The USA and its political system

The country is a federative republic which consists of 50 states and District of Columbia, where Washington, D.C., the capital of the country, is situated. The head of the country is the President, who is elected every four years. Every state has its own Constitution and the system of power.

The supreme legislative organ is the Congress of the US. The members of the Congress are called congressmen. The Congress consists of two chambers — the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives is the lower chamber, the representatives are elected pro­portionally to the population of the USA. The Senate is the higher chamber; two senators are elected from each of the USA states notwithstanding the size of population in the state.

The main political parties are the Republicans (their symbol is Elephant) and the Democrats (their symbol is Donkey).

The main law of the USA is the Constitution. It was created and adopted in Philadelphia in 1787. The main goals of the Constitution were to create a stable federative state and to guarantee the right to have private property. But other rights and freedoms of the citizens were not guaran­teed by the Constitution. So in 1789 there appeared the necessity of in­cluding more articles which would declare and guarantee political and personal rights of the US citizens. The first ten items — called Amend­ments — were called the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights on the one hand is now a part of the US Constitution, that's why it is rather difficult to
write a Bill of Rights for an imaginary state. The US Bill of Rights is an addition to the existing Constitution and is formed of some Amendments to it. So any Bill of Rights should be built on the Constitution. On the other hand, the US Bill of Right is the only part of the US Constitution which guarantees the main rights and freedoms of the citizens. Russia doesn't need any Bill of Rights, since all the rights and freedoms are guaran­teed by the Russian Constitution.

Task 1. Answer the questions.

1. What is the political system in the USA?

2. Who is the head of the state in the USA?

3. Do you think that the role of the head of state in the USA is ceremonial like in Great Britain?

4. What is the supreme legislative organ?

5. What chambers does the Congress consist of?

6. What can you say about the electoral system in the USA?

7. What kind of person may be elected a senator?

8. What are the main political parties in the USA?

9. What is the main function of the constitution?

10. What can you say about the US Bill of Rights?

GROUP WORK

1) The US, British and Russian governmental systems have different features. What is the difference between them?

2) Are there any common features in the governmental systems in Russia, Great Britain and the USA?

Part VIII

NATIONAL LIFE

Цель - – формирование системы знаний и представлений о наиболее типичных национальных черт характера и национальных особенностях родной страны и стран изучаемого языка, формирование социокультурной компетенции.

Flags

The Russian flag has stripes of white, blue and red colour. It was adopted in 1991. The state seal was adopted in 1993. it includes symbols of the Russian Empire.

The United Slates flag is called the "Stars and Stripes". It has thirteen red-and-white stripes and fifty white stars on a blue square. One star is for each state of the United States now, and the stripes are for the first thirteen states of the union. There is a story that the first flag was a patchwork quilt made by a patriotic lady called Betsy Ross. The flag is also called the "Star-Spangled Banner", the name of the national anthem of the United States.

In the eighteenth century, America was a land of many flags. There were, for example, the ship of New Hampshire, the tree of Massachusetts and the anchor of Rhode Island. The Stars and Stripes first became the national flag after the Declaration of Independence, in 1776.

Americans enjoy their flag. They use the stars and stripes as a popular design on shirts, shoes, hats anywhere and everywhere in fact. It is typical of American informality and their love of bright, cheerful colours.

But Americans are patriotic, too. Many of them think that America is the best, the first and the greatest nation in the world, and that their flag is the flag of freedom.

The Stars and Stripes stands by the President's desk. The flag hangs in every classroom in America, and in many schools every day children salute it before the school day begins. And on July 4th, Independence Day, “Stars and Stripes” are everywhere: on the streets, on houses and in the big parades. Britain's flag is called the "Union Jack". It is really three flags on top of each other: the red cross on white of St George for England, the white "X" on blue of St Andrew for Scotland and the red "X" on white of St Patrick for Ireland.

Like Americans, British people have fun with their flag. They put it on biscuit tins, party hats and plastic bags. But unlike Americans, most British people do not like to talk about or show patriotic feelings. They feel too embarrassed. You will see the Union Jack on top of government offices in London, but you will not often find it in shops, in offices or in people's homes.

Task 1. Answer the following questions:

1.What can you say about American flag?

2.Why is Britain’s flag called the “Union Jack”?

3.What does Russian flag look like?

Russian homes

Many Russian people live with their families in block of flats in cities and small towns. They live in very comfortable and well-planned flats with all modern conveniences, such as central heating, electricity, gas, cold and hot running water and telephones. There are usually two, three or four rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, a toilet and a hall in each flat. Some families own their own houses. These are detached houses with land around them. Typically a house has a small garden at the back and small yard in front of it, a garage and a swimming pool.

People in the village live in the country cottages. Most of them are stone buildings with gardens, but some of them are very old and may have a thatched or tiled roof. Accommodation in Russia is very expensive and that’s why some people rent flats or houses. One third of Russian people live in rented state-owned homes. It is often very difficult for young people to buy a home when they want to start a family.

There is a state program in Russia which helps young people to build their own flat or house. They may get a loan from the bank for construction the accommodation. Students usually live in the youth hostels, which each university, institute or college provides them.

American homes

Many young Americans do not live with their families, but in apartment blocks or residential areas where everyone is more or less of the same age.

Young people often move away from home when they leave school if they can afford it into shared apartments or small, one-room "studio" apartments. They do their own cooking and cleaning, and go to the family home perhaps for the weekend.

Young married couples may move to new suburbs where most people have young families. In the country, some even build their houses themselves.

If a family's income goes up, they often move to another suburb, where thehousesare bigger with two or even three garages, a swimming pool, a games room for the children and everything a family could want.

Old people often do not live with their grown-up children. Many live in old people's homes. Some live in special towns, built for old people, where there are no young children and the atmosphere is quiet.

Americans are always on the move, and some families change their homes every few years. Every year, 20% of Americans move house. For example, some people could start life in an apartment in New York, go on to a white-painted wooden home in New England with small windows to keep out the cold in winter, and end their life in a sunny house in California where oranges grow in the garden and big windows give a wonderful view of the swimming pool and the sea.

British homes

British homes are usually smaller than American homes, but, like Americans, old people, young families and unmarried people do not usually live together.

Many British people love old houses, and these are often more expensive than modern ones. They also love gardening, and you will see gardens everywhere you go: in towns, villages and out in the country. Some are very small, with just one tree and a few flowers. Others are enormous, with plenty of flowers and enough vegetables and fruit trees to feed a family.

There are 22 million homes in Britain - big homes and small homes, old cottages and new high-rise buildings, houses and flats. (Americans say "apartment", but British people say "flat").

Two thirds of the families in Britain own their own homes. Millions of these "owner-occupied" houses are the same, with two or three bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs; a sitting room, dining room and kitchen downstairs and a small garden at the back and front of the house. To pay for their house, home owners borrow money from a "building society" and pay back a little every month.

One quarter of British people live in rented state-owned homes, called "council houses".

Many of these are flats, but some are houses, each with a small piece of garden. Other people rent their homes from private owners.

There are a great many different kinds of homes in Britain, but they are not enough! It is often very difficult for young people to find a home when they want to start a family.

Task 1. Read the texts about Russian, British and American homes, and be ready to answer the following questions:

1. Where do America, British and Russian people prefer to live?

2. Do they often change the place of living?

3. Do the old people prefer to live with their grown-up children?

4. Is the accommodation expensive or cheap in these countries?

5. Is it difficult for young people to buy or build their own home?

6. Does the government of these countries help young people buy or build their own home?

7. What is the typical Russian, American and British house? Describe it.