Unit 3 1-1 The United States of America

Besides, President has an inner Cabinet, the so-called 'white-house office', i. e. immediate assistance and advises of the President. The House of Representatives may bring charges against the President, it is called 'impeachment' - a formal accusation against a public official by a legislative body, for treason, bribery and other high crimes.

Under the Constitution, the president is primarily responsible for foreign relations with other nations. He often represents the United States abroad in consultations with other heads of state, and, through his officials, he negotiates treaties with over countries. Such treaties must be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Senate. Presidents also negotiate with other nations less formal "executive agreements" that are not subject to Senate approval.

Inauguration. Inauguration always takes place on the 20th of January, it is an official act of installing the President of the USA to his office. Inauguration is connected with some traditions. Thus the incumbent. President gives dinner on the eve in honour of the President elected and to conduct him threw the White House'. By 12 o'clock of the 2nd of January two participants of the ceremony and guests take their places in front of the Capitol. The central point of the ceremony is the taking of an oath by the President and the delivering of his Inaugural speech, it is regarded as a declaration of principles, proclaimed by the new administration. The ceremony ends in a military parade.

The major political parties. The US began as a one party political system. But gradually two-party system appeared. The present-day Democratic Party was founded in 1828, representing southern states. It united slave owners. The Republican Party was founded in 1854 and united people from Northeast, who were against slavering. The emblem of the Democratic Party is a donkey. The emblem of the Republican Party is an elephant. The main task of the parties is to win elections. One of the reasons of stability at the two party systems is family tradition to inherit politics from fathers.

Judiciary. The judicial branch is headed by the Supreme Court, which is the only court specifically created by the Constitution. In addition, the Congress has established 11 federal courts of appeal and. below them, 91 federal district courts. Federal judges are appointed for life or voluntary retirement, and can only be removed from office through the process of impeachment and trial in the Congress.

Federal courts have jurisdiction over cases arising out of the Constitution: laws and treaties of the United States: maritime cases; issues involving foreign citizens or governments; and cases in which the federal government itself is a party. Ordinarily, federal courts do not hear cases arising out of the laws of individual states.

The Supreme Court today consists of a chief justice and eight associate justices. With minor exceptions, all its cases reach the Court on appeal from lower federal or state courts. Most of these cases involve disputes over the interpretation of laws and legislation. In this capacity, the Court's most important function consists of determining whether congressional legislation or executive action violates the Constitution. This power of judicial review is not specifically provided for by the Constitution; rather, it is the Court's interpretation of its Constitutional role as established in the landmark.

 

 

 

Unit 3     4-1 Shopping

When we want to buy something, we go to a shop. There are many kinds of shops in every town or city, but most of them have a food supermarket, a department store, men's and women's clothing stores, grocery, a bakery and a butchery.

I like to do my shopping at big department stores and supermarkets. They sell various goods under one roof and this is very convenient. A department store, for example, true to its name, is composed of many departments: readymade clothes, fabrics, shoes, sports goods, toys, china and glass, electric appliances, cosmetics, linen, curtains, cameras, records, etc. You can buy everything you like there.

There are also escalators in big stores which take customers to different floors. The things for sale are on the counters so that they can be easily seen. In the women's clothing department you can find dresses, costumes, blouses, skirts, coats, beautiful underwear and many other things. In the men's clothing department you can choose suits, trousers, overcoats, ties, etc.

In the knitwear department one can buy sweaters, cardigans, short-sleeved and long-sleeved pullovers, woollen jackets. In the perfumery they sell face cream and powder, lipstick, lotions and shampoos.

In a food supermarket we can also buy many different things at once: sausages, fish, sugar, macaroni, flour, cereals, tea. At the butcher's there is a wide choice of meat and poultry. At the bakery you buy brown and white bread, rolls, biscuits.

Another shop we frequently go to is the greengrocery which is stocked by cabbage, potatoes, onions, cucumbers, carrots, beetroots, green peas and what not. Everything is sold here ready-weighed and packed. If you call round at a dairy you can buy milk, cream, cheese, butter and many other products.

The methods of shopping may vary. It may be a selfservice shop where the customer goes from counter to counter selecting and putting into a basket what he wishes to buy. Then he takes the basket to the check-out counter, where the prices of the purchases are added up. If it is not a self-service shop, and most small shops are not, the shop-assistant helps the customer in finding what he wants. You pay money to the cashier and he gives you back the change.

Questions:

1. What do we do when we want to buy something?  
2. What kinds of shops are there in every town?  
3. Where do you like to do your shopping?  
4. What departments is a department store composed of?  
5. Where are the things for sale?  
6. What can we buy in the knitwear department?  
7. What can we buy in a food supermarket?  
8. What methods of shopping are there?  
Vocabulary:

supermarket — супермаркет  
store — магазин, отдел  
various — разнообразие  
under one roof — под одной крышей  
to be composed of... — состоять (из чего-то)  
ready-weighed and packed — в расфасованном и упакованном виде  
fabrics — ткани  
escalator — эскалатор  
customer — покупатель

 

 

Unit 3     4-2 Shops

Do you like shopping? It is well known that many people do like, especially women. In any case we often just have to do it, when we need some foodstuffs, for example.

There is a great variety of shops in the world: dairy, baker's, grocer's, fishmonger's, greengrocer's, butcher's, sweet shop, florist's, stationer's, footwear, children's wear, jewellery and so on.

Different people do shopping in different ways. Do you prefer shopping in small corner shops which are usually located in your neighbourhood or in big supermarkets? Undoubtedly, there are certain advantages and disadvantages in both variants. Your choice usually depends on what you need to buy. If you lack something like bread or milk, it is worth going to the nearest corner shop, for that will take you about 10 minutes. However, if your fridge is empty and there is not a slice of bread in your breadbasket, you'd better go to a supermarket. There you'll find all sorts of foodstuffs — meat and poultry, cheese and sausage, frozen food, drinks, sweets, fruit and vegetables, grocery, bakery and dairy products. In such shops people usually take a shopping basket or a trolley and walk among the rows where all items are displayed on the shelves or kept in refrigerators. If it is not a self-service shop, and most small shops are not, the shop-assistant helps the customer to find what he or she needs. In supermarkets you can buy not only foodstuffs but also stationary, clothes, household goods, some electrical goods, perfumery, newspapers and magazines. They sell various goods under one roof and, undoubtedly, this is very convenient. You can walk from one department to another looking about, finding out the price and if there is any discount and in the end you come to cashier's desk where you pay for all your purchases in cash or by a credit card.

Big department stores are very widespread in Great Britain. The most famous department stores in the UK are Harrods (one of the largest and the most expensive), House of Fraser, Marks and Spencer and Debenhams.

Marks & Spencer attracts a great variety of customers from housewives to millionaires. Such celebrities as Princess Diana, Dustin Hoffman and the British Prime-minister David Cameron are just a few of its famous customers. It makes a profit of more than 10 million pounds a week. The store has a brilliant reputation due to a high quality of its goods. It sells not only food and clothes, but also flowers and furniture. Marks & Spencer is a chain store which has over 700 branches all over the world. 
Besides huge department stores, there are many cheap street markets in Great Britain. Most of them sell various goods: food, jewellery, clothes, electronics and household goods. Some of them are specialized in particular items: pet products, books, antique furniture and garden stuff.

British people are fond of out-of-town shopping. Some of them have a special shopping day once a week when the whole family takes a car and goes to an enormous shopping complex out-of-town, which is also called "superstore". The prices in such shops are pretty low and the choice of items is various. In these complexes you can find one or more supermarkets, chain-stores, some smaller shops, a lot of cafes, end even a multi-screen cinema. One of such stores is IKEA. You are sure to know we have similar shops in Russia, which are called "Mega".

Talking about shopping preferences of Russian people, it is worth saying that many of them like to go abroad in order to buy cheap good quality things. Those who live in St. Petersburg have an opportunity to do their shopping in Finland, as the country is situated nearby. It takes only about 4 hours to get to such towns as Helsinki, Imatra, Hamina or Lappeenranta. Each of them has huge shopping centers where you can find such well-known shops as H&M, Aleksi, Vero Moda, Lindex, Luhta, Kappahl, Zara, Mango, Vendi, Vogue, Stockmann and so on. Moreover, twice a season there is a time of crazy discounts of 50 to 70 per cent.

Shopping is an integral part of our life. Nowadays it has become not only a necessity but also a pleasure for many people. 

 

 

 

Questions:

1. What kinds of shops do you know? 
2. Where do you prefer to do shopping if you have a long shopping list and little money? 
3. Do you like shopping? Why? 
4. Have you ever bought anything abroad? Was it cheaper than in Russia? 
5. Do you have a shopping day in your family? 
6. Do you like to buy clothes, food or presents more? Why? 
7. Are you fond of shopping out of town? 
8. Have you ever been to Finland? What can you tell about shops of this country? 
9. Do you usually do your shopping on your own or with a friend or parents? 
10. Have you ever been cheated in a shop?

 
Vocabulary:  
foodstuff — продукт питания 
variety — разнообразие 
dairy — молочные продукты 
baker's — булочная 
grocer's — бакалейный магазин 
fishmonger's — рыбный магазин 
greengrocer's — овощной магазин 
butcher's — мясной магазин 
florist's — цветочный магазин 
stationer's — канцелярский магазин 
corner shop — ларёк 
jewellery — ювелирные изделия 
to be located — быть расположенным 
supermarket — универсам 
to appeal — нравиться 
advantage — преимущество 
disadvantage — недостаток 
to lack for — не хватать 
breadbasket — хлебница 
poultry — домашняя птица 
shopping basket — корзина для продуктов 
trolley — тележка для продуктов 
to display — выставлять 
refrigerator — холодильник 
self-service — самообслуживание 
shop-assistant — продавец, продавщица 
customer — покупатель 
household goods — товары для дома 
electrical goods — электротехника 
perfumery — парфюмерия 
department — отдел 
discount — скидка 
cashier's desk — касса 
to pay in cash — платить наличными 
to pay by a credit card — платить банковской картой 
department store — универмаг 
widespread — распространённый 
celebrity — знаменитость 
profit — доход, прибыль 
quality — качество 
chain store — сетевой магазин 
branch — филиал 
to be specialized in — специализироваться на 
enormous — огромный 
similar — похожий 
preference — предпочтение 
integral part — неотъемлемая часть

 

 

 

 

Unit 3        5- 1 Holidays in the USA

Probably the most widely celebrated holidays in the United States of America are Thanksgiving, Independence Day and Christmas.

Thanksgiving Day is marked on the fourth Thursday of November. On this day Americans thank their God for his blessings. Families gather together for a traditional dinner which includes roast turkey and pumpkin pie.

Independence Day is marked on the 4th of July as the birthday of the United States as a free and independent nation. Generally, picnics, parades and firework displays are held all over the country on this day.

Christmas is the most important religious holiday for Christians. Gift-giving is very common at Christmas. American children look forward to Christmas morning, when they find gifts brought by Santa Claus.

Other important holidays are Easter, Labour Day and Memorial Day. Labour Day is observed on the 1st Monday of September to honour the working people. Memorial Day, on the 4th Monday of May, is a day when the dead of all wars are remembered. 
 

Unit 3     5-2 Holidays in the USA

There are a lot of holidays in the USA. Many of them are associated with the history of the nation. The main holidays of the USA are New Year's Day, Easter, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas.

The New Year's Eve is a time for merriment. Most Americans spend this night with friends, at home or in restaurants. Thousands of people gather in New York in Times Square to see the New Year in. The Tournament of Roses takes place in Pasadena, California, on January 1 each year. Prizes are given to the cities with the most unusual floral compositions.

At Easter there is a tradition for people to buy new clothes. After church services many people take walks along the streets of their towns, wearing their new Easter hats and suits. This is usually called the "Easter Parade".

Memorial Day comes on May 30. It is dedicated to the memory of those who died for America in different wars. The national flags are put on the graves of soldiers on this day.

The 4th of July, an Independence Day, is the biggest national holiday of the USA. On this day in 1776 a document, known as the Declaration of Independence, was adopted. During this holiday American cities have parades, people shoot off fire-works in parks and fields.

Thanksgiving Day comes on the fourth Thursday of November. When the first settlers landed in America, their first year was very hard and 50 of 100 people died. But the Indians taught people how to plant corn and wild vegetables and in autumn they got a large harvest. Thanksgiving Day was their holiday, the day of giving thanks to God. It is a family holiday and Americans try to gather all family at home on this day.

There are also some holidays which are not celebrated nation-wide, but only by each state separately.

 

Unit 3     6-1 Music in Our Life

I love music, I think people can not live without it. The first thing I do in the morning I switch on my tape — recorder.

We can hear music everywhere: in the streets, in the shops, on TV, over the radio, in the cars, in the parks, everywhere. I think it's really doesn't matter what kind of music you prefer: rock, pop, classical, jazz. A lot of people are fond of music. They buy tapes, go to the concerts, visit Concert Halls and Opera Theatres.

I enjoy listening music because it reflects my moods and emotions. Very often when I'm blue, I play my favourite merry songs and feel much better.

Sometimes I attend music halls and the concerts, when popular groups and singers are there. I like watching music programs on TV. I like to know more and more about popular talented groups and singers I like.

One wall of my room is covered with posters of "Bon Jovi", "Scorpions", "Roxette", Russian singers Agutin, Sjutkin, Linda and others. Some people go to musics schools, they play different musical instruments, sing in the chorus, try to compose music.

Unfortunately there are so many ungifted singers on the stages, that it makes me sad. To have a good producer doesn't mean to have good ears and voice. I think that only talented people can claim to be singers.

Questions:

1. Do you like music?  
2. What kind of music do you like?  
3. Are there many people fond of music?  
4. Does music help you?  
5. What are your favourite singers?  
6. Did you go to the musical school?  
Vocabulary:

to switch on — включать  
tape-recorder — магнитофон  
to reflect — отражать  
mood — настроение  
to attend — посещать  
to cover — покрывать  
poster — плакат  
to compose — сочинять  
ungifted — бездарный  
stage — сцена

Unit 3     6-2 Peter Tchaikovsky

Almost everybody knows "The Nutcracker Suite" with its "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" and "Waltz of the Flowers" "The Nutcracker Suite" was written as a ballet, but many more people have heard the music than have seen the ballet. Some of Tchaikovsky's other compositions are well-known too. Among them are the "Swan Lake" and "Sleeping Beauty" (ballets), the "Romeo and Juliet" (overture), the "Eugene Onegin", "Mazzeppa" "Iolanta" "The Queen of Spades" (operas) and the Symphony N 6; called the "Pathetic". Many of Tchaikovsky's writings are very tuneful. Several popular songs have tunes borrowed from them.

Tchaikovsky was born in a small town in the Ural mountains. His father was a mining engineer. As a boy Tchaikovsky loved music, but he did not think of giving his life to it. He planned to be a lawyer. When he was old enough, he began to study law.

But at 21 he decided that music was much more interesting and entered the conservatory at St. Petersburg. After he graduated five years later, he was made a professor in Moscow Conservatory. Along with his teaching, he wrote a great deal of music.

His compositions are so popular now that it is hard to believe that at first they were not at all popular. But for ten years all his operas were failures and no one paid much attention to anything else he wrote.As a result of his unhappiness and lack of success, he became ill and had to give up his teaching.

At last his music won the praise it deserved. Tchaikovsky was only 53 when he died, but he lived long enough to know that his music was being played far and wide over the world.

 

 

Unit 3     7-1 Education

Education is not mentioned in the Constitution, nor is there any federal department of education, so the matter is left to individual states. Education is free and compulsory in all states, however, from the age of 6 till 16 (or 18).

At 6 years of age children go to elementary school, or first grade (the second year is "grade 2" etc.). At elementary school the emphasis is placed on the basic skills (speaking, reading, writing, and arithmetic), though the general principle throughout the American school system is that children should be helped to develop their own interests.

Children move on to high school in the ninth grade, where they continue until the twelfth grade. There are two basic types of high school: one with a more academic curriculum, preparing students for admission to college, and the other offering primarily vocational education (training in a skill or trade).

The local school board decides which courses are compulsory There is great freedom of choice, however, and an important figure in high schools is the guidance counsellor, who advises the students on what courses to take on the basis of their career choices and the frequent tests defining abilities and propensities.

In order to receive the high school diploma necessary in most states to get into college, students must accumulate a minimum number of credits, which are awarded for the successful completion of each one- or half-year course. Students hoping to be admitted to the more famous universities require far more than the minimum number of credits and must also have good grades (the mark given on the basis of course work and a written examination).

Extracurricular activity (such as playing for one of the schools sports teams) is also very important in the American school system and is taken into consideration by colleges and employers.

 

 

Unit 3     7-2 Education

The interplay of local, state, and national programs and policies is particularly evident in the field of education. Historically, education has been considered the province of the state and local governments.

Of the more than 3,000 colleges and universities, the academies of the armed services are among the few federal institutions. (The federal government also administers, among others, the College of the Virgin Islands.) For years, however, the federal government has been involved in education at all levels, beginning in 1862 with the grant of public lands to the states for the purpose of establishing colleges of agricultural and mechanical arts.