The United States of America.
American Political System.
- The head of the state and government is the President, elected for ... years.
- Five; b) seven; c) six; d) four.
2.The political system of the US consists of ... branches.
a) two; b) three; c) four.
3. The legislative body is the Congress (bicameral), consisting of ... .
a) the Senate and the House of Representatives;
b) The House of Commons and the House of Representatives;
c) the House of Commons and the Senate;
d) the House of Representatives and the President.
4. The Senate consists of ... members chosen by popular vote ... : a third of its membership is renewed every two years.
a) 100; for a five-year term; b) 200; for a six-year term;
c) 200; for a five-year term; d) 100; for a six-year term.
5. The House of Representatives has about 450 members elected by popular vote every ... years; each state is entitled to at least one representative, with the total number determined periodically according to population.
a) three; b) four; c) five; d) two.
6. The Senate comprises lawmakers, who serve ... terms. Each state, regardless of population, has ... senators.
a) four-year; two; b) five-year; two; c) six-year; two; d) seven-year; three.
7. The terms of the senators are staggered, so that only ... of the Senate is elected every two tears. That assures that there are some experienced senators in the Congress after each election.
a) half; b) 1/3; c) 2/3; d) a quarter.
Task: read the text and choose the correct statement.
8.The main duty of the Congress is to make laws, including those which levy taxes that pay for the work of federal government. A law begins as a proposal called a “bill”. It is read, studied in committees, commented on and amended in the Senate or House chamber in which it was introduced. It is then voted upon. If it passes, it is sent to the other house where a similar procedure occurs. Members of both houses work together in “conference committee” if the chambers have passed different versions of the same bill. Groups who try to persuade congressmen to vote for or against a bill are known as “lobbies”. When both houses of the Congress pass a bill on which they agree, it is sent to the President for his signature. Only after it is signed the bill becomes a law.
American system of making laws:
- reminds the British one;
- is the same as the British one;
- is similar to the British one;
- is quite different from the British one.
9.In each of 50 states, the local government is represented with a popularly elected governorand legislature. Below the state level, local self-government is usually conducted through ... .
a) municipalities, townships and counties;
b) municipalities, townships and countries;
c) townships, countries and districts.
10. The major departments of the government are headed by appointed secretaries who collectively make up the president’s cabinet. Each appointment must be confirmed by a vote of the Senate. Today there are ... departments there.
a) 15; b) 10; c) 13; d) 12.
11. To all americans another basic foundation of their representative democracy is the Bill of Rights adopted in ... . This consists of ... very short paragraphs which garantee freedom and individual rights and forbid interference with the lives of individuals by the government. Each paragraph is an Amendment to the original Constitution.
a)1971; 8; b) 1791; 9; c) 1791; 10; d) 1791; 12.
12. Today, the US has two major political parties. One is the Democratic party which evolved out of Thomas Jefferson’s party, formed before ... . The other is the Republican party, which was formed in the ... by people in the states of the North and West, such as Abraham Lincoln, who wanted the government to prevent the expansion of slavery into new states then being admitted to the union.
a) 1800; 1850s; b) 1750; 1800s; c) 1850; 1900s; d) The Revolutionary War; 1800s.
13. There are ... parties in the US besides the two major parties. None of these parties has enough popular support to win a presidential election, but some are very strong in central cities and states and can have their own state or city candidates elected or can determine which major party wins by supporting one or the other.
a) no other; b) some other, stronger; c) some other, smaller; d) some other, bigger.
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