Capital punishment, also referred to as the death penalty, is the killing of a criminal who has been sentenced to death by a court. In most cases, it is used for murder, but the death penalty has also been applied to rape, treason and other crimes.

Although most countries around the world have abolished capital punishment, it is still a form of punishment in the United States, where it is a much-discussed topic, China and about 60 other countries, including many states of the Middle East.

Contents (21) pages)

• Introduction
• History of capital punishment
• Arguments for and against the death penalty
• Methods of execution
  • Hanging
  • Firing squad
  • Electric chair
  • Gas chamber
  • Lethal injection
• Execution methods in ancient times and the Middle Ages
• Exercises
• Word list
• Key

Image: CACorrections (California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Refugees are people who have fled from their country because of wars, political or religious conflicts, or because they fear persecution from governments. Displaced people have lost their home but they remain in their own country.

Contents (13 pages)

• Introduction
• Refugees and displaced people
• Major refugee movements in history
• Exercises
• Word list
• Key

Image: Julien Harneis, CC BY-SA 1.0 , via Wikimedia Commons