CRIME AND THE MEDIA

Passive vs Active Voice

Match the criminals 1-8 to the definitions a-h, then make sentences.

1. burglar 5. kidnapper
2. smuggler 6. hijacker
3. shoplifter 7. thief
4. arsonist 8. forger

a. sets fire to buildings or forest, etc. on purpose.

b. takes someone by force and doesn’t release them until a ransom is paid.
c. breaks into a building in order to steal things
d. copies works of art or documents, or signatures, etc. to deceive people.
e. takes things into or out of a country illegally.
f. steals things from a shop while pretending to be a customer.
g. illegally takes control of a plane or other vehicle using force.
h. steals another person’s property.

Underline the correct word or phrase:

CAR THIEF CLAIMS INNOCENCE

24-yer-old Sam Thorn of Leeds was charged with / sentenced to 5 years in prison yesterday for theft.
After Thorn was stopped for speeding / skidding last July, the police discovered that the car which he was driving was
stolen.
Although Thorn pleaded not guilty at his court / trial, there were three statements / witnesses who saw him smash
the window of the car and drive it away.
Thorn told the judge / trial that it was his car but he had lost his keys. Unfortunately, he could not produce defence /
proof that the car was his and it was discovered that the real owner had reported it stolen / robbed the same day.
‘I’m innocent’ is all Thorn would say to the reporters outside the courtroom / courtyard.

Match:

1. He was charged a. for murder

2. He was robbed b. out of his money
3. He was accused c. of assault
4. He was sentenced d. with burglary
5. He was cheated e. to two years’ imprisonment
6. He was tried f. of a family heirloom.

Read the headline below, then write a news report.

75-year-old caught shoplifting in supermarket

Write
o where / when it happened
o what happened in detail
o what the criminal said

Study the example:

Active: People say that he escaped to Brazil.
Passive: He is said to have escaped to Brazil.
It is said that he escaped to Brazil.

Put in passive voice:

1. People believe he has stolen 1 million pounds.

It is
He is
2. They say he is working on a new software package.
It is
He is
3. We expect the company will set up a computer network this year.
It is
The company
4. The police think he was involved in the theft.
It is
He is
5. Everyone thinks she is the creator of the robot-pet.
It is
She is

Expand the newspaper headline into full sentences using the passive

Schools Try Out Laptops In The Classroom

Hackers Stole Credit Card Numbers

Hospitals test robot

Police to install CCTV cameras in city parks

Complete the text by putting the verbs into the correct tense of the active or passive voice.

Student hackers arrested

Four high school computer hackers 1_____________________(arrest) yesterday and face charges of theft and fraud.
It 2_____________________(believe) the four boys aged between 16 and 18, 3_____________________(use) a
complex Internet scheme to steal computer equipment. The boys, whose names
4_____________________(not/release) yet, 5_____________________(say) to 6_____________________(break)
into a local internet server and 7_____________________(steal) credit card numbers, which they used to go on a
giant online shopping trip. Altogether, they 8 _____________________(order) $20,000 worth of computer equipment
before they 9_____________________(catch). The equipment 10_____________________(pick up) after school.
When the boys 11_____________________(ask) why they carried out such an elaborate scheme, they said they
12_____________________(surprise) at how easy it was.

PREPOSITIONS
Underline the correct preposition, then explain the phrases in bold:
1. He was given the job, despite his lack in / of experience.
2. Stop laughing at / to him.
3. Be careful. This area is notorious for / of street crime.
4. Please don’t lean at / on the table – it isn’t very strong.
5. Jo is married to / with Jack.
6. She’s really nervous about / for the exam, because he hasn’t studied for it.
7. I often mistake Lyn from / for Anna – they look so alike.
8. The new product was named for / after its inventor.

Fill in the correct preposition. Make sentences.

1. Be aware ____________ something
2. To pay ____________ something
3. To do something ____________ your computer
4. To be ____________ TV
5. To have a problem ____________ something
6. to worry ____________ something
7. to keep track ____________ something
8. To make a call ____________ your mobile phone.
9. ____________ the near future.
10. to be ____________ file.

Phrasal verbs

Replace the words or phrases in bold with the correct form of a phrasal verb using hold or keep.
1. Can you wait for a minute? I’ll see if Mr Walker is available.
 2. I haven’t fixed the problem, but I\ll continue trying to find a solution.
3. The children were made to stay behind by the teacher after school.
4. They built a fence so that people would not intrude on their land.
5. The bad weather delayed departure of the fight for a couple of hours.

Word formation

It’s all on film

The 1_____________________(frequent) with which surveillance cameras are used is increasing
2_____________________(stead) all the time, and due to the 3_____________________(introduce) of improved
technology they are being used in a 4_____________________(vary) of new and unusual ways.

CCTV cameras improve public 5_____________________(safe), it is said, because they help the police to identify
6_____________________(crime), which makes the 7_____________________(prevent) of crime much easier. Traffic
cameras film those 8_____________________(guilt) of speeding or 9_____________________(danger) driving, so
reducing the risk of accidents.

Despite the genral 10_____________________(popular) of CCTV cameras, some people

11_____________________(approve) of their use, because they feel that any surveillance is an invasion of privacy.

Open cloze
Read the text and think f the word which best fits each gap. Ues only one word in each gap.

The microwave mishap

Did you know that microwaves were first used 1_______________ the Bitish Army in World War II 2_______________
identify enemy warplanes? In fact, it was 3_______________ accident that made people aware that microwaves could
also cook food.
In 1945, percy LeBaron Spencer, 4_______________ work involved the testing of radar waves, became the forst
person to 5______________this connection. 6_______________ day at work, Spencer was standing near a machine
which was emitting radar waves. Later 7_______________, when he felt like a snack, he reacted 8_______________
the chocolate bar he had in his pocket - 9_______________to find that in had melted! When he thought about it, he
realised 10_______________ had happened. The radar waves coming from the machine 11_______________he had
been standing next to had melted his chocolate. Later, experiments showed that radar waves contain microwaves that
could heat food 12 _______________ faster than traditional ovens.
His company went 13_______________ to develop and market the first microwave ovens in 1954. They
14_______________ huge, bulky and expensive, but since 15_______________, microwave ovens have become
smaller, giving 16_______________ the compact models we see on our kitchens today.

Key-word transformation

Complete the second sentence using the words in bold. You can use two to five words, including the word given.

1. They don’t expect you to finish all that work today. Expected
You ___________________________________________ all that work today.
2. They are building a new cinema in Cannon Street. Built
A new cinema ___________________________________________ Cannon Street.
3. That’s the school which we attended when we were young. Go
That’s the school we ___________________________________________ when we were young.
4. The weather was so hot that they went to the seaside. Such
It was ___________________________________________ they went to the seaside.
5. Nobody apart from Bill thought that it would work. Only
Bill ___________________________________________ thought that it would work.
6. Experts have estimated that more than half the population of the UK now own a mobile phone. been
It ___________________________________________ more than half the population of the UK now a mobile phone.
7. Two men wearing ski masks carried out the robbery, which was the third such crime in less than a month. was
The robbery, ___________________________________________ two men wearing ski masks, was the third such
crime in less than a month.
8. People say that the ancient Babylonians knew a lot about astronomy.
The ancient Babylonians are ___________________________________________ a lot about astronomy.

Idioms
Match
Safe Run
 Alive Order
Clan Tidy
Hit And Wrong
Law Sound
Right well

1. The missing climber was found two days later, _________________________.

2. Children have to be taught the difference between _________________________ at a young age.
3. She was knocked over in a(n) _________________________ accident.
4. A policeman’s job is to maintain _________________________.
5. I haven’t seen him since he went to America twenty years ago, but I know he’s
_________________________.
6. She spends a lot of time doing housework. Her flat is always _________________________.
Underline the correct word, then explain the fixed phrases.
1. I think if you interfere you will only make-do matters worse.
2. I only see my grandparents once in a blue sky / moon.
3. Sales staff use mobile phones to call the office when they are on the round/road.
4. Keep in mind / head that most software soon goes out of date.

Choose the correct alternative

1. Did you see that documentary about political corruption last night? It was a really interested / interesting
programme – I was quite shocked / shocking.
2. The Prime Minister said he was very pleased / pleasing with the country’s economic progress, although ther
are some worried / worrying signs that there may be difficult times ahead.
3. There was a very excited / exciting basketball game on TV last night, but I was a bit surprised / surprising that
my team lost.
4. I know that people are always fascinated / fascinating by celebrities’ private lives, but I do think some of the
personal questions they ask on chat shows can be a bit embarrassed / embarrassing.
5. The instructions for this DVD player are so confused / confusing, it’s so frustrated / frustrating trying to follow
them.
6. I was a bit annoyed / annoying that I forgot to record that Julia Roberts film last night, although the review in
the paper said it was very disappointed / disappointing.
7. I was really frightened / frightening by that ghost story you told us last weekend.

Which newspapers and magazine do you read?

Do you usually read the serious news stories first, or do you turn to more light – hearted articles?

Look at the headlines and guess what the article is about.

Bono’s hat goes first class

False alarm at airport
Firefighter rescues old flame
Home is a dangerous place
Lottery winner takes a day off
Mum is always there
The case of the disappearing bridegroom
Trainers make life worth living

Read the articles and match them to the headlines:

a. A Cambodian immigrant who arrived in New York as a teenager has won $128 million in the city’s lottery.
Phin Suy, a gardener in Central Park, says he will use the money to pay off his debts, but has got no plans to
give up his job. He was presented with a giant cheque in a ceremony at Madison Square Garden, where his
boss shouted: ‘Phin, is this a vacation day or a sick day?’ to which Suy modestly replied ‘Vacation day’.
b. Raul Hortena, 24, from Barcelona thought he had the perfect plan to escape his marriage any time he
wanted. He signed the marriage register in disappearing ink. However, in court last week the judge refused to
annul the marriage and Hortena was fined130 euros.
c. A teenager who tried to rob a bus in Chile was horrified to discover that his mother was one of the
passengers. Emilio Sanchez, together with two if his friends, was threatening the driver with knives and a
baseball bat, when he heard a familiar vice telling him to stop t at once and ordering him off the bus.
d. There was panic at Chicago airport when Pete Twigger, a passenger boarding a plane greeted the pilot, whom
he knew, with the words “Hi Jack”. Air traffic controllers listening in the control tower ordered armed
security teams to board the plane before realising their mistake.
 e. A youth who threatened to jump off a London bridge after breaking up with his girlfriend was persuaded
down after an hour when the police offered him a new pair of trainers. Billy Camlin remained in Chelsea
Bridge while he tried the Reeboks on for size, then decided that life wasn’t so bad after all.
f. The most ordinary items in your home can cause an accident, according to government figures. Every year,
more than 2,000 people are injured by soft toys, 700 by envelopes and 1,500 by tissue paper. Another 37,000
people blame slippers for their injuries, nearly 2,000 blame wallpaper, and almost 18,000 accidents are
caused by armchairs. But by far the greatest danger in the home comes from carpets. Last year around
165,000 accidents involving carpets were reported.
g. U2 star Bono reportedly paid out 1,300 euros tofly his trilby hat first class to Italy. The singer had forgotten to
pack his favourite hat for a charity concert, so complicated arrangements were made to get the hat safely
from England. Aa tazi took it from West London to Gatwick Airport where it was put in a first –class seat on a
British Airways flight to Bologna. A hired driver then picked up the hat and spedto Modena – the venue for
the concert. A spokesman for the star said, ‘including tips and insurance it cost about 1,300 euros to fly the
hat here, but that is nothing compared to the money that will be raised for charity tonight.’
h. Whn Brisbane firefighter Shaun Kenna rescued a woman from a burning house, her face was so black that he
did not at first recognise his ex-wife. ‘Then when I recognised her voice I was amazed’ said Shaun, ‘I had
forgotten how beautiful she is.’ The couple are now planning to remarry.

Read the articles below and choose the correct verb form.

A woman from Port Headland in Australia attacked / was attacked by a burglar while she was on the phone to her
brother in Leeds, England. Her brother heard – was heard strange noises and phoned / was phoned his local police
station in Leeds. The Port Headland police contacted / were contacted immediately, and an officer sent / was sent to
the woman’s house. She rescued / was rescue just eighteen minutes after the attack happened / was happened.

Yorkshire Electricity Company has apologised / has been apologised after they sent / were sent a customer a bill for 2
billion. Tanya Holland, from Huddersfield, told / was told that she owed / was owed 2,131,474,163, but the company
said / was said that she could pay in instalments. They later admitted / were admitted that they had made a mistake
and a new bill for 21 euros sent / was sent.

It has estimated / has been estimated that a towel steals / is stolen from a Holiday Inn hotel every twelve seconds –
that makes a total of 2.7 million towels a year!