Complete the sentences using the words from the box.

legislative, reject, foreign, amendments, Assembly, established, Court, executive, bills, deputies, body, adopt, head, headed, judiciary, proclaims, Council, comprises

1. The Constitution … Belarus an independent state and … 146 articles.

2. According to the Constitution, the power in Belarus is separated into …, … and judiciary branches.

3. The … of the state is the President

4. The National … is a legislative … , which is composed of two houses.

5. The House of Representatives includes 110 … . It makes … and additions to the Constitution and develops … .

6. The Council of the Republic may … or … the bills suggested by the lower house.

7. The … of the Ministers is … by the Prime Minister.

8. The government executes domestic and … policy.

9. The … branch is represented by the Supreme … .

10. Belarus was among the states that … the United Nations Organization.

Complete the diagram and use it to tell about the structure of the state system of the Republic of Belarus.

Look at the following functions performed by different state bodies and put them in the right column.

Legislative	Executive	Judiciary
…	…	…

a) to decide on foreign and domestic policy

b) to legally solve the conflicts

c) to appoint the Prime Minister

d) to develop bills and adopt laws

e) to realize the laws adopted by the parliament

f) to supervise correct exercising of laws

g) to select governmental officials

h) to provide application of laws

i) to make constitutional amendments and additions

Answer the questions.

1. When was the Constitution adopted?

2. Did the Constitution proclaim Belarus a unitary or a federal republic?

3. Who is the head of the state according to the Constitution?

4. What are the branches of power? How is each of the branches represented?

5. What houses does the Parliament comprise?

6. How many deputies are there in each of the houses?

7. What are the functions of the House of Representatives and the Council of the Republic?

8. Who is the head of the Government of Belarus?

9. What functions does the Council of Ministers perform?

10. What is the supreme body of the executive branch?

Unit 3. Economic Outline

1. Discuss with a partner.

1. What is the national currency of the Republic of Belarus?

2. What are the major branches of Belarusian industry?

3. What goods are produced by the Belarusian enterprises?

2. Read the text and find the words that mean the following:

Paragraph 1: a)far ahead in development or progress; b) items bought by people for their own use, rather than by manufacturers;

Paragraph 2: c) an engine-driven machine, e.g. a car, used for transporting people or goods; d) a device or piece of equipment designed to perform a specific task; e) a chemical or natural substance added to soil or land to increase its fertility; f) a liquid which is put onto wood or other material to give it a hard, clear, shiny surface; g) developed to a high degree of complexity (about a machine or technique)

ECONOMY OF BELARUS

The Republic of Belarus has a developed industry, agriculture, an advanced culture, science and technology. Industry holds an important position in the republic's economy. The leading industries are machine-building and metal-working, motor industry, chemical industry, electronics and electrical engineering, radio-engineering, pharmaceutical industry, production of construction materials, consumer goods and food, etc.

Belarus specializes in the production of different kinds of trucks, including coaches, agricultural machinery and special-purpose vehicles. The enterprises of the republic produce television equipment, elevators, home electric appliances, household refrigerators and freezers, automatic washing machines, chemical yarn and fiber, potash fertilizers. The range of products includes furniture, electric motors, paper, varnishesand paints. Different new sophisticated products, such as integrated microcircuits, liquid-crystal indicators and displays and special technological equipment are produced as well. The major products of light industry are textile, knitwear and clothes, as well as footwear.

The main directions of the farming industry of the republic are meat and milk production, potatoes and flax cultivation. Grains, vegetables, sugar beet and fodder crops are grown as well.