Text C. The political system in the United States

The United States is a constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States (the head of state and head of government), Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.

The legislative power is vested in the Congress and made up of two houses: the Senate and the House of Repsesentatives. There are 435 members in the House of Repsesentatives and 100 senators in the Senate. One third of the Senators are elected every two years for six-year terms of office. The Senators represent all of the people in a state and their interests. The members of the House are elected every two years for two-year terms. They represent the population of “congressional districts” into which each state is divided. The number of Representatives from each state is based upon its population. For instance, California, the state with the largest population, has 45 Representatives, while Delaware has one. Congress makes all laws, controls finances (foreign and domestic spending).

The executive branch is headed by the President, who proposes bills to the Congress, enforces federal laws, controls foreign policy, serves as a Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and with the approval of the Senate, makes treaties and appoints secretaries. President can veto a bill unless Congress by a two-thirds vote shall overture it. The President is chosen in nation-wide elections every 4 years together with the Vice-President. He must be a natural born citizen, at least 35 years old and for at least 14 years as resident of the country. As is true with Senators and Representatives, the President is elected directly by the voters. In  other words, the political party with the most Senators and Representatives does not choose the President. This means that the President can be from one party and the majority of those in the House of Representatives or Senate (or both) from another.

The judicial branch is made up of Federal District Courts, 11 Federal Courts and the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. They are nominated by the President but must be approved by the Senate. Once approved, they hold office as Supreme Court Justices for life. A decision of the Supreme Court cannot be appealed to any other court. Neither the President nor Congress can change their decisions.

The modern political party system in the United States is a two-party system dominated by the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. These two parties have won every United States presidential election since 1852 and have controlled the United States Congress since 1856. The Democratic Party generally positions itself as left-of-center in American politics and supports a modern American liberal platform, while the Republican Party generally positions itself as right-of-center and supports a modern American conservative platform. Third parties have achieved relatively minor representation from time to time at national and state levels. The Libertarian Party is the largest third party in the country, claiming more than 250,000 registered voters; it generally positions itself as centrist or radical centrist and supports a classical liberal position. Other third parties today include the Green Party, supporting Green politics, and the right-wing Constitution Party.

10. Study the words from Text C and give Russian equivalents: legislative, to be elected, a term, domestic, executive, an approval, judicial, a justice, to nominate, to appeal, to support, to achieve.

11. Translate the sentences into Russian, then make up your own sentences with the highlighted words:

1) Since the terror attacks in New York City in 2001, domestic air travel within the United States has been subject to new security rules and regulations. 2) Washington seems certain that exerting sanctions on countries is the safest way to achieve their foreign policy goals. 3) The legislative branch is one of three branches of the U.S. government. 4) How well are US athletes supported by the United States Olympic Committee? 5) At the national level the president is head of the executive branch of government. 6) Often incorrectly called the "Chief Justice of the Supreme Court", the Chief Justice of the United States not only presides over the Supreme Court, he or she serves as the head of the judicial branch of the federal government. 7) Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected to four terms before the adoption of the Twenty-second Amendment. 8) Congress approval rating sinks to new historic lows. 9) To become a Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States, an individual must be nominated by the President of the United States and approved by the U.S. Senate. 10) The losing party in a decision by a trial court in the federal system normally is entitled to appeal the decision to a federal court of appeals.

12. Make up short reports on the following topics (use additional information from the library research):

1) The basic rights guaranteed by the US-Constitution and the Constitution of Russia. 2) The legislative branch of US-government in comparison with the Duma’s legislative functions. 3) The Senate and the Federal Assembly of Russia.

13. Role Play: One of the students is the newly elected President of the United States. He presents the appointed Cabinet to the nation through the TV-message, enumerates the members of his Cabinet and announces the responsibilities of each Secretary. Three classmates play parts of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of Education. They announce their programs and answer the questions of the press. The role of the press is played by the rest of the students. Mind that the Secretary of State is responsible for foreign affairs.

UNIT III. CANADA