State and Government structure and the main bodies
The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy: Queen Elizabeth II is the official Head of State. The Queen rules symbolically; in reality, power belongs to Parliament. The Constitution of the United Kingdom consists mostly of a collection of written sources, including statutes, judge-made law, and international treaties. The Parliament of the United Kingdom that meets in the Palace of Westminster has two houses: an elected House of Commons and an appointed House of Lords. The House of Lords is made up of people who have inherited family titles and those who have been given titles because of their outstanding work in one field or another. There are 675 members of the Lords
Political parties. The UK's three major political parties are the Labour Party, the Conservative Party, and the Liberal Democrats.
The Labour Party (Tony Blair) emphasized social justice, equality of opportunity, economic planning and the state ownership of industries and services. It was supported by the trade unions, the working class and some of the middle class.
Currently the Conservatives (David Cameron) are the largest opposition party in the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party is the second largest political party in the United Kingdom. It emphasizes personal, social and economic freedom, individual ownership of property and shares and law and order.
The Liberal Democrats are the third-largest party in the UK Parliament, behind Labour and the Conservatives.
The UK economy: past and present. The UK was the first country in the world to industrialize in the 18th and 19th centuries. However, by the late 19th century, the Second Industrial Revolution in the United States meant the US had begun to challenge Britain's role as the leader of the global economy. The extensive war efforts of both World Wars in the 20th century also weakened the UK economy in global terms. After a mild recession in the early 1990s, there followed the longest period of sustained economic growth Britain had seen for more than 150 years, achieving growth in every quarter between 1992 and 2007, one of the highest economic growth rates of major developed economies during that time. This boom ended in 2008 when the United Kingdom entered a recession brought about by the global financial crisis. Today the United Kingdom is one of the world's most globalized countries.
The main sectors and industries, current trends in the economy. The United Kingdom is a major developed capitalist economy. It is the third largest economy in Europe after Germany's and France's in nominal terms, and the third largest after Germany's and Russia's. The main sectors and industries are:
• Manufacturing
• Heavy industry:
-audio and optical equipment
- motor industry
- civil and defence aircraft production
- chemical and pharmaceutical industry
• Service sector
- financial services
- Tourism
- Transport
• Agriculture
- fishing industry.
The city of London. The capital, London, is a major financial centre for international business and commerce and is one of three "command centres" for the global economy (along with New York City and Tokyo). The British economy is made up (in descending order of size) of the economies of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
The United Kingdom is also a member of the G8, the Commonwealth of Nations, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Trade organization, and the European Union.
London is the world's largest financial centre, with financial services based around two districts: 'The City' (the City of London) and the Docklands (particularly around Canary Wharf).
Great Britain and European integration. The UK has had good relations with the rest of Europe since World War II. It became a member of the G8, the Commonwealth of Nations, the organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the World Trade organization, and the European Union.
5) The USA geography. The USA is one of the most powerful and highly developed country in the world. It is situated in the central part of the North American continent. Its western coast is washed by the Pacific Ocean and its eastern coast is washed by the Atlantic.
Government structure: branches, their bodies and function. The USA is a federal republic and consists of 50 states and the District of Columbia. Capital of the country is Washington. The basic law of the United States is the Constitution, adopted in 1787. The state power divided into legislative, executive and judicial.
The executive power is vested in the President, who holds his office during four years. The President is the head of the state and the Government. The President may also veto any bill passed by the Congress.
The administrative business of the country is conducted by secretaries who form the Cabinet. Cabinet secretaries are heads of different departments.
Legislative authority is exercised by the Congress of the United States which has two elective houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate has 100 senators, two for each state. Members of the House of Representatives are elected for two-year terms.
The judicial power is the third branch of the US Federal Government. It consists of a system of federal courts and is headed by the Supreme Court of the United States.
Political parties. In the United States there are two major political parties: the Democratic and the Republican. The present-day Democratic Party was founded in 1828, representing Southern slave owners and part of Northern bourgeoisie. The Republican Party, established in 1854, united those who opposed the expansion of slavery. The Democratic Party is considered to be more liberal, and the Republican is more conservative.
National symbols. The American flag is often called “The Stars and Stripes”. It has 13 horizontal stripes which stand for the original 13 states. In the top left hand corner there are 50 white stars on a blue background.
Every state has its own flag, its own emblem and its own anthem too.
The national symbol of USA is eagle. The Statue of Liberty is the symbol of American democracy.
The main public holidays. There are some federal holidays in the United States. Each of the 50 states has its own holidays. The most popular federal holidays are New Year’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas. The most popular traditional holidays, which are nonofficial, are St. Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Mother’s Day, Easter and Halloween.