Government in the US

There are three levels of government in the US – federal, state, and local. All of these are elected by the people of the country.

The federal government is the national government of the US. The Constitution of the US limits the power of the federal government to defence, foreign affairs, printing money, controlling trade and relations between the states, and protecting human rights. The federal government is made up of Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court.

Congress is the institution that makes laws, and is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives has 435 members called Representatives or Congressmen and Congresswomen, who are elected by the people of a state to represent that state. The number of Representatives for each state depends on the size of the population of the state. The Senate has 100 members called Senators, who are elected by their states. Each state has two Senators.

State government has the greatest influence over people’s daily lives. Each state has its own written constitution (set of fixed laws). There are sometimes great differences in law between the different states, concerning things such as property, crime, health, and education. The highest elected official of each state is the Governor.

The organizations that are responsible for local government in the US are called town or city or county councils. They make laws which concern things such as traffic, when and where alcohol can be sold, and keeping animals. The highest elected official of a town or city is usually the Major.

Every law at every level of government must be in agreement with the United States Constitution.

Задание № 9. Прочитайте текст и определите единицы текста, которые могут представлять трудности при переводе с листа. Составьте список этих единиц и найдите их русские эквиваленты. Прочитайте оригинальный текст вторично и передайте как можно ближе к оригиналу содержание текста сначала на английском языке, а затем на русском языке (без опоры на письменный текст).