3. Match two parts of the sentences.

1. The Constitution of the United States of America was adopted ….

2. Written constitutions first came to light ….

3. The US Constitution is ….

4. A written constitution is ….

5. The Constitution specifies ….

6. The Constitution c consists of ….

7. The Bill of Rights establishes ….

a. in the 18th century.

b. the bases of all government and law.

c. the individual rights and freedoms to all people of the states.

d. after the War of Independence in September 1787.

e. Preamble, seven articles and 27 amendments.

f. the powers and the duties of each federal branch of government.

g. one of the most durable and influential.

4. Finish the following statements using appropriate words and word combinations:

1. The Constitution of the United States of America was adopted …

2. Over the history, the US Constitution proved to be…

3. The constitution lists…

4. According to the Constitution there are…

5. The ultimate power under the Constitution is given to…

6. The Constitution consists of…

7. The Bill of Rights establishes…

5. Answer the following questions:

1. When was the American Constitution adopted?

2. How do the British and American Constitutions differ?

3. How is the US governmental system organized under the Constitution?

4. Who is the supreme power given to in the USA?

5. What does the US Constitution consist of?

6. What does the Bill of Rights establish?

6. Look through the first, the second, the fourth and the fifth passages again and say about the history and structure of the American Constitution.

Use the following key-words: to be adopted, September 1787, to take a special place in the history of law, the most durable and influential, to consist of, to add an amendment.

7. Look through the third passage again and say why the Constitution is the bases of government and law.

Use the following key-words: set of rules, regulate the work of the government, separate branches, to have powers over others, the powers and duties, operate within guidelines, the ultimate power.

Dialogue1

Task3. Professor James Smith is an invited lecturer at Moscow State University, Law Department. His Russian student Ivan is interested in the U. S. Constitution. Read the dialogue and say what civil rights the Bill of Rights specifies.

Student: Oh, today is September, 17^th. If I’m not mistaken the Americans are celebrating Constitution Day, aren’t they.

Professor: Right you are. September 17th is Constitution Day, commemorating the day in 1787 when, at the end of a long hot summer of discussion, debate and deliberation, the Framers signed America’s most important document.

Student: I’ve heard that the United States Constitution is the oldest written national constitution still in operation.

Professor: It’s not quite so. In fact, the United States Constitution is the second oldest written constitution still in use by any nation in the world after the 1600 Statutes of San Marino. But the American Constitution is proved to be the most influential as it was first to proclaim the rule of law and recognition of individual rights. The American experience has motivated foreign constitutionalists to reconsider possibilities.

Student: What role does the Constitution play in political culture of the USA?

Professor: Briefly speaking, the Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the country. It is the framework for the organization of the US government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.

Student: I wonder what the structure of the US supreme law is. As far as I know, it’s rather short.

Professor: Right you are. You won’t spend much time on reading it. The constitution consists of Preamble and seven articles. It has been amended twenty-seven times; the first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights.

Student: Could you be more specific on the Bill of Rights?

Professor: Sure. The Bill of Rights, proposed at the first session of Congress in 1789, limit the power of the U.S. federal government. These limitations serve to protect the natural rights of liberty and property including freedoms of religion, speech, a free press, free assembly, and free association, as well as the right to keep and bear arms. You know, the Constitution together with the Bill of Rights is the base of American identity that is made up of individual rights, majority rule, and a constitutional order of limited government power.

1. Read the dialogue again and say what statements are true or false.

1. Constitution Day in the US is on October, 1^st.

2. The US Constitution was signed in 1787.

3. The United States Constitution is the oldest written national constitution still in operation.

4. The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the country.

5. The constitution consists of Preamble and ten articles.

6. The Bill of Rights serves to protect the natural rights of liberty and property.

2. Act out the dialogue. Pretend that one of you is an American Law Professor, another is a Russian student. Discuss the American Constitution.