- свободу выбора языка общения;
- независимость печати и других средств массовой
- информации;
- право человека на жизнь, личную свободу и
- безопасность;
- гарантии личной неприкосновенности граждан;
- независимость и беспристрастность суда;
- развитое гражданское общество.
Do the Russian citizens possess the above mentioned rights, freedoms and guarantees? Yes/ No, prove with examples.
3. Study the following quotes of famous politicians, philosophers and writers. Do you agree or disagree with them? Give your arguments.
a. The greatest argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. (Winston Churchill)
b. Democracy is the rule of the people, by the people and for the people. (Abraham Lincoln)
c. A democracy is nothing more than an angry mob, where fifty-one per cent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine. (Thomas Jefferson)
d. Democracy opens mouths but cannot fill them. (Leonid Sukhorukov)
e. Democracy is a very admirable form of government – for dogs. (Edgar Allan Poe)
Discussion
In groups of three or four discuss the main features of democracy, its advantages and disadvantages, your personal attitude to it.
Unit II
Democratic government
Warm-up
Answer the following question:
1. What is government?
2. What functions does government perform in a country?
3. How do you understand the term “democratic government”? What are its characteristic features?
4. What states with a federal form of government do you know?
5. What is this form of government based on?
Pronunciation and spelling
1. Watch the pronunciation and spelling of the following words:
a. government
b. federalism
c. republic
d. to abolish
e. law enforcement
f. term
g. to assemble
2. Consult the dictionary and train the pronunciation of the following words:
a. shared
b. to vote
c. veto
d. to negotiate
e. treaty
f. to be subject to
g. to abuse
Reading
The system of checks and balances is one of the most characteristic features of democratic government. The system is based on the belief that government is controlled and close to the people.
In general, checks and balances has two basic features: federalism and separation of powers.
Federalism is the division of government between national, state or provincial, and local levels. For example, the United States of America is a federal republic with states that have their own legal status and authority independent of the federal government. American states cannot be abolished or changed by the federal government. Although national power in the US plays an important role, states are still responsible for such spheres as education, health, transportation and law enforcement.
The second feature of checks and balances is separation of powers. It assumes that political power is not concentrated within a single branch of the national government.
Therefore, separation of powers is a misleading term, because the system is based on shared powers more than on separate ones. For example, legislative authority in the USA belongs to the Congress, but laws passed by Congress can be voted by the president. The Congress, in turn, must assemble a two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives and the Senate to ignore a presidential veto. The president nominates ambassadors and members of the cabinet, and negotiates international treaties – but all are subject to approval by the Senate.
Separation of powers provides an important protection against the potential abuse of power by government.
Skimming
1. Skim through the text and continue the sentences:
1. One of the most characteristic features of democratic government is …
2. The basic belief of the system of checks and balances is …
3. Two main features of the checks and balances are …
4. Federalism is …
5. The characteristic feature of the political system of the United States is …
6. National power in the USA …, though states are still …
7. Separation of powers assumes that …
8. The term of separation of powers can be misleading because …
9. The congress in the USA represents …
10. In order to ignore a presidential veto the Congress …
11. The president nominates …, negotiates …
2. Answer the following questions:
1. What is the main goal of the checks and balances system?
2. What does the term checks and balances mean?
3. What is federalism?
4. What responsibilities do the states possess in the USA?
5. What misleading sense lies in the term separation of powers?
6. What does separation of powers provide?
Word Study
1. Find in the text English equivalents to the following words and word-combinations, restore the context of their use:
a. правительство
b. быть ответственным
c. принимать закон
d. запрет
e. законодательный
f. понятие, термин
g. собирать, созывать
h. ветвь (власти)
i. 2/3 большинства
j. Вести переговоры, обсуждать
2. Find words and phrases in the text that mean the following, give examples with them:
a. a system of government according to which a country consists of a group of states which have their own government to decide their own affairs and are controlled by a single national government which makes decisions on foreign affairs, defence, etc.
b. a practice of controlling a government’s power by dividing it into three branches: the power to make laws (the legislative branch), the power to judge laws (the judiciary branch) and the power to give orders (the executive branch).
c. a country governed by elected representatives of the people, and led by a president, not by a king or a queen.
d. to officially end a law, system etc, especially one that has existed for along time.
e. the act of making people obey a rule or law.
f. likely to make smn believe smth that is not true.
g. common
h. to support a law
i. a formal agreement between two or more countries or governments
j. dependent on smth
k. to deliberately use smth, such as power or authority, for the wrong purpose
3. Fill in the blanks with the words from the text:
a. American States cannot be _____ or _____ by the federal _____.
b. The US is a federal _____.
c. _____ and _____ are the two main features of democratic _____.
d. States in the USA are _____ _____ such spheres as education, health, transportation and _____ _____.
e. Separation of powers assumes that political power is not concentrated within a single ____ of the national _____.
f. Separation of powers is a _____ _____, because it is based on _____ powers more than on separate ones.
g. _____ authority in the USA belongs to the Congress.
h. The laws, ___ by Congress, can be _____ by the president.
4. Translate the following statements into Russian:
- The system is based on the belief that government is controlled and close to the people.
- For example, the United States of America is a federal republic with states that have their own legal status and authority independent of the federal government.
- Although national power in the US plays an important role, states are still responsible for such spheres as education, health, transportation and law enforcement.
- Separation of powers assumes that political power is not concentrated within a single branch of the national government.
- Therefore, separation of powers is a misleading term, because the system is based on shared powers more than on separate ones.
- The president nominates ambassadors and members of the cabinet, and negotiates international treaties – but all are subject to approval by the Senate.
Talking point
In groups discuss the following question:
1. Does the system of checks and balances provide stability in a country?
2. Do you consider federalism as an effective way of political division of a country?
3. What advantages and disadvantages does this principle have?
4. What can be said about federalism in Russia and the USA? What are its differences and similarities?
5. Why is separation of powers not always effective?
Speaking
1. Make up a summary of the text, using the words from the Word-study exercises.
2. Prepare a monologue “Strong and weak points of the system of checks and balances”.
Writing
Compare federal systems in Russia and the USA. Write an essay devoted to this aspect.
Unit III
Constitution
Warm-up
1. What is a constitution?
2. What forms of constitution do you know?
3. What does it consist of?
4. What role does a constitution play in governing a country?
Reading
Every democratic state has its own constitution. This is the formal statement of its fundamental obligations, procedures and institutions. The constitution of the country is the supreme law of the land, and all citizens are subject to its provisions.
The constitution is usually a single written document. It establishes the authority of the national government, provides guarantees for fundamental human rights and sets forth the government’s basic operating procedures.
Despite the monumental qualities constitutions must be flexible for change and adoption. In general, constitutions consist of articles, amendments and statutes.
Actually, there are two schools of amending a nation’s constitution.
The first one is to adopt a difficult procedure, which requires many steps and large majorities. As a result, the constitution is changed. This is the model of the USA, whose constitution is a brief statement of the general principles, powers and limits of government.
A much simpler method of amendment is to provide that any amendment may be adopted by approval of the legislature and passed by the voters at the next election. If it is possible to change constitutions in this way, they can be quite lengthy, with specific provisions that differ little from the general body of legislation.
Pronunciation
Consult a dictionary, check and train pronunciation of the words:
a. statute
b. obligation
c. provision
d. to establish
e. authority
f. an amendment
g. a statement
h. a principle
i. approval
j. specific
k. legislation
Skimming
Skim through the text and say whether these statements are true or false:
a. Constitution is an informal document which includes some rules of behaviour of citizens.
b. All citizens of a country have to obey provisions of a constitution.
c. Constitution is not necessarily a written document.
d. The constitution establishes the power of the national government, ensures guarantees for fundamental human rights.
e. Constitution has a strict form and cannot be amended.
f. There is one school concerning amending a country’s constitution.
Word Study
1. Find the words in the text which mean the following, prepare examples of your own with them:
a. a moral/ legal duty to do smth;
b. a written document or improvement to a law or document, or the process of doing this;
c. the power you have because of your official position or because people respect your knowledge or experience;
d. a general rule on which a document is based;
e. smth you say or write publicly or officially to let people know your intentions or opinions, or to record facts;
f. the act of officially accepting a plan, decision or a person;
g. the act of making laws;
h. a condition in an agreement or law;
i. to write or talk about an idea, argument, or a set of figures;
j. to formally approve a proposal, especially by voting.
2. Translate the following words into English, restore the context of its use:
a. поправка
b. принцип
c. установить
d. одобрение
e. власть
f. обязательство
g. положение
3. Fill in the table as in the example:
Verb Noun Adjective
to approve approval approved
1. to specify _________ ________
2. legislative
3. to state ________ ________
4. _______ authority _________
5. established
6. obliged
7. to amend _________ _________
8. adopted
4. Translate the following extracts from English into Russian:
a. At a minimum, the constitution establishes the authority of the national government, provides guarantees for fundamental human rights and sets forth the government’s basic operating procedures.
b. The world’s oldest written constitution, that of the United States, consists of seven brief articles and 26 amendments.
c. The U.S. Constitution is a brief statement of the general principles, powers and limits of government, together with specific provisions that differ little from the general body legislation.
d. Under the Constitution, each state legislature has the power to decide how presidential electors, as well as representatives and senators are chosen.
e. Although the Constitution has changed in many aspects since it was adopted, its basic principles remain the same now as in 1789.
f. The authors of the Constitution were keenly aware that changes would be needed from the time to time.
After-reading questions
Answer the following questions:
1. What does a democratic government rest upon?
2. What does a constitution mean?
3. What does it establish?
4. At a minimum, the constitution provides guarantees for fundamental human rights as well, doesn’t it?
5. Must constitutions be capable of change?
6. How many schools are there concerning the process of amending a nation’s constitution?
7. What are the characteristic features of the first school?
8. What is the essence of the method of amendment of the second school?
9. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the methods of each school?
Make up a summary of the text with the use of the words from Word-study exercises.
Talking point
Discuss the following questions with other students:
1. Is the constitution important in running the Russian Federation?
2. Does it work effectively? Yes/No, why? Prove with examples.
3. Would you like to amend the constitution of the Russian Federation? If yes, what do you want to change? What procedures are necessary for making amendments in a constitution?
Speaking
Think of the role of a constitution in exercising power in a country and in life of ordinary citizens. Prepare a monologue devoted to this problem.
Writing
Is it necessary for a country and its citizens to have a constitution? Why? Sum up your ideas and write an essay devoted to this topic
Unit IV
Democratic Elections
Pronunciation
Look up in a dictionary the words to make sure of their pronunciation.
Competitive
mandate
improprieties
impartiality
inclusive
definitive
periodic
Warm-up
1. What are elections? What kinds of elections are known to you? Have you ever taken part in any elections?
2. What is understood by “democratic elections”? What elections might be called “democratic”? What features should democratic elections possess?
Reading
Read the text and find the characteristic features of democratic elections. Compare the ideas given in the text with your own ones. Have all the features been mentioned by you?
Elections are the central institution of democratic representative governments because, in every democracy, the authority of the government derives from the consent of the people. Thus, free and fair elections, where popular opinion is expressed, are the basis of any democracy.
Democratic elections possess certain characteristic features.
1. They are competitive. Opposition parties and candidates must enjoy the freedom of speech, assembly and movement. All these rights must be observed to enable the opponents to voice their criticism of the government openly and to bring alternative policies and candidates to their voters.