Form 11

Hello, dear pupils.

Today we are going to speak about the political system of the USA.

Some main facts about  the political system of the USA:

1.     The president is the head of state.

2.     The head of state in the USA (the president) has the real power. For example, he is Commander-in- Chief of the armed forces (Главнокомандующий ВС), he makes treaties (ведет переговоры) and appoints ambassadors (назначает послов), can veto laws.

3.     Congress and the Supreme Court control the president’s power.

4.     The legislative power in the USA belongs to Congress, consisting of the Senate [`senit] and the House of Representatives (two senators for each state (100 in total).

5.     The executive power belongs to the President, the Vice-President and the Cabinet.

6.     The President, the Head of the executive branch, is elected for a four-year term.

7.     In the USA each state has its own constitution (50 states and the District of Columbia).

8.     The American Bill of Rights, passed in 1791, forms the first ten amendments to the Constitution of the USA.

9.     Congres sits in the Capitol.

10.                       The White House is the president’s residence.

11.                       There are two main political parties in the USA: the Democratic and the Republican.

Questions:

1.     Do you think that the role of the President in the USA is ceremonial like the Queen in Great Britain?

2. Who is the head of the executive branch in the USA? In Britain?

Test on the Political System of the USA

1.     In America , the _________________ is the Head of State.

1.     Congress

2.     Parliament

3.     President

2.     The President of the United States is_______________ every four years.

1.     examined

2.     elected

3.     changed

3.     The President makes the most important decisions and chooses the members of his ________.

1.     council

2.     court

3.     cabinet

4.     In other words, the President ______________the heads of the most important departments in the Administration.

1.     appoints

2.     delays

3.     opposes

5.     The president __________the United States on official occasions.

1.     controls

2.     declares

3.     represents

6.     The President cannot act without the Senate’s __________

1.     approval

2.     appointment

3.     opposition

7.     Congress is the_____________ branch of the federal government.

1.     democratic

2.     political

3.     legislative

8.     The President’s policies must be approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate before they become ________________

1.     constitution

2.     law

3.     democracy

Read and translate the text

The political system of the USA.

The United States is a constitutional republic. The nation operates as a presidential system also known as a congressional system. The federal government’s power is divided between three branches – the legislative, the executive and the judicial.

Legislative Branch. The legislative branch – the Congress – is made up of elected representatives from each of the 50 states. It is the only branch of U.S. government that can make federal laws, levy federal taxes, declare war, and put foreign treaties into effect. Members of the House of Representatives are elected to two-year terms. Each member represents a district in his or her home state. In all, there are 435 representatives in the House. Senators are elected to six-year terms. Each state has two senators, regardless of population. There are 100 senators. To become a law, a bill must pass both the House and the Senate. After the bill is introduced in either body, it is studied by one or more committees, amended, voted out of committee, and discussed in the chamber of the House or Senate. If passed by one body, it goes to the other for consideration. Once both bodies have passed the same version of a bill, it goes to the president for approval.

         Executive Branch. The chief executive of the United States is the president, who together with the vice president is elected to a four-year term. As a result of a constitutional amendment that went into effect in 1951, a president may be elected to only two terms. Other than succeeding a president who dies or is disabled, the vice president's only official duty is presiding over the Senate. The vice president may vote in the Senate only to break a tie. The president's powers are formidable but not unlimited. As the chief formulator of national policy, the president proposes legislation to Congress. The president may veto any bill passed by Congress. The president is commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Within the executive branch, the president has broad powers to issue regulations and directives carrying out the work of the federal government's departments and agencies.

Judicial Branch. The judicial branch is headed by the U.S. Supreme Court, which is the only court specifically created by the Constitution. In addition, Congress has established 13 federal courts of appeals and, below them, about 95 federal district courts. The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., and the other federal courts are located in cities throughout the United States. The Supreme Court consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. With minor exceptions, cases come to the Supreme Court on appeal from lower federal or state courts.

Write true or false.

1)    The United States is a constitutional monarchy.

2)    After the bill is introduced in either body, it is studied by one or more committees, amended, voted out of committee, and discussed in the chamber of the House of Lords.

3)    The Supreme Court meets in Washington, D.C., and the other federal courts are located in cities throughout the United States.

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