15. The government of the usa

The USA - the United States of America - is a federation of fifty states.

Washington is the centre of Federal Government, but each state has its own capital and its own government. State governments have a large amount of power and independence: they make their own laws, and they are also responsible for education, for the state police force, for the prison system, for road-building and many other things.

Federal laws are made by Congress, which is the equivalent of the British Parliament. There are two "houses": the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state sends representatives and senators to Congress. Elections to the House of Representatives are held every two years, while Senators are elected for a six-year period.

The President is elected separately, together with the Vice-President. They serve for a term of four years. The President chooses the people who will form the cabinet. These do not have to be elected members of Congress - they can be brought in from outside Congress - but the Senate must approve their appointment. Power is shared between the President and Congress, and if the President belongs to the minority party in Congress, it can cause problems.

There are two main political parties in the United States: the Democrats and the Republicans. The Democrats are slightly more to the left than the Republicans, but the differences between their policies are not usually very great.

The United States does not have a separate ceremonial Head of State.

16. The united nations

The United Nations is an organization of more than 182 countries. The purpose of the United Nations Organization is to maintain international peace and to promote international cooperation among nations. Its headquarters are in the United States, in New York, but there are branches in Paris, in Rome and in Geneva.

The charter of the U.N. was formally signed by fifty countries in October 1945 in San Francisco, California.

When a country joins the U.N., it promises to settle any dispute or disagreement it has with another country peacefully.

The six main organs of the United Nations are: the General Assembly, the Security Council, the Economic and Social Council, the Trusteeship Council, the International Court of Justice and the Secretariat.

The General Assembly is composed of representatives of all the member nations. Each nation may send not more than five representatives to each session. Each nation is entitled to one vote.

The Security Council consists of 15 members, 5 with permanent seats. The remaining 10 are elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly. Permanent members of the Council are China, France, Russia, the UK and the USA. The Security Council has the primary responsibility for maintaining international peace and security and members agree to carry out its decisions.

The Economic and Social Council is concerned with financial and technical assistance to the less developed countries.

The International Court of Justice is the principal judicial organ of the United Nations which sits in the Hague in the Netherlands. It is composed of fifteen judges who are elected by the Security Council and the General Assembly.

The Secretariat carries out the administrative functions of the United Nations. The Secretary General who is appointed by the General Assembly on the recommendation of the Security Council is at the head of the Secretariat.