Text 2 the state system of the united kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is one of the few developed countries of the world where a constitutional monarchy has survived with its ages-old customs, traditions and ceremonies. The British Constitution, unlike that of most other countries, is not complied in any single document.
The United Kingdom is governed by Her Majesty’s Government in the name of the Queen. Although the Queen is deprived of actual power, she has retained many important, though formal, functions. These include summoning, proroguing and dissolving Parliament; giving royal assent to the bills passed by the Parliament; appointing very important office holders, including ministers, judges, diplomats, bishops. She appoints the Prime Minister (usually the leader of the political party which commands a majority in the House of Commons) to form a government of State.
Under the British Constitution the Government functions through the following bodies:
the Legislature which makes laws;
the Executive which puts laws into effect and plans policy;
the Judiciary which decides on cases that arise out of law.
The legislative branch is Parliament where laws are passed. The Parliament consists of two chambers: House of Lords and House of Commons. The MPs (the members of the House of Commons) are elected for a five year term at General Elections by a majority electoral system.
The executive branch which plans prospective laws and formulates policy is the cabinet of the Government. The Prime Minister is an active member of the legislative yet he is also the leading member of the executive.
The judiciary is independent, its adjudications are not the subject of ministers’ direction or control. The Courts of the United Kingdom are the Queen’s Courts, since the Crown is the historical source of all judicial power.
(British Studies. D. Kozikis, G. Medvedev, N. Demchenko Минск. Лексис,2004)
Text 3 the usa political system
The United States is an indirect democracy – that is, the people rule through representatives they elect.
The United States has a federalist system. This means that there are individual states, each with its own government, and there is a federal, or national, government. The Constitution gives certain powers to the federal government, others to the state governments, and yet other powers to both.
Within the national government, power is divided among three branches: the legislative, executive and judicial branches.
The legislative branch consists of Congress, which has two parts – the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress’s main function is to make laws. There are 100 senators (two from each state) and 435 representatives (the number from each state depends on the size of the state’s population).
The President is the head of the executive branch and the country. The executive branch administers the law. In addition to the President, the Vice-President, and their staffs, the executive branch consists of departments and agencies. There are now 14 departments, each with different responsibilities. The President appoints the department heads known as Secretaries, who together make up the President’s Cabinet.
The judicial branch interprets the laws and makes sure that new laws are in keeping with the Constitution. There are several levels of federal courts. The Supreme Court is the most important. It has nine members, who are appointed for life.
(Spotlight on the USA. Randee Falk. Oxford University Press. 1993)
Task 11. Complete the sentences with the proper word using the words from the chart of task 2.
The President of the USA as the head of the … power is assisted by the Vice-President and the Cabinet.
The House of … in the Republic of Belarus consists of 110 deputies.
The members of the Council of Republic are … at the meetings of the deputies of the local Councils.
According to … the head of the state is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the republic.
The Supreme Court in the USA comprises the Chief … and eight associate ….
In order to become a law a bill should be approved by the two chambers of the … body and should get the approval of the head of the state.
The … in the UK is independent but the courts are the Queen’s Courts.
A person can take part in … when he/she is a citizen of the country and has become of age.
Task 12. Can you explain the difference in the meaning of the following terms? Make the examples of your own to show this difference.
policy – politics
freedom – right
bill – law
vote – ballot
enforce – strengthen
appoint – adopt
elaborate – introduce
T
ry
to do “General
Knowledge Quiz” in the
Supplement
to see, if you know a lot about the state structures of the Republic
of Belarus, the UK and the USA.
Task 13. Complete the text with the proper word from the box below.
represented, implemented, branches, approved, political, judiciary, laws, chambers, executive, elected