Rounders (1) - Reading Comprehension

Read the following article and answer the questions;


Rounders

The term ‘rounder’ is a uniquely Canadian term that refers to a certain kind of criminal. According to this term,  this kind of person is able to survive using other than legitimate means of support and is able to hold their own in a criminal environment. The difference between a rounder than any other kind of criminal is that they do not specialize in any particular kind of crime, often because they do not have the necessary skill set. For example, they would not be able to plan a high stakes bank robbery or break into an expensive art gallery and steal a Picasso but they may steal a coat in department store or get a stranger drunk in a bar and steal his wallet. In other words, they are small time criminals. Other crimes they may be involved in include drug dealing, usually small amounts, living off the avails of prostitution or other women in or out of the criminal world, ‘fencing’, which means selling stolen good, gambling or a variety of petty crimes.  Another interesting thing about rounders is that they may also have a ‘legitimate’ job and usually do have one from time to time. These jobs tend to be temporary and often involve being around a criminal environment, for instance, being a waiter or bartender in a bar of ill repute or a desk clerk in hotel that caters to prostitutes. 


Most rounders come from poor backgrounds, usually in housing projects or areas of the city that are considered extremely undesirable. In many cases they have family members who were or are still involved in crimes. Most also have long criminal records for a variety of petty crimes. There are some rounders, however,  who are not from deprived environments but were brought up in the conventional world but somehow got themselves embedded in the rounder world. These types usually come from working class backgrounds and through their contact at school or work with rounders found themselves involved in their criminal activities. Quite often the lure of quick money and a more exciting lifestyle is what motivated them to become rounders. 


Rounders usually have tragic consequences as they get older. For those who never develop any skills useful in the legitimate world often spend most of their lives either in prison or being homeless. Others who are more talented or simply more fortunate drift out of the rounder world and find legal means of support. Quite often, however, many find the legitimate world rather boring and return to crime.



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