I. Scan the text for answers to the following questions indicate the paragraph where the information is found.

1. What document is the operation of the US government based on?

2. How are the powers of government distributed between the federal government and the state governments?

3. What are the three branches of the national government?

4. What is the system of "checks and balances"? How is it exercised?

5. In what way does the legislature exercise a check on the executive branch?

6. What limits the powers of the national and state governments?

7. What is known as the Bill of Rights?

8. What is the procedure for introducing an amendment to the Constitution?

9. What are the duties of the president?

10. What is the "impeachment procedure"?

11. How can the work of the executive branch of the federal government be described?

12. What are the functions of the Senate and the House of Representatives?

13. How is the procedure of passing a law organized?

14. Under what circumstances does a bill become law?

15. How does the Supreme Court function?

16. What is "judicial review"?

17. What crimes are called "civil"?

18. What is the structure of the state government?

II. Determine the main idea and supporting details of paragraphs 2, 14, 26. Write them out in columns.

III. Identify the sentences which are generalizations and translate them into Russian.