The Russian Federation is a Presidential (or a constitutional) republic. The President is the head of the state and is elected directly by the people. In fact he has much power, he controls all the three branches of power. The President can even dissolve the Duma if he doesn't agree with his suggestions three times running. The President has his administration, but it's not part of the Federal Government. The President is involved in the work of the legislative and executive branches.
The Federal Assembly represents the Legislative branch of power. It's made up of the two houses: the Federation Council and the State Duma, which make laws. The Federal Assembly is also called Parliament, but it's not its official name. Both chambers are headed by chairmen sometimes called speakers. The Duma consists of 450 deputies (one half is elected personally by the population, and the other half consists of the deputies who are appointed by their parties after voting). The members of the Federation Council are elected on a different basis. There are two representatives from each subject of the RF (85 subjects). Every law must be approved by the State Duma, the Council of Federation and signed by the President. The President can veto laws passed by the Federal Assembly, but it can pass laws over the President's veto if it gets two-thirds majority vote.
The Federal Government represents the executive branch of power. The President appoints its head, the Chainman of the Government, but the Duma must approve his appointment.
The juridical branch of power consists of the Constitutional Court, the Supreme Court and lower Courts. The responsibility of the Constitutional Court is to analyze the new laws to make sure they correspond to the laws of the state. The Constitutional Court has the right to declare actions of the President, the Federal Assembly and the Federal Government unconstitutional. The Supreme Court is the highest instance for civil and criminal cases.
8. Based on the text above describe the state system of Russia finishing the following phrases:
-The Russian Federation is
-There are 3 main branches of power in Russia:
-The head of the state in the RF is
-The highest legislative body of Russia is
-The executive branch is represented by
-The judicial branch consists of
9.Divide into 2 groups of 5-6 students and make 2 lists: one with differences and the other with the similarities between the state systems of the USA and Russia (15 minutes). Discuss them together.
II. EXECUTIVE BRANCH: PRESIDENT, VICE-PRESIDENT AND THE CABINET
1.See the dictionary and read the words correctly: a secretary/-ies, to execute, foreign, a judge, an advisor,an ambassador, to pardon, amnesty.
Vocabulary
| to administer [ædmɪnɪstər] | |
| naturalization service | |
| to die [daɪ] | |
| to resign [rɪzaɪn] | |
| trade [treɪd] | |
| a research [ri:sɜ:rtʃ] |
2. Read and translate the text:
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The executive branch, which includes the President, the Vice-President and the Cabinet consisting of Secretaries of the executive departments, is responsible for administering and executing the laws.
The President of the United States is elected every four years to a four-year term of office, with no more than two full terms allowed. The President is elected directly by the voters (through state electors). He must be a native-born citizen at least 35 years old and live in the U.S. for not less than 14 years. The President is the head of the state and the government, and the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. He makes foreign policy, approves or vetoes laws, appoints judges, advisors and ambassadors, he can pardon a person for a federal crime (give amnesty).
If the President dies, or resigns, or cant work, the Vice-President becomes the President. So the qualifications for the Vice-President are the same as for the President.
Within the Executive Branch, there are 14 executive departments. These are: the Departments of State, Treasury, Defense, Justice, Interior, Agriculture, Commerce, Labour, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Transportation, Education, Energy, and Veteran Affairs. Each department is established by law and is responsible for a specific area. The heads of the executive departments are Cabinet members, they are appointed by the President. These appointments, however, must be approved by the Senate. All the Secretaries of the executive departments make up the Cabinet and are Presidential assistants and advisors.
| Executive Departments | Activities |
| State | foreign policy; treaties |
| Treasury [treʒərɪ] | tax collection; money |
| Defense [dɪˈfɛns] | military advice; Army; Navy; Air Force |
| Justice | legal advice; immigration; naturalization service |
| Interior[ ɪntɪərɪə] | national parks; American Indians |
| Agriculture | farming; food inspection |
| Commerce [kɒmɜːs] | business; trade |
| Labour | rights of workers; job training |
| Health and Human Services | health services; social security |
| Transportation | travel safety; road, air, train travel |
| Education | schools; financial aid |
| Energy | energy research; energy conservation |
| Veteran affairs | financial aid; VA hospitals |
Names of the Departments::
| Secretary of State | |
| Department of Defense | |
| Department of Treasury | |
| Department of Interior | |
| Department of Justice | |
| Department of Commerce | |
| Department of Labour | |
| Department of Health and Human Services | |
| Department of Housing and Urban Development | |
| Department of Transportation | |
| Department of Education | |
| Department of Energy | |
| Department of Veteran Affairs |
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| President Barack Obama | Vice President Joe Biden |
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3. Find the English equivalents for: , , , , , , .
4.Say in English:
a) 4 .
b) .
c) - .
d) .
f) .
g) .
4.What do the following numbers from the text mean?: 14(2), 35, 4(2), 2, 8.
