Reading on professional issues

Level 1

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Government

A government is a system of people and rules for managing a community or country. Governments set the laws and make sure the laws are followed. A government can cover a community of many different sizes, including small towns, large cities, counties, states, and nations. There are even organizations that serve as governing bodies over many countries. The United Nations represents the entire world.

The word government comes from a Greek word meaning “to pilot a ship.” The idea of a ship has often been used to represent the state or community. A ship's crew steers a ship toward a destination and tries to avoid storms at sea. Similarly, a government may try to steer its people toward better lives while avoiding war, crime, economic troubles, and other problems that can harm the population.

What a government does

The role of government differs from place to place. Early governments mostly focused on defending the borders of a location. In the case of monarchies, or countries ruled by kings or military rulers, the main goal of government was often to expand the wealth and power of its ruler. In these cases, there was very little interest in creating laws for the benefit of all the people.

Modern governments are very different. The role of government has been expanded to cover many issues that benefit all of society. The breakdown of government in the United States provides a useful outline for the various functions of government. The United States has three main branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch creates laws. The executive branch approves those laws and then enforces them. The judicial branch judges the laws in courts. In other countries, some of these functions are combined.

There are many other functions of modern governments besides making, enforcing, and judging laws. Today, most governments manage at least part of a local or national economy. A government may try to keep unemployment low, or it may lower the cost of borrowing money in order for people to start new businesses. Many governments also concern themselves with civil rights, or ensuring that all people remain free from discrimination and have the right to vote.

2. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту:

1. What do governments do?

2. What community can government cover?

3. What does the word «government» mean?

4. Does the role of governments differ from place to place?

5. What was the role of governments in the case of monarchies?

6. How many branches of government does the USA have?

7. What are the main functions of government?

8. What are the modern functions of governments?

3. Выберите правильный вариант:

1. A government is a system of people and rules for … a community or

country.

	A. creating		B. managing	C. developing
2.	The idea of a … has often been used to represent the state or community.
	A. ship	B. peace	C. king
3.	… governments mostly focused on defending the borders of a location.
	A. Early	B. Modern	C. New
4.	The … branch creates laws.
	A. executive	B. legislative	C. judicial
5.	The … branch approves those laws and then enforces them.
	A judicial		B executive C legislative
6.	The … branch judges the laws in courts.
	A. judicial		B. legislative	C. executive