Crime and punishment - Part II

Credits for Teacher Fúvio for more information visit www.inglesvip.xpg.com.br

1. When crime scene investigators arrive at the place of a crime, they first try to make sure the area is secure. They must make sure that nothing in the area gets moved or touched. This could weaken or change any evidence.  The investigators also document all evidence by taking photographs and drawing pictures of what they see. Then they collect the evidence and carefully document and transport it so that it can be further examined in a laboratory.

2.  What are some of the clues investigators might look for? Fingerprints are one important clue in a crime scene. No two people have the same fingerprints, so they are useful in identifying suspects. Fingerprints are sometimes very easy to see.

3. For example, a murderer might have blood or dirt on his or her hands which leaves prints on the wall. Investigators sometimes use chemicals and special lighting to uncover fingerprints that cannot be seen with the eye alone.

4. The criminal might also leave his or her shoe prints. Experts can discover the manufacturer of the shoe. They can also tell about a person’s height and the way he or she walks. A suspect might also leave behind hairs or some kind of body fluid such as blood. DNA testing can then reveal the suspect’s identity.

5. If the crime involves a murder, the body itself holds many clues. Medical examiners can give important information about how the victim died. They study wounds and chemical tests to find out if the victim died accidentally or not. They can tell if a wound was created by the victim or by another person. And, they can discover the time of death to see if it matches information given by suspects and witnesses.

6. Visitors to the Museum of Crime and Punishment can learn more about blood and its importance in an investigation.  They can attend a Crime Scene Investigation workshop. During these events, a trained expert talks to museum visitors and leads an experiment. We attended one that was taught by a graduate student from George Washington University’s Forensic Science Department.

7. For example, she discussed how investigators can learn a great deal from the shape of the blood drops found at a crime scene. A circular blood drop could mean the blood fell directly downward. But blood drops with long tails can tell a great deal about the direction, speed and angle of the blood’s starting point.

8. “That tail tells you the direction the blood was travelling. So if your tail is pointing that way, which direction was your blood going?” This information can show what kind of weapon was used in a murder. And it can show from what position the murderer killed a victim.

9. “Now if you look at that bottom picture on your pages, you’ll see that you can measure the length and the width of that spatter droplet, right? You can actually calculate the angle at which that blood hit your surface.”

10. For this workshop, Larissa used red paint to show how different murder weapons can leave different patterns of blood. But she says in a real lab, experts would use pig blood to conduct their tests. Pig blood is very close in thickness to human blood. But it is safer for the scientists to use.  She also shows how the chemical Luminol can reveal hidden blood stains that the eye alone cannot see.

13. This workshop shows that it takes a deep understanding of science to lead a crime scene investigation. And, the job requires careful attention to detail, because even the smallest observation can lead to solving a crime.

Vocabulary

1. a great deal = muito
2. actually = na verdade
3. angle = ângulo
4. attend = assistir
5. blood drops = gotas de sangue
6. bottom picture = imagem de fundo
7. cannot be seen = não podem ser vistos(as)
8. carefully = cuidadosamente
9. close = próximo
10. clues = pistas
11. deep understanding = profunda compreensão
12. dirt = sujeira
13. downward = para baixo
14. During = durante
15. even = até mesmo
16. fell = caiu
17. find out = descobrir
18. Fingerprints = impresses digitais
19. further = mais
20. gets moved or touched = seja mudado ou tocado
21. given by = dado(a) por
22. height = altura
23. hidden = oculto(a)
24. hit = atingiu
25. holds = guarda
26. it takes = é necessário
27. killed = matou
28. leave behind = deixar para trás
29. leaves prints = deixa marcas
30. length = comprimento
31. lighting = iluminação
32. look for = procurer
33. make sure = certificar-se de que
34. manufacturer = fabricante
35. matches = combina com
36. mean = significar

37. measure = medir
38. murder = assassinato
39. murderer = assassino
40. must = deve
41. paint = tinta
42. patterns = padrões
43. pig = porco
44. place = local
45. pointing = apontando para
46. requires = exige
47. reveal = revelar
48. safer = mais seguro
49. secure = seguro(a)
50. shape = formato
51. shoe prints = pegadas
52. show = mostrar
53. so that = para que
54. sometimes = às vezes
55. spatter droplet = respingos de gotas
56. stains = mancha
57. such as = tais como
58. surface = superfície
59. tails = caudas
60. taught = ensinado
61. thickness = expessura
62. try = tentar
63. uncover = revelar, descobrir
64. useful = uteis
65. victim = vítima
66. wall = parede
67. way = maneira
68. weaken = enfraquecer
69. weapon = arma
70. width = largura
71. witnesses= testemunhas
72. wounds = ferimentos