Lingua Inglesa 2
Law and Crime
1. Match the crime to its definition
a. Abduction i. Hijacking
b. Arson j. Shoplifting
c. Assault k. Smuggling
d. Breaking and entering l. Speeding
e. Child abuse m. Theft
f. Domestic violence n. Vandalism
g. Drug trafficking o. White collar crime
h. DUI
stealing
stealing merchandise from a store
bringing products into a country secretly and illegally
breaking the law in business
injuring a child on purpose
taking a person to a secret location using force
trading illegal drugs
going into another person's home or business with force
damaging public or private property (for example with spray paint)
physical assault that occur within the home
hurting another person physically
driving after having consumed alcohol and/or drugs
setting fire to a place on purpose
holding people in transit hostage (usually on a plane)
driving beyond the speed limit
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2. Read the text and answer the questions below.
6 Bizarre Animal Smuggling Busts
Taken from: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/130130-otters-smuggle-
wildlife-borders-animals-science/
Officers in Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International Airport recently discovered 11
live otters in a piece of unclaimed luggage left at the oversized baggage area.
The six smooth-coated otters (Lutrogale perspicillata)—Southeast Asia's largest otter—and
five oriental small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinerea), the world's smallest otters at less than 11
pounds (five kilograms), are under threat in Southeast Asia.
Demand for their pelts and organs for clothing, food, and medicine—in addition to habitat
destruction and environmental pollution—have diminished both populations. But otters
aren't the only victims of the illicit wildlife trade. Stuffed into carry-ons, packed into
suitcases, and bundled into crates, traffickers have tried to smuggle all kinds of wild
animals through airports.
"The U.S. seizes over $10 million worth of illegal wildlife each year, but this only scratches
the surface," said Edward Grace, deputy chief of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Office
of Law Enforcement. "[On] any given day, someone, somewhere in the world, is poaching
or smuggling wildlife."
Here are six other kinds of wild animals that people have tried to sneak past customs.
Birds: To smuggle more than a dozen hummingbirds (family Trochilidae) past customs, a
Dutchman at an airport in French Guiana wrapped each bird in cloth and hid them in a
pouch sewn into the waist of his pants in 2011. He even taped the tiny bundles to keep the
birds from escaping. His fidgeting led French customs officers to discover the birds.
Monkeys: In 2002, a Los Angeles man returning from Bangkok owned up to hiding two
endangered pygmy monkeys, called slow lorises (Nycticebus spp.), in his underwear. His
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confession came after officials opened up his luggage and a bird of paradise (Paradisaeidae
spp.) flew out. He was also traveling with 50 rare orchids.
Crocodiles: A crocodile smuggled on board a domestic flight in 2010 from the Democratic
Republic of the Congo was blamed for a plane crash that killed 20 of 21 passengers. The
reptile escaped from a duffel bag in the cabin and panicked the passengers and crew,
according to news reports from the sole human survivor. The animal survived the crash but
was later killed with a machete.
Snakes and Other Reptiles: An exotic animal salesman attempting to transport 247 reptiles
and spiders to Spain was caught by x-ray technicians in Argentina in 2011. The exotic and
endangered species included boa constrictors, poisonous pit vipers, and spiders. They were
packed inside plastic containers, bags, and socks.
Tropical Fish: In 2005, customs officials in Melbourne, Australia, stopped a woman who
had arrived from Singapore after hearing mysterious "flipping" noises coming from around
her waist. They found an apron under her skirt designed with pockets holding 15 plastic
bags filled with water and 51 tropical fish.
Big Cats: In 2011, a United Arab Emirates man at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi International
Airport packed two leopards and two panthers into his luggage—as well as an Asiatic black
bear and two macaque monkeys. Every animal was under two months old, and had been
drugged for the journey. Some of them were stored in flat cages, while others were placed
in canisters with air holes.
1. Where do most smuggled species come from?
2. What is poaching?
3. Why was the Dutchman discovered?
4. What happened in the 2010 flight from the Democratic Republic of Congo?
5. Write down the names of the species that were almost introduced in Spain.
6. What were the “flipping” noises?
7. How did the United Arab Emirates man try to smuggle the animals?
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3. Imagine you are a lawyer who is advising his client accused of trying to smuggle an
alligator in the US. What advice would you give them?
e.g. If I were you, I would plead guilty.
Unless__________________________________________________
Provided that____________________________________________
If______________________________________________________
Were you to_____________________________________________
4. Now imagine your client has been condemned to 5 years in jail (you are not a very
good lawyer), think about what you or they could have done to change the outcome
of the sentence.
e.g. If he had travelled by train, the officers wouldn’t have caught him.
If_____________________________________________________
Had he_________________________________________________
Had I __________________________________________________
If______________________________________________________
5. Organise the following words in the Vocabulary Chart.
□Let off □prosecute □verdict □come forward □get away with □take the blame □solicitor
□hold up □go off □look into □make off □break out □hooligan □ at fault □ charge someone
for □ threaten □ forge □prove
