Exercise 3: Draw the scheme of the court system of England and Wales.
Exercise 4: Speak on the topic using the words and word-combinations in the previous exercises and the scheme of the court system you have made.

Text 6: The Political Set-up of the USA

The United States of America is a federal, presidential, constitutional republic composed of 50 states. The capital is Washington D.C., and the largest city is New York City.

European colonization of America began in the 16-th century. The United States emerged from 13 British colonies along the East Coast. Numerous disputes between Great Britain and the colonies following the Seven Years’ War led to the American Revolution, which began in 1775. On July 4, 1776, during the course of the American Revolutionary War, the colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. The war ended in 1783 with recognition of the independence of the US by Great Britain.

The current constitution was adopted in 1778. The first ten amendments, named the Bill of Rights, were ratified in 1791 and designed to guarantee many fundamental civil liberties and rights.

The federal government of the country is composed of three branches: legislative (the Congress), executive (the President) and judicial (the Supreme Court).

• 
  Legislative: The Congress, made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal laws, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove the sitting members of the government.
  
• 
  Executive: The President is the commander-in-chief of the US army, can veto legislative bills before they become law and appoints the members of the Cabinet and other offices, who administer and enforce federal laws and policies.
  
• 
  Judicial: The Supreme Court and lower federal courts whose judges are appointed by the President with Senate approval, interpret laws.
  

The Senate has 100 members (two senators from each state), elected to 6-year terms. One third of Senate is elected every two years.
The President serves a four-year term and may be elected to the office no more than twice. The President is not elected by direct vote, but by indirect electoral college system.
The Supreme Court, led by the Chief Justice of the United States, has nine members, who serve for life.
The government of the country is regulated by the system of checks and balances. According to this system each branch of government serves as a check on the others. The powers given to each branch are carefully balanced by the powers of the other two. This is to keep any branch from gaining too much power or from misusing its powers.

Exercise 1: Find in the text the English equivalents for the expressions below:

1. 
   Состоять из
   
2. 
   Признание независимости
   
3. 
   Возникать, появляться
   
4. 
   Поправки к конституции
   
5. 
   Декларация Независимости
   
6. 
   Гарантировать основные гражданские права и свободы
   
7. 
   Приводить к чему-то
   
8. 
   Принимать (документ)
   
9. 
   Три ветви власти
   
10. 
    Многочисленные споры
    
11. 
    Быть ратифицированным
    
12. 
    Законодательная ветвь власти
    
13. 
    Исполнительная ветвь власти
    
14. 
    Судебная ветвь власти
    
15. 
    Быть принятым
    

Exercise 2: Answer the questions:

1. 
   What is the difference between the American Constitution and the Bill of Rights?
   
2. 
   How does the Constitution separate the powers of the government?
   
3. 
   Which fundamental civil liberties and rights do you know?
   
4. 
   What is the difference between the constitutions of the UK and the US?
   

Exercise 3: Draw the scheme of the political set-up of the USA.
Exercise 4: Speak on the topic using the words and word-combinations from the previous exercises and the scheme you have made.

Text 7: The Congress

The Congress, the legislative branch of power, is made up of the Senate (the upper House) and the House of Representatives (the lower House). There are 100 senators, two from each state, in the Senate. One third of the senators is elected every two years for six-year terms of office. A senator must be older than 30 years old and be an American citizen for at least 9 years.

---

The House of Representatives has 435 members. Each state is divided into congressional districts of roughly equal population, and the voters of each district elect one representative to the House. A member must be older than 25 years old and be an American citizen for at least 7 years. There is no limit to the number of terms a Senator or a Representative may serve.

The functions of the Congress are: to make new laws, and each house of the Congress has the power to introduce legislation. It regulates commerce among states and with foreign countries. It can declare war, approves treaties and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove the members of the government.
Exercise 1: Give the English equivalents to the following Russian words and word-combinations:

1. 
   Нижняя палата
   
2. 
   Верхняя палата
   
3. 
   Избираться
   
4. 
   Срок службы
   
5. 
   Американский гражданин
   
6. 
   По меньшей мере
   
7. 
   Делиться на
   
8. 
   Избирательный округ
   
9. 
   Примерно равное количество населения
   
10. 
    Избиратели
    
11. 
    Выступать с законодательной инициативой
    
12. 
    Регулировать торговлю между штатами
    
13. 
    Объявлять войну
    
14. 
    Одобрять договоры
    
15. 
    Иметь право объявлять импичмент
    
16. 
    Снимать с должности членов правительства
    

Exercise 2: Draw the scheme, representing the structure of the American Parliament.
Exercise 3: Answer the questions:

1. 
   What is the name of the American Parliament?
   
2. 
   Which two Houses does it consist of?
   
3. 
   How long is the senator’s term of office?
   
4. 
   What are the requirements for senators?
   
5. 
   How can a person become a Representative?
   
6. 
   List the functions of the Congress.
   

Text 8: The President and Federal Departments.

The President of the USA, the head of the executive branch of power, is elected every four years for a four-year term of office, with no more than two terms allowed. The President is not elected by the voters directly but by indirect electoral college system. He must be a native-born citizen at least 35 years old.

The President is the commander-in-chief of the US army, can veto legislative bills before they become law and appoints the members of the Cabinet and other offices. As the head of the executive branch the President must carry on the government programs accepted by Congress. The President appoints federal judges, ambassadors and government officials and assigns duties to the elected Vice President. If a President dies, resigns or becomes permanently disabled, the Vice President becomes responsible for his duties until the next election. Under the US Constitution a sitting President may be removed from his office only by an impeachment process that begins in the House of Representatives.

Within the executive branch there are a number of executive departments. These are the departments of State, Treasury, Defence, Justice, Interior, Health and Human Resources, Education and others. Each department is established by law, and is responsible for a specific area. The head of each department is called the Secretary and is appointed by the President, but must be approved by the Senate. The Secretaries of the most important departments form the President’s Cabinet.
Exercise 1: Find in the text the English equivalents to the following Russian words and word-combinations:

1. 
   Избираться
   
2. 
   Четырехлетний срок службы
   
3. 
   Правительственные программы, принятые Конгрессом
   
4. 
   Не более, чем на два срока
   
5. 
   Госдепартамент
   
6. 
   Должен быть одобрен Сенатом
   
7. 
   Департамент финансов
   
8. 
   Принимает на себя его обязанности
   
9. 
   Коллегия выборщиков
   
10. 
    Назначать федеральных судей
    
11. 
    Послы
    
12. 
    Правительственные чиновники
    
13. 
    Предписывать обязанности
    
14. 
    Уходить в отставку
    
15. 
    Стать недееспособным
    
16. 
    Действующий президент
    
17. 
    Смещать с поста
    
18. 
    Избиратели
    
19. 
    Быть ответственным за что-либо
    

---

Exercise 2: Answer the questions:

1. 
   Who is the head of the executive branch of power?
   
2. 
   How can a person become a President of the USA?
   
3. 
   Name the US President’s duties.
   
4. 
   When does the Vice President accept the duties of the President?
   
5. 
   What is “the process of impeachment”?
   
6. 
   What can you say about the government departments?
   
7. 
   What is “the Cabinet”?
   

Exercise 3: Draw the scheme of the executive branch of power.
Exercise 4: Using the information from the previous exercises, speak on the executive branch of power.

Text 9: The federal Judiciary

The third branch of government is the federal judiciary. Its main instrument is the Supreme Court, which watches over the two other branches. It determines whether their laws and acts are in accordance with the Constitution. The Supreme Court consists of a Chief Justice and 8 Associated Justices. They are appointed by the President but must be approved by the Senate. They hold office as Supreme Court Justices for life. A decision of the Supreme Court can not be appealed to any other court. Neither the President nor the Congress can change their decisions.

The Supreme Court has direct jurisdiction in only two kind of cases: those involving foreign diplomats and those in which a state is a party. All other cases which reach the Court are appeals from lower courts.

In addition to the Supreme Court, there are 11 federal courts of appeal and, below them, 91 federal district courts.

Federal courts coexist with state courts. The structure of state courts varies from state to state. Individuals can sue or be sued in either court system – federal courts or state courts, depending mostly on what their case is about. The vast majority of cases are resolved in state courts.
Exercise 1: Give the English equivalents to the following Russian words and word-combinations:

1. 
   Суды штатов
   
2. 
   Федеральные суды
   
3. 
   Главный судья
   
4. 
   Судьи-помощники
   
5. 
   Надзирать за кем-то
   
6. 
   Подавать иск
   
7. 
   Отвечать в суде в качестве ответчика
   
8. 
   Соответствовать Конституции
   
9. 
   Назначать
   
10. 
    Одобрять
    
11. 
    Занимать пост пожизненно
    
12. 
    Иметь прямую юрисдикцию
    
13. 
    Судебное дело
    
14. 
    Сторона (судебного разбирательства)
    
15. 
    Федеральные окружные суды
    
16. 
    Сосуществовать
    
17. 
    Большинство (дел)
    
18. 
    Верховный Суд
    
19. 
    Решать дело в суде
    
20. 
    Иностранные дипломаты
    

Exercise 2: Answer the questions:

1. 
   Who does the Supreme Court consist of?
   
2. 
   How long do the Supreme Court Justices serve?
   
3. 
   Are the Supreme Court Justices elected?
   
4. 
   What are the functions of the Supreme Court of the USA?
   
5. 
   Who can change the decisions of the Supreme Court?
   
6. 
   What lower courts, besides the Supreme Court, are there in the USA?
   
7. 
   In what kind of cases does the Supreme Court have direct jurisdiction?
   

Exercise 3: Speak on the court system of the USA. Compare this with the court system in Russia.

---

Смотрите также файлы

• Утверждаю декан факультета Экономики (подпись) И. П. Баранова (фио декана) 201 г. Индивидуальное задание на производственную практику (научноисследовательская работа).docx

• Реферат по дисциплине экологические основы природопользования тема Техногенные катастрофы студент группы озд2001 Черепанова Вероника Александровна. Проверил преподаватель.docx

• Тепловой расчет.docx

• Муниципальное бюджетное общеобразовательное учреждение Березниковская средняя школа имени Героя Советского союза Вадима Константиновича Коробова.docx

• Горохова элла мухаммедовна.docx