【英语趣味课堂】律师-Lawyers

 Todd: So, Alexandra, you're going to be a lawyer.

 

Alex: Yes, I am.

 

Todd: Now laywers, unfortunately, often have a bad reputation. Why don't you talk about how lawyers are good for society: Why we need lawyers?

 

Alex: Well, first we need lawyers because most of the time a lawyer will try to settle disputes between parties before it gets to a courtroom. Usually you have one side that has a problem and the other side is also aurgueing another point. So usually a lawyer will try to bring the two sides into their offices and to mediate² a dispute before it gets to a courtroom. Another way a lawyer can help a society is usually lawyers can be very expensive, but there are programs out there that help people with less money, not necessarily to get free advice, but they can do it on a sliding scale, or a lawyer can do pro¹ bono work which is free, and can help someone just, sometimes all they need is a letter written to resolve a problem or they just need somebody to go with them to court to explain what is going on, or just explain a lease or some other document for them that doesn't take much time and makes the client feel a lot better and a lot of times lawyers will take up the cause of children. If there is a custody³ dispute or some sort of bad thing that's happening to a child that needs a visit to a courtroom, the lawyer is there to be the lawyer for the child and no one else can influence the decisions that can be made for the child. It's almost like a protection and many other communitites or other sections of society that don't have a voice can get a voice through a lawyer.

 

Todd: OK, great and what kind of lawyer are you going to be?

 

Alex: An aviation lawyer.

 

学习内容：

 

Learn Vocabulary from the lesson

bad reputation

 

Lawyers often have a bad reputation.

 

Your reputation is what people think about you from your past or typical actions.  A 'bad reputation' means that others think about you negatively.  Notice the following:

 

He was tired of his bad reputation and decided⁴ to change his life.

She has a bad reputation for causing problems in class.

party

 

Try to settle disputes between parties.

 

In this case 'parties' refers to the different groups of people in conflict.  In a court case it is usually between two parties.  Notice the following:

 

It was strange to have two separate parties sitting at the same table.

How many parties were involved in the fight?

mediate

 

Mediate a dispute.

 

To 'mediate a dispute' is to resolve a disagreement through discussion and compromise.  This can be the two parties having a discussion or sometimes there is a third group that helps the two parties reach an agreement.  Notice the following:

 

I wish that all disputes could be mediated⁵.

We are seeing a specialist to help us mediate our marriage problems.

sliding scale

 

Pay on a sliding scale.

 

A 'sliding scale' means that the cost of a service changes depending on how much money you make.  This is designed to help the people that don't make a lot of money find the services they need.  Notice the following:

 

I need to find a company that charges on a sliding scale because I don't have a lot of money right now.

At the hospital they charge on a sliding scale for the people who don't have insurance.

voice

 

You can get a voice through a lawyer.

 

Your 'voice' is your ability to express to an authority what it is that you want or need.  Your lawyer speaks for you and therefore is your 'voice.'  Notice the following:

 

She is considered a voice for the poor people of the city.

In many parts of the world women don't have much of a voice.

 

1 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

2 mediate   

vi.调解，斡旋；vt.经调解解决；经斡旋促成

参考例句：

• The state must mediate the struggle for water resources.政府必须通过调解来解决对水资源的争夺。
• They may be able to mediate between parties with different interests.他们也许能在不同利益政党之间进行斡旋。

3 custody   

n.监护，照看，羁押，拘留

参考例句：

• He spent a week in custody on remand awaiting sentence.等候判决期间他被还押候审一个星期。
• He was taken into custody immediately after the robbery.抢劫案发生后，他立即被押了起来。

4 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

5 mediated   

调停，调解，斡旋( mediate的过去式和过去分词 )； 居间促成； 影响…的发生； 使…可能发生

参考例句：

• He mediated in the quarrel between the two boys. 他调解两个孩子之间的争吵。
• The government mediated between the workers and the employers. 政府在工人与雇主间搞调和。