Профессионально-ориентированные тексты по английскому языку для специальности 40.02.01 "Право и организация социального обеспечения"

1.Great Britain

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is situated on the British Isles. The British Isles consist of two large islands, Great Britain and Ireland, and about five thousand small islands. Their total area is over 244,000 square kilometres.

The United Kingdom is made up of four countries: England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Their capitals are London, Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast respectively. Great Britain consists of England, Scotland and Wales and does not include Northern Ireland. But in everyday speech "Great Britain" is used to mean the United Kingdom. The capital of the UK is London.

The British Isles are separated from the continent by the North Sea and the English Channel. The western coast of Great Britain is washed by the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea.

It has a varied countryside where you can find mountains, plains, valleys and sandy beaches. Ben Nevis in Scotland is the highest mountain, but it is only 1343 metres high.

There are a lot of rivers in Great Britain, but they are not very long. The Severn is the longest river, while the Thames is the deepest and the most important one.

The mountains, the Atlantic Ocean and the warm waters of Gulf Stream influence the climate of the British Isles. It is mild the whole year round.

The UK is one of the world's smaller countries. Its population is over 58 million. About 80% of the population live in cities.

The UK is a highly developed industrial country. It is known as one of the world's largest producers and exporters of machinery, electronics, textile, aircraft and navigation equipment. One of the chief industries of the country is shipbuilding.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy. In law, the Head of State is the Queen.

In practice, the Queen reigns, but does not rule. The country is ruled by the elected government with the Prime Minister at the head. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conservative and the Liberal parties.

2. My favorite seasone.

There are four seasons in a year: spring, summer, autumn and winter. Every season is beautiful in its own way.

When spring comes nature awakens from its long winter sleep. The days become longer and the nights become shorter. The air is fresh, the sky is blue and cloudless, and the sun shines brightly. The trees are in full blossom. The nightingale begins to sing its lovely songs, and sweet melodies may be heard from every wood and park. The days are warm and everything is full of life and joy.

Spring is followed by summer. The weather is usually fine in summer, but it can be very hot, especially in July. Sometimes there are storms with thunder and lightning. In summer people try to get away from the city noise and spend more time in the open air. They pick mushrooms and berries in the forest, swim in the rivers and lakes, go fishing and boating. Most people prefer to have their holidays in summer.

Autumn begins in September. The days become shorter and the nights become longer. The leaves turn yellow, red and brown and fall to the ground.

Most birds fly away to warm countries. There's a short spell of dry sunny weather in September which is called Indian summer. It's a beautiful time when the sky is cloudless, the trees around are golden, the air is transparent and it's still warm. But gradually it gets colder and colder. It often rains in October and November which makes autumn an unpleasant season.

In winter the sun sets early and rises late. The rivers and lakes are frozen over. Everything is covered with snow. Sometimes it's very cold, about 25-30 degrees below zero. Going out in such weather isn't very pleasant. Winter is a good time for sports. People go in for skating and skiing. Tobogganing is also popular, not as a kind of sports, but rather as fun.

As for me, I like all seasons, but I think there's nothing like late spring.

3. The British police.

The British police officer is a well-known figure to anyone who has visited Britain or who has seen British films. Policemen are to be seen in towns and cities keeping law and order, either walking in pairs down the streets (“walking the beat") or driving specially marked police cars. Once known as “panda cars” because of their distinctive markings, these are now often jokingly referred to as “jam sandwiches” because of the pink fluorescent stripe running horizontally around the bodywork. In the past, policemen were often known as “bobbies” after Sir Robert Peel, the founder of the police force. Nowadays, common nicknames include “the cops”, “the fuzz”, “the pigs”, and “the Old Bill” (particularly in London). Few people realise, however, that the police in Britain are organised very differently from many other countries.

Most countries, for example, have a national police force which is controlled by central Government. Britain has no national police force, although police policy is governed by the central Government's Home Office. Instead, there is a separate police force for each of 52 areas into which the country is divided. Each has a police authority – a committee of local county councillors and magistrates.

In most countries the police carry guns. In Britain, however, this is extremely unusual. Policemen do not, as a rule, carry firearms in their day-to-day work, though certain specialist units are trained to do so and can be called upon to help the regular police force in situations where firearms are involved, e.g. terrorist incidents, armed robberies ets. The only policemen who routinelyicemen carry weapons are those assigned to guard politicians and diplomats, or special officers who patrol airports.

The duties of the police are varied, ranging from assisting at accidents to safeguarding public order and dealing with lost property. One of their main functions is, of course, apprehending criminals and would-be criminals.

4. My attitude to the profession of a lawyer.

One of the most important decisions in life is the choice of a profession.The right choice in the modern world is becoming increasingly difficult. A great number of new and prestigious professions appear, more knowledge is required to implement one’s plans for his (her) future life. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the psychological characteristics of the individual. For many professions the character and natural gifts are not less important.

Since childhood I have dreamed of becoming a lawyer. Initially, it was an unconscious desire, because my grandmother was an lawyer, and I always envied her. In my opinion (and that is exactly so) the legal profession is very interesting, diverse and quite necessary for regulation of social relations in the state. А graduate from the law faculty or law institute mау choose his place of work and occupation from a number of possible ones. Не сan bе either а barrister (attorney, counsel for the defense) at the Ваr оr а judge at the Law Court. Не can bе а prosecutor or a prosecutor’s assistant at the Prosecutor's Office. Не саn also bе а notary at the notary office or а legal adviser at аn enterprise оr legal advice office. Не саn be a state arbitrator at the state arbitration оr sometimes аn investigator at the Prosecutor’s Office оr in the police. A lawyer should be а perfect expert in laws and their proper usage. Since the job of the lawyer may involve any kind of human activity, he mау deal with different types of people. Therefore last but not least а lawyer should bе соmреtent in human psychology and human understanding. So it is clear that the profession of а lawyer mау give а specialist а lot of opportunities to use his professional and personal competence and therefore he must administer justice only for the sake of «truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth».

5. Mass media.

The mass media play an important part in our lives. Newspapers, radio and especially TV inform us of what is going on in this world and give us wonderful possibilities for education and entertainment. They also influence the way we see the world and shape our views.

Of course, not all newspapers and TV programmes report the events objectively, but serious journalists and TV reporters try to be fair and provide us with reliable information.

It is true that the world today is full of dramatic events and most news seems to be bad news. But people aren't interested in ordinary events. That is why there are so many programmes and articles about natural disasters, plane crashes, wars, murders and robberies. Good news doesn't usually make headlines. Bad news does.

Some people say that journalists are given too much freedom. They often intrude on people's private lives. They follow celebrities and print sensational stories about them which are untrue or half-true. They take photos of them in their most intimate moments. The question is — should this be allowed?

The main source of news for millions of people is television. People like TV news because they can see everything with their own eyes. And that's an important advantage. Seeing, as we know, is believing. Besides, it's much more difficult for politicians to lie in front of the cameras than on the pages of newspapers.

Still, many people prefer the radio. It's good to listen to in the car, or in the open air, or when you do something about the house.

Newspapers don't react to events as quickly as TV, but they usually provide us with extra detail, comment and background information.

The Internet has recently become another important source of information.

Its main advantage is that news appears on the screen as soon as things happen in real life and you don't have to wait for news time on TV.

6. The United Kingdom legislation.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. This means that Great Britain is governed by Parliament and the King is Head of State. The legislative power in the country is exercised by the Houses of Parliament, where British laws are made.

British Parliament sits at Westminster. The British Parliament consists of the monarch, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. Their work is similar: making laws (legislation), checking the work of the government (scrutiny), and debating current issues. The House of Lords is composed of life peers and hereditary peers. The House of Common is composed of Members of Parliament (Mps). The members of the House of' Commons are elected by the people. They are elected from the constituencies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The House of Commons is the real governing body of the United Kingdom.

The procedure of making a British law is well structured. The idea for a new law can come from a variety of sources: bills may be introduced by any member of either House (a Private Member's Bill), a Minister of the Crown (a Government Bill), by the general public (Public Bills), by an individual or small group of individuals (a Private Bill). The first reading is the first stage of a Bill’s passage through the House of Commons - usually a formality, it takes place without debate.

The executive power is exercised by the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The government is usually formed by the political party which is supported hy the majority in the House of Commons. The Prime Minister is the majority parly leader and is appointed hy the King.

The judiciary branch of the government determines common law and is independent both of the legislative and the executive branches. There is no writlen constitution in Great Britain, only precedents and traditions

7. The Constitution of the Russian Federation.

Constitution of the Russian Federation is Russia's supreme law, passed through a national vote. It contains the basic principles of the Russian constitutional system. Constitution defines the federative structure of the Russian Federation; establishes the principles of sovereignty and independence of the Russian Federation; defines the principle of separation of powers between legislative, executive and judicial branches; establishes equality of ideologies and religions; defines the Russian Federation as a secular state.

The Constitution of the Russian Federation defines the rights and freedoms of a human and a citizen, sets their priority when handling any questions, and proclaims the principle of equality before law and court. The articles are devoted to the bodies of federal power: the President of the Russian Federation, the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and the Government of the Russian Federation and also the judicial power of the Russian Federation. In these articles, the order and the terms of appointed and elected officials and the limits of their competence are defined according to the principle of separation of powers. After the Constitution accepted on December 12, 1993 at the all-Russia referendum, full authority in the RF belongs to the President and bodies of legislative (two-chamber parliament - Federal Assembly), executive (Government of the Russian Federation) and the judicial authority, which work independently. The President of the Russian Federation is the Head of the State; the duties of the President are listed, including his status of the Supreme Commander of the military forces of the Russian Federation. The Constitution also contains the text of the oath taken by the President of the Russian Federation when entering the post. The Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation (the Federation Council and the State Duma) represents the legislature. The 90 order of electing representatives for these chambers, their competence, terms of office are provided by the Constitution. The Government of the Russian Federation is the executive branch. The Constitution determines the extent of its jurisdiction and also defines the order and the terms of office of government officials. The power is implemented by means of constitutional, civil, administrative, and criminal legal proceedings.

The Constitution establishes the principles of independence, irremovability and immunity of judges, thus providing for objectiveness and impartiality of the court.

8. Our planet Earth.

The planet Earth is only a tiny part of the universe, but it's the only place where human beings can live.

Today, our planet is in serious danger. Acid rains, global warming, air and water pollution, overpopulation are the problems that threaten human life on Earth.

Who is to blame for the disaster? The answer is simple: all of us.

Our forests are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt. If this trend continues, one day we won't have enough oxygen to breathe.

The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilisers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas.

Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out for ever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today may soon become extinct.

Air pollution is another serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is dangerous — equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for many Russian cities.

Factories emit tons of harmful chemicals. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.

An even greater threat are nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are.

Fortunately, it's not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to make our planet a better, cleaner and safer place. We can plant trees and create parks for endangered species. We can recycle litter. We can support green parties and put pressure on those in power. Together we can save the planet and all of us with it.

9. Computer revolution.

50 years ago people didn't even heard of computers, and today we cannot imagine life without them.

Computer technology is the fastest-growing industry in the world. The first computer was the size of a minibus and weighed a ton. Today, its job can be done by a chip the size of a pin head. And the revolution is still going on.

Very soon we'll have computers that we'll wear on our wrists or even in our glasses and earrings.

The next generation of computers will be able to talk and even think for themselves. They will contain electronic "neural networks". Of course, they'll be still a lot simpler than human brains, but it will be a great step forward. Such computers will help to diagnose illnesses, find minerals, identify criminals and control space travel.

Some people say that computers are dangerous, but I don't agree with them.

They save a lot of time. They seldom make mistakes. It's much faster and easier to surf the Internet than to go to the library.

On-line shopping makes it possible to find exactly what you want at the best price, saving both time and money.

E-mail is a great invention, too. It's faster than sending a letter and cheaper than sending a telegram.

All in all, I strongly believe that computers are a useful tool. They have changed our life for the better. So why shouldn't we make them work to our advantage?

10. The United States Constitution.

The US government is based on the Constitution of 1787 which was adopted after the War of Independence. The US Constitution consists of 7 articles and 27 amendments.

The first 10 amendments are called the Bill of Rights and were adopted in 1791 under popular pressure. The Bill of Rights is a series of limitations on the power of the United States federal government, protecting the natural rights and liberties, property including freedom of religion, freedom of speech, a free press, free assembly, and free association, as well as the right to keep and carry arms. In federal criminal cases, it requires indictment by a grand jury for any capital crime, guarantees a speedy, public trial with an impartial jury composed of members of the state in which the crime occurred.

The key feature of the US Constitution is federalism - the division of power between the national government and the states. Another major feature of the Constitution is the 62 principle of the separation of powers within the national government. According to this principle the executive, legislative and judicial branches exercise powers that are largely separate and distinct. There is not a strict and complete separation of powers, the powers of the three branches overlap. Each branch has its own responsibilities, but no branch has more power than the other branches.

The executive branch consists of the President, the Vice President, the Cabinet and the 13 Departments, and also of the independent agencies. Its responsibility is to enforce laws.

The judicial branch consists of the Supreme Court, 11 Circuit Courts of Appeals and 94 District Courts. This branch explains and interprets laws and makes decisions in lawsuits.