Find the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations in the text.
1. крупнейшая англоязычная страна, 2. иметь морские границы, 3. занимать центральную часть континента, 4. омываться тремя океанами, 5. страна рек и озер, 6. различные климатические условия, 7. богата различными минеральными ресурсами, 8. высокоразвитая промышленная держава, 9. разные расы и нации, 10. официальный язык государства, 11. звездно-полосатый флаг, 12. назвать в честь первого президента страны, 13. исполнительная / законодательная / судебная власть, 14. Сенат / палата представителей, 15. система федеральных судов, 16. вице-президент / кабинет министров, 17. ведущая держава.
Read the text again to decide if the statements are true or false. Correct the false ones with the facts from the text.
1. The USA is the largest English speaking country.
2. It occupies the whole North American continent.
3. The country borders on Russia, Canada and Mexico.
4. The US territory is over 9 mln. sq. km.
5. There are many lakes and rivers on the territory of the country.
6. The country climate is rather different.
7. The US is one of the highly developed industrial powers of the world.
8. There are 2 official languages in the country — English and French.
9. The national symbol of the USA is the donkey.
10. The capital of the USA is New York.
11. The head of the state is the President.
12. The legislative branch of the US Government is the Congress consisting of 2 chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
13. The President controls all the government branches.
Make a plan to the text.
V. Discuss the following with your groupmates.
Why is the USA considered one of the highly developed industrial countries?
State Structure of the USA
I. First thoughts. Is the USA a part of the British Commonwealth? Who is the Head of the State?
II. Study the words. Make sure you know them. Practice the pronunciation.
to consist of, to sign, amendment, according to, officials, citizen, to violate, to proclaim, to issue money, to regulate the trade, to locate, to vest, legislative, executive, judiciary, to enforce, commander-in-chief, armed forces, to veto, bill, overrule, chairman, to assume, Cabinet, Department Secretaries, Secretary of State, Federal District Court, Supreme Court, to appoint, to abolish, slavery.
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III. Read the text and do the tasks following it.
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 government of the USA acts 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 cannot 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 cannot 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.
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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.
IV. Comprehension Check.
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