Political System of the USA

The United States of America is a federal republic consisting of 50 states. Each state has its own government («state government). In some ways the United States is like 50 small countries. The US national flag — stars and stripes — is red, white and blue. Thirteen stripes represent the original 13 states the 50 stars represent the current number of states in the USA.

In 1776 the thirteen colonies declared their independence from Great Britain. So the United States were born. George Washington was a general of the American Army. He decided that the United States also needed a flag. There is a story that General George Washington asked Betsy Ross to make the flag. She used three colors: red, white, and blue. The red color was for courage, white was for liberty, and blue was for justice. She sewed thirteen red and white stripes and thirteen white stars in a circle on a blue square. The thirteen stars and stripes stood for the number of states at the beginning of the United States. On June 14, 1777, the Congress confirmed this flag as the National Flag.

Later new states joined the United States. And in 1818 the Congress made another law about the flag. The thirteen stripes stayed the same, but for each new state there was a new star. Today there are fifty stars on the flag. Hawaii Island was the last star in 1959.

The government of the USA act according to the Constitution which was signed by the first thirteen representatives of thirteen original American states in 1787. The document was written in 1787 and since that time twenty six Amendments have been added. The first ten Amendments were simply rights or the Bill of Rights. According to the Constitution the USA is a republic. So, the officials of any rank are elected by US citizens. Every citizen has rights which can not be violated.

The Constitution proclaims a federal system of government which keeps both the states and the federal power from getting too much power. It means that the federal government is given certain powers, for example, to make peace or war, to issue money and to regulate the trade and so on.

The federal power is located in Washington, D.C. It is based on legislative, executive and juridical branches of power.

The legislative power is vested in Congress, which consists of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives, There are 435 members in the House of Representatives and 100 senators in Congress. Each state elects two members for the Senate.

The executive branch is headed by the President who is assisted by the Vice President. The President enforces federal laws, serves as commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The President can veto a bill unless Congress by a two-thirds vote shall overrule him. The Vice President, elected from the same political party as the President, acts as chairman of the Senate, and in the event of the death of the President, assumes the Presidency. The President of the USA is chosen in nationwide elections every 4 years together with the Vice.-President. The President can not be elected for more than two terms. The Cabinet is made up of Department Secretaries. The most important of them is the Secretary of State, who deals with foreign affairs.

The judicial branch is made up of Federal District Courts, 11 Federal Courts and the Supreme Court. Federal judges are appointed by the President for life.

Federal courts decide cases involving federal law, conflicts between citizens of different states.

Constitution has been amended twenty six times. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual liberties: freedom of word, religion and so on. Later amendments abolished slavery, granted the vote to women and colour people and allowed citizens to vote at the age of 18.

Vocabulary:

to consist of — состоять из
own — свой, собственный
to sign — подписать, подписывать
original — зд. первый
amendment — поправка (к резолюции, законопроекту)
according to — в соответсвии с, согласно
officials — должностные лица, чиновники
citizen — гражданин
to violate — нарушать, попирать, преступать
to proclaim — провозглашать; объявлять
certain — точный, определенный
to issue money — выпускать деньги
to regulate the trade — регулировать торговлю
federal power — федеральная власть
to locate — находиться, размещаться
to vest — наделять (правом), давать права, облекать правом
branch — подразделение; ветвь (власти)
legislative — законодательный
executive — исполнительный
judiciary — судебный
Congress — Конгресс
house — зд. палата
Senate — Сенат
House of Representatives — Палата представителей
to assist — помогать, содействовать
Vice President — вице-президент
elections — выборы
to enforce — принуждать, вынуждать (к чему-л.)» заставлять; навязывать (кому-л. — on)
commander-in-chief — главнокомандующий
armed forces — вооруженные силы
to veto — налагать вето (на что-л.), запрещать
bill — законопроект
overrule — отклонять, отказывать; отменять (чье-л. решение); отвергать
chairman — председатель
to assume — принимать, брать на себя (ответственность, управление и т. п.)

Cabinet — Кабинет (министров)
Department Secretaries — министры
Secretary of State — государственный секретарь, глава внешнеполитического ведомства США
Federal District Court — Федеральный окружной суд
Supreme Court — Верховный суд
federal judges — федеральные судьи
to appoint — назначить
to amend — вносить изменения, вносить поправки (в законопроект и т. п.)
to abolish — аннулировать, отменять, упразднять, объявлять недействительным
slavery — рабство
to allow — позволять, разрешать

PART 1.

Text-based tasks.

1) Text-based questions.

1. What is the main document of the USA?
2. When was the Constitution of the USA signed?
3. How many Amendments have been added to the Constitution since 1787?
4. What does the Constitution proclaim?
5. What powers is the federal government given?
6. Where is the federal government located?
7. Where is the legislative power vested?
8. How many members are there in the House of Representatives?
9. Who is the head of the executive power in the USA?
10. How often do the President's elections take place?
11. Who deals with foreign affairs in the USA?
12. What does the Bill of Rights guarantee?

2) What do these figures refer to?

1. 435

2. 11

3. 13

4. 4

5. 50

6. 26

7. 1777

8. 1959

9. 18

10. 1787

11. 14

3) Explain these words in English.

1. Stripe – …
2. To elect – …
3. Rank – …
4. Current – …
5. Official – …
6. War – …
7. Branch – …
8. Vote – …
9. Term – …
10. To abolish – …
11. To grant – …
12. Citizen – …
13. To violate – …
14. Amendment – …
15. Veto – …

4) Make a crosswords based on the words from the text.

5) Find synonyms to these words in the text.

1. Significant

2. To pick up

3. To contain

4. Present day

5. Position

6. Issues

7. To alter

8. To guarantee

9. Inhabitant

10. Top manager

6) Underline all the irregular verbs in the text and give the three forms of them.

7) Translate this text from Russian into English.

Соединенные Штаты Америки.

На сегодняшний день, США — самая мощная и высокоразвитая страна в мире. Она расположена в центральной части Северной Америки. Ее западное побережье омывается Тихим океаном, а восточное — Атлантическим океаном и Мексиканским заливом.

США отделяется от Канады на севере 49-й параллелью и Большими озерами, от Мексики на юге — линией, проходящей вдоль реки Рио Гранде и через нагорные районы к Тихому океану. Общая площадь США — около 9 млн. квадратных километров.

Континентальная часть США состоит из возвышенностей и двух низменностей. Возвышенности — это Аппалачи на востоке и Кордильеры, расположенные на западе.

Между Кордильерами и Аппалачами находится Центральная низменность, которая называется прериями, и восточная низменность, называемая долиной Миссисипи. Главные реки США — Миссисипи, самая длинная река в мире (7 330 км), и Гудзон. Климат в США сильно отличается в разных частях страны. Самый холодный климат в северной части, где температура может опускаться до 40 градусов ниже нуля. На юге климат субтропический, летом температура повышается до 49 градусов.

Население Соединенных Штатов Америки составляет около 250 млн. человек. Большинство людей живет в городах, а население в сельской местности уменьшается.

В течение многих десятилетий США являются страной, куда приезжают люди, которые ищут убежище от преследований за политические и религиозные убеждения. Поэтому в Америке имеются представители практически всех рас и национальных групп. В стране живет около 25 млн. негров и чуть больше полумиллиона индейцев.

Столица США — Вашингтон. Он расположен в округе Колумбия. Вашингтон — красивый административный город, практически без промышленности.
США — высокоразвитая индустриальная страна. В Кордильерах есть угольные шахты. Около Великих озер добывается железная руда. В США имеются богатые месторождения нефти на территории Калифорнии, в Техасе и других регионах. Штаты занимают одно из первых мест среди стран мира по добыче угля, железной руды, нефти.

В США высокоразвитая автомобильная промышленность. Не будет преувеличением сказать, что автомобили стали символом американского образа жизни. Машины, производимые такими компаниями, как "Форд" и "Дженерал Моторс", известны во всем мире. Автомобильная промышленность сосредоточена в Детройте и вокруг него. Кораблестроение развито вдоль побережья Атлантики и в Сан-Франциско. На северо-востоке и юге страны сосредоточена текстильная промышленность.

В США высокоразвитая система железных дорог. Здесь также находится одна из лучших в мире сеть автомобильных дорог. Их называют автострадами.

США — федеральное государство, состоящее из 50 штатов и округа Колумбия. В политической жизни страны всегда занимали ведущее место две основные партии: демократическая и республиканская. Во время выборов они всегда оспаривают президентство и большинство мест в конгрессе. Конгресс — высший законодательный орган страны. Он состоит из двух палат — палаты представителей и сената.
Президент, избираемый всей нацией на 4 года, является главой государства и правительства.

8) Humor. Read, understand, and enjoy the humor =)

There were three restaurants on the same street. One day, one of them put up a sign said, "The Best Restaurant in the City. "
The next day, the second restaurant put up a larger sign which said, "The Best Restaurant in the World. "
On the third day, the smallest restaurant put up a small sign which said, "The Best Restaurant on this street. "

PART 2.

Discussion.

1) The “why”-questions. Provocative thinking.

1. Why does the American capital need a separate district for its location?

2. Why was is difficult for African-Americans to enjoy equal rights with the white population?

3. Why has it become possible for America to have an African-American president?

2) Research questions. Choose the issue that interests you most and search for more information. Prepare a report and deliver it to your classmates.

1. The Legislative Branch.

2. The Executive Branch.

3. The Judiciary Branch.

4. The President of the US.

5. The Constitution.

6. The Bill of Rights.

7. The Amendments to the Constitution.

8. House of Representatives.

9. Congress.

10. Elections in the US.

3) Here are the names of some notable presidents throughout the USA.

-) put the presidents in the correct order

-) explain what each of them is notable for

1. Thomas Jefferson

2. Abraham Lincoln

3. George Washington

4. Bill Clinton

5. Ronald Reagan

6. John Quincy Adams

7. Gerald Ford

8. Theodore Roosevelt

9. Richard Nixon

10. George H. W. Bush

11. Ulysses S. Grant

12. Barack Obama

13. Dwight D. Eisenhower

14. Franklin D. Roosevelt

15. John F. Kennedy

16. Harry S. Truman

4) Choose any two presidents of the USA and arrange a dialog between them.

5) If you decided to write a letter to American president, what would you write there? Write a 200-250 letter to the present American president.

6) Write a composition named: “The USA – country of diversities.”

FOLLOW-UPS.

Supplementary reading.

On emancipation. "A man cooking meals and a woman using tools"

There is a certain sort of a man in the world, a man who can be a good cook. If he marries a woman, who is a good cook too, there will be no harmony in their family. The man will always interfere in the kitchen. The woman will shout and drive him away. It is generally assumed that cooking is the housewife's job. Take for example, different advertisements. You can see a certain picture: a hungry man is sitting and looking expectantly at table, meanwhile his wife is bustling to and from the stove. Then she gives her husband a dish which ensures his adoration for ever.

Does he want to cook after this? Many people will reply: "He even shouldn't".
The idea that a woman should always cook is completely wrong. A man should be able to cook too, at least when his wife is out or seriously ill. So if a man can't cook, he should ask his wife to teach him.

And what about a woman who can't use tools? Sometimes her disability to handle a screwdriver can cause the same problems as a man's being unable to boil an egg. The woman living in a manless household is often in panic when a fuse burns out, a door handle comes off, a tap leaks, and a wash basin refuses to empty freely. She has to call in an electrician, who sends in a bill, which exceeds his real deeds. Actually at such a time a woman may realize that a short course of training in the use of tools would have saved her time, her money and her temper.

Provocative thinking:

1) How do you understand the term: “emancipation”?

2) Is it ok to pay compliments to a woman at work in Russia? In the US?

3) What is the difference between gallantry and abuse?

4) Is there “emancipation” in Russia?

5) Are Russians different in terms of treating women from other countries?

President's Day

American's two most popular and famous Presidents were both born in February. Until very recently, the birthdays of each President were officially celebrated but the holidays occurring in the middle of the week disrupted the full workweek. So ten years ago the Congress reformed the entire system of American Holidays to make them more convenient for both business and individuals.

Thus, the two holidays celebrated in honour of President Washington and Lincoln were joined into one and celebrated on the second Monday of February. Various communities observe the holiday by staging important achievements in Washington's life. Many shopping malls and stores are open this day and run sales to attract shoppers who have the day off from work or school. For owners of shops President's Day is the chance to make more profit.

Vocabulary:

to occur — случаться, происходить
to disrupt — нарушать, разрушать
entire — целый, полный
convenient — удобный
to join — присоединять, объединять
community — сообщество
to stage — ставить, инсценировать (пьесу)
achievement — достижение
shopping mall — торговый центр
to run sales — проводить распродажу
to make profit — получать прибыль

Provocative thinking:

1) What makes Washington and Lincoln the most popular presidents?

2) What is this holiday made for? Who likes to celebrate it most of all?

3) Do you think the holiday as such might be celebrated in Russia? Why or why

not?

Political Parties

There are two major political parties, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. Other parties have occasionally challenged these two but without permanent success. One reason for their failure is that in order to win a national election, a party must appeal to a broad base of voters and a wide spectrum of interests. The two major parties thus tend to be moderate in their programs, and there may often be little difference between them on some issues. Each has a conservative wing, and each has a wing that is considered liberal. The conservative Democrats tend to be more conservative on racial issues, for example, than their Republican counterparts; the liberal Democrats are more radical on economic issues than the liberal Republicans. The national parties contest presidential elections every four years. In elections for president and vice president, voters actually choose among electors committed to the support of a particular candidate, a system called the Electoral College. Each state is allotted one electoral vote for each senator and representative in Congress.

At the state level, political parties reflect the diversity of the population. Large urban centres are more likely to support a Democratic ticket, whereas rural areas, small cities and suburban areas tend more often to vote Republican. In many states rural areas and smaller towns control the state legislatures, even though the more populous city areas provide the greater proportion of tax revenue. A Supreme Court ruling in 1964 sought to remedy this situation by ordering states to reapportion their legislatures. Some states have traditionally given majorities to one particular party. Until the mid-20th century, for example, the 11 Southern states of the old Confederacy voted almost solidly for Democratic candidates; in other states, such as Maine and South Dakota, Republicans are more likely to win.

Municipal political parties have a pyramidal structure based, at the lowest level, on districts or precincts. The leaders of these units are responsible to ward leaders, who form the governing body of the municipal party. All of these party functionaries are responsible for getting their voters to the polls at election time, often on the basis of a return for services rendered. It is to them, after all, that voters have gone with requests for better municipal services, jobs and assistance in minor difficulties.

As society has become increasingly urban, politics and government have become more complex. Many problems of the cities, including the problems of transportation, housing, education, health and welfare, can no longer be handled entirely on the local level. Since even the states do not have the necessary resources, cities have often turned to the federal government for assistance.

Translate this text “Political Parties”in good Russian.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 3101