General Information about the USA

The territory of the United States of America stretches from the Atlantic coast across the central plains, over the Rocky Mountains ¹ to the densely populated west coast and then to the island state of Hawaii.

At present the population of the USA is about two hundred and thirty nine million. The USA is called the “nation of immigrants”. The country was settled, built and developed by generations of immigrants and their children. Many different social and cultural affiliations ² make up the people of the USA.

The United States of America was founded in 1776. The Constitution was adopted in 1787. Since then more than 25 amendments to the Constitution have been made. The first ten amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. The Constitution defines a federal system of government. Certain powers are given to the national or federal government and all other powers belong to the states.

At present the United States of America is a federal republic, consisting of fifty states each of which has its own state government, its own police and its own laws.

The President is the head of the country, he chooses the ministers and the members of his cabinet forming the executive power. The legislative power is vested in Congress – the federal government consisting of two chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

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Notes:

1. the Rocky Mountains – Скалистые горы

2. affiliation - присоединение

 

ВАРИАНТ № 3

 

1. Перепишите следующие словосочетания и переведите их:

court procedure; district court; crime problems; civil law; to pass a sentence; to commit a crime; a violation of law.

 

Перепишите предложения, подчеркните сказуемое, определите время и залог, в котором оно стоит. Предложения переведите.

1. About 90 per cent of criminal and civil cases are tried at the level of district courts.

2. English is spoken in many countries.

3. The investigators are required to prove all the facts.

4. For three days the regional court will hear this case.

5. The case has not been prepared for the trial yet.

6. The lawyer has proved the alibi of the suspect.

 

Перепишите предложения, подчеркните модальные глаголы и их эквиваленты. Предложения переведите.

1. When a detective examines the scene of a crime he has to be very careful.

2. According to the Constitution all citizens must observe the laws, maintain labour discipline and public order.

3. Criminal Law may be enacted only by a higher organ of state power.

4. He is to come to the court at 9 o’clock in the morning.

5. As soon as the suspect is found he should be interviewed by police investigators.

 

Перепишите предложения, подчеркните причастия I и II. Предложения переведите.

1. Some important documents found by the investigator helped him to prove the guilt of the offender.

2. When searching the crime scene the detective discovered some valuable things.

3. The International Court of Justice established by the Charter of the United Nations is the principal judicial organ of the UNO.

4. The majority of the cases coming before the court are heard by the district court.

 

Выберите правильную форму сказуемого.

1. This investigator is very busy now, he … witnesses.

2. Many witnesses … in the course of the investigation.

3. The investigator … witnesses for 3 hours yesterday.

(was interviewing, is interviewing; were being interviewed)

 

Перепишите и переведите текст на русский язык.

 

Government in Britain

How Britain is Governed

Britain consists of four countries: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. London, the capital, is the centre of government for the whole of Britain, but local authorities are partly responsible for education, health care, roads, the police and some other things.

Laws are made by Parliament. There are two “houses”: the House of Commons and the House of Lords (which has little power). Members of the House of Commons are called MPs (Members of Parliament); an MP is elected by the people from a particular area.

Parliamentary elections are held every five years or less. The leader of the majority party in Parliament becomes Prime Minister, and he or she chooses the MPs who will run the different departments of government – the ministers. The Prime Minister and the most important ministers make up the Cabinet, which is the real government of the country.

There are three main political parties: the Labour Party (left-wing), the Conservative Party (right-wing), and the Social Democrat-Liberal Alliance (centre).

Britain has a ceremonial Head of State, the King or Queen, who has no political power.

Часть 2