Read the following text; try to pick up some new information in addition to what you have learned from the main text .

According to the U.S. Constitution the executive power, the legislature, and the judiciary are carefully separated. Each of these three branches of government does not depend on the other two, and each has some power to limit the activities of the other two branches. This leads to a government that is remarkably decentralized. In addition to this, local (state) governments have powers that are independent of the federal government. Each of the fifty states has its own political structure, almost always modeled on the federal one.

Today, the United States has two major political parties. One is the Democratic party, which evolved out of Thomas Jefferson’s party, formed before 1800. The other is the Republican party, which was formed in the 1850s, mostly by people in the states of the North and West.

Most Americans consider the Democratic party the more liberal party. By that they mean that Democrats believe the federal government and the state governments should be active in providing social and economic programs for those who need them, such as the poor, the unemployed or students who need money to go to college.

Republicans are not necessarily opposed to such programs. They believe, however, that many social programs are too costly to the taxpayers. They place more emphasis on private enterprise and often accuse the Democrats of making the government too expensive and of creating too many laws that harm individual initiative. For that reason, Americans tend to think of the Republican party as conservative.

Though the Democrats are the more liberal and the Republicans the more conservative, in practice, there is a great deal of overlap, and there are many politicians who would be at home in either party. It means that Americans vote for individuals more than they do for parties.

There are other, smaller parties in the United States besides the two major parties.

The president is the head of the state (that is of the nation) and of the government. Despite the limitations on his power the President of the U.S.A. is the most powerful single individual in the U.S. government. He is the chief executive of the country, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, and the man to whom the members of the cabinet report. His administration is responsible for the day-to-day running of the government, and it often proposes legislation to Congress.

1. Complete the following sentences:

1. The U.S.A. is a … .

2. The U.S. President is elected … .

3. The legislative branch is represented by … .

4. The Senate belongs to … .

5. The Congress makes … .

6. The President of the U.S.A. can … .

7. The Supreme Court is … .

8. The numerous departments of the Cabinet deal … .

9. The Departments of the Cabinet are headed by the appointed … .

10. The U.S. President is elected together with … .

3. Match the words on the left with their synonyms on the right. There may be more than one synonym for the word:

4. Agree or disagree orally with the following statements. Give your reasons, if any; the phrases given below may be helpful:

1. The Congress consists of one chamber.

2. The ministries are called Departments in the U.S.A.

3. Ministers are called Secretaries in the U.S.A., aren’t they?

4. The power of the U.S. President is absolutely unlimited. Is that true?

5. All the actions, decisions, and appointments of the U.S. President must be confirmed and approved by the Congress.

6. The members of the Congress may be called lawmakers.

7. The U.S. President may be elected for three terms.

8. The U.S. President may start a war without the concent of the Congress.

9. The political system of the USA is designed so that no single branch or person has too much control or power. Congress makes laws but the President can reject them or the Supreme Court can decide that they are unconstitutional.

10. It is known that the Constitution, laws and traditions of the USA give the people the right to decide who will be the leader of their nation, who will make the laws and what the laws will be. The Constitution guarantees individual freedom to all.

11. All citizens of the United States are proud of their country. Since childhood they are taught to be great patriots and love their motherland.

12. They think that the American rivers (the Mississippi, the Columbia, the Colorado) are the longest ones. They consider that their mountains (the McKinley, the Cordilleras, the Appalachian) are the highest ones.

13. Many of the American firms and corporations (for example, Microsoft, Reebok, General Motors, Pepsi) are known all over the world.

5. Supply the correct word from the box for each blank in the sentences given below:

1. Political ______ are organized groups of people who share a set of ideas about how the United States should be governed.

2. In the U.S.A. the _______ branch is represented by the Congress.

3. The American government consists of 3 ______: the executive headed by the President, the legislative and the judicial.

4. The Treasury deals with the nation’s ______ while the State Department helps make policies.

5. The USA is a ______ republic.

6. The U.S. president is ______ for a 4-year term.

7. The U.S. Congress includes two houses: the House of Representatives and ______ .

8. Under a constitutional ______ passed in 1951, the U.S. president can be elected to only two terms.

9. The chief ______ of the United States is the President.

10. The ______ branch is headed by the Supreme Court.

6. Answer the questions. If in place, begin your answers with the following phrases:

(It is an oral exercise!)

1. Who is called a senator in the U.S.A.?

2. What parts does the Congress of the U.S.A. consist of?

3. Can you explain the origin of the country’s nickname «Uncle Sam»?

4. Why has the U.S. flag 13 stripes?

5. Whom does the legislative power in the U.S.A. belong to?

6. Who is the executive power vested in the U.S.A.?

7. What kind of political system exists in in the U.S.A.?

8. Can you mention some of the U.S. presidents?

9. Who is the president of the U.S. today?

10. Who was the first U.S. President?

11. Who was the 40th President?

12. What is the capital of the United States? Does it belong to any state?

13. How many states are there in the U.S.A. now?

14. Why do people call the U.S.A. a rather cosmolitan country?

15. Has the U.S.A. a federalist system? What does it mean?

16. Has the U.S.A. a Constitution? When was it written?

17. How are the ministers called in the U.S.A.?

18. What are the «departments» in the U.S. government?

19. What is the State Department (or the Department of State) in the U.S.A?

20. When will the citizens of the U.S.A. elect a new President?

21. Who has the right to vote?

22. Who has the right to be elected to the Congress?

23. Who has the right to be elected President?

7. Complete the dialogue, making up questions to which the following statements are the answers:

Date: 2016-04-22; view: 886