Task 1. Give the Ukrainian equivalents of the following word-expressions.

federal union, fields of authority, dual character, eagle, a bangle of rods, claw, olive twig, law regulations, private property, a certain degree of power, the stars and the stripes, improve some bills, proclaim courage, motto, so far, freedom of worship, to levy federal taxes, reject most of them, in favour.

 

Task 2. Give the English equivalents of the following word-expressions.

свобода, відданість, гасло, війна за незалежність, підкреслено в конституції, збирати податки, посол, президентські призначення, вести дебати, відхиляти, прихований вплив, зірки та стрічки, орел, забезпечувати, заперечувати, герб, відповідати інтересам, прихована політика, відмовлятись підписати.

 

Task 3. Choose the correct word in brackets &

Complete the sentence.

1. The USA is a federal union of (50/48/52) states.

2. The flag was adopted in (1856/1777/1698).

3. The constitution was adopted in (1802/1659/1787).

4. The coat of arms of the US represents an eagle with wings outspread, holding a bangle of rods (the emblem of war/the symbol of administer/ the emblem of love).

5. The constitution of the US was adopted after the (World War I/War of Independence/World War II).

6. The constitution consists of Preamble and seven/eight/six) articles. 

7. So far (30/27/29) amendments have been added to its original text.

8. The first (12/14/10) amendments, known as "the Bill of Rights', were added in a group in 1791.

9. According to the constitution of the USA, all citizens of both sexes over

(16/18/21) years of age have right of voting, but in reality the number of voters is much (smaller/bigger).

10. The Senate is composed of (50/100/65) members.

11. The House of Representatives consists of (400, 420, 450) members.

Task 4. Complete the sentences using the following words & phrases:

a federal union, fields of authority, prescribes, loyalty, courage, establish, embodied, lies with Congress, some special powers, to levy federal taxes, the Speaker, more conservative, committees, depends on.

 

1. The USA is ____________ of 50 states.

2. The basic law is the Сonstitution, which ________ the structure of national government and lists its rights and _______.

3. The red stripes of the flag proclaim _______, the white – liberty, the field of blue stands for _____.

4. The constitution ________ the practical theories of man of property.

5. The amendments _______ the individual rights and freedoms of all people of the states.

6. Supreme legislative power in the American government _______.

7. The main task of Congress is to make federal laws, _________, to make rules for trade.

8. Under the constitution the US Senate has _______ not given to the House of Representatives.

9. The Senate is stable and ________ than the House of Representatives.

10. The House of Representatives has 450 members. The number of Representatives ____ amount of the population of each state.

11. ________, like Vice-president, may vote.

12. Members of both houses work together in ____ if the chambers have passed different versions of the same bill.

 

Task 5. Match the synonyms:

I.

occur continue recommendation pass overcome refuse degree embody underline be composed

enact defeat carry on level contain include stress reject advice happen

II.

Courage Authority Dual Liberty coat of arms         glory motto         effect leap year permanent drawback

triumph constant result slogan bravery power double freedom disadvantage national emblem bissextile

 

Task 6. Match the antonyms:

accept                          different

approve                        agreement

permanent                    minority

divide                           interrupted

majority                       approve

glory                            unite

differ                            disapprove

criticize                        reject 

similar                          obscurity

objection                      resemble

 

Task 7. Match the words & their definitions:

chamber	the ability to do something dangerous, or to face pain or opposition, without showing fear
conduct	the process of choosing a person or a group of people for a position, especially a political position, by voting
courage	become better than before; to make something/somebody better than before
depend on	a short sentence or phrase that expresses the aims and beliefs of a person, a group, an institution, and is used as a rule of behaviour
election	to try to influence a politician or the government and persuade them to support or oppose a change in the law
experienced	to succeed in dealing with or controlling a problem that has been preventing you from achieving something
improve	to show respect for God, especially by saying prayers, singing, with other people in a church
to lobby	to say what should be done or how something should be done
motto	to rely on somebody/something and be able to trust them
overcome	having knowledge or skill in a particular job or activity
prescribe	to organize and/or do a particular activity
worship	one of the parts of a parliament

Task 8. Form the nouns from the following verbs & translate them into Ukrainian:

adopt, prescribe, reject, approve, invent, differ, add, compose, depend, continue, consult, recommend, introduce, sign, refuse, agree, debate.

Task 9. Make up sentences using the following word-expressions:

prescribe the structure, be divided, be adopted, the motto of the coat of arms, list the set of rules, embody the practical theories, preamble & seven articles, establish the individual rights & freedoms, have some special powers, be composed, depend on, preside over the house, become a law.

Task 10. Match the endings of the sentences:

1. Each state has its government and            all of them have…	a) the Great Britain, it differs in having a written constitution that is the bases of all government and law.
2. The political system of the USA is divided into…	b) over the others, and all take part in the governmental process.
3. Each branch holds a certain degree of power…	c) to make federal laws, to levy federal taxes, to make rules for trade, to organize the activity of Armed forces, to declare war, to make amendments to the constitution, to put foreign treaties into effect.
4. Although the American system of government is based on that of…	d) the dual character of both federal and state government.
5. The main principle underlined in the constitution was…	e) three branches: judicial, legislative and executive.
6. The constitution consists of…	f) with Congress: the Senate, the upper house; and the House of the Representatives - the lower house.
7. Supreme legislative power in the American government lies…	g) as follows: "Private property is the backbone of liberty".
8. The main task of Congress is…	h) Preamble and seven articles

Task 11. Answer the following questions:

1.What is the structure of the US government?

2.How does the flag of the US look like?

3.What does the coat of arms symbolize?

4.What are the basic principles of the US constitution?

5.What parts does the US constitution consist of?

6.Why were the first 10 amendments known as “The Bill of Rights” added to the US constitution in 1791?

7.In what way can the dual system of US government be explained?

8.Where does the supreme legislative power lie in the USA?

9.What are the specific powers of the Senate?

10.What are the main differences in the structure & the way of election in both Houses of the Congress?

11.In what way is the work of Congress organized?

12.What do you know about lobbyists?

 

Task 12. Refer to the text & decide which of the 20 words & phrases you need to deliver the basic information about the political system & the legislative branch of the US government.

 Task 13. Think of the new information about the political system & the US constitution you’ve got to know & make up a list of their specific features. Compare them with those of the Ukrainian political system.

Task 1 4. Work in pairs & discuss the most important points concerning the activity of Congress, compare your ideas with the other group mates.

Task 15. Render the text into English using the following vocabulary notes:

checks & balances	взаємоконтроль
tension	тиск
at least	щонайменше
item	пункт
maneuvering	маніпулювання
passage	прийняття
rival	суперник; супротивний

 

Конституція США поділяє сфери відповідальності між законодавчою, виконавчою та судовою гілкою влади, щоб переконатись, що жодна влада не залишиться неперевіреною.

Хоча ця система взаємоконтролю працює успішно роками, вона часто є джерелом конфлікту між законодавчою та виконавчою владою. Тиск стає більш виразним, коли одна політична партія займає Білий Дім, а супротивна партія контролює, щонайменше, одну палату Конгресу, оскільки повноваження законотворення стало головним фокусом роботи Конгресу.

Запропонований законопроект стає законом, коли більшість в обох палатах погоджується з його прийняттям, а президент підписує його. Але процес досягнення консенсусу з кожного пункту законодавчого акта є часто предметом інтенсивного політичного маніпулювання.

Task 16. Fill in the gaps using the proper modal verb can, may or must.

 

1. The US Senate … approve or disapprove the main presidential appointments: ambassadors, cabinet members and federal judges.

2. Senate also … ratify treaties between the USA and foreign countries.

3. A Senator … be at least 30ty years old, a citizen of the USA for 9 years and a resident of the state from which he is elected.

4. Vice-president … preside over the Senate and conducts debates.

5. A Representative … be at least 25 years age, a US citizen for 7 years and live in the state from which he is elected.

6. The Speaker, like Vice-president, …. vote.

7. A Congressman … work long and hard.

8. If President disapproves a bill, he … veto refusing to sign it, and … send it back to Congress.

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