In April 2011, Obama declared his intention to seek re-election in the 2012 presidential election.
US role in the NATO: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization or NATO is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949 + the organization constitutes a system of collective defense whereby its member states agree to mutual defense in response to an attack by any external party.
Билет 8. Geographical position
US- in the central part of the North American continent. Square: over 9 mln sq km, Pop: 290 mln people
Is washed by the Atlantic Ocean in the east and by the Pacific Ocean in the west.
It stretches from Canada (north) to Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Gulf of California (south).
Its territory also includes the states of Alaska, in the north-west corner of North America, and Hawaii, in the mid-Pacific Ocean. The U.S.A. is divided into 3 areas: Eastern area — highland with Appalachian Mountains, Central area — plain, and Western mountainous area including the Cordilleras and the Rocky Mountains. Between the mountain ranges are the central lowlands, called the prairie, and the Eastern Lowlands, called the Mississippi Valley.
The north-eastern part – the 5 Great Lakes — Lake Superior, Huron, Michigan, Erie and Ontario. The waters of the five lakes have the outlet into the Atlantic Ocean by the St. Lawrence River. In the west of the U.S.A. there is another lake called the Great Salt Lake.
The greatest rivers of the U.S.A: the Colorado and the Columbia flowing into the Pacific Ocean, the Mississippi with its tributaries — the Missouri and the Ohio — flowing into the Gulf of Mexico, and the Hudson river, which flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The rivers in the west are unsuitable for navigation as they are cut by deep rapids. They serve as a great source of electric power.
Climate. Different climatic zones, but on the whole - continental. However, it varies from tropical in Hawaii to arctic in Alaska. The climate of the U.S.A. is affected by many things, such as the distance from the Equator, Landforms, Oceans. Hudson Bay in Canada - great reservoir of cold because of its connection with the Arctic O. From there vast masses of cold air flow over the land and lower the temperature, especially in the eastern part of the US. Oceans also effect climate. Winters are colder and summers are warmer in the interior than along the coasts. Winters in the northern part of the country are long and cold. Along the western coast the climate is warm, because the land there is protected from the cold winds of the north by the great mountain range, the Rocky Mountains. To the east, beyond the mountains, there is a vast dry region, the soil here is arid, the rainfall is low, and the drought must be overcome by irrigation. This dry land extends from Canada to Mexico. The Southern Coastlands enjoy a humid subtropical climate, a long growing season, mild winter temperatures and warm humid summers. In a few locations of the South it is possible to harvest two or even more crops in one growing season. However, this territory is vulnerable and often exposed to hurricanes (large cyclonic storms generated by intense solar heating over large bodies of warm water) which devastate the area.
Билет 9. Political system of the USA
Constitution. proclaimed in 1787, is the supreme law of the country, protects the rights of all the people living in the United States. 3 main principles. 1 guarantees basic rights – freedom of speech and religion. 2 tells about a government by people. 3 tells about the 3 branches of the U.S. government,The U.S. Const includes the Preamble, 7 articles and 26 amd. The first 10 amd are called Bill of Rights.
Legislative branch: The CONGRESS consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives. function - to make law. can make laws about trade, taxes, citizenship and about the District of Columbia.
must meet regularly. A new C begins every 2 years with the election of new Senators and Representatives. sessions in the Capitol Buildings in Washington. 435 representatives in the House. A Representative must be at least 25. There are 100 members in the Senate, two from each state Senators must be at least 30 years old. special duties: to ratify / approve treaties, to confirm appointments, to try impeached officials.
There are 16 permanent committees in the Senate and 20 in the House.
Exec br: PRESIDENT, VP and the CAB, consisting of Secretaries of the executive departments, is responsible for administering and executing the laws. The Pres is elected every 4 years to a 4-year term.is elected directly by the voters. must be a native-born citizen,35 years old and live in the US 14 years. is the head of the state and the government, and the Commander-in-chief. makes foreign policy, approves or vetoes laws, appoints judges, advisors and ambassadors, he can grant amnesty. If the he dies, or resigns, the VP becomes P. 14 executive departments. These are: the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Agriculture, Commerce, Labor, Health and Human Services, and so on.The heads of the executive departments are Cabinet members, are appointed by the P.
Judic system. dual court system composed of a federal judiciary and 50 states judiciaries. fed judiciary consists of: the Supreme Court and the system of federal courts. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial organ of the Us. meets in the Supreme Court Building of white marble in Washington, D. C. is made up of the Chief Justice and eight associate justices. are all appointed by the P and approved by the S. Every judge is appointed for life. By creating the Supreme Court and authorizing the establishment of other Federal courts the Constitution created the judicial power that is the power to hear and decide the two types of cases - criminal and civil. The jurisdiction of the Federal courts may include cases which concern the interpretation of the Constitution, of treaties between the U.S. and foreign countries. Immediately below the Supreme Court stand the Courts of Appeals, created in 1891 to facilitate the disposition of cases.
94 district courts are located in the states. The Court of Claims consisting of a chief justice and four associate justices was established in 1855. This court hears claims of private individuals against the government for breach of contracts, unpaid salary, property taken for public use and personal injuries
Major parties. Historically,the Federalists, representing business, finance and the middle classes of city folk and the "Republicans" led by Thomas Jefferson,represented mainly the country folk from Virginia. The parties chose their own names, Republican and Democratic, but not their party emblems. The differences between the two parties are so small that a voter will see no intellectual inconsistency in voting for a Republican President, a Democratic state governor, a Republic Senator and a Dem member of the House. Most voters take the party of their parents. National origin plays the role too, descendants of north. Europeans tend to the Rep party, while those of south and east Eu prefer the Dem party.
Билет 10. ECONOMY OF THE U.S.A.
1. The mineral and agricultural resources are tremendous (громадны).
- electrical and nuclear energy, production of liquid natural gas, aluminum, and salt + copper (медь), gold, coal, iron ore and so on
-Agriculturally, the US is first in the production of cheese, corn, soybeans(соя), and tobacco.
- it is the world's leading exporter of wheat and corn and ranks third in rice exports.
- In 1995, U.S. fisheries ranked fifth in the world in total production.
- Exports: motor vehicles, aircraft, food, iron and steel products, electric and electronic equipment.
- Imports:petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, transportation equipment, paper
- trading partners: Canada, Mexico, Japan, the UK, South Korea, and Germany. NAFTA
the growth of a complex network of communications: by railroad, highways, inland waterways, and air + telephone, radio, television, computer (including the Internet), and fax machine. => the leading position the US in world tourism revenues and service-based economy.
2. ACHIEVEMENTS of AMERICAN ECONOMY
* By 1890 - iron and steel production - the U.S.: more than GB + Germany.
* In 1913 – 1/3 of the world's industrial production.
* After WW2 - 50 per cent of the "gross world product".
* the first half of the 20th century: a global depression, sharp inflation, high unemployment
*the 2d half of 20th cent: enormous government budget deficit
the world leader in biochemical and genetic engineering, aerospace research and development, communications, computer and information services, and similar high-technology fields.
The 1st and biggest computer research and production area is still Silicon Valley, near San Francisco, (4000 high-tech firms).
3. ECONOMY of AMERICAN STATES
New England. The first factories were in New England. They produced cotton cloth, coal (уголь), natural gas, oil. Fishing has been important in the North-east (fishing centres appeared).
The Midwest.the heartland of the nation,the bread-basket of the nation. The land here is fertile and well watered, Corn was one of the first crops grown on American farms.
The South. The South includes the South Atlantic States (Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida,) and the Central Southeast (Kentucky, Tennesse, Alabama, and Mississippi).The South is rich in natural resources. Great supplies of oil and natural gas are helping refinery(нефтезавод) and chemical industry to develop in the South.
The West. The West of the U.S.A. occupies such states as Montana, Washington, Oregon, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, Nevada and California. California's farmers grow half of the country's fruits and vegetables. The centres of the West Coast manufacturing are the Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay areas. Aircraft manufacturing, automobile assembly plants, food processing, oil refining and electronics are important industries here.
Билет 11. THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM. dual court system composed of a federal judiciary and 50 states judiciaries. fed judiciary consists of: the Supreme Court and the system of federal courts. The Supreme Court is the highest judicial organ of the Us. meets in the Supreme Court Building of white marble in Washington, D. C. is made up of the Chief Justice and eight associate justices. are all appointed by the P and approved by the S. Every judge is appointed for life. By creating the Supreme Court and authorizing the establishment of other Federal courts the Constitution created the judicial power that is the power to hear and decide the two types of cases - criminal and civil.
The jurisdiction of the Federal courts may include cases which concern the interpretation of the Constitution, of treaties between the U.S. and foreign countries. Immediately below the Supreme Court stand the Courts of Appeals, created in 1891 to facilitate the disposition of cases.
94 district courts are located in the states. The Court of Claims consisting of a chief justice and four associate justices was established in 1855. This court hears claims of private individuals against the government for breach of contracts, unpaid salary, property taken for public use and personal injuries
Билет 12. The Social welfare system. The US Health Care System.