Self- assessment of ESP learning

• WRITING SKILLS

Summaries were quite difficult because it was not easy to systematize all the information from the texts. I think that ESP vocabulary tasks were easy, but sometimes it was not enough time to study for them. I enjoyed doing dictations, because it is a good way to practise your knowledge of English words. Also, I like doing contributions to weblogs, because it is entertaining.

• SPEAKING SKILLS

I think that I was not enough active in class discussions. I need to encourage my speaking skills. I did not like doing presentations, because I think it is not needful and takes a lot of time. Speaking in pairs was quite simple, because it is always easier to speak with a friend than with a teacher.

• LISTENING SKILLS

I think I am fairly good in listening activities. Though native speakers sometimes made some difficulties to understand exercises. I enjoyed listening to podcasts, because there you can choose various topics almost about everything.

• READING SKILLS

I think that home reading texts were too long, so it was difficult to concentrate in them. It was not hard to understand it. Class reading was quite easy and enjoyable. It is complicated to evaluate reading comprehesion exercises because they were very different. I loved doing computer tasks, because there you can express yourself and show your personality.

Intellectual property (summary)

Everything that someone has written, the art and music someone has created is called Intellectual property.

Patents, copyrights, trademarks are the main legal instruments for protecting intellectual property. Artistic works, literature, computer programs, movies, radio and television broadcast can only be protected by the copyright. Copyrights can be passed to someone else. Universal Copyright Convention, the Bern Convention and the Patent Corporation Treaty help to protect Intellectual property. Fair dealing allows someone to use someone else`s work copies but just for private study.

Enforcement is very big problem in intellectual property law. If a person uses intellectual property illegally, he can be judge even in a criminal case.

Judicial institutions in England and Lithuania

Every country has its own institutions for making, modifying, abolishing and applying the law. Generally, they are divided from the lower to the higher courts.
In England the highest judicial institution is the House of Lords. It deals with all matters. If a defendant does not agree with magistrate judgment, he can appeal to the Queen`s Bench Division of the High Court. The Crown Courts deal with criminal matters and the County Courts deal with civil matters.
In Lithuania the highest judicial institution is Constitutional Court. Circuit courts and District courts deal with criminal and civil matters. Also, in Lithuania are courts of appeal for defendants who do not agree with the verdict.
There are some differences between English and Lithuanian courts. Firstly, in Lithuania there are no jurors. Secondly, in Lithuania are administrative courts and in England are not. Finally, Lithuania is democratic country while England is a monarchy. There are some similarities too. In England County courts are the same as District courts in Lithuania.

Other recent shootings at schools (summary)

The text is about shootings at schools from 1997 till 2001 in US. Students mostly engaged in shootings at American schools are from 6 to 19 years old. Some of them committed suicide, some of them were sentenced and some of them got just probation. Approximately, all their victims were shot death, but some were just wounded. Reasons for those cruel actions were mental illness and intention to revenge on victims for bullying or teasing. More and more students are trying to solve their problems with a gun, every person should try to stop a war between students.

Prisons in UK and Lithuania

England and Wales have the highest prison population in all Western Europe – 143 prisoners per 100 000 people. There are more than 85 000 prisoners in England and Wales. More than 17 000 prisoners were sentenced for doing violent crimes. 10 000 were sentenced because they did crime offences and about 8 500 for doing burglary. In 2007 in Lithuania were sentenced 6967 prisoners. Mostly prisoners are sentenced for the theft.
In Lithuania and England all prisoners have to pass through reception where they are being checked identities and monitoring numbers. Prisoners are searched and given them prison clothes. The nurse looks after them and decides who is a drug addict, who uses medications or who is feeling suicidal.
Prisons also have segregation cells where violent prisoners might be kept for several days. In Lithuania prisoners are separated into 3 groups: ordinary group, light group and forbidden group. Those groups show how violent or not prisoners are and how many exemptions they can get.
Accommodation depends on prisons. There might be single cells or dormitories. Also, there includes recreation areas, a food servery and showers. Cells have toilets and prisoners are allowed to have TVs. The same system is in Lithuania.
All prisoners have a right to study. They can choose mix of courses, including vocational qualifications. For example, Chelmsford Prison has a barber`s salon, IT classes and cookery lessons. Also prisoners can study English. In Lithuania in Pravieniškės 1st correctional institution prisoners can get computer operators profession. Also, in Lithuania Lukiškės prison made a contract with Vilnius Pedagogical university and according to that contract prisoners can study in that university correspondence course.
In England and Wales prisons breakfast, lunch and an evening meal cost an average of 3,81 per day. In Lithuania prisoner for food gets 4,2 LT per day. Nowadays more and more prisons haven`t got dining halls so prisoners have to eat in their cells. In Lithuania prisoners must eat in dining halls.
All prisons have sports facilities, where prisoners can work out and live a healthy life. Also gym staff works with drug addicts and healthcare unit.
Prisoners can be visited, but firstly prisons staff has to make sure that a visit is allowed and a visitor has the right paperwork. Also every visitor must be searched if he or she does not have illegal things.
One of the most sorrowful problem in prison is children. Mothers can`t live with their children if they are imprison for more than 18 months. So children are sent to foster home or to other relatives. In prisons mothers who have children have their own unit, where they can live with children. In England mothers get 17 pounds per week for child support. Also if they want to live with their children, they must be drugs-free and demonstrate their suitability to be there.
In conclusion, I would like to say that in Lithuania prisons are bad condition and do not accord to EU prison`s quality. In England prisoners live better than in Lithuania.

Civil and Public law (summary)

There are two main categories in law – civil law and public law. Civil law consists debates among human (contracts, torts, probate), and public law consists debates between people and nation (crimes, constitutional law, international law). Almost all countries make singularity between civil and criminal procedures. In a criminal action, proof are more substantial than in a civil one. Criminal procedures start by the state, civil actions usually start by people. But sometimes criminal procedures may consist with civil procedures, for example when the loser of civil case refuses to pay the fine, he can be sent to pay criminal penalty too. In English law it is possible to bring a civil case to the police when it does something wrong against the questioned people.

Criminal Law

Crime is an illegal act which is wrong and which can be punished by the law. There are some acts which are penalized in some countries and in another countries the same acts aren`t. In many countries the suspect can`t be called guilty until the state proves it. Two the most essential points to a crime: Actus Reus and Mens Reus. When the court want to decide if the prisoner`s in the dock act caused death, it must be certain that the act was a substantial cause of the result. If an accusatory can prove that he wanted to defense himself, the court excuse his act. There are defenses of duress, insanity, intoxication, self-defense. Criminal law is one of the quickest growing range of the law.