• 3) Make a list of proper names and be ready to explain what is what and who is who.

3.14 Symbols of the usa

• 1) Read the heading and the following words from the text and say what the text is about: flag, patriotism, loyalty, anthem, founding documents, emblem, the eagle, the bald eagle.

American patriotism is based more on belief in a certain set of ideals than on a geographical space. For most Americans, the spirit of their country is rooted in the concepts of freedom, and democracy.

It has become customary to fly The Flag on national holidays, and many people now fly The Flag daily from their homes. This action demonstrates patriotism and loyalty to the country and honors the sacrifice of all who have made this Great Nation possible. The thirteen stripes of the flag represent the original thirteen colonies and the fifty stars represent the fifty states. 

The American National Anthem “The Star Spangled Banner” is a tribute to the American flag. In many American schools children begin their day by reciting the “Pledge of Allegiance” to the flag.

  It has become customary to display replicas of the country’s founding documents including “The Declaration of Independence,” “The Bill of Rights” and “The Constitution” in libraries and offices, at home and at work. This is done in recognition of the important principles that are the basis for the establishment of American free society.

The eagle represents Freedom. The bald eagle was chosen as the emblem of the United States of America because of its long life, great strength and majestic looks, and also because it was then believed to exist only on this continent.  It has become a tradition to display the eagle, or the Seal of the United States which contains the eagle, in locations where the Federal Government has offices or conducts official business. The eagle is found on U.S. currency and coins and also forms the basis for many emblems of government agencies. Many families have an eagle with spread wings above their hearth or displayed on the external surfaces of their homes above doors, entries or garages. It is often used as an ornament for flagpoles. 

• 2) Name the statements which are true:

a) the eagle forms the basis for many emblems of government agencies,

b) the eagle represents democracy,

c) the concepts of freedom and democracy are very important in the United States,

d) the replicas of the founding documents are displayed everywhere,

e) the American National Anthem “God , save the Queen” is known all over the country,

f) it is a custom to fly the flag daily from homes,

g) every day in offices begins with the “Pledge of Allegiance”.

3.15 The system of government in the usa

• 1) Look at the phrases from the text: to vote for, a representative democracy, a branch of government, to abide by the constitution, the legislative branch, the Congress, the House of Representatives, the Senate, a bill becomes a law, the executive branch, the President, the Vice-president, the judicial branch, political parties, the Democratic party, the Republican party. What do they mean?

The Form of the Government of the USA. The United States is a representative democracy. It means that people, who vote for government representatives, direct the country policy and have all the governmental power.

The constitution of the US describes the powers of national and state governments, the functions and framework of each branch of the government, and the rights of the individual citizens.

All public officials of the national and state governments must swear to abide by the Constitution, which was written to protect the democratic interests of the people and the government.

The Legislative Branch of the USA. The function of the legislative branch is to make laws. The legislative branch consists of the representatives who are elected to Congress.

Congressconsists of two groups which are called houses: the House of Representatives (the House, for short) and the Senate.

Lawmakers from all of the states are elected to work in the House of Representatives. It is important to know that each state has a different number of districts; the number of districts in each state depends on the population. So, each district elects only one representative to the House of Representatives. The representatives are elected for a two-year term. There are 435 representatives in the House currently.

The Senateis smaller than the House. Each state, regardless of the population, has two senators. The senatorial term is six years.

How a Bill Becomes a Law. Each house of Congress (the Senate and the House of Representatives) makes laws.

A law first begins as a ‘bill’. When a bill is introduced, it is sent to the appropriate committee. Each house of Congress has committees which specialize in a particular area of legislation, for example foreign affairs, defense, banking and agriculture. The committee members study the bill and then send it to the Senate or House chamber where it was first introduced. After a debate, the bill is voted on. If the bill passes, it is sent to the other house where it goes through a similar process.

The Senate may reject a bill proposed in the House of Representatives, or add amendments. If this happens, “a conference committee” is organized. The members of the Senate and the House of Representatives take part in the work of this committee, and they try to work out a compromise. If both sides agree on the new version, the bill is sent to the president for his signature. At this point, the bill becomes a law.

The Executive Branch of the USA. The executive branch of government administrates the laws passed by Congress. The President of the US presides over the executive branch. He is elected to a four-year term and he can be re-elected to a second term.

The vice-president, who is elected with the president, has only two constitutional duties. The first duty is to preside over the Senate, but the vice-president may vote only in the event of a tie. The second duty is to take the presidency if the president dies, becomes disabled, or is removed from the office.

The Judicial Branch of the USA. The third branch of the government is the judicial branch, which is headed by the Supreme Court. Under the Supreme Court, there are many state and federal courts. An important function of the judicial branch is to check whether the laws of Congress or the actions of the president violate the Constitution. So, the Court can declare presidential acts and Congress laws unconstitutional.

The President appoints judges to the Supreme Court. The Congress can impeach and remove judges from the offices.

Chief Justice (the chief judge) presides over impeachment of the president.

The Political Parties of the US. The US has had only two major parties throughout its history. When the nation was founded, there were two political groupings – the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Since then, two major parties have changed in power.

For over one hundred years, America’s two-party system has been dominated by the Democratic and Republican parties. Neither party, however, has ever completely dominated American politics. On the national level, the majority party in Congress has not always been the same as the party of the president.

Even in years, when one party dominated national politics, the other party still had much support at state or local levels. So, the balance changes between the Democrats and Republicans.

There are also minor or “third” parties in the US but they cannot attract enough voters to get power. Some minor parties of the US at present are the American Independent Party, the Libertarian Party, and the Peace and Freedom Party.