THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

The USA is one of the largest countries in the world. It is situated in the central part of the North American continent. The area of the USA is over nine million square kilometers. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and the eastern coast is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. Canada in the north and Mexico in the south are the only countries that have borders with the USA.

The USA consists of three separate parts. They are the Hawaiian Islands in the Pacific Ocean, Alaska and the major part. There are fifty states and District of Columbia. The states differ very much in size, population and economical development. The smallest state is Rhode Island. The biggest one is Alaska.

The population of the USA is about 250 million people. Most of people live in towns and cities. People of different nationalities live in the USA. There are a lot of rich people but the life of many coloured people is very difficult. Some Americans live in poverty and some people can’t get work.

The official language of the country is English. The capital is Washington. It was named in honour of the first President, George Washington. As the USA is a large country, the climate is different in different regions. For example, the Pacific coast is a region of mild winters and warm, dry summers but the eastern continental region has a rainy climate. The region around the Great Lakes has changeable weather. The coldest regions are in the north and north-east. The south has a subtropical climate.

There are many mountains in the USA. They are: the Cordillera, the Appalachia, the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains. The highest peak in the Cordilliers in the USA is 4,418 metres.

The United States is a land of rivers and lakes. The northern state of Minnesota is a land of 10,000 lakes. The country’s main river is Mississippi but there are many other great rivers in the USA: the Colorado in the south and the Columbia in the north-west, the Missouri and Rio Grande. There are five Great Lakes between the USA and Canada.

There are many big cities in the country. They are: Washington (the capital of the country), New York (the city of contrasts and the financial and business centre of the USA), Boston (which has three universities), Chicago (one of the biggest industrial cities in the USA), San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Detroit (one of the biggest centres of the automobile industry) and Hollywood (the centre of the US film industry).

THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF GREAT BRITAIN

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch as its Head of the State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. Everything today is done in the Queen’s name. It is her government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. She appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is done however on the advice of the elected Government, and the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.

The British Constitution. Unlike the constitutions of most other countries, it is not set out in any single document. Instead it is made up of statute law, common law and conventions. The constitution can be change by the Act of Parliament, or by general agreement to alter a convention.

The Powers of Parliament. The three elements, which make up the Parliament – the Queen, and two chambers known as the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons – are constituted on different principles. They meet together only on occasions of symbolic significance such as the State Opening

Of Parliament, when the Commons are invited by the Queen to the House of Lords.

In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which is true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and debated. If the majority of the members aren’t in favor of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only than it becomes law.

The Functions of Parliament. The main functions of Parliament are: to pass laws; to scrutinize government policy and administration; to debate the major issues of the day. In carrying out these functions Parliament helps to bring the relevant facts and issues before the electorate. By custom, Parliament is also informed before all important international treaties and agreements are ratified.

A Parliament has a maximum duration of five years, but in practice general elections are usually held before the end of this term. Parliament is dissolved and rights for a general election are ordered bythe Queen on the advice of the Prime Minister. The life of a Parliament is divided into sessions. Each usually lasts for one year – normally beginning and ending in October or November. The number of "sitting" days in a session is about 168 in the House of Commons and about 150 in the House of Lords. At the start of each session the Queen's speech to Parliament outlines the Government’s policies and proposed legislative programme.

The House of Commons. The House of Commons is elected and consists of 651 Members of Parliament (MPs). At present there are 60 women, three Asian and three black Mps. Of the 651 seats, 524 are for England, 38 for Wales, 72 for Scotland, and 17 for Northern Ireland. Members are paid an annual salary of £30,854. The chief officer of the House of Commons is the Speaker, elected by the MPs to preside over the House. The House of Commons plays the major role in law making.

MPs sit on two sides of the hall, one side is for the governing party and the other is for the opposition. Parliament has intervals during its work. MPs are paid for their parliamentary work and have to attend the sittings. MPs have to catch the Speaker's eye when they want to speak, then they rise from where they have been sitting to address the House and must do so without either reading a prepared speech or consulting notes.

The House of Lords. The House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal. The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and the 24 next most senior bishops of the Church of England. The Lords Temporal consist of all hereditary peers of England, Scotland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom; all other life peers. Peerages, both hereditary and life, are created by the Sovereign on the advice of the Prime Minister. In 1992 there were 1,211 members of the House of Lords, including the twoarchbishops and 24 bishops. The Lords Temporal consisted of 758 hereditary peers and 408 life peers.

The House is presided over by the Lord Chancellor, who takes his place on the woolsack as the Speaker of the House.

The division of Parliament into two Houses goes back over some 700 years when feudal assembly ruled the country. In modern times, real political power rests in the elected House although members of the House of Lords still occupy important cabinet posts.

Her Majesty's Government: Prime Minister, the Cabinet. Her Majesty's Government is the body of ministers responsible for the administration of national affairs. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen, and all other ministers are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Most ministers are members of the Commons, although the Government is also fully represented by ministers in the Lords. The composition of governments can vary both in the number of ministers and in the titles of some offices. New ministerial offices may be created, others may be abolished and functions may be transferred from one minister to another.

The Prime Minister is also, by tradition, First Lord of the Treasury and Minister for the Civil Service. The Prime Minister’s unique position of authority derives from majority support in the House of Commons and from the power to appoint and dismiss ministers. By modern convention, the Prime Minister always sits in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister presides over the Cabinet, is responsible for the allocation of functions among ministers and informs the Queen at regular meetings of the general business of the Government. The Prime Minister's Office is situated at 10 Downing Street.

The Cabinet is composed of about 20 ministers chosen by the Prime Minister. The functions of the Cabinet are initiating and deciding on policy, the supreme control of government and the co-ordination of government departments. The exercise of these functions is affected by the fact that the Cabinet is a group of party representatives, depending upon majority support in the House of Commons. The Cabinet meets in private and its proceedings are confidential. Its members are bound by their oath as Privy Counselors not to disclose information about its proceedings, although after 30 years Cabinet papers may be made available for inspection.

Поиск по сайту: