2. Discuss these questions
• Do you feel safe while walking in the streets at
night?
• Are there any areas or times when you should
be on guard against some criminals?
• What crimes are a problem where you live?
• Do you have any device at home to avoid
being burgled?
4. Complete 1-9 with the pairs of verbs. You may need to change
the order.
stolen – broken into vanished – came back got hold of – gone
doing – caught grabbed – came up to killed – went off set – smashed
stabbed – found held – seized
1. I got a phone call from the bank saying I’d .................................$1,000 overdrawn.
Someone must have ....................................my details somehow and used my card
number.
2. I was .............................on camera and had to pay a hundred-euro fine. I was only
...............................................about 65!
3. She was found ..........................................in a park near us. Apparently, she’d been
attacked and then .............................................to death.
4. She went out to the shops and just never............................. She just
completely.........................................
5. They made such a mess. They...................................... shop windows, sprayed graffiti
everywhere and ..............................................fire to cars.
6. When we got back, we found the house had been......................................... Fortunately,
they hadn’t .....................................much.
7. I was standing outside the cathedral and this guy ........................................me and
....................................my bag and ran off.
8. He was ................................................when he was working out there. I’m not sure what
they’re demanding to release him, but he’s been ...............................captive for about a
year now.
9. Luckily, there weren’t many people around when the device .....................................so
nobody was ........................................., but it did a lot of damage.
6. • Think of real examples for four of the crimes
from activities 3 and 4. Explain what happened
using the vocabulary you have just learned.
• Discuss these questions:
What punishments do you think people who
commit the crimes above should get?
Do you think justice is tough on crime?
7. CRIME IDIOMS
1. To do something by the book
A. A skilful thief who breaks into places without
disturbing people or setting off alarms.
2. To cook the books/accounts
B. To accept the consequences of doing something
wrong.
3. To face the music
C. If you do something illegal, you will probably be
caught and punished
4. To do something under the table
D. To be in prison.
5. To get away with murder
E. To keep inaccurate accounts for a business,
usually in order to pay less tax.
6. A partner in crime
F. To do something secretly, usually because it’s
illegal or unethical.
7. To be behind bars
G. To be in prison
8. A cat burglar
H. Not to be punished for bad behaviour.
9. To serve time
I. To do something strictly according to the rules or
the official procedures.
10. Crime doesn’t pay
J. A person who helps you to make a secret plan to
do something wrong or dishonest.
8. Fill in the sentences with appropriate
idioms:
• My lawyer is a very accurate specialist, he does everything .......................................
• Police arrests are being given maximum publicity as a reminder that
.....................................................................................................................................
• After the criminal ............................................................................, he was released.
• One of the directors had been ..................................................... and the firm had
been losing money for years.
• Charles Peace is commonly cited as one of the most prolific
........................................ in history, he broke into thousands of houses during his
lifetime.
• After drinking alcohol all night, the next morning I had to
......................................................... I had a bad hangover.
• Murderers have to be put ..................................................... for the rest of their lives.
• A lot of these people work 80-hour weeks with all or half of their salaries paid
...........................................................
• That guy always ..................................................................—just because he's cute.
• Ex-judge’s ............................................. has been sentences to 33 months in prison.
9. LISTENING: HOME SECURITY
1. The number of burglars entering homes in the US is (1)........................................
2. Burglars break into houses in a (2).......................................................
3. Steve, who was robbed, caught the thief (3)...........................................
4. According to the security expert, thieves look for homes which aren’t (4).....................................
5. (5)..........................................and (6)...................................all your windows even if you’re leaving
home for a few minutes.
6. A spare ladder in the garden is a (7)........................................ because it can give access to the
second floor.
7. A monitored (8)......................................is paramount. Paying a (9)........................................you can
secure your house.
8. When you are on vacation, keep your (10)............................................shipshape.
10. Don’t (11) .......................................on Facebook that you are going on holiday.
Is the advice given any helpful? Can you think of any other methods to theft proof your house?
10. Discuss these questions
• What crimes have been in the news recently? (Give details)
• Have you ever witnessed a crime? Do you know anyone
who has been the victim of a crime?
• Do you think there is more crime than in the past or less?
Why?
• Do you think criminals are punished strongly enough? What
do you think about the death penalty, life sentence, and
community service … as punishments for crimes?
• Are there any “new crimes” you are worried about? Which
ones?
• Why do you think young people turn to crime? What can be
done to reduce juvenile delinquency? What kind of
punishment do they deserve? Why?
