Text 1. POLITICAL PARTIES AND ELECTIONS

Exercise 1. Read and translate the text using the essential vocabulary.

Essential Vocabulary

to talk	разговаривать
a term of office	срок полномочий
to become	становиться
people in need	нуждающиеся люди
poor	бедные
unemployed	безработные
elderly	пожилые
to believe	верить, считать
equal	равный
minority	меньшинство
nuclear weapon	ядерное оружие
military spending	траты на содержание армии и вооружение
a donkey	осел
slavery	рабство
anyone	кто-либо
to register	регистрировать(ся)
to vote	голосовать
a voter	избиратель
right	право
to determine	определять
a set	набор
each	каждый
locally	местно
county seat	зд. уровень округа
elections	выборы
separate	отдельный
nomination	выдвижение
national party convention	съезд национальной партии
to win	выигрывать, побеждать
stage	стадия
primaries	зд. предварительные выборы
a poll	избирательный участок

The U.S. Constitution does nottalk about political parties, but they began during George Washington's term of office. The Democratic Party is the oldest party in the United States. In 1829 Andrew Jackson became the first Democratic President. Democrats often want the government to establish social programs for people in need, such as the poor, the unemployed, and the elderly. The usually say they believe in equalrights for women and minoritiesand they oppose nuclear weapon and too much military spending. The symbol of Democratic Party is the donkey.

The Republican Party, sometimes called the G.O.P. (the Grand Old Party), began in 1854. Republicans oppose slavery. The first Republican candidate to become president was Abraham Lincoln. In general, Republicans want the government to support big business but not to control the lives of citizens. They often oppose government spending for social programs but support military spending. The party symbol is the elephant.

Anyone who is an American citizen, at least 18 years of age, and is registered to vote may vote. Eachstate has the right to determine registration procedures.

There are 50 different registration laws in the US – one setfor each state. In the South, votersoften have to register not only locally but also at the county seat.

The National Presidential electionsconsist of two separate campaigns. One is for the nomination of candidates at national party convention; the other is to win the actual election. The first stage is called “primaries”. The party convention votes to select the party’s official candidate for the presidency. Then Presidential campaigns by the candidates start. In November of the election year the voters across the nation go to the polls.

Exercise 2. Mark the following statements T (true), F (false or NS (Not Stated)).

1. Democratic Party is the oldest political party in the US.

2. Republicans vote more conservatively than Democrats.

3. American citizens under 18 may vote,

4. Every state has its own set of registration votes.

5. In order to vote American citizens must register.

Exercise 3. Find Russian equivalents with the same root:

democratic, social, to control, political, federal, national, local, to register, procedure, actively, result, official, campaign, candidate, to start.

Exercise 4. Fill in the gaps with the words from the box (there is one extra word).

military spending, parties, exist, supporting, lasting determine, take place.

1. The Democratic Party opposes nuclear weapon and too much __________________________.

2. The Republican Party, on the contrary, favors government ____________________________ military spending.

3. Many people believe two __________________________________ don't differ much.

4. Voters must be registered before the actual elections _____________________________.

Exercise 5. Make the adverbs from these adjectives adding the suffix – ly- and translate them

conservative, democratic, general, liberal, social, national, local, strong, actual.

WRITING SKILLS.

Text 2. US CONSTITUTION

Exercise 1. Read the text and understand the main idea using the essential vocabulary.

Essential Vocabulary

to form	формировать
perfect	идеальный
a union	союз
to ensure	гарантировать, удостовериться
domestic	местный, внутренний
tranquility	умиротворенность, успокоение
to promote	продвигать, способствовать, стимулировать
to secure	обеспечивать, защищать
blessing	благо
liberty=freedom	свобода
posterity	потомство
to ordain	предписывать, предопределять
a preamble	преамбула, предисловие
to adopt	принимать, утверждать
the War of Independence	Война за Независимость
to set	устанавливать
according to	согласно, в соответствии с
a definition	определение
a word	слово
every=each	каждый
some	некоторый, несколько
easily	легко
to mean	означать, иметь в виду
to make smth possible	делать что-либо возможным
power	власть, сила
few	несколько
to limit	ограничивать
to mention	упоминать
high	высокий
must	должен
an article	статья
an amendment	поправка
a founder	основатель
following	следующий
to follow	следовать
responsibility	ответственность
with regard to	в отношении, с учетом
distribution	распределение
the principle of private domain	принцип частной жизни
an area	область
to be of no business	не касаться
cannot=can't	не уметь, не мочь
to interfere	вмешиваться
to change	менять
consent	согласие
most	большинство
to differ from	отличаться от
ordinary	обычный
to create	создавать
the Bill of Rights	Билль о Правах
to enumerate	насчитывать
to declare	объявлять
to allow	позволять

"We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and securethe Blessingsof Libertyto ourselves and our Posterity, do ordainand establish this Constitution for the United States of America". – Preamble to the Constitution.

The form of the US government is based on the Constitution of 1787 which was adoptedafter the War of Independence. A constitution is a setof customs, traditions, rules and laws thatsets the basic way a government is organized and functions. According to this definitionof the word, everynation has a constitution but in some countries constitutions are very easily violated because the basic rights of their citizens are violated.

It is very important to understand that having a constitution does not mean that a nation has a constitutional government. If a constitution makes it possible to concentratepower by one or few, it is not the basis of a constitutional government. If a constitution says that the government’s power should be limitedbut doesn’t mentionthe ways how to do it, it is not the basis for a constitutional government.

In a constitutional government the constitution is a form of higher law that must be obeyed by everyone including those in power.

The US Constitution consists of 7 articles and 26 amendments.

According to the Founders of the American state a constitution or higher law should have the following characteristics:

- It sets the basic rights of citizens to life, libertyand property

- It establishes the responsibility of the government to protect those rights

- It establishes limitations on how those in government may use their powers with regard to: citizens’ rights and responsibilities; the distribution of resources; the control of conflict.

- It establishes the principle of a private domain – which means that there areareasof citizens’ lives that are of no business of the government and in which the government cannot interfere.

- It can be changed with the consent of the mostcitizens. This is how the Constitution differs from the ordinary law that the governments regularly create and enforce. The US Constitution has 26 amendments, the first 10 are called the Bill of Rights and it was adopted in 1791. The bill enumerated basic freedoms and guaranteed them and declaredwhat the government was not allowedto do.

Exercise 2. Answer the questions in writing according to the text.

1. What is the aim of the US Constitution?

2. What does it consist of?

3. What is the Bill of Rights?

4. Which are the peculiarities of the US Constitution?

Exercise 3. Write the terms to these definitions:

1. _________________ isa set of customs, traditions, rules and laws that define the organization of the government and its functions.

2. _________________ is the first ten amendments guaranteeing basic freedoms and declaring what the government isn't allowed to do.

3. _________________ is the principle according to which there are areas of citizens lives that government can't supervise or control.

4. _________________ is a government which declares the constitution a form of higher law which is obeyed by everyone including those in power.

Exercise 4. Write an essay on one of these topics:

- the "living" Constitution of the US

- the Amendment process

- basic characteristics of the US Constitution

A typical essay consists of three parts: introduction (what you are talking about, ask a question), main body (express your opinion), conclusion (sum up your thoughts).

Key phrases for introduction: In this essay, I am going to speak about/examine the ____; ___ is a very topical problem nowadays; there are a lot of different classifications of ___.

Key phrases for the main body: On the one hand; on the other hand; moreover; furthermore; for example; for instance; however; despite this; yet.

Key phrases for conclusion: To sum up; in conclusion; above all; to conclude; in general.

COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS.

Text 3. US POLITICAL SYSTEM

Exercise 1. Read the text and understand the main idea using the essential vocabulary.

Essential Vocabulary

legislative	законодательный
to lie in	заключаться в
the Upper House	верхняя палата
the House of Representatives	Палата представителей
to be composed of = to consist of	состоять из
to depend on	зависеть от
no matter	вне зависимости, неважно
at least	по крайней мере
a chamber	палата
both	оба
a resident	житель
in addition	кроме того, в дополнение
the presiding officer	председатель
to prepare	приготавливать, готовить
to consider	рассматривать
a standing committee	постоянно действующий комитет
to assemble	собираться
executive	исполнительный
a branch	ветвь
same	такой же
a head	глава
to appoint	назначать
a member	участник
a department	отдел
the Secretary of State	государственный секретарь, министр
the Secretary of the Treasury	министр финансов
the Secretary of Defense	министр обороны
judicial	судебный
the Supreme Court	Верховный Суд
to settle disputes	урегулировать споры
to veto	наложить вето
to contradict	противоречить
to manage local affairs	решать проблемы на местном уровне
foreign police	иностранная полиция
treaties	договоры, соглашения
tax collection	сбор налогов
military advice	Военный Совет
Army	армия
Navy	морской флот
Air Force	военно-воздушные силы
financial aid	финансовая помощь
VA hospitals	больницы для ветеранов войн
legal advice	юридические консультации
American Indians	американские индейцы
food inspection	продовольственная испекция
trade	торговля
job training	профессиональная подготовка
health services	медицинские услуги
social security	социальное обеспечение
housing	жилищный фонд
city planning	градостроительство
travel safety	безопасность путешествий
energy research	энергетические исследования
energy conservation	энергосбережение

The USA is a presidential republic. Supreme legislative power lies with Congress which consist of a senate or upper House and House of Representatives. The Senate is composed of100 members, 2 from each state who are elected for a term of 6 years. One-third of the Senate is elected every 2 years. The House of Representatives has representatives from each state depending on population, but every state no matter how small it is, has at least one representative in the chamber.

Both Senators and Representatives must be residents of the state from which they were chosen. In addition, a Senator must be at least 30 years old and a citizen of the USA for at least 9 years. A representatives accordingly – 25 years and 7 years.

The presiding officer of the Senate is the Vice-President of the USA. The presiding officer of the House of Representatives, the Speaker, is elected by the house. The work of preparing and considering laws is done by the committees of both Houses. There are 15 standing committees in the Senate and 19 in The House of Representatives.

The Congress assembles at least once a year.

The executive branch of the government consists of the President, Vice-President and the Cabinet. The President's term of office is four years, together with the Vice-President, chosen for the same term. The President is the head of the executive branch of the government. He appoints the members of the Cabinet. The Cabinet advises the President on many matters and is composed of the heads of ten executive departments: Secretary of State, Secretary of the Treasury,Secretary of Defense and other committees of both Houses.

The judicial branch of the government is headed by the Supreme Court which settles disputes between the states. The Supreme Court may veto any law passed by the Congress if it contradicts the Constitution of the USA.

The US is a federal Union, and the President is the head of the Federal government which deals with international problems and national matters. But every state has its own constitution and the state government headed by the Governor managingitslocal affairs. Their laws and decisions must not contradict the Constitution of the USA.

ROLE-PLAY 1. Work in pairs. Your partner wants to become a Senator/Representative. Tell your partner all the requirements for this position according to the text.

ROLE-PLAY 2. Look at the scheme of the Cabinet work. Each of you are one of the Secretaries. Ask and answer questions about your duties and responsibilities according to the scheme.

The Cabinet
STATE -foreign police - treaties	TREASURY - tax collection - money	DEFENSE - military advice - Army, Navy, Air Force
VETERAN AFFAIRS financial aid - VA hospitals	JUSTICE - legal advice	INTERIOR - National Parks - American Indians
AGRICULTURE - farming - food inspection	COMMERCE - business - trade	LABOR - rights for women -job training
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICE - health services - social security		HOUSING & URBAN DEVELOPMENT - housing - city planning
TRANSPORTATION - travel safety - road, air, and train travel	EDUCATION - schools - financial aid	ENERGY -energy research - energy conservation

Unit 3. Tort Law

READING SKILLS.

Text 1. THE LAW OF TORTS

Exercise 1. Read and translate the text using the essential vocabulary.

Essential Vocabulary

essentially	в сущности
remedy	средство, мера
assault	нападение, словесное оскорбление и угроза физической расправы
battery	побои, избиение
false imprisonment	незаконное лишение свободы, тюремное заключение
intentional infliction of emotional distress	намеренное нанесение моральной травмы
negligence	небрежность, халатность
invasion of property	посягательство на частную жизнь, вторжение в частную жизнь
defamation	диффамация, клевета
fraud	обман, подлог
misrepresentation	введение в заблуждение
wrongful conversion	незаконное обращение вверенного имущества в свою пользу, присвоение имущества, противоправный перевод денег
trespass	нарушение чужого правовладения
product liability	обязательство производителя компенсировать ущерб, нанесенный покупателю или пользователю дефективными товарами
in nature	по природе
to be sentenced to	быть приговоренным к
prison	тюрьма, тюремное заключение
to be ordered to do something	предписывать, давать распоряжение выполнить
restitution	восстановление первоначального правового положения, возмещение, реституция
as well	также
victim	потерпевший, жертва
plaintiff	истец
to sue	предъявлять иск, выступать в качестве истца по делу
to allege	ссылаться, утверждать, заявлять
successful	успешный
defendant	ответчик
compensatory	компенсаторный (фактический)
damages	убытки, ущерб
punitive	штрафной, карательный
to cause	вызывать
commonly	распространенно, обычно, повсеместно
to enter punitive damages	начинать процесс о возмещении штрафных убытков
amount	размер
roughly	приблизительно
times	несколько раз
size	размер
a lawyer	юрист
introduction	введение
a field	поле, область, сфера
to embrace	охватывать
advantage	выгода
punishable	наказуемый, карательный
criminal prosecution	уголовное преследование
actionable	применимый на практике, действенный
separate	отдельный
unrelated	несвязанный
essential	существенный, важный, необходимый
purpose	цель
though	хотя, несмотря на
occasionally	порой, изредка, периодически
to award	присуждать
distinct from	отличный от

The law of "tort" is essentially the law of injures and remediesfor those injures. Torts can thus include assault, battery, false imprisonment, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, invasion of privacy, defamation, fraud or misrepresentation, wrongful conversion, trespass, and other wrong, such as product liability. Some of the wrongs can be both civil and criminal in nature. A battery, for example, may be prosecuted by the state as aviolation of the criminal statutes. The offender may be sentenced to prison and be ordered to pay a fine to the state. In some cases, he may also be ordered to pay restitution to the victim. However, the battery may also be a civil tort as well. The victim (the plaintiff) may sue in civil court for the tort of battery (and any other torts that may be alleged, such as intentional infliction of emotional distress). If the plaintiff is successful, the defendant will be ordered to pay compensatory damages (to "compensate" for the injury) and punitive damages (to "punish" the defendant for having caused the act). In the United States, it is commonlybelieved that courts will enter punitive damages in an amount that is roughly three times the size of the compensatory damages (which are sometimes called the "special damages" by plaintiff lawyers).

In his book, An Introduction to the Legal System of the United States, Professor Allan Farmsworth described the field of torts distinguished from criminal law and contract law. He wrote:

The field of torts embraces a group of civil wrongs, other than breach of contract, that interfere with person, property, reputation, commercial or social advantage. While such an act, such an assault may sometimes be both a crime punishableby the state in a criminal prosecution and also a tort actionable by the victim in a lawsuit for damages, the criminal prosecution and the damage action are quite separateand unrelated proceedings. The essential purpose of the law of torts in compensatory and, thoughpunitive damages may occasionally be awarded, its function is distinct from that of criminal law. Criminal law is essentially punitive and an injured party is not awarded compensation in the criminal proceeding.

Exercise 2. Answer the questions according to the text.

1. What can "torts" include?

2. Which torts can be both civil and criminal by nature?

3. In what cases will the defendant be ordered to pay compensatory damages and punitive damages?

4. What is commonly believed an amount of punitive damages ('"special damages")?

5. What is the essential purpose of the law of torts?

6. How is the function of tort law distinct from that of criminal law?

Exercise 3. Look through the text and say whether the following statements are true or false.

1. Sometimes battery can be classified as a civil tort.

2. The main purpose of tort law is punitive.

3. A civil wrong which interfere with person, property, reputation or commercial and social advantage refer to the field of torts.

4. Negligence and invasion are excluded from the field of torts.

Exercise 4. Match the phrases to their Russian equivalents.

1. to prosecute by the state	a. нападение, словесное оскорбление, угроза физической расправы
2. to sentence to prison	b. нарушение чужого правовладения
3. intentional infliction of emotional distress	c. намеренное нанесение моральной травмы
4. to enter damages	d. приговорить к тюремному заключению
5. to pay a fine	e. начинать процесс о возмещении убытков
6. trespass	f. преследовать в судебном порядке
7. assault	g. выплачивать штраф

Exercise 5. Match the words with their definitions.

1. distress	a. harm done to a person's reputation
2. negligence	b. willful deception and dishonesty
3. privacy	c. take another person's money, property, etc. and use it as if it were one's own
4. defamation	d. something personal, not for the public
5. fraud	e. carelessness; failure to take action or take proper care
6. conversion	f. great pain or sorrow
7. statute	g. punishment, injustice, injury
8. fine	h. the person against whom the accusation is brought in trial
9. plaintiff	i. hitting hard and often
10. battery	j. one who charges another in a court of law
11. defendant	k. a sum of money paid as a punishment for breaking a law
12. wrong	l. a law
13. punitive	m. deliberate deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain

WRITING SKILLS.

Text 2. KINDS OF TORTS

Exercise 1. Read the text and understand the main idea using the essential vocabulary.

Essential Vocabulary

chief	главный, основной
intentional	умышленный, преднамеренный
to result from	приводить к
core	ядровой, главный
harm	вред, ущерб, повреждение
to desire	желать, сильно хотеть
consequences	последствия
substantially	существенно, значительно
to fall into	делиться, распадаться
to refer to	относиться к
failure	неспособность
to exercise	зд. проявлять
sufficient	достаточный
conduct	поведение
to fall below the reasonable expectation of society	зд. выходить за благоразумные рамки, накладываемые обществом
foreseeable	сознательный
the legal duty of care	юридическая обязанность соблюдать осторожность
reasonably prudent and careful person	разумно осмотрительный и осторожный человек
circumstances	обстоятельства
require	зд. предполагать,

There are two chiefcategories of torts: intentional torts an torts resulting from negligence. The core element in an intentional tort is an intent, or purpose, to cause harm to another. The law provides that a person has intent if he or she desiresto cause the consequencesof his or her act, or believes that the consequences are substantially certain result from the act. Intentional torts fall into two categories: torts against a person and torts against property.

Negligence refers to the failure of a person to exercise sufficientcare in his or her conduct. When a person's conduct falls below the reasonable expectation of society and causes foreseeable harm to another, the person has acted negligently. In torts based on negligence society is expected to be the legal duty of care, i.e.that a reasonably prudent and careful person would act in similar circumstances. A person can act negligently by doing something that a reasonable person would not do or by failing something that a reasonable person would do. The law does not requirethat the person has an intent to do harm.

Exercise 2. Answer the following questions in writing.

1. What is the core element in an intentional tort?

2. What are the main categories of torts?

3. What are two categories of intentional torts?

4. When does a person act negligently?

Exercise 3. Make up sentences using the following words and phrases:

resulting from; the core element; to cause harm; to believe; the consequences; certain result; to fall into; the failure; foreseeable; based on; prudent; to act negligently; to have an intent.

Exercise 4. Write an essay on one of these topics:

- the legal duty of care

- torts against a person

- torts against property

A typical essay consists of three parts: introduction (what you are talking about, ask a question), main body (express your opinion), conclusion (sum up your thoughts).

Key phrases for introduction: In this essay, I am going to speak about/examine the ____; ___ is a very topical problem nowadays; there are a lot of different classifications of ___.

Key phrases for the main body: On the one hand; on the other hand; moreover; furthermore; for example; for instance; however; despite this; yet.

Key phrases for conclusion: To sum up; in conclusion; above all; to conclude; in general.

COMMUNICATIVE SKILLS.

Exercise 1. Study the essential vocabulary for communicative skills.

Essential Vocabulary

to testify	свидетельствовать, давать показания
to hit	ударять
a fist	кулак
to knock out	выбивать, вырубать, нокаутировать
dental bills	стоматологические расходы
a witness	свидетель
to strike	поражать, бить, ударять
to deny	отрицать
to turn	поворачивать(ся)
neighbor	сосед
to lose one's balance	терять равновесие
to fall	падать
to break	ломать
an ankle	лодыжка
recover	восстанавливаться, выздоравливать
lost wages	потеря заработной платы
suffering costs	моральная компенсация
to get drunk	напиваться
to celebrate	праздновать
a handgun	пистолет
a bullet	пуля
a shoulder	плечо
painful	болезненный, мучительный
emergency room	травм пункт, отделение скорой помощи
a pipe	труба
plumbing work	слесарные работы
to bump into	врезаться в
accidentally	случайно
to shove	сильно толкать, пихать
to get into trouble	оказаться в беде
fault	вина
fair	честный, справедливый
to remove	удалять
to point	зд. направлять
to suffer from	страдать, испытывать
heart disease	порок сердца
to die	умирать
a stroke	удар
instantly	мгновенное
to purchase	покупать
to claim	утверждать, требовать, заявлять
to be equipped with	быть оснащенным
windshield	лобовое стекло
shatterproof	противоударный
to shatter	разбиваться
severely	серьезно, сильно
to burn	гореть, сжигать
gasoline drum	бензиновая бочка
to distribute	распространять
to explode	взрываться
due to	вследствие, благодаря
a spark	искра
poor	зд. плохой, неудовлетворительный
condition	состояние
factory	завод, фабрика
weekday	будний день
to blare	реветь
loud	громкий
to awaken	будить
to throw	кидать, бросать
crowded	переполненный (людьми)
corner	угол
to miss	зд. промахиваться
ground	земля

ROLE-PLAY 1. Work in pairs. Read and translate the following situations and discuss them with your partner. Provide arguments according to the rules of tort law.

a. Frank sues Joe for the tort of battery. Frank testifiesthat Joe hit him with his fist, knocked him out two teeth which cost Frank $4000 in dental bills. Witnesses agree to all that, but also testify that Frank hit Joe first and hit him again when Joestruck. Frank denies this.

Can Frank receive compensatory damages? Why/why not?

b. Jane is shopping in a supermarket. She turns suddenly to say hello to a neighbor,loses her balance and fallsdown, breaking her ankle.

Can Jane recover her medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering costs from the supermarket?

c. Charlie gets drunk celebratinghis release from jail. He gets a handgun and starts shooting through windows as he goes down the road. One of the bullets hits Claire in the shoulder. She testifies in court that this caused a painful injury, $500 in emergency room bills and a week's lost wages. Another bullet hits the pipein Harvey's kitchen, causing $300 plumbing work.

How much can each plaintiff be awarded in a tort action against Charlie?

d. Steve is walking down the street and bumps into David accidentally. David shoves Steve without saying a word. Steve is surprised but not injured.

Can Steve recover damages from David for battery?

ROLE-PLAY 2. Work in pairs. Student A is a lawyer. Student B has gotten into trouble and asks Student A for advice. Student B listens to Student A and decides:

1) whether a tort has been committed;

2) if yes, which category does the tort fall into?

3) whose faultwas it?

4) what amount of damages is fair?

Provide arguments according to the sources of law. Exchange roles. Use the following speech patterns.

Student A (the lawyer)	Student B (the client)
In my opinion, you should…	What would you advise me?
I think…	Can you give me your advice?
If I were you I'd …	I really don’t know what to do now…
According to the …	Can I receive any damages?
On the one hand/ on the other hand	Must I pay anything?

Situation 1. As a joke, Student B removes the bullets from her/his father’s revolver; takes the gun outside, andpoints it at the head of her neighbor, Mrs. Jones, who is just leaving her house. Mrs. Jones, who suffers from serious heart disease, has a stroke and dies instantly.

Situation 2. Student B purchased an automobile from Ford that they claimed was equipped with a windshield that was shatterproof. Baxter was later injured when the windshield shattered.

Situation 3. Student B was severely burned when a gasoline drum distributedby Gulf Refining Co.exploded due to a sparkproduced by the poor condition of the cap.

Situation 4. Student B works from 11:00 pm to 7:00 am at the factory and then comes home to sleep. On his way to school, Tommy James walks by Student B's house every weekday at 8:30 am with his “boom box” blaring. The loudmusic awakens Student B.

Situation 5. Student B throwsa snowball at a friend on acrowded street corner. The snowball missed the friend but hits an elderly man who falls to the ground and is injured.