Is it possible to reduce the size

На русском языке.

I. Прочитайте текст. Опираясь на информацию текста, найдите ответы

Text B

ЗАДАНИЯ К ТЕКСТУ

на следующие вопросы:

1. What do most Americans criticize their government for?

2. What are the main reasons that make governments grow in their size?

Mention at least three of them using the text.

3. In what way have the general attitudes about government responsibilities in

the area of social welfare changed?

II. Письменно своими словами изложите основное содержание текста

III. Задайте к тексту 6 – 7 вопросов разного типа.

OF GOVERNMENT?

(1) Americans are critical of their government, believing that it has become too powerful, and wastes a lot of money. A common complaint voiced by the Americans is that the government is too big and seems to have grown without limit during this century. Yet, even during Washington’s time, bureaucracies were necessary. When Ronald Reagan campaigned for the presidency in 1980, he promised to cut bureaucracies, which he said were wasteful. However, he made big government even bigger. Can the size of government be ever reduced?

(2) There are a number of reasons why American government has grown the way it has. One of the reasons is the increasing complexity of society. George Washington didn’t have an assistant administrator for hazardous materials because there was no need for one. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was not necessary until rockets were invented. Even long–standing departments have had to expand the scope of their activities to keep up with technological and societal changes.

(3) Another reason government has grown in America is business regulation. Public attitude toward business has changed. Throughout the nineteenth century there was little or no government regulation of business. So, to police unfair business practices effectively, government needed administrative agencies. Over the course of the twentieth century, new bureaucracies were organized to regulate specific industries. Among them are the Food and Drug Administration, which tries to protect consumers from unsafe food, drugs, and cosmetics. Thus, government has become a referee (arbitrator) in the marketplace, developing standards of fair trade, setting rates, and licensing individual businesses for operation. As new problem areas have emerged, government has added new agencies, further expanding the scope of activities.

(4) Government has grown because government agency officials have expanded their organizations and staffs to take on added responsibilities. Imaginative, ambitious public administrators look for ways to serve their clients. Each newly developed program leads to new authority. Larger budgets and staffs, in turn, are necessary to support that authority. Presidents and members of the Congress face a tough job when they try to reduce the size of the bureaucracy. Each government agency performs a service of value to some sector of society.

(5) Finally, general attitudes about government responsibilities in the area of social welfare have greatly changed. A part of American culture has always been a belief in self-reliance. People are expected to overcome hardships on their own and to succeed on the basis of their own skills and efforts. The national government nowadays spends a large portion of its budget on payments to the needy, unemployed, disabled, poor people with dependent children. Americans’ firm belief in the idea of progress as well as in their ability to solve problems led politicians to declare war on poverty, on cancer through massive programs of coordinated and well-funded activities Many people believe that the private sector cannot undertake large-scale programs, that government must be responsible for them. For example, when AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) emerged as an epidemic, there was no question that it was the government’s responsibility to solve the problem through its own research and the support of scientists outside of government.

(6) The American public says it wants spending restrained and government cut. Yet when asked about specific programs or functions of government, citizens tend to be highly supportive of the activities of government. There is considerable public support for very expensive government endeavors, including guaranteeing a job for all who want one. Despite their political support, agencies are not immune to change. It is rare for a department or agency to be completely abolished. However, it is not uncommon for one to undergo a major reconstruction, in which programs are combined and the size and scope of activities are reduced. Programs can lose support if they are perceived to be working poorly and as funds are cut, bureaucratic positions are eliminated.

Примечание:

hazardous (adj) рискованный, опасный

National Aeronautics and Национальное управление по

Space Administration, NASA аэронавтике и исследованию

космического пространства, НАСА

police (v) cледить, контролировать

self- reliance (n)самостоятельность, независимость

Food and Drug Administration Управление по контролю за качеством

пищевых продуктов, медикаментов и

косметических средств

Acquired Immunodeficiency синдром приобретенного

Syndrome, AIDS иммунодефицита, СПИД

endeavor (n) попытка; стремление

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27