The United States

Status: Federal republic, union of 50 States.

Legislative body: Congress, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

The Senate: 100 members elected by popular vote; six-year term; one-third of the Senate — to be renewed — every two years.

The House of Representatives: 435 Members; two-year term.

Head of State and Government: President; term of office - 4 years; cannot be elected more than for 2 terms; member of the executive branch; to veto the bill; to appoint the members of the Cabinet.

Ex. 19. Read and translate the text.

The State

The state is the product of society at a definite stage of its development. The state is a system of official institutions and organs. This system of organs is the machinery of government, the state machine. This machine includes such organs as the army, the police, and the courts. The other part of the state machine consists of the system of state organs including the chief of the state (an individual or collective), parliament, government, departments and other organs. The constitution, legislation or traditions regulate the power of each state organ. Different types of states have different functions. That's why we speak about the state only as the historical category.

According to the Constitution of Russia all organs of state power are elected by the entire adult population on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot. The right to elect and to be elected to the bodies of state authorities, and also to take part in the referendum is guaranteed by the Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Ex. 20. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the state?

2. What does the theory of state teach?

3. What is the state machine?

4. What does the other part of the state machine consist of?

5. What regulates the power of each state organ?

6. Why do we speak about the state only as the historical category?

7. How are all organs of state power elected in Russia?

8. Does a citizen of Russia have the right to elect and to be elected?

Unit 5. Ecological problems

Ex. 1. Read the following words and word-combinations:

1. to deal with иметь дело с

2. environment окружающая среда

3. to confirm подтверждать

4. acute острый

5. to maintain поддерживать

6. vital жизненно важный

7. to affect влиять

8. compound соединение, сложное вещество

9. to belong to принадлежать

10. to cause вызывать, быть причиной

11. to face встать лицом к лицу

12. to contaminate загрязнять

13. by-products побочные продукты

14. to suffer from something страдать, болеть чем-либо

15. essential основной

16. to discharge выливать

17. surface поверхность

18. to pollute загрязнять

19. used up gases выхлопные газы

20. poisonous ядовитый

21. emission излучение

22. to destroy разрушать

23. noise level уровень шума

24. work efficiency трудоспособность

25. effort усилие

26. to take measures принимать меры

Ex. 2. Use the verbs in brackets in the proper tense and voice form.

1. Man (to depend) on water, oxygen, food etc.

2. The biosphere (to affect) by all sorts of human activity.

3. Water (to contaminate) with dangerous materials.

4. Many people (to suffer) from different diseases.

5. Many babies (to bear) with deformities.

6. Many tons of oil (to discharge) into seas and oceans annually.

7. Air (to pollute) by harmful substances.

8. Every car (to consume) many tons of air.

9. Used up gases (to contain) poisonous compounds.

10. Many buildings (to destroy) by smoke and gas from cars.

Ex. 3. Read and translate the text.