Task 2. Translate the text.

Task 1. Translate the text.

LAW

Law,body of official rules and regulations, generally found in constitutions, legislation, judicial opinions, and the tie, that is used to govern a society and to control the behavior of its members. The nature and functions of law have varied throughout history. In modem societies, some authorized body such as a legislature or a court makes the law. It is backed by the coercive power of the state, which en­forces the law by means of appropriate penalties or remedies.

Formal legal rules and actions are usually distinguished from other means of social control and guides for behavior such as mores, morality, public opinion, and custom or tradition. Of course, a lawmaker may re­spond to public opinion or other pressures, and a formal law may prohibit what is morally unacceptable.

Law serves a variety of functions. Laws against crimes, for example, help to maintain a peaceful, orderly, relatively stable society. Courts con­tribute to social stability by resolving disputes in a civilized fashion. Prop­erty and contract laws facilitate business activities and private planning. Laws limiting the powers of government help to provide some degree of freedom that would not otherwise be possible. Law has also been used as a mechanism for social change; for instance, at various times laws have been passed to inhibit social discrimination and to improve the quality of indi­vidual life in matters of health, education, and welfare.

Some experts believe the popular view of law overemphasizes its for­mal, coercive aspects. They point out that if a custom or norm is assured of judicial backing, it is, for practical purposes, law. On the other hand, a stat­ute that is neither obeyed nor enforced is empty law. Social attitudes toward the formal law are a significant part of the law in process. The role of law in China and Japan, for example, is somewhat different from its role in Western nations. Respect for the processes of law is low, at least outside matters of business and industry. Tradition looms much larger in everyday life. Resort to legal resolution of a dispute is truly a last resort, with con­ciliation being the mechanism that is preferred for social control.

Law is not completely a matter of human enactment; it also includes natural law. The best-known version of this view, that God's law is su­preme, has had considerable influence in the United States and other Western societies. The civil rights movement, for example, was at least partially inspired by the belief in natural law. Such a belief seems implicit in the view that law should serve to promote human dignity, as for instance by the enforcement of equal rights for all.

Answer the following questions.

1. What is law?

2. Who makes law in modern societies?

3. Is there any distinction between law and morality?

4. What are the functions of law?

5. How do you understand the phrases from the text: ‘law for practical purposes’ and ‘empty law’?

6. What is the role of law in eastern countries?

7. What is the influence of natural law in modern life?

Task 2. Translate the text.

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