The Structure of the Government
1. Прочитайте и переведите текст.
1. The Structure of the Government.
The government of United States is federal. The government shares its power with the states. The Constitution written about two hundred years ago is the foundation of the government of the USA. The Constitution divides power among the legislative, judicial and executive branches of the government. Each branch is almost independent. The head of the executive branch is the President. The head of the legislative branch is the Congress. The head of the judicial branch is the Supreme Court.
The legislative division is responsible for making the laws of the country. The executive division carries out these laws. The Congress is divided into two houses: the Senate, or Upper House, and the House of Representatives. Members of the Senate are elected to six-year terms, but they are not all elected at the same time. Members of the House of Representatives are elected for two years. They are to finish their terms of office at the same time. The House of Representatives has more than four times as many members at the Senate.
Each state sends a different number of men according to the population of the state. A bill may be introduced in either the Senate or the House of Representatives. A bill approved by both the Senate and the House of Representatives is sent to the President (for him) to sign.
The President and Vice-President are elected for a four-year term. The President may be re-elected and serve eight years altogether, but no longer than that. (A famous President, Franklin Roosevelt, was elected four times, but since then the Congress has passed a law making anything longer than two terms illegal). There are eleven Cabinet officers. These men are appointed by the President with the approval of the Senate. The Cabinet takes care of such national business as defence, postal service, foreign relations, money and so on. (There are a few independent agencies which are responsible directly to the President).
2. Local Government
The United States allows a great deal of power to the individual states. Each state has a constitution, patterned after the national Constitution, with its three divisions of power: legislative, executive and judicial. The head of each state is the governor.
Each state has control over its state government. But no state may pass alaw contrary to the Constitution or to the United States' laws and treaties. The federal government keeps control over foreign relations, interstate commerce, defence, etc.
Each state creates units of local government. It outlines the pattern of Cities, towns and school districts and so on. Large cities have an elected mayor as head of the elected council to help him. The mayor and council have broad power. The mayor-council system is the most popular kind of local government. The elected council keeps the legislative power.
A city government must keep its people protected by maintaining a police department and a fire department. Large cities have health departments, libraries and airports to serve their citizens.
3. The Judicial System of the USA
The third branch of the government is judicial. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial organ of the U.S. It sits in the Supreme Court Building in Washington.
The words "Equal Justice Under Law" are written above the main entrance of the building. The Supreme Court consists of the Chief Justice (главный судья) of the USA and eight Associate Justices. They are all appointed by the President and approved by the Senate.
The Supreme Court has the right to declare unconstitutional any law passed by the Congress or any other issued by the President.
The right of veto is widely used. The USA is divided into eleven judicial circuits and each one is served with a Federal Court of Appeals. There are about ninety district courts in different parts of the country. The district courts are the lowest ones in the Federal Court system. Most of the criminal and civil cases are tried by these courts.
In the district court where trials are held, juries are used and witnesses are called.
Cases tried in the district court may be appealed in one of the eleven Courts of Appeal and in the Supreme Court. The decision of the Supreme Court is final. In the US the judiciary is divided into the federal and state judiciary. Jurisdiction of particular courts or judges is determined by either the national or state constitutions and laws. In most of the states the lowest courts are the magistrates or police courts.
2. Ответьте на вопросы.
1. Among what branches of the Government does the Constitution divide power? (What branches constitute the US Government?)
2. Who is the head of the legislative branch?
3. Who is head of the executive branch?
4. Who is the head of the judicial branch?
5. What Houses is the Congress divided into?
6. What are the functions of the Congress?
7. What does the executive division do?
8. What are the functions of the Cabinet?
9. What is the highest judicial organ in the country?
10. What does the federal government control?
11. What are the duties of local government?
12. What are the functions of a city government?
3. Закончите высказывания, выбрав соответствующее утверждение.
1. The Congress is responsible for...
a) carrying out the laws of the country.
b) making the laws of the country.
2. The Cabinet is responsible for...
a) carrying out the laws of the country.
b) making the laws of the country.
3. The functions of the local government are...
a) to protect people by maintaining a police department and a fire department.
b) to outline the pattern of the city, school districts.
4. The functions of the city government are;..
a) to protect people by maintaining a police department and a fire department.
b) to outline the pattern of the city, school districts.
В этой контрольной работе всего два задания.
