Samenvatting Engels
Part One: Legal Topics
1. In trouble with the law
Expressionless
o Impassively
To be swindled
o Be stiffed
An official in charge of a government department or other organisation
o Commissioner
The legal right or duty to care for someone
o Custody
Relating to the belief that wealth and power should be shared between all
parts of society
o Left-wing
…has been erected around the tower and repair work will start next week
o Scaffolding
Constantly changing
o In a state of flux
Very serious, extreme
o Dire
A …. Is a point in a process where there are difficulties and the process
slows down or stops
o Pinch point
Stating that something bad is a fact without giving proof
o Allege
Values this good quality of his
o To pride yourself on
Official action by a government to reduce the amount of money it spends
o Austerity measures
An accumulation of uncompleted work
o A backlog
To prevent something from happening
o To stifle
1
, If you get a divorce, you’ll get half of your …
o Shared assets
Synoniemen: (beide richtingen)
Outstanding
o Pending, unsettled
A wreck
o Ruins
To resolve
o To settle
Dispute
o Argument
Remotely
o Distantly
To undo
o To reverse
Former
o Previous
Fuzzy
o Vague
Antoniemen: (beide richtingen)
Sweltering
o Freezing
Stinginess
o Generosity
Warring
o Peaceful
To cute
o To increase
Reading comprehension:
1) What is the main message of this text?
2
, Britain’s courts are in a bad state: they are under serious strain and the
government seems to even pile extra pressure on the system. An
increasing number of cases are folding because if the failure to hold a
timely hearing
2) Why did the barristers have to decide whether a man could be kept in
prison for longer than would normally be legal?
Because of a failure to find a slot for a trial in time
3) Britain’s commercial courts are favoured in the world. What for?
For their efficiency and their impartiality
4) How many outstanding crown court cases were there approximately at the
end of the first quarter of 2021?
a. 41,000
b. 60,000
c. 108,000
5) What was the average time (in weeks) to resolve a private dispute
involving children in 2021?
40 weeks
6) True or false?
a. Many jury trials were moved online in England and Wales,
nevertheless a backlog quickly built up.
false: the jury trials were not conducted remotely in Engeland and
Wales
b. Despite the fact that cases with a guilty plea could be held remotely,
a backlog did build up quickly.
True
7) Legal aid is a particular pinch point, how come?
rates were last increases last century and were cut by 10% in 2014. Legal-
aid firms have fallen by almost 50%
8) What is the result according to Lucy Welsh and how does she explain this
result?
weaker cases. The longer one takes to come to trial, the fuzzier the
memories of witnesses and victims become
9) “rape is effectively decriminalised” says Dame Vera Baird, the
government’s victims commissioner. What does she mean?
3
, The number of cases that are completed fell from more than 5,000 to
1,500 last year.
She says this because the proportion if cases that fold because the victim
withdraws has risen from 9% to 26% since 2015.
This means that a significant number of offenders are getting away with
their crime without being punished at all
10) What are single justice procedures?
Hearings in which the defendants who admit guilt do not need to come to
court
11) The government does the plan to improve things for Britain’s courts
and 4 decisions/proposals are mentioned in the article. Which ones? Sum
them up in a nutshell.
Lift up the cap on the number of sitting days, extending court hours, more
hearings online, more money for the CPS
12) Barristers, however, are opposed to longer working days. What are
their arguments?
They need evenings to prepare cases and travel long distances to court
13) In what way is the government piling even extra pressure on the
system?
It is in the process of hiring extra police officers, which will mean more
arrests, more charges and eventually more trials
2. Liability
Dealing with contracts and tort
o Civil law
Breach of civil law requiring compensation
o Tort (=onrechtmatige daad)
Try to bring a legal case against
o Attempt to sue
Legal power to make decisions
o Jurisdiction (=rechtsbevoegdheid)
Company responsible for transporting goods
o Carrier
The insurance company who sold the policy
4
Part One: Legal Topics
1. In trouble with the law
Expressionless
o Impassively
To be swindled
o Be stiffed
An official in charge of a government department or other organisation
o Commissioner
The legal right or duty to care for someone
o Custody
Relating to the belief that wealth and power should be shared between all
parts of society
o Left-wing
…has been erected around the tower and repair work will start next week
o Scaffolding
Constantly changing
o In a state of flux
Very serious, extreme
o Dire
A …. Is a point in a process where there are difficulties and the process
slows down or stops
o Pinch point
Stating that something bad is a fact without giving proof
o Allege
Values this good quality of his
o To pride yourself on
Official action by a government to reduce the amount of money it spends
o Austerity measures
An accumulation of uncompleted work
o A backlog
To prevent something from happening
o To stifle
1
, If you get a divorce, you’ll get half of your …
o Shared assets
Synoniemen: (beide richtingen)
Outstanding
o Pending, unsettled
A wreck
o Ruins
To resolve
o To settle
Dispute
o Argument
Remotely
o Distantly
To undo
o To reverse
Former
o Previous
Fuzzy
o Vague
Antoniemen: (beide richtingen)
Sweltering
o Freezing
Stinginess
o Generosity
Warring
o Peaceful
To cute
o To increase
Reading comprehension:
1) What is the main message of this text?
2
, Britain’s courts are in a bad state: they are under serious strain and the
government seems to even pile extra pressure on the system. An
increasing number of cases are folding because if the failure to hold a
timely hearing
2) Why did the barristers have to decide whether a man could be kept in
prison for longer than would normally be legal?
Because of a failure to find a slot for a trial in time
3) Britain’s commercial courts are favoured in the world. What for?
For their efficiency and their impartiality
4) How many outstanding crown court cases were there approximately at the
end of the first quarter of 2021?
a. 41,000
b. 60,000
c. 108,000
5) What was the average time (in weeks) to resolve a private dispute
involving children in 2021?
40 weeks
6) True or false?
a. Many jury trials were moved online in England and Wales,
nevertheless a backlog quickly built up.
false: the jury trials were not conducted remotely in Engeland and
Wales
b. Despite the fact that cases with a guilty plea could be held remotely,
a backlog did build up quickly.
True
7) Legal aid is a particular pinch point, how come?
rates were last increases last century and were cut by 10% in 2014. Legal-
aid firms have fallen by almost 50%
8) What is the result according to Lucy Welsh and how does she explain this
result?
weaker cases. The longer one takes to come to trial, the fuzzier the
memories of witnesses and victims become
9) “rape is effectively decriminalised” says Dame Vera Baird, the
government’s victims commissioner. What does she mean?
3
, The number of cases that are completed fell from more than 5,000 to
1,500 last year.
She says this because the proportion if cases that fold because the victim
withdraws has risen from 9% to 26% since 2015.
This means that a significant number of offenders are getting away with
their crime without being punished at all
10) What are single justice procedures?
Hearings in which the defendants who admit guilt do not need to come to
court
11) The government does the plan to improve things for Britain’s courts
and 4 decisions/proposals are mentioned in the article. Which ones? Sum
them up in a nutshell.
Lift up the cap on the number of sitting days, extending court hours, more
hearings online, more money for the CPS
12) Barristers, however, are opposed to longer working days. What are
their arguments?
They need evenings to prepare cases and travel long distances to court
13) In what way is the government piling even extra pressure on the
system?
It is in the process of hiring extra police officers, which will mean more
arrests, more charges and eventually more trials
2. Liability
Dealing with contracts and tort
o Civil law
Breach of civil law requiring compensation
o Tort (=onrechtmatige daad)
Try to bring a legal case against
o Attempt to sue
Legal power to make decisions
o Jurisdiction (=rechtsbevoegdheid)
Company responsible for transporting goods
o Carrier
The insurance company who sold the policy
4
