15. The American System of Higher and Further
Education Higher education in the United States includes a variety of institutions of higher education.
The first cycle of higher education lasts four years and ends with the award of a bachelor's degree (Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science).
The second cycle of higher education leading to the award of a Master's degree Master (Master of Arts, Master of Sciences, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Business Administration).
The third cycle of higher education - doctorate - has an average duration of 3-4 years and leads to the degree of Doctor.
16. The American system of Government
USA-is a federal union of 50 state. Each state has it’s own government. The basic law is the constitution, adopted in 1787(after the war for independence). The political system is divided into 3 branches : judicial, legislative and executive. Each branch hold a certain degree of power over the others and all take parts in the governmental processes)
17. The Executive Branch of Government
The President is the head of the executive branch and the country. The executive branch administers the laws (decides how the laws should be carried out). In addition to the President, Vice-President, and their staffs, the executive branch consists of departments and agencies.
18. The Legislative Branch of Government
The Legislative Branch consists of Congress, which has 2 parts – the House of Representatives and the Senate. Congress’s main function is to make laws. There are 100 senators (two from each of 50 state).Their term is 6 years. The senator must be at least 30 years old, a citizen of the USA for 9 y. o and the resident of the state from which he is elected. And 435 representatives (the number from each state depends on the size of the state’s population). A new congress session begins on the 3rd of January.
19. Duties of the President and Vice President. President’s Administrative Machine
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces. The President conducts foreign affairs, signed documents, appoints diplomas. The president can be elected for only 2 terms.(4 year-1 term).The power are enormous, but limited. Native- born American citizen,>35 year old,>14 years resident of the USA.
The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people through the Electoral College to a four-year term of office. He or she is allowed to vote in the Senate when necessary to break a tie. The Vice President oversees procedural matters and may cast a tie-breaking vote.
20.Political Parties, their history.
The US has two main political parties- the Democratic (it’s origin from Thomas Jefferson’s party, formed before 1800) and Republican (formed in the 1850’s,in the North and West) parties. Many other smaller parties play little if any role. Voters elect the president, as well as senators, representatives, ets. A voter can choose candidates from different parties, so the President does not have to be from the party that has a majority in Congress. There are not more Difference between the Republican and Democratic parties. The Republican tend to be more conservative and to have more support among the upper classes, while the Democrats tend to be more liberal and to have more support among the working classes and poor.
21. Congress of the United States,
legislative branch of the United States government. Congress is composed of two chambers with equal powers: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The primary duty of Congress is to write, debate, and pass bills, which are then passed on to the president for approval. Other congressional duties include investigating pressing national issues, supervising the executive and judicial branches, and shaping U.S. foreign policy.
22. Election,
procedure that allows members of an organization or community to choose representatives who will hold positions of authority within it. The most important elections select the leaders of local, state and national governments. The chance to decide who will govern at these levels serves as an opportunity for the public to make choices about the policies, programs, and future directions of government action. The threat of defeat at the polls exerts pressure on those in power to conduct themselves in a responsible manner and take account of popular interests and wishes when they make their decisions.
Electoral college, collective name for the electors who nominally choose the president and vice president of the US. This group comprises the electors from the separate states who are selected by the voters in presidential elections. Each state is entitled to a number of electors equal to the total number of senators and representatives it sends to the Congress of the US, Each state has at least three electors.