- •Climate
- •Comprehension check
- •Environmental protection Warming-up questions
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- •Work and jobs Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •My future profession Warming-up questions
- •In the newspapers
- •Magazines
- •What’s on ‘the box»?
- •Let’s watch a video
- •Radio waves
- •Comprehension check
- •Geography of the usa Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •The american political system Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •The judicial system of the united states of america Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •Higher education in the usa Warming-up questions:
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- •Legal education in the usa Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •The american legal profession Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •The geography of the uk Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •The political system of the uk Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •The court system of the uk Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •The legal profession in great britain Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •The geography of the russian federation Warming-up questions
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- •The political set-up of the russian federation Warming-up questions
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- •Judicial system of the russian federation Warming-up questions
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- •Higher education in russia Warming-up questions
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- •Rostov academy of justice and legal training in russia Warming-up question
- •Comprehension check
- •The legal profession in russia Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
- •International law Warming-up questions
- •Comprehension check
Comprehension check
What are the main rivers and the most important cities of the US?
What is the climate like?
How many parts does the present territory of the USA consists of?
Is the USA a highly developed industrial country? Why?
The american political system Warming-up questions
What information about the American political system do you know? Do you find it complicated?
What is the difference between the American political system and the Russian political system?
The United States of America is a federal union of 50 states plus one independent district- the District of Columbia. The District of Columbia is the territory of the city of Washington, the national capital. Washington, D.C., lies between two states: Virginia and Maryland on the Potomac River. This place was selected personally by the first President of the United States – George Washington. In 1791 he purchased the land from private owners.
Washington, D.C., is the seat of the Federal Government of the United Sates. The Federal Government is made up of three branches – the Executive, the Legislative and the Judicial Branches.
The function of the Executive Branch is to carry out laws of the nation. It consists of the President, Vice-President and the President’s Cabinet. The members of the cabinet are chosen by the President. Most of them are called Secretaries: the Secretary of State, Agriculture, Labour etc. The President and Vice-President are chosen in a national election for a four year term of office and may be reelected for a second time. They must be native-born citizens, at least 35 years old and members of a political party. In the USA there are two major parties: the Democratic Party (symbolized by a “donkey”) and the Republican Party (its symbol is an “elephant”), and many small parties. The White House in Washington is the residence of the US President.
The Legislative Branch, Congress, is where the laws are made and adopted. The seat of the US Congress is the Capitol. Congress is made of two houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate includes 100 members (2 from each state) and is presided over by Vice-President. Senators are elected for 6 years and only one third retire in rotation. The House of Representatives consists of 435 members and is presided over by the Speaker who is elected among the members of the House. The members of this House are elected for only 2 years. Election day is always in November. Inauguration day is on the 20th of January. On this day the new President is sworn.
The Judicial Branch is headed by the Supreme Court, which settles any disputes involving the national government or disputes between two or more states. The Supreme Court consists of Chief Justice and eight associate Justices who are appointed for life.
The whole system of American government is based on the principles established in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The present Constitution was proclaimed in 1787 after the war of Independence in Philadelphia.
The State government follows the same pattern as the Federal Government. Each state has an Executive Branch headed by the Governor, a Legislative Branch and a Judicial Branch. State governments manage local affairs while the Federal Government deals with national and international problems that involve more than one state.