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Файл:Английский язык для студентов-юристов и историков = English for Students of Law and History. Учебное пособие
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31
5. THE USA (I)
Warm up Activities
1. Read the sentences and circle the correct item.
1. How many British colonies came together in America in 1776?
a) the fifteen; b) the thirteen; c) the eighteen.
2. The man who wrote the following “of the people, by the people, for the
people” was
a) Jefferson; b) Washington; c) Lincoln.
3. The supreme law of the USA is
a) the Constitution; b) the Bill of Rights; c) the Articles of Confederation.
4. The ultimate power in the USA belongs to
a) the President; b) the people; c) the Supreme Court.
Reading
2. Read the article and translate it, using a dictionary. Decide what the
underlined words are substitutes for. Choose the appropriate answer below.
Then try to remember the words in bold.
The Constitution of the USA
The Constitution of the USA, the oldest still in force in the world, has been
repeatedly amended to meet the changing needs of the nation, but it is still the
“supreme law of the land”. All governments and governmental groups, federal, state,
and local, must operate within 1) its guidelines. The ultimate power under the
Constitution is not given to the President (the executive branch), or to the Supreme
Court (the judicial branch). Nor does 2) it rest, as in many other countries, with a
political group or party. It belongs to “We the People” in fact and in spirit.
In this way, Americans first took for themselves the liberties and rights that
elsewhere were the privileges of an elite few. 3) They are stated in the first ten
Constitution Amendments, known together as the Bill of Rights, and considered to
be the fundamental rights of any American. Among these rights are the freedom of
religion, speech, and the press, the right of peaceful assembly, and the right to
petition the government to correct wrongs. Other rights guarded the citizens
against unreasonable searches, arrests, and seizures of property, and established a
system of justice guaranteeing legal procedures. 4) This included the right of trial
by jury, 5) that is, being judged by one’s fellow citizens.
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The great pride Americans have in their Constitution, their almost religious
respect for it, comes from the knowledge that these ideals, freedoms, and rights were
not given to 6) them by a small ruling class. Rather, there are seen as the natural
“unalienable” rights of every American, which had been fought for and won.
7) They cannot be taken away by any government, court, official, or law.
The federal and state governments formed under the Constitution, therefore,
were designed to serve the people and to carry out their majority wishes. One thing
8) they didn’t want their government to do is to rule them.
Americans expect their governments to serve them and tend to think of
politicians and governmental officials as 9) their servants. This attitude remains
very strong among Americans today.
1. its
a) the Constitution b) the nation
2. it
a) the judicial branch b) the power
3. they
a) the rights b) Americans
4. this
a) a system of justice b) legal procedures
5. that
a) trial by jury b) jury
6. them
a) the rights b) Americans
7. they
a) the rights b) Americans
8. they
a) the people b) the wishes
9. their
a) politicians and officials’ b) Americans’
33
Vocabulary Exercises
3. Fill in the appropriate word(s) from the list, then make sentences using
the completed phrases.
operate, meet, correct, guard the citizens, unreasonable, guarantee, right, carry
out, serve
to ………… the changing needs
the………………of trial by jury
to………………. against smth.
to……………….. the people
to………………. within one’s
guidelines
to………………. legal procedures
to ……………… wrongs
to………………. majority wishes
………………… searches
4a. Match the English and Russian equivalents.
in force
свободa
in spirit
гордость
elsewhere
неоднократно
supreme
считать
unalienable
отношение
to rest
мирный
repeatedly
где-то еще
peaceful
сограждане
liberty
в действии, в силе
pride
по духу
attitude
улучшить, вносить
поправки
to consider
верховный
to amend
неотчуждаемый,
неотемлемый
fellow
citizens
опираться,
основываться
4b. Fill in the correct word(s) from the list.
fundamental, property, ultimate, Assembly, Amendments
1. The Bill of Rights consists of ten ………………………. . (corrections,
improvements)
2. The right of trial by jury is one of the ………………………. rights of the
man. (essential)
3. The power of Stalin was …………………… . (highest, supreme)
4. They’re going to take part in the International ……………………. .
(meeting)
5. If you’ve lost something go to the lost…………………office. (something
owned)
Speaking
5. Read the text again, then make notes under these headings. Use your
notes to talk about the Constitution of the United States of America.
34
• The Constitution as the “supreme law of the land”
• The Bill of Rights
• The fundamental rights of any American
• The attitude of Americans to their governments
Reading
6. You are going to read a text about US Congress. Five sentences have
been removed from the text. Choose the sentence (A - E), which fits each gap.
A. Each can also vote against legislation passed by the other.
B. In foreign affairs, he is also strongly limited.
C. One third of the Senators are elected every two years for six-year terms of
office.
D. Congress, in its turn, can override a veto by a two-thirds vote in each house.
E. They represent the population of “congressional districts” into which each
state is divided.
Congress
Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government, is made up of the
Senate and the House of Representatives. There are 100 Senators, two from each
state. The Senators represent all of the people in a state and their interests.
The House of Representatives has 435 members. They are elected every two
years for two-year terms. The number of Representatives from each state is
based upon its population. For instance, California, the state with the largest
population, has 45 Representatives, while Delaware has only one. All election
districts must have about the same number of residents. So one of the basic
principles, which are found at all levels of American government is the “one person,
one vote” principle which says that legislators are elected from geographical districts
directly by the voters. There is no limit to the number of terms a Senator or a
Representative may serve.
Almost all elections in the United States follow the “winner-take-all” principle:
the candidate who wins the largest number of votes in a congressional district is the
winner.
Congress makes all laws, and each House of Congress has the power to
introduce legislation.
Because legislation only becomes law if both Houses agree, compromise
between them is necessary. Congress decides upon taxes and how money is spent. In
addition, it regulates commerce among the states and with foreign countries. It also
sets rules for the naturalization of foreign citizens.
Congress has the power to make laws, but the President may veto any act of
Congress.
Congress can also refuse to provide funds requested by the President.
2
3 4 1
35
The President has the power to name all federal judges, but they must be
approved by the Senate. The courts have the power to determine the constitutionality
of all acts of Congress and of presidential actions, and to strike down those they find
unconstitutional.
The House of Representatives controls spending and finance, so the President
must have its agreement for his proposals and programs. The President cannot declare
war, either, without the approval of Congress. Any treaty must first be
approved by the Senate. If there is no approval, there is no treaty. The rule is “the
President proposes, but Congress disposes”.
Vocabulary Exercises
7a. Find the English equivalents of the following words and phrases in the
text, then make sentences using them.
например, законодательная власть, договор, жители, зарубежные страны,
предложения, одобрять, уровень, победитель, торговля, избирательный участок,
определять, налоги, представлять, избиратель, количество сроков полномочий,
внести законопроект, установить правила, отказать, расходы.
7b. Underline the correct words in bold.
1. Multimedia web pages with photographs, music and video make
downloading slow and boring. In addition/in its turn, there is too much advertising
instead of real information.
2. Village members/residents still prefer to get up early.
3. The new manager worked hard to provide/to strike down better working
conditions in the hotel.
4. The thirteen American states were divided/declared independent in 1776.
5. If you want to have a happy family affairs/compromises should always be
found.
6. He represents/disposes the election district in California.
8. Match a) the synonyms b) the antonyms.
to be made up
commerce
override
spending
for example
consist
foreign
a looser
a sum
of money
override
to limit
to accept
a bill
an elector
a winner
for
trade
for instance
to refuse
domestic
veto
legislation
against
approve
a voter
funds
savings
to widen
5
36
Speaking
9. Close your books and try to complete the following sentences.
1. The legislative branch of the federal government of the USA is...
2. The USA Congress consists...
3. The Senate
a) There are 100...
b) One third of the Senators…
c) The Senators represent…
4. The House of Representatives
a) The House of Representatives…
b) They are elected…
c) They represent the population
d) The number of Representatives…
5. Congress
a) Congress makes…
b) Congress decides…
c) It regulates… and also sets rules…
d) Congress can override … and it can also refuse…
6. The President
a) The President has...
b) The President must have…
c) The President cannot…
d) He is also limited…
e) The President proposes…
Writing
10. Analyse the main differences between the American Constitution and
the Russian one in written form. Compare the main functions of Congress and
the Russian Parliament.
Just for fun
Listen to the song and fill in with the words below.
God, mercy, crown, grace, purple, heroes, twice, men, freedom, mountain,
liberty, dream
37
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
Words by *Katharine Lee Bates Melody by Samuel Ward
О beautiful for spacious skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For purple …………… majesties
Above the fruited plain!
America! America!
God shed1 his grace on thee2
And ………. thy good with brother-hood
From sea to shining sea!
О beautiful for pilgrim feet
Whose stern,3 impassioned stress
A thoroughfare4 of …………… beat
Across the wilderness!
America! America!
God mend thine every flaw,
Confirm thy soul in self-control,
Thy ……….. in law!
О beautiful for ………… proved
In liberating strife.
Who more than self the country loved
And ………… more than life!
America! America!
May God thy gold refine
Till all success be nobleness
And every gain divine!
О beautiful for halcyon
5
skies,
For amber waves of grain,
For ………… mountain majesties
Above the enameled6 plain!
America! America!
…… shed his grace on thee
Till souls wax fair as earth and air
And music-hearted sea!
О beautiful for glory-tale
Of liberating strife
When once and ……..,
for man's avail7
Men lavished8 precious life!
America! America!
God shed his ………. on thee
Till selfish gain no longer stain
The banner of the free!
О beautiful for patriot ……….
That sees beyond the years
Thine9 alabaster10 cities gleam
Undimmed11 by human tears!
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
Till nobler …….. keep once again
Thy whiter jubilee!
*Katharine Lee Bates, an English professor at Wellesey College, rode in a
horse-drawn wagon up Pike’s peak, a mountaintop in Colorado in 1893. She saw a
view of the mountains and was inspired by her glimpse of the “spacious skies” and
“purple mountains” to write a poem, which became the first verse of the song. The
public loved the poem, and Miss Bates was encouraged to set it to music. She chose
the music of a hymn by Samuel Ward. The words and music traveled around the
world, and today Mexico, Canada, and Australia sing it with their own countries’
names instead of “America.”
1 to shed – проливать, распространять
2 thee – (поэт.) – тебя, тебе
3 stern – неумолимый
4 thoroughfare – оживленный поток, главная артерия
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5 halcyon – тихий, безмятежный
6 to enamel – разукрашивать
7 avail – выгода, польза
8 to lavish – расточать
9 thine – твой
10 alabaster – алебастровый
11 undimmed – незатуманенный
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6. THE USA (II)
Warm up Activities
1. Read the sentences and circle the correct item.
1. The legislative branch of the federal government of the USA is
a) the Supreme Court; b) the President; c) Congress.
2. Congress is made up of
a) the Senate and the House of Representatives; b) the House of Lords and the
House of Commons; c) the Federal Assembly and the State Duma.
3. There is no limit to the number of terms of office for
a) the President; b) a Senator; c) the Secretary.
4. The executive branch of the federal government of the USA is headed by
a) the Senate; b) the President; c) the Prime Minister.
5. Congress sits in
a) the Capitol; b) the White House; c) the Pentagon.
Reading
2. Read the article about the President of the United States and match the
questions (a-f) to the numbered spaces (1-6), as in the example. Then try to
remember the words in bold.
The President of the United States
1. f) How is the President of the USA
elected? ………………………………………………………..
The President of the United States is elected every four years to a four-year
term of office, with no more than two full terms allowed. As is true with Senators
and Representatives, the President is elected directly by the voters (through state
elections). In other words, the political party with the most Senators and
Representatives does not choose the President. This means that the President can be
from one party, and the majority of those in the House of Representatives or Senate
(or both) from another. This is not uncommon.
Thus, although one of the parties may win a majority in the midterm elections
(those held every two years), the President remains President, even though his party
may not have a majority in either House. Such a result could easily hurt his ability to
get legislation through Congress, which must pass all laws, but this is not necessarily
so.
40
2…………………………………………………………………………………
In any case, the President's policies must be approved by the House of
Representatives and the Senate before they can become law.
3..………………………………………………………………………………..
In domestic as well as in foreign policy, the President can seldom count upon the
automatic support of Congress, even when his own party has majority in both the
Senate and the House. Therefore he must be able to convince Congressmen, the
Representatives and Senators, of his point of view. The President must bargain and
compromise. This is a major difference between the American system and those in
which the nation's leader represents the majority party or parties, that is,
parliamentary systems.
4…………………………………………………………………………………
A number of executive departments are known to be within the executive branch.
Currently these are the departments of State, Treasury, Defence, Justice, Interior,
Agriculture, Commerce, Labour, Health and Human Resources, Housing and Urban
Development, Transportation, Energy and Education.
5…………………………………………………………………………………
Each department is established by law, and, as their names indicate, each is
responsible for a specific area.
6.…………………………………………………………………………………
The head of each department is appointed by the President. These
appointments, however, must be approved by the Senate. None of these Secretaries,
as the department heads are usually called, can also be serving in Congress or in
another part of the government. Each is directly responsible to the President and only
serves as long as the President wants him or her to serve.
a) What executive departments are there within the executive branch?
b) Can the President count upon the automatic support of Congress?
c) Who must the President's policies be approved by?
d) What is each executive department responsible for?
e) How is the President of the USA elected?
f) Who is the head of each department appointed and approved by?
3. Read the text again and circle the correct answer.
1. The executive branch of the federal government of the USA doesn’t include
a) the House of Representatives.
b) the President and Vice-president.
c) the Senate.
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