. discovered 8. monstrous

i. felons 9. combined

j. atrocious 10. guesses

Task 5 PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article:

a. China has announced it will 1. hands of local courts

b. its top court will review 2. were executed last year

c. out of the 3. how many people are killed

d. reduce the number of miscarriages 4. executions

e. wrongful 5. recently discovered

f. China’s government refuses to say 6. change its system

g. more than 3, 400 people 7. by firing squad

h. One case was 8. to avoid error

i. a man executed 9. all death sentences

j. …must be fair 10. of justice

Task 6 Listen to the recording. Agree or disagree with the following statements.

a.     China is going to change its system of capital punishment.                                           T / F

b.     Local courts will be able to use capital punishment for more crimes.                         T / F

c.     The reform may cut the number of death sentences by a third.                               T / F

d.     A leading judge said there should be more executions.                                           T / F

e.     China executes more people than all other countries combined.                               T / F

f.     Amnesty International says China executes 340, 000 people a year.                           T / F

g.     The 16 victims of a man who was executed were found alive.                                  T / F

h.     The death penalty is reserved for felons guilty of atrocious crimes.                           T / F

Task 7     Listen to the recording again and fill in the gaps.

China has announced it will change its system of _____________ so that its top court will review all death sentences. This transfers decision making ______________ of local courts, which often make mistakes and _________ innocent people. The new process should reduce the number of _____________of justice. The new system could also reduce the _______________ of death sentences in China by a third. The ___________ of the Supreme People’s Court, Chief Justice Xiao Yang, said: “As few executions as possible should be carried out and as ___________ as possible, to avoid wrongful executions. ”

China executes ___________ each year than all other countries put together. China’s government ___________ to say how many people are killed, but Amnesty International estimates more than _______ people were executed last year. Amnesty claims many of these people were ___________ executed. One case was recently discovered, ____________after the execution took place. The supposed victim of a man executed by firing squad was found _________________. Mr. Yang said capital punishment “is reserved for [criminals] guilty of the most atrocious ___________” but must be fair to avoid error.

Task 8 Answer the questions

1. How will Chinese system of capital punishment be changed?

2. Are innocent people often executed in China?

3. Are many people in China sentenced to death?

4. Do you think the death penalty keeps crime at a lower rate?

5. How can a court be 100 percent sure that someone is guilty?

6. Is there a “kindest” way of executing someone?

7. Do you think capital punishment is the same as murder?

8. People sentenced to death often have to wait five years before they are executed. What do you think of this?

Task 9 Speak about China’s death penalty reform.

Task 10 CRIME AND PUNISHMENT: Discuss and agree on the correct punishment for people found guilty of each of these crimes:

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