Transcript Document

Unit 3 More Crime and Less Punishment
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教学目的
1. 了解美国司法制度中的关键概念。
2. 学习文中一些长句的写法。
3. 学习议论性文体中显著的写作特征。
4. 通过课文理解与主题讨论使学生能够使用相关短语与表达方式。
教学内容
1. 讲述美国司法制度中的陪审团制度与主要司法原则
2. 课文的理解与分析
3. 表达方式的学习与强化
4. 议论文的写作技巧
5. 学生辩论
教学重点
1. 课文的理解与分析
2．文中大量表达方式的学习与强化
3. 议论文的写作技巧
教学方法
讲授，问答，辩论，练习
教学手段
播放PowerPoint
I.
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Background information
A.
About the author Richard Moran
Richard Moran is a criminologist and a leading
expert on the insanity defense, capital punishment,
and the history of the electric chair. The author
of numerous articles and reviews, Moran has also
written articles for the Washington Post,
Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, and
Newsweek. The Executioner's Current It is the
story of how the electric chair developed out of
an effort by one nineteenth-century electric
company to discredit the other.
I.
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Background information
B. Alcatraz Island
Alcatraz Island is one of Golden Gate National Recreation
Area's most popular destinations, offering a close-up look
at a historic and infamous federal prison. Visitors to the
island cannot only explore the remnants of the prison, but
can also learn about the Indian occupation of 1969 - 1971,
early military fortifications (the first U.S. fort on the
coast), and the West Coast's first (and oldest operating)
lighthouse. These structures and the island's many natural
features are being preserved by the National Park Service
which is working to make it accessible to visitors, preserve
its buildings, protect its birds and other wildlife, and
interpret its history.
II.
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Warm-up
1. What do you now about jury system
in America?
2. What is the guiding principle in
criminal court in America?
3. What are the advantages and
disadvantages of the principle?
4. What expressions do you know about
crime, law and court?
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Jury system
The Jury trial is an important component in the
judicial system. The jury consists of 12 jurors,
selected at random, which will, after hearing all
the evidence and cross-examination, give a verdict
of guilty or innocent. Then, the judge will pass
sentence.
In many jurisdictions, the majority of a jury is
not sufficient to find a defendant guilty, all 12
members must agree to the person’s guilt.
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Guiding principle
The court must prove the accused person’s guilt
beyond a reasonable doubt. In other words, the
accused is held innocent until proved guilty.
In theory, the concept makes sure that a case is
not misjudged and that an innocent person is not
unjustly treated.
However, in other cases, this may help criminals
to escape punishment for his lawyer can always
raise a reasonable doubt concerning the evidence
or the trustworthiness of the witnesses. Also,
collecting evidence and having a trial or even
summon a jury cost a lot of money.
Famous trail of O.J. Simpson
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Simpson, famous American football player
and actor, was charged with murdering his
former wife and her boy friend and
eventually declared innocent.
The jury spent three hours deliberating the
case that had produced 150 witnesses over
133 days and had cost $15 million to try.
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Expressions related to crime, law and court
Correctional personnel
to
prosecute sb
parole
to
imprison/jail a criminal
crime rate
to supervise
a criminal
arrest record
to execute a
murderer
property crime
III.
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New words
Get familiar with the new words and
expressions in Glossary.
Pay attention to the pronunciation
and special usage.
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Text analysis
A.
General analysis
Part I (para.1-3) Introduction of the
central idea: punishment does not reduce
crime
Part II (para. 4-9) Why punishment doesn't
deter crime.
Part III (para. 10) Conclusion: getting
tough with criminals is not the answer to
the crime problem. B.
B.
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Detailed analysis
Part one
Questions:
1) The best estimates suggest that 36 to 40
million people have arrest records for nontraffic
offenses. (para.1)
Paraphrase the sentence.
2) We already have 2.4 million people under some
form of correctional supervision.（para.1）
What is meant by ‘under some form of correctional
supervision”?
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3) The painful fact is that the more crime
there is the less we ate able to punish it.
(para.2)Analyze the grammatical structure
of the sentence.
4) We think that punishment deters crime,
but it just might be the other way around.
(para. 3) Paraphrase the sentence.
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Text analysis
Part two
Questions:1) Just as the decline in the number of
high-school graduates …made it more difficult to
get into prison. (para.4)
Explain the use of “as” here. What are being
compared in this sentence?
2） While elite colleges and universities still
have high standards of admissions, some of the
more “exclusive” prisons now require about five
prior serious crimes before an inmate is accepted
into their correctional program. (para. 4)
Define “elite colleges”, “exclusive prisons”, and
“prior serious crimes”.
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3）Our current crop of prinsoners is an
elite group…. (para.4)
Paraphrase the sentence.
4) Yet when measured against the lower
crime rates…are not worth the cost to
state and local governments. (para.7)
Explain the first part of the sentence.
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5) Besides, those states that have tried to gain
voters’ approval for bonds to build new prisons
often discover…. (para.7)
What does “bonds” mean here? What do the bonds
have to do with the voters’ approval?
6) While it is not possible to know the true
amount of crime committed by people released from
prison in any given year, … (para. 8)
Explain the use of “while” and the meaning of the
word “given” here.
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7) …this would amount to only 15,000 crimes
prevented: a drop in the bucket when measured
against the 41 million crimes committed each year.
(para. 8)
Paraphrase the sentence.
8) The first-year operation cost would be…
worth it if the victim were you or me, but much
too expensive to be feasible as a national policy.
(para. 9)
Why worth it if we were the victims, but no
feasible as a national policy?
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Part three Question: What is the
conclusion of the author?
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Writing skills
A. Statistical Information
In an argumentative piece of writing,
statistical evidence is convincing. In this
article, the author chiefly uses
statistical evidence including exact
statistical information ( on he reimprisonment of paroled criminals) and
approximate statistics (on the crime rate
of the U. S.)
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C.
Selective Use of Repetition
Repetition is used for emphasis
and expression of a strong feeling.
In Para. 6, the structure “of
the /every… only/about” is used five
times for emphasis.
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B.
Rhetorical Questions
These are questions that do not
expect an answer but express a strong
feeling, opinion or impression.
Can we send them to prison?
Can we execute more than 22,000
murderers?
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D. Analogy
It is the comparison of two unlike
things for the purpose of
illustration. The comparison is
possible because the two things have
something in common.
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comparison is possible because the two things have
something in common.
In Para. 4, the writer compares a criminal’s
acceptance into a prison with e admission of a
high-school graduate to a college.
More examples: Judicious praise is to children
what the sun is to flowers.
The growth of alternative mental interests is a
long process. The seeds must be carefully chosen;
they must fall on good ground; they must be
sedulously tended, if the vivifying fruits are to
be at hand when needed
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E.
language and style
Formal essay
(words and expressions)
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1. convince persuade
convince, make sb. believe that something
is true
He failed to convince the jury of his
innocence.
persuade, make sb agree to do something by
giving them reasons why they should.
Nobody would persuade her to change her
mind.
How can I persuade you of my sincerity?
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2. refuse reject
refuse is more positive, often
implying decisiveness.
decline means to refuse courteously.
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reject means a throwing away, a
discarding, or abandoning of someone
or
something as unsatisfactory,
defective, or useless.
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3. commit
To make somebody agree or promise to do
something
The agreement commits them to a minimum
number of performances per year.
To use available things or people for a
particular purpose.
They’ll have to commit more money to the
project if it’s to succeed.
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To give someone or something to someone
else to look after
They commit a child to a doctor’s care.
Commit oneself
to give a definite
opinion
Chairman refused to commit himself on the
controversial subject before making
investigations.
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4. deter
The rain didn't deter people from coming
to the game.
The university enforces severe punishment to deter
cheating in exams.
illustrate
To show what something is like, or show that
something is true.
The following examples illustrate our point.
To draw the pictures in a book, or put pictures
in a book.
The book was illustrated with color photographs.
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5. Measure
Measure sth by sth
Success isn’t measured by how much money
you have.
Measure sth in terms of sth
Popularity is still measured in terms of
winning elections.
Measure sb/sth/against sb/sth
Measured against the success of some of
their rivals, the performance looks poor.
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B. Expressions
1. tough
Get tough with
When he started to argue, I got tough
with him.
Be tough on
The new mayor intends to be tough on
crime.
Take a tough stance/stand
We must take a tough stance against terrorism
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Tough luck
Used for saying that you have no
sympathy for someone
Well, tough luck! I’m not going to
do what he wants.
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2. Lock away (lock up)
to put something in a place or container
which you fasten with a lock
Take good care to lack away your
jewellery before going away on holiday to
put someone in a prison, or a hospital for
mentally ill people.
After murder, he was locked away for 50
yeas.
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3. Be/go easy on sb (be/go easy with/on
sth)
To tell someone not to punish a person too
severely.
Go easy on these children and let them
enjoy themselves.
To eat or use a small amount of something.
Go easy on the cake. There isn’t much left.
easier said than done ? easy come, easy go
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4. so as to
so…as to…
Are you so na?ve as to imagine this is
not taking place elsewhere?
Who could be so mean as to do a thing
like that.
so as to
Go in quietly so as not to wake the baby.
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5. work out to
The total area works out to 25,000
square miles.
6. the other way around
You would think that the John would
have been the courageous one and Jane
the timid one, but it was just the
other way around.
VIII.
Discussion
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What is the root of crime?
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The lack of moral control
The gap between the rich and poor
The lack of effective laws
The police and court being too soft on
criminals
The meaningless of life
Lack of education
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IX.
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Exercise
Exercises after class.