UNIT 2. Law and Values

1. Сomplete the sentences, using the appropriate words:

a – wealth; b – balance; c – illegal; d – shoplift­ing; e – right; f – promote; g – goals; h – society; i – wrong; j – benefits; k – reflect.

1. Laws generally reflect and …a society’s values.

2. Laws against murder … the moral belief that killing another person is wrong.

3. Not everything that is immoral is also...

4. People expect their legal system to achieve many...

5. Laws must …rights with responsibilities.

6. Moral values deal with fundamental questions of … and...

7. Economic values deal with the accumulation, preservation, use, and distribution of...

8. The law encourages home ownership by giving tax … to people who borrow money to pay for a home.

9. Laws against … protect property and discourage stealing by providing a criminal penalty.

10. Social values concern issues that are important to...

2. Are the statements true (+) or false (–)? Correct the false statements.

1. Our legal system is influenced by our society’s traditional ideas of right and wrong.

2. Everything that is immoral is also illegal.

3. Lying to a friend may be illegal but is seldom immoral.

4. We expect our legal system to achieve many goals: protecting basic human rights, promoting fairness, helping resolve conflicts, promoting order and stability, representing the will of the majority, and pro­tecting the rights of minorities.

5. Conflicts among these goals cause many of society’s most difficult problems.

6. The law can protect the rights of some without violating the rights of others.

7. Political values concern issues that are important to society.

8. Social values can never change.

9. Few laws combine moral, economic, political, and social values.

10. Laws against theft deal with the political issue of stealing, the social issue of protection of property, the moral issue of how government punishes those who violate criminal statutes, and the economic issue of respecting the property of others.