2015-07-14
4687
"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America." — Preamble to the Constitution.
1. Read and translate the text:
The form of the US government is based on the Constitution of 1787 which was adopted after the War of Independence. A constitution is a set of customs, traditions, rules and laws that sets forth the basic way a government is organized and functions. According to this definition of the word, every nation has a constitution but in some countries constitutions are very easily violated because the basic rights of their citizens are violated.
It is very important to understand that having a constitution does not mean that a nation has a constitutional government. If a constitution makes it possible to concentrate power by one or few, it is not the basis of a constitutional government. If a constitution says that the government’s power should be limited but doesn’t mention the ways how to do it, it is not the basis for a constitutional government.
In a constitutional government the constitution is a form of higher law that must be obeyed by everyone including those in power.
The US Constitution consists of 7 articles and 26 amendments.
According to the Founders of the American state a constitution or higher law should have the following characteristics:
- It sets forth the basic rights of citizens to life, liberty and property
- It establishes the responsibility of the government to protect those rights
- It establishes limitations on how those in government may use their powers with regard to
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- citizens’ rights and responsibilities
- the distribution of resources
- the control of conflict
- It establishes the principle of a private domain – which means that there are areas of citizens’ lives that are no business of the government and in which the government cannot interfere.
- It can be changed with the consent of the most citizens. This is how the Constitution differs from the ordinary law that the governments regularly create and enforce. The US Constitution has 26 amendments, the first 10 are called the Bill of Rights and it was adopted in 1791. The bill enumerated basic freedoms and guaranteed them and declared what the government was not allowed to do.
Notes to the text:
“We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”- Preamble to the Constitution – “ Мы, народ Соединенных Штатов, в целях образования более совершенного Союза, утверждения правосудия, обеспечения внутреннего спокойствия, организации совместной обороны, содействия общему благосостоянию и обеспечения нам и нашему потомству благ свободы, учреждаем и принимаем эту Конституцию для Соединенных Штатов Америки. ”- Преамбула к Конституции.
Vocabulary:
a set- свод
basic freedoms, rights- основные свободы, права
to obey- повиноваться, выполнять
to set forth- излагать
private domain- личная свобода
distribution of resources- распределение ресурсов
2. Give the Russian words with the same stem:
base; constitution; tradition; to form; principle; to guarantee; to concentrate; nation; to control.
3. Find the English equivalents for:
- справедливость;
- спокойствие;
- благосостояние;
- благо; благодеяние;
- потомство; потомки;
- свод законов, правил, традиций;
- принять конституцию;
- поправка к Конституции;
- нарушать закон;
- согласие большинства;
- вмешиваться;
- перечислять;
- выполнять, исполнять закон.
4. Express your agreement or disagreement with each statement using: I quite /completely agree, I can’t agree, I think it is not so, it’s wrong, on the contrary.
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1. The American Constitution was adopted after the Warof Independence and it remains unchanged so far.
2. The US Constitution consists of 10 articles and 50 amendments.
3. The US Constitution guarantees freedom of those in power.
5. Write these sentences in the Passive Voice form and translate them into Russian:
1. The USA adopted the Constitution in 1787.
2. The Constitution provides the set of rules, laws and regulations to regulate the work of the government.
3. Some historians regard the Constitution as a conservative document.
4. In some countries the oligarchy can control the government.
6. Read the text without a dictionary and try to catch the main idea:
The Amendment Process
We have a living Constitution. Men wrote it in 1787, and we still use it today. These men were intelligent. “The U.S will change in the future “they thought. “We must find the way to let the Constitution change too.” And they did.
They put in the amendment process. This process is important. Amendments can change the part of an article in the Constitution or another amendment.
Two/thirds (2/3) of the Congress or of the state legislature must agree on an idea for an amendment. If three-fourth (3/4) of the states ratifies the amendment, it becomes a part of the Constitution.
7. Answer the questions:
1. What does a “constitution” mean in American political language?
2. What is the aim of the US Constitution?
3. What does it consist of?
4. What is the Bill of Rights?
5. What do you think about the peculiarities of the US Constitution?
8. Read and translate the text:
