PASSAGE 26

CRIME

Crime in the cities has had more publicity than crime in the suburbs, but in recent
years many of the suburbs have found their crime rates increasing faster than those of the
cities. One crime prevention aid is the Neighborhood Watch Program started five years ago
and sponsored by the National Sheriffs' Association. The aim is to get people to watch out
for their neighbors. They are asked to be alert for any unusual activity, such as strangers who
may be bringing things out of a house to an unfamiliar waiting vehicle. Statistics show that
this system works quite well.

I. VOCABULARY
Crime: An illegal action for which a person can be punished by law.
To have publicity: To be known
Prevention: Avoidance
Aid: Help
Suburb: Residential district round the outside of a town
To sponsor: To support, to back
To watch out for: To be careful, to be cautious for
Alert: Watchful, aware, attentive
II. EXERCISES: Complete the sentences with a suitable form of the words defined
above.
1. Please ........... anything suspicious and report to us immediately.
2. The conservationists mounted a .... campaign to save the wild life.
3. We should get someone .......the beauty contest, and organize our own system of
rewards.
4. The government proceeded to declare a state of military ..... on almost all the bases.
5. Moscow is keen to reduce and restructure its ...... to Nicaragua, and to put it on a more
commercial footing.
III. READING COMPREHENSION
1. According to the passage crime rates in the suburbs ............
A. are constantly decreasing.
B. are not as dangerous as those in the cities.
C. are getting higher and higher.
D. have always been ridiculous when compared to the crime rates in the suburbs.
E. don't need to be prevented.
2. The purpose of the Neighborhood Watch Program is
A. to replace the sheriff's and policemen's duties.
 B. to make people suspicious of their neighbors.
C. to decrease the neighborhood crime rate.
D. to get the neighbors banded together so they can become better friends.
E. to increase the rate of gossiping.
3. It is clear in the passage that the Neighborhood Watch Program
a. is to work in cooperation with the sheriff's and police department
b. is started to watch out what the neighbors are doing
c. has no advantage in decreasing the crime rate
d. given way to increase crime rates
e. has no known affect on the crime rates.