Практический курс английского языка - Камянова Т.
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panes from outside? 4. These rumours...............from misunderstanding of the situation (to rise, to raise, to
ascend, to arise) b. 1. Not only......the painter.........his name in the right corner of the picture, but he also
signed its reverse. 2. Never......my sister........the table as nicely as on her birthday. 3. Where are you going
..........a Christmas tree this year? (to lay, to place, to put), c. 1. Hardly.....the painter........his picture when the
sun rose. 2. My colleagues........ arguing only after the chief had shouted at them. 3. My friend said that she
would phone me back when the film _.......... 4. It was in 1985 that military operations in Afghanistan ..........(to
stop, to finish, to cease, to be over).' d. 1. It is not nice.........anything in one's ear in a big company. 2. Doing
her exercises my sister...........words to learn them better. 3. He shouldn't be ashamed of his..........but he
should go to the doctor (to murmur, to whisper, to stammer), e. 1. Which dictionaries......you........while
reading in English? 2. People in this country........water without any limit (to use, to consume).
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TEXT
THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (THE USA)
F. POLITICAL SYSTEM. ELECTORIAL SYSTEM. PARTIES.
The political system of the USA is based on the Constitution which is more than 200 years old. Yet this document, adopted in 1787 after the War of independence, guides the political life of the American state till now. The stability of the Constitution - and of the political system - was created by several principles, the document is built on. They are federalism, democracy, and establishing freedom, order, and equality as political values. According to the Constitution, «the executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America», and the president «shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed*. It makes the US President both head of state and of government. In other words, the President and his Administration represent the executive branch of the power in the country.
The President of the USA is elected for a four-year term. Presidential elections are held every leap-year on first Tuesday after first Monday in November. The President may be re-elected and serve two terms (eight years altogether, but not longer than that). The presidential election is technically an election of presidential electors, not of the president directly. In the 2004 presidential elections the Republican George Bush won •53,O % of votes, and remained at his post as the 43 President of the USA. Thus, he became the 16th President who had been re-elected.
The Executive branch of government is provided by the Vice-President and the Executive Office of the President (White House Administration, about 1600 people). Heads of the departments in the executive branch make up the President's Cabinet. Among members of the Cabinet there are Heads of such offices as the Office of Defense, the Office of Justice, the Office of Management and Budget, the Office of Agriculture, the Office of Health, Education and Welfare, etc.
The Legislative branch of the power, according to the Constitution, is represented by the Congress which is elected separately. The US scientists make a difference between congresses and parliaments and do not consider the Congress as a parliament. The Congress of the USA has two separate and powerful chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Constitution gives them essentially similar legislative tasks. A bill cannot become law unless it is passed by both chambers. The Senate represents the states and the House represents the population according to its distribution among the states.
The ,House of Representatives has 435 members, elected for a Jwo year term in single-seat constituencies. A two-party system in the USA defines the political representation in the chamber. In the 2004 Congress elections 231 seats (55,0% of votes) got the Republican Party, and 200 seats (44,0% of votes) got the Democratic Party. The presiding officer in the House of Representatives is the Speaker; he belongs to the party which won the majority of votes at the elections. The work of the House of Representatives is done mostly in different committees. The House has the power of impeachment, the power to formally charge the president, vice president, or other members of government with treason, bribery or other high crimes.
The Senate of the USA is composed of 100 members, two being elected from each state. The Senators are elected for a six year term with one-third being renewed every two years. The presiding officer of the Senate is the Vice-President of the United States. Unlike the Speaker, the Vice-President is not a member of the chamber over which he presides. As well as in the House there are special committees in the Senate: the Finance Committee, the Foreign Relations Committee, the Armed Services Committee, etc. The Constitution gives the Senate the power to approve major presidential appointments (of federal judges, ambassadors, Cabinet posts) as well as treaties with foreign nations.
