Text A. US government

КОНТРОЛЬНАЯ РАБОТА №1

Вариант №3

Выполните следующие задания:

1. Образуйте форму множественного числа следующих существительных: branch, arrangement, authority, treaty, power, liberty, chief, case.

2. Поставьте все личные местоимения в объектном падеже и напишите соответствующие им притяжательных местоимений.

3. Образуйте степени сравнения следующих прилагательных: important, modern, good, sharp, polite, popular, interesting, difficult.

4. Прочтите и переведите тексты. Текст A переведите письменно.

The operation of the US government is based on the US Consti­tution which was adopted by Congress in 1789.

Under the federal system of government some of the most important powers are given to the federal (or national) government. The rest of the powers are exercised by the states. The national government is composed of three branches: the executive, the legis­lative, and the judicial. Certain powers are given to each of the branches, but these powers overlap in such a way that the powers of one branch are limited by the powers of the others. This arrangement is known as the system of checks and balances. It is a basic part of the structure of the American governmental system. No person or insti­tution can have unlimited authority. Each branch of the national government shares and limits some of the powers of the other branches.

The system of «checks and balances» is clearly illustrated by the president’s relations with the Congress. The president proposes legis­lation, but the Congress does not have to enact it. He cannot put a treaty into effect without approval by two-thirds of the Senate. In 1973 the legislature limited the President’s powers as commander-in-chief by prohibiting commandment of armed forces abroad for combat without specific congressional approval. The Senate must approve most of the president’s appointments to the executive and judicial branches.

Another example of «checks and balances» is that the Congress must authorize money that is used to pay for programs which are administered by the executive branch. In this way the legislature exercises an important check on the executive branch and the power of the president. The financial authority or spending power of the legislature checks the spending power of the president.

Text B. A SYSTEM OF «CHECKS AND BALANCES»

The Constitution provides for three equal and separate branches but each is to some extent dependent on the other two and there is a partial interweaving of their functions.

Executive Branch
President suggests legislation to Congress	President appoints federal judges
Issues executive orders, rules and regulations with the force of legislation	May grand pardons from punishment for offences against the United States
May veto legislation passed by Congress

Legislative Branch
Appropriates for Executive	Appropriates funds for the Judiciary
May create or abolish Executive Departments	May create or abolish lower federal courts
May impeach and try members of the Executive Branch	May impeach and try members of the judiciary
May override a Presidential veto	Decides how many justices may sit on the Supreme Court
The Senate must approve Presidential appointments and treaties

Judicial Branch
May declare Congressional legislation unconstitutional	May declare any Presidential or Executive action unconstitutional

The national government’s power is not limited by states’ power. The only powers the states have are those the Federal government has not reserved for itself. But in a dispute the Federal government can and will use military force if necessary, e. g. integration of schools in Little Rock, Arkansas in the 1850s.

The powers of the national and state governments are limited by certain constitutional guarantees of civil liberties for individual citizens. These guarantees are known as the Bill of Rights. They are amendments to the original constitution. They forbid the government from restricting or limiting such civil liberties as freedom of speech, of religion, and of the press, and they guarantee to all citizens (at least in principle) certain legal procedures and rights.

The powers of the federal (national) government include the right to declare war; the right to tax; the right to borrow and coin money, and to regulate its value; the right to regulate commerce between the states; the right to maintain a postal system.

Every state has its own constitution. It also has the three-branches-of--government structure. State chief executives are called governors, and state legislators are usually known as representatives and senators.

The powers of the state are to control education, regulate corporations and businesses within the state, determine most election procedures, and regulate local governments. The states also make and administer civil (citizens’ private rights) and criminal laws.

The Constitution has been amended 26 times. An amendment may be proposed by the federal legislature or by a constitutional convention, or a meeting of representatives from two-thirds of the states. In either case the amendment must be approved by three-fourths of the state legislature.

5. Выпишите из текста эквиваленты следующих слов и выражений: принять конституцию; исполнительная власть; законодательная власть; судебная власть; осуществлять власть; система контроля и сдерживания; осуществлять контроль над какой – либо ветвью власти; гражданские права(свободы); гарантировать правовые процедуры и гражданские права; частично совпадать.

6. Выпишите из текста 2 предложения, содержащие сказуемое в активном залоге. Подчеркните сказуемое и определите его видовременную форму. Измените предложения таким образом, чтобы сказуемое имело все возможные грамматические формы.

7. Выпишите из текста 2 предложения, содержащие сказуемое в пассивном залоге. Подчеркните сказуемое и определите его видовременную форму. Переведите предложения на русский язык.

8. Составьте резюме, используя образец стр. 27.

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Дата добавления: 2015-05-26