Advanced English Conversations (2) - Robert Allans, Matt Edie, A. Mustafaoglu 2020

Set 78 - criminals are constantly improvising new techniques

Mark; As a journalist, I have recently been working on a documentary in which potential criminals try to outwit forensic scientist and get away. Previously if someone committed a crime, you don’t have as much to go on apart from fingerprints or an ID or other noticeable traces.

Luna: Of course! Today’s techniques are more sophisticated.

Mark: In the show, there was that kidnapping that was solved 15 years later, after the seal of the envelop was examined and the tiniest trace of dried salvia was found there.

Luna: So if the kidnapper hadn’t licked the envelop, he would have got away with it.

Mark; Exactly; our DNA is virtually in every cell of our bodies. If a person wants to leave no forensic evidence, they should slide through a window because any broken glass or scratched paint, for example, may come in very handy for forensic scientists.

Luna: Well; no wonder criminals are constantly improvising new techniques. Scientific advances are clearly making the likelihood of detection more and more probable every day.

Vocabulary;

outwit: to deceive by greater ingenuity.

forensic: (adjective) relating to or denoting the application of scientific methods and techniques to the investigation of crime.

trace: a mark, object, or other indication of the existence or passing of something.

sophisticated: (adjective) (of a machine, system, or technique) developed to a high degree of complexity.

get away with it: to succeed in avoiding punishment for something.

virtually: nearly; almost.

slide through: to move or cause to move smoothly along a surface in continual contact with it.

come in handy: turn out to be useful.

improvise: to produce or make (something) from whatever is available.

likelihood: the state or fact of something's being likely; probability.

Exercise;

Fill in the gaps with the appropriate phrases or words;

1. But you see , the trick of playing a sport well is trying to .......... your opponent.

2. .......... scientists are examining the wreckage for clues about the cause of the explosion.

3. It was .......... impossible to synchronize our lives so as to take holidays and weekends together.

4. Using a seatbelt will reduce the .......... of serious injury in a car accident.

5. Some puppets are simple enough for the children to .......... for themselves once the teacher has introduced the idea.

6. Detecting suspicious activity in the community is where the bike patrol agents come in ..........

7. Tea-break is ten minutes away, so I .......... through the pass door to check my costume before dress run.

8. The equipment was extremely .......... and was monitored from a central control-panel.

9. If I thought I could get .......... with it, I wouldn't pay any tax at all.

10. Since his last book five years ago, he seems to have sunk without ..........

1. outwit 2. Forensic 3. virtually 4. likelihood 5. improvise 6. handy 7. slide 8. sophisticated 9. away 10. trace