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Exercise 10.4 Заполнить пропуски в тексте, используя слова:

A bank manager yesterday admitted in court that he had been the __________ (1) of a conman. Terry Hopkins, manager of the Heston ___________ (2) of Western Bank for five years, agreed that he had been completely taken in by the stories told him by Francis Romansch.

Mr Romansch had come to the bank to ask for a number of _________(3), for which he could provide ___________ (4). He had entertained Mr Hopkins a number of times, and taken him out to dinner in expensive restaurants in central London. On one ___________ (5) Mr Hopkins had been his guest at the final of the FA Cup. Mr Hokins admitted he had been completely charmed by Mr Romansch’s manner and had had no reason not to ___________ (6) him when he claimed to possess a vast fortune. He had broken all the bank’s rules and ____________ (7) Mr Romansch more than ten million pounds.

Yesterday Mr Hopkins was _______(8) for three years after admitting deception. He told the ___________(9) that he had not __________(10) financially from his dealings with Mr Romansch but did not deny breaking the bank’s internal ___________ (11). He had then tried to cover up what he had done by keeping everything secret from his _____________ (12). Gradually the pressure on him to account for the missing money built up, as a result of which he suffered a breakdown. That was when the bank’s losses were ____________ (13). Mr Romansch meanwhile left the country and fled to France in an ____________ (14) to escape justice. He was not successful, however, and is now serving seven years in jail after being found ___________ (15) of ten charges of theft.

Чтение и комментарий дополнительных текстов

Exercise 10.5 Прочитать текст «Alphonse Capone (1899-1947)» и ответить на вопросы:

1. Describe Alphonse 'Scarface' Capone.

2. Why were there many opportunities for criminals in the United States in the 1920s?

3. How did criminal gangs make their money?

4. How did Capone become the most powerful gangster?

5. How did he trick a rival gang on 14 February 1929?

6. Why didn't the police arrest him?

7. Why was no-one prepared to give evidence against him?

8. How was he brought to justice?

9. What happened in 1933?

10. What was made in 1932?

Alphonse Capone (1899-1947)

Alphonse 'Scarface' Capone was one of the most notorious criminals who ever lived. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, the son of a barber, in 1899. From an early age, he was involved in crime. In the United States in the 1920s there were many opportunities for ruthless and ambitious criminals because between 1919 and 1933 the production and sale of alcohol was prohibited. The effect of this was that criminal gangs manufactured and supplied alcohol in bars and clubs that they controlled. These clubs were known as 'speakeasies' and in them alcohol was sold at very high prices. In effect, a business worth $2,000,000,000 a year had been transferred from legitimate companies to criminal gangs. Alphonse Capone was heavily involved in “bootlegging”, as the illegal supply of alcohol was known. He gradually eliminated most of his rivals and became the most powerful gangster in Chicago. Perhaps his most notorious act was the Saint Valentine's Day Massacre on 14 February 1929. Members of Capone's gang, disguised as policemen, arrested eight members of a rival gang. Since these gangsters did not fear the police, they allowed themselves to be arrested and were then shot dead by Capone's men, using 'tommy guns', a popular weapon among gangsters at that time. He is thought to have been responsible for the murder of more than 500 people.

The profits from his illegal operations were so huge that he could easily bribe policemen, judges and politicians, including the mayor of Chicago himself. It was difficult to find an honest man in 1920s Chicago. Despite the massive scale of blackmail, extortion and murder, no-one was ever punished. Capone seemed to be able to do as he pleased. No-one was prepared to give evidence against him in court for fear that they or their families would be killed. It seemed that there would be no end to his reign of terror.

FBI agents, acting directly for the government in Washington, eventually managed to arrest Capone, not for any of the serious crimes he had committed, but for not paying income tax! In 1931, he was sentenced to ten years in prison for income tax evasion. Prohibition came to an end in 1933 but the criminal gangs continued, extending their control of gambling, drugs and prostitution and often running perfectly legitimate businesses as well. Capone's life has fascinated film-makers and there are a large number of films based on his activities, the first being Scarface (1932), made while he was still alive. Several of these films show Capone in a surprisingly sympathetic light.

* Exercise 10.6