Санкт-Петербургский государственный университет

Факультет Международных отношений

Пособие по английскому языку

для студентов 2 курса

( 3 семестр)

(Уровень: Advanced, Upper-Intermediate, Intermediate)

The Political Systems of the UK and the USA

Санкт –Петербург

2009

UNIT I. UK AND US POLITICAL SYSTEMS

VOCABULARY LIST 1. Political System

The UK

1)Coronation, abdication, to abdicate

To succeed to the throne

Knight, knighthood

2) legislative, executive, judicial branch

the Houses of Parliament, a Member of Parliament (MP)

the House of Lords, the Lords, the Lords Chamber, the Upper House

the House of Commons, the Commons, the Commons Chamber, the Lower House

3)hereditary peers, to inherit a title, peers by heredity; life peers, to make someone a life peer, to grant peerage

Lords Spiritual, bishops of the Church of England, Archbishop of Canterbury

The Law Lords (judges); Lords Temporal

The Lord Chancellor, the Woolsack, the Mace, the Sergeant at Arms

4)The Speaker; to call to order

The State Opening of Parliament; session, sitting, question time

5)A legislative draft/bill; to introduce/bring in a bill, to debate a bill, to pass a bill, to defeat/reject a bill, to amend a bill; to submit a bill to

First, second, third reading

Unanimous consent

To give/receive Royal Assent; to enter into the Statute book

Aye lobby, No lobby, division, to call for a division

6) The Government, the Opposition, Shadow cabinet, Shadow minister

A front-bencher, a back-bencher

Maiden speech

The USA

7) President, acting president, lame duck

the Congress: the Senate, the House of Representatives

Commander-in-Chief

The Vice President, Senator, Congressman

8) To set and collect taxes, to regulate commerce, to coin and issue money, to declare war

System of Checks and Balances

9) Constitution: articles and amendments

Bill of Rights

Bicameral legislature

Two-party system, political rivalry

Party caucus

Majority/minority leader

10) President’s Cabinet

To resign, to choose/appoint the successor

Term in office

Assassination

Lesson 1. A constitution or a constitutional monarchy

“It's vital that the monarchy keeps in touch with the people. It's what I try and do.”

Princess Diana

Reading for vocabulary 1.1. Constitution

Before you read. Think over the following questions:

• What are the basics of a state? Why do most countries have

Constitutions?

• What do you know about the history of US Constitution?

Read the following text.

After peace came, the Congress, established during the war, asked each state to send delegates to a convention in Philadelphia, the city where the Declaration of Independence had been signed, to discuss the changes which would be necessary to strengthen the previous agreements.

The smallest state, Rhode Island, refused, but delegates from the other 12 states participated. The meeting, later known as the Constitutional Convention, began in May of 1787. George Washington, the military hero of the War of Independence, was the presiding officer. Fifty four other men were present. Some wanted a strong new government. Some did not.

In the course of the Convention, the delegates designed a new form of government for the United States. The Constitution set up a federal system with strong central government. A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts, with some rights reserved to each. The Constitution also called for the election of a national leader, or president. It provided that federal laws would be made only by a Congress made up of representatives elected by the people. It also provided for a national court system headed by a Supreme Court.

In writing the Constitution, the delegates had to deal with two main fears shared by most Americans. One fear was that one person or group, including the majority, might become too powerful or be able to seize control of the country and create a tyranny. To guard against this possibility, the delegates set up a government consisting of three parts, or branches, the executive, the legislative and the judicial. Each branch has powers that the others do not have and each branch has a way of counteracting and limiting any wrongful action by another branch.

Another fear was that the new central government might weaken or take away the power of the state governments to run their own affairs. To deal with this the Constitution specified exactly what power the central government had and which power was reserved for the states. The states were allowed to run their own governments as they wished, provided that their governments were democratic.

Though the Convention delegates did not think it necessary to include such explicit guarantees, many people felt that they needed further written protection against tyrannny. So, a “Bill of Rights” was added to the Constitution. In the Bill of Rights, Americans are guaranteed freedom of religion, of speech and of the press. They have the right to assemble in public places, to protest government actions and to demand change. They have the right to own weapons if they wish. Because of the Bill of Rights, neither police nor soldiers can stop and search a person without good reason. Neither can they search a person’s home without legal permission from a court to do so.