Text 2 The us Government

Pre- reading Task

1. What do you know about the political system of the US?

2. Give a definition of a federal system.

3. In what way are the indirect elections held?

4. What is the term of servitude in the Senate and House of Representatives?

5. Who can be elected a President of the USA?

The Government is a federal system. Individual states hold sovereignty over their territory and have rights that are not reserved by the federal government. Each state has its own legislature and a directly elected governor. The federal president is indirectly elected. Voters in each state determine by a majority who they would choose as president; they then send delegates to vote according to that choice. The delegates’ votes determine who the president is. The directly elected federal legislature has two houses: the House of Representatives, whose members serve two-year terms; and the Senate, whose members serve six-year terms. There is a separate judicial branch.

The Senate consists of 2 members from each state, elected for 6 years, one-third retiring or re-elected every year, so two senators from the same state never finish their terms at the same time.

The House of Representatives consists of over 400 members elected every second year. They all finish their terms of office at the same time.

The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country. The President appoints its members for life, but his choice must be approved by the Senate.

The executive power is in the hands of a President and his Cabinet. He must be a natural-born citizen, resident in the country for 14 years, and at least 35 years old. He is elected for 4 years, every leap year on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November.

While most Americans are very proud of their country, they may openly criticize the government (or even the president). Freedom of speech is carefully protected by the people and the constitution. Americans value humor and like to laugh at themselves and the country’s weaknesses. Indeed, a good sense of humor is valued. Americans openly share their opinions on a variety of subjects. They ask questions and challenge other people’s opinions. Public criticism is not considered improper, unless it is very personal.

Task 2. Comprehension Check

Exercise 1. Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1. Individual states of the US do not have sovereignty.

2. The federal president is indirectly elected.

3. The Senate is elected for 4 years.

4. There are no re-elections to the Senate every year.

5. Members of the House of Representatives are elected every second year.

6. The Supreme Court is the highest juridical power in the USA.

7. The legislative power is in the hands of a President and his Cabinet.

8. Personal public criticism is considered improper in America

.

Exercise 2. Look through the text and find the word or word-combination which means:

1. a form of government in which sovereign power is divided between a central authority and a number of constituent political units;

2. to express an opinion about a candidate for office;

3. a member of a Senate;

4. one who makes his home in a particular place;

5. they who put into effect the country’s laws;

6. to appreciate smth;

7. open criticism;

8. to demand for an explanation.

Exercise 3. Enlarge on the following quotations.

1. Self-criticism is a mark of social maturity. (Gore Vidal)

2. Being a politician is a poor profession. Being a public servant is a noble one. (Herbert Goover)

3. No government can continue good but under the control of people. (Thomas Jefferson)

Exercise 4. Arrange the jumbled text given below.

1. Atlanta, the capital and the largest city of Georgia is the leading commercial, industrial and distribution centre of the south-eastern United States. Products include automobiles, airplanes, chemicals, furniture, steel, paper, fertilizers and processed foods.

2. Dallas is the second largest city in Texas. Today the city’s economy rests primarily on banking, insurance, electronics, the aerospace industry, cotton, oil , state and federal employment.

3. There are some centres in the USA where almost all sorts of products are made and all industries are developed.

4. South of Houston is the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Manned Spaceflight Centre, a big complex for astronaut training, equipment, testing, and flight-control centre for Project Apollo.

5. Fishing, lumbering and in recent years, the manufacturing of giant jet planes have made Seattle the north-west’s most important economic centre. World War II made the city a centre of aircraft manufacturing and shipbuilding. Other important industries today are food processing, chemical products, metal goods, machinery, and aerospace production. Seattle is the nucleus of an important military-industrial complex, with the Boeing Company being the largest employer in the area. The Boeing heavy bomber airplane became a symbol of Seattle.

6. Houston is the largest city in the South, heart of the nation’s largest petro-chemical complex, which turns natural gas into fertilizer, rubber, vinyl. The city ranks first in the nation as a refinery centre, first in the manufacture and distribution of petroleum equipment.

Oral Practice

Agreeing and Disagreeing. Expressing Doubt.

Patterns

Questions Replies

1.Do you think there is too much 1. - Yes, I agree.

traffic in Moscow? - Yes, I do.

2. Don’t you think shops should 2. - Yes, I completely agree with you.

be open on Sunday? - I don’t know.

3. Wouldn’t you agree that people 3. - I don’t completely agree with you,

don’t care much about the I’m afraid.

environment? - Right you are. I’m of the same opinion.

4. What’s your opinion of super- 4. - I don’t really know.

markets? - I haven’t really thought about it.

- I suppose they are a good idea.

5. Do you think he must be 5. - I disagree.

punished? - Oh, yes, you are quite right.

6. Do you think women shouldn’t 6. - I don’t think it matters.

be allowed to drive? - Oh, no that’s ridiculous.

7. What do you think of pop music? 7. - In my opinion it is awful

8. How do you feel about . . .? 8. - On the one hand it is . . .,

but on the other hand . . .

9. What are your views on . . .? 9. - I think that . . .

Exercise 1. Learn the dialogues by heart and make your own

dialogues using the patterns.

I

Peter - Well, Susan, what do you think of modern art?

Susan - I like it. It is so colourful, a good example of our colourful times.

And how about you?

Peter - Yes, I completely agree with you, though some people hate it.

Susan - I don’t think it matters. Opinions differ, you know.

II

Kate - Do you think old people should live with their children?

Ben - Well, it depends. Sometimes it can make life difficult and how do

you feel about it?

Kate - On the one hand it is a good idea. It makes life cheaper and more

convenient for older people, but on the other hand sometimes

people are not as free as they would like to be.

Ben - Yes, I quite agree with you.

Exercise 2. Agree or disagree with these opinions. Then interview

your partner. What does he/she think about it?

1. People should retire at 55.

2. Children should start school when they are 5.

3. Parents shouldn’t punish their children.

4. Parents should know everything about their children.

5. Young people should have their own home at 18.

6. Old people should live with their sons and daughters.

7. Parents should give their children everything they want.

8. Education in Russia is on a high level.

9. The English are very temperamental people.

10. The Russian countryside is very beautiful.

11. Russian television is very good.

Exercise 3. Listen to the joke “A Holiday in Great Britain”.

Answer the questions.