Children and the Law
兒童與法律
Introduction
Some children commit very bad crimes. Judges must decide if these children need help or prison.
有些兒童會犯下非常嚴重的罪行。法官必須決定這些兒童是需要幫助，還是需要入獄。
Main Body
In the UK, three young people committed a bad crime. The judge did not send them to prison. The judge said they have learning problems. He wanted them to learn how to be good people.
在英國，有三名年輕人犯下了一宗嚴重罪行。法官沒有將他們送入監獄。法官表示他們有學習障礙。他希望他們學習如何成為好人。
In Australia, a 19-year-old tried to steal a plane. He was 17 when he did this. The judge moved the case to an adult court. The judge said the crime was too dangerous for a children's court.
在澳洲，一名 19 歲的青年曾試圖偷走一架飛機。他在做這件事時年僅 17 歲。法官將此案移交至成人法院。法官表示，這項罪行對兒童法院而言太過危險。
Other children in Canada and Australia joined bad groups. One boy in Canada got a program to help him. A 13-year-old boy in Australia planned an attack. He is still in court.
加拿大和澳洲的其他兒童則加入了不良團體。加拿大的一名男孩參與了一個幫助計畫。澳洲一名 13 歲的男孩計畫發起攻擊，他目前仍在法院審理中。
Conclusion
Lawyers and judges disagree. Some want to help children. Others want to punish them for dangerous crimes.
律師與法官意見分歧。有些人想要幫助兒童，而有些人則希望針對危險罪行對他們進行懲罰。
Vocabulary Learning
⚖️ The 'Action' Word (Past Tense)
To reach A2, you must talk about things that already happened. Look at how the story changes words to show the past:
- commit → committed
- decide → decided
- try → tried
- join → joined
The Secret Rule: Most of the time, you just add -ed to the end of the word.
Example from text:
- Present: The judge decides (Now)
- Past: The judge decided (Before)
🌍 People and Places
Notice how we name countries and the people inside them:
| Country | Person |
|---|---|
| UK | British |
| Australia | Australian |
| Canada | Canadian |
Quick Tip: In English, we always start Country names with a Big Letter (Capital).