USA

1. The Political System of the USA 2. List of the Presidents of the United States 3. Symbols of the USA 4. Slang in the USA 5. Famous people 6. Interesting Facts about USA

The USA is a federal union of 50 states. The basic law is the constitution, adopted in 1787, which prescribes the structure of national government and lists its rights and fields of authority. Each state has its government and all of them have the dual character of both Federal and State government. The political system of the USA is divided into three branches: judicial, legislative and executive. Each branch holds a certain degree of power over the others, and all take part in the governmental process. The legislative branch. Supreme legislative power in the American government lies with Congress: the Senate, the upper house; and the House of the Representatives - the Lower House. Each state has its own government - State Assemblies or, Legislatures with two houses. According to the constitution of the USA, all citizens of both sexes over 18 years of age has a right of voting, but in reality the number of voters is much smaller. The main task of Congress is to make federal laws, to levy federal taxes, to make rules for trade, to corn money, to organise Armed forces, to declare war, to make amendments to the constitution or put foreign treaties into effect. The executive branch. The executive power in the USA belongs to the President and his Administration. The Presidency in the USA is the highest governmental office. President in the USA is the head of the state and the government, and also the commander-in-chief of the US Armed Forces. 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. The president, as the chief formulator of public policy, often proposes legislation to Congress. The president can also veto (forbid) any bill passed by Congress. The veto can be overridden by a two-thirds vote in both the Senate and House of Representatives. As head of his political party, with ready access to the news media, the president can easily influence public opinion regarding issues and legislation that he deems vital. President conducts foreign affairs, signed documents, appoints diplomats, Cabinet Members, federal judges with the consent and advice of the Senate. He outlines the course of his administration threw Congress. Vice-resident and the Cabinet assist president. The President and Vice- president are elected for a term of four years and can be reelected. President must be a natural-born citizen of the USA and at least 35 years old, and for at least 14 years resident of the USA. The term of office of the President begins on the 2nd of January. Presidential elections are head in two stages - in November and December. Before the elections the candidates for Presidency tour the country, meeting people and delivering speeches.

1. John Adams ( ) 2. George Washington( ) 3. Abraham Lincoln ( ) 4. Franklin D. Roosevelt ( ) 5. Gerald R. Ford( ) 6. George W. Bush ( ) 7. Barack Obama (2009-) 8. William McKinley ( ) 9. John F. Kennedy ( ) 10. George H. W. Bush ( ) 11. William Howard Taft ( ) 12. William J. Clinton ( ) 13. Theodore Roosevelt ( ) 14. Harry S. Truman ( ) 15. William Henry Harrison( )

There are many symbols that represent the United States of America. Some of the most popular ones are the Stars and Stripes (the US flag), the Great Seal of the USA, the bald eagle (national bird), the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Memorial, the US Capitol, the White House, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty (a gift from France), the Gateway Arch (in St. Louis, Missouri), Mount Rushmore (carved on a mountain in South Dakota), the Alamo, The Star Spangled Banner (the national anthem of the USA), The Pledge of Allegiance, Yankee Doodle, Uncle Sam (a cartoon figure designed by Thomas Nast), the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Jefferson Memorial, Gettysburg, Monticello, Mount Vernon, the Golden Gate Bridge, the World War 2 Memorial, and many others.

The Flag of the United States is called the Stars and Stripes( the 13 stripes on the Flag represent the original 13 states; each of the fifty stars represents one of the states). In the USA the American Flag is a very important symbol of the country and is supposed to be treated with respect. School children across the nation make the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag every weekday morning: I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The Statue of Liberty The Statue of Liberty is a huge sculpture that is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. This monument was a gift to the USA from the people of France in recognition of the French-American alliance during the American Revolution. The formal name of the statue is "Liberty Enlightening the World." It pictures a woman who has escaping the chains of tyranny (the broken chains lie at her feet). Liberty's right hand holds a torch that is a symbol of liberty. There are 354 steps inside the statue and its pedestal. There are 25 viewing windows in the crown. The seven rays of Liberty's crown symbolize the seven seas and seven continents of the world. Liberty holds a tablet in her left hand that reads "July 4, 1776" (in Roman numerals), Independence Day of the United States of America.

The Washington Monument The Washington Monument is an obelisk-shaped building in Washington, D.C. that was built to honor the first President of the United States of America, George Washington. This 555-foot-tall obelisk is the tallest building in the District of Columbia - by law, no other building in D.C. is allowed to be taller. Inside the Washington Monument are an elevator and a 897-step stairway. There is an observation deck at 500 feet. At the top of the monument there is a nine- inch tall aluminum pyramid (when the monument was built, aluminum was newly-discovered, scarce, and very expensive). Lightning rods at the top protect the monument from lightning strikes.

The Lincoln Memorial commemorates the life of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States. It is located in Potomac Park, Washington, D.C. The Lincoln Memorial was designed by Henry Bacon; the style is that of a Greek Doric temple with 36 enormous columns. Inside the building is a huge statue of a sitting Lincoln. Over Lincoln's head is the inscription: "IN THIS TEMPLE AS IN THE HEARTS OF THE PEOPLE FOR WHOM HE SAVED THE UNION THE MEMORY OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN IS ENSHRINED FOREVER. The Lincoln Memorial is pictured on the reverse of the US penny and the back of the US five dollar bill.

The Liberty Bell The Liberty Bell is a huge bronze bell that symbolizes freedom in the United States of America. This historic bell is located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. The bell was originally cast in 1752 in London, England. It was commissioned as a bell for the Pennsylvania State House (now called Independence Hall). The Name "Liberty Bell": The bell was originally called the State House Bell or the Province Bell. The bell was first called the Liberty Bell around 1839 by abolitionist (anti-slavery) publications.

In sheer high spirits, by the young in heart as well as by the young in years; 'just for the fun of the thing'; in playfulness or waggishness. As an exercise either in wit and ingenuity or in humour. (The motive behind this is usually self-display or snobbishness, emulation or responsiveness, delight in virtuosity). To be 'different', to be novel. To be picturesque (either positively or - as in the wish to avoid insipidity - negatively). To be unmistakeably arresting, even startling. To escape from clichés, or to be brief and concise. (Actuated by impatience with existing terms.) To enrich the language. (This deliberateness is rare save among the well-educated, Cockneys forming the most notable exception; it is literary rather than spontaneous.) To lend an air of solidity, concreteness, to the abstract; of earthiness to the idealistic; of immediacy and appositeness to the remote. (In the cultured the effort is usually premeditated, while in the uncultured it is almost always unconscious when it is not rather subconscious.) To lesson the sting of, or on the other hand to give additional point to, a refusal, a rejection, a recantation; To reduce, perhaps also to disperse, the solemnity, the pomposity, the excessive seriousness of a conversation (or of a piece of writing); To soften the tragedy, to lighten or to 'prettify' the inevitability of death or madness, or to mask the ugliness or the pity of profound turpitude (e.g. treachery, ingratitude); and/or thus to enable the speaker or his auditor or both to endure, to 'carry on'. To speak or write down to an inferior, or to amuse a superior public; or merely to be on a colloquial level with either one's audience or one's subject matter. For ease of social intercourse. (Not to be confused or merged with the preceding.) To induce either friendliness or intimacy of a deep or a durable kind. (Same remark.) To show that one belongs to a certain school, trade, or profession, artistic or intellectual set, or social class; in brief, to be 'in the swim' or to establish contact.

I.Famous «Miney Girl» ………. was born December 2, 1981, in the small town of Kentwood, LA, and began performing as a singer and dancer at a young age. With a nationally televised appearance on Star Search already under her belt, she auditioned for the Disney Channel's The New Mickey Mouse Club at age eight. She spent the next three years studying at the Professional Performing Arts School.Although her fellow Mouseketeers included an impressive array of future stars -- NSYNC's Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, Christina Aguilera, and Felicity actress Keri Russell - - the show was canceled after Spears' second season.

«This is It» The Bio History of ……..began when he was born on the 29th of August 1958 in Gary, Indiana. He was the 7th of nine children. (brothers: Sigmund "Jackie", Toriano "Tito", Jermaine, Marlon, Steven "Randy", and sisters Rebbie, Janet and La-Toya. He began his musical career at the age of 5 as the lead singer of the J…..n 5 who formed in In these early years the J……n 5, Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and lead singer he played local clubs and bars in Gary Indiana and moving further afield as there talents grew and they could compete in bigger competitions. From these early days he would be at the same clubs as big talented stars of there days, such as Jackie Wilson and would be learning from them even back then.

III. The best Pirate ……. widely known as ……(born June 9, 1963 in Owensboro, Kentucky), is an American film actor. He appeared in the long- running police drama 21 Jump Street, and in a number of movies where he distinguished himself as a quirky lead actor. He is able to play a wide variety of roles, from comedy (Pirates of the Caribbean) to serious drama (Donnie Brasco), to action (Once Upon A Time In Mexico), and atmospheric thrillers (From Hell). He is also noted for his regular appearances in the films of director Tim Burton. Burton and he have collaborated on a total of three films to date: Edward Scissorhands, Ed Wood and Sleepy Hollow.

IV. The King of…… ……. (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), known as The King of Rock and Roll, or as just "The King", was an American singer who had an immeasurable effect on world culture. He started his career under the name the Hillbilly Cat and was later nicknamed …….because of his physically exuberant performance style.

V. «Pretty Woman» ….. (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. She was awarded the Academy Award for Best Actress for playing the title role in the movie Erin Brockovich.

The States was originally known as colonies but it broke from England in 1776 and was recognized in The States is one of the most powerful countries on earth. It is the third largest country after Russia and Canada. Did you know that Ronald Reagan lived longer than any other president and died at 93? Only 14 percent of the homes in the U.S. had a bathtub. Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone. Alabama, Mississippi, Iowa, and Tennessee were each more heavily populated than California. Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used borax or egg yolks for shampoo. The American flag had 45 stars. Two out of every 10 U.S. adults couldnt read or write. The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph. California has issued at least 6 drivers licenses to people named Jesus Christ. Americans collectively eat one hundred pounds of chocolate every second. It costs more to buy a new car today in the United States than it cost Christopher Columbus to equip and undertake three voyages to the New World. George Washington was deathly afraid of being buried alive. After he died, he wanted to be laid out for three days just to make sure he was really dead. The first iced tea was served in 1904 at the St. Louis Worlds Fair! If you want to see Egyptian ruins just visit Central Park in New York. There is a 3,000 year old obelisk named Cleopatras Needle. It stands 66 feet tall and weighs 220 tons!