IELTS Speaking Part 3: Crime, Punishment and Young Offenders

We've been talking about a rule you had to follow.

我们刚才聊了一条你必须遵守的规定。

Now I'd like to ask you some broader questions.

现在我想问你一些更宽泛的问题。

Sure, that sounds really interesting.

好的，听起来很有意思。

Why do some young people commit crimes?

为什么有些年轻人会犯罪？

There's rarely one single cause, to be honest.

说实话，很少只有一个单一的原因。

Many grow up in poverty, with little supervision at home.

很多人在贫困中长大，家里也没什么人管。

The real issue is a lack of positive role models.

真正的问题在于缺少正面的榜样。

Should young offenders be punished like adults?

未成年罪犯应该像成年人一样受到惩罚吗？

No, I strongly disagree with that approach.

不，我非常不赞同这种做法。

A teenager's brain is still developing, after all.

毕竟，青少年的大脑还在发育。

Prison often teaches them how to be better criminals.

监狱往往只会让他们变成更老练的罪犯。

Youth centres and mentoring work far better!

青少年中心和导师辅导的效果要好得多！

So you'd let a car thief off with a warning?

那你会只给偷车贼一个警告就放了他？

Ha, not quite! Consequences still matter.

哈，倒也不是！后果仍然很重要。

But the punishment should repair the harm done.

但惩罚应该用来弥补造成的伤害。

Community service makes more sense than a cell.

社区服务比关在牢房里更有意义。

Does community service actually change behaviour?

社区服务真的能改变行为吗？

From what I've seen, yes, surprisingly often.

就我所见，是的，而且出乎意料地常见。

I volunteered at a garden project with teenage offenders.

我在一个和少年犯一起做的园艺项目里当过志愿者。

Most of them had never grown anything before!

他们大多数人以前从没种过任何东西！

Finishing something gave them a real sense of pride.

把一件事做完，让他们真正有了自豪感。

Who is responsible for preventing youth crime?

预防青少年犯罪是谁的责任？

Everyone, but it starts with families and schools.

每个人都有责任，但要从家庭和学校做起。

Sadly, many parents are working two jobs just to cope.

可惜很多家长为了维持生计，不得不打两份工。

That said, governments can fund after-school programmes.

话虽如此，政府可以资助课后项目。

Will crime rates fall in the future, do you think?

你觉得未来犯罪率会下降吗？

In many countries they're already falling, actually.

其实在很多国家，犯罪率已经在下降了。

Fewer teenagers go out at night, they're online instead!

晚上出门的青少年变少了，他们都在上网！

Thank you. That's the end of the speaking test.

谢谢。口语考试到此结束。

Oh, is that it? That flew by!

哦，就这样结束了？过得真快！

It did. Thank you for your detailed answers.

是啊。谢谢你详尽的回答。

Thank you very much! Goodbye.

非常感谢！再见。