TALKS ON MALI CRISIS

1. Read the article, choose the best option to complete the sentences. 2. Listen to the report and check up your answers. http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/high-level-delegations-meet-for-talks-on-mali-crisis/1530010.html3. Translate the text into Russian. 4. Summarize the report.

High-Level Delegations Meet for Talks on Mali Crisis

High-level delegations met in Bamako, Mali for talks about/on/of the crisis in the country’s north.  Representatives from/of/in the United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community of West African States met with Malian leaders to develop a plan. 

Mali’s temporary president Dioncounda Traore urged representatives to act immediately to deal with the situation. He promised that the government will cooperate/must cooperate/would cooperate and work together with forces assisting in ousting the Islamic militants from the north. 

Mali felt/has fallen/fell into a crisis in March, 25, after the military ousted President Amadou Toumani Toure.  Shortly after, Islamic militants with ties to al-Qaida seized control of the north. The militants want enforce/to enforce/enforcing a severe version of Islamic law there.  Recent reports from the north documented/were documented/have documented human rights abuses by/of/from the militants.  They perform public executions, use children as soldiers and force women into sex work.  Women in many towns force/forced/ are forced to cover their faces and ban/banned/are banned from appearing in public with men.  Smoking and music are also prohibited.

The U.N. has been calling on ECOWAS to provide a/the/-- more detailed plan for its propose/proposed/proposing military action in northern Mali.  Last week, the U.N. Security Council passed/has passed/would pass a resolution clearing the way for/of/from deployment of the ECOWAS force.  It gave African leaders forty-five days to create a military intervention plan. 

The newly appointed chairperson for/of/from the African Union Commission, Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, said she will deal/dealt/would deal first with Mali after being sworn in. In Bamako, she said it is/was/has been her first official trip as a messenger of solidarity from/of/for the African continent to the Malian people.

“I also want to highlight the AU's deep concern about/of/for the prevailing situation and the AU's determination to do everything in our power to help the people of Mali to find a speedy resolution of the overlapping crises in their country." 

--/The/ A U.N. Security Council holds/will hold/has held a second vote to approve or disapprove a/the/-- military intervention plan once it will be/is created/created.   However, many people in Mali oppose to/with/-- foreign intervention. 

Hundreds of Malians marched in Bamako this week to protest the idea of ECOWAS’ military deployment. 

The protest was organized by supporters of former army members who ousted the government.   Many Malians say they concern/were concerned/are concerned that the army is disorganized and poorly equipped to take back the north alone. 

Last week, thousands/thousand of Malians marched in support of ECOWAS troops in Mali.  A Malian living in the northern city of Gao says military intervention is necessary. 

He also says the people in the north suffer/suffered/have suffered enough, and it is time for war in order to clear the path.

There is also concern that military intervention must/could push Islamic militants and more refugees into/to/in neighboring countries.

READING AND SPEAKING: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN THE USA

Read the text and make up a plan using key expressions. How are US Рresidents Chosen? Becoming president of the United States is no easy task. These days a candidate has to start running for president about two years before the actual election takes place. A President must be at least 35 years old, have lived within the US for 14 years and be a ‘natural-born citizen’. Under terms of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution, no person can be elected President more than twice. The first step is raising enough money. Many potential candidates fail if they can't convince enough people or corporations to support their campaigns. About nine months before the actual election, a series of primary elections in the states of the country (primaries) are held to select delegates to attend a national presidential-nominating convention held in summer where the presidential and vice-presidential candidates for the party will be chosen. In both major parties, a simple majority of delegate votes is enough to win the nomination. A vice-presidential candidate is selected by the presidential nominee and routinely confirmed by convention delegates. The nominating national convention allows the candidate, his or her team, and the particular party to use the convention as a showcase of the candidate's abilities. As soon as the conventions are over, the candidates campaign for two or three months for the presidency. The Republican and the Democratic nominees meet with their advisers to map strategy. Staffs are enlarged and speak¬ing schedules are roughed out. Budgets are fixed. TV commercials are pro¬duced. Polls are taken to assess strengths and weaknesses. Special appeals are made to various voter segments—eth-nic, professional, religious, by age group, by income and by other measurements. Citizen groups are formed to attract independents and dissidents of the opposition party. Volun¬teers are sent out to distribute campaign literature, ring doorbells, make telephone calls, drum up rallies. At the same time, the presidential and vice-presidential nominees are crisscrossing the country by plane. The candidates address carefully staged meetings, hold news conferences and confer with local politicians. The major labor unions and big-city political organiza¬tions generally back the Democratic nominees. Republicans can count on the backing of much of business and industry. The actual election is held on the Tuesday after the first Monday in November in a year that must be divisible by four. The showdown comes on that day called Election Day. The candidate must win more popular votes than any other nominee in enough states and the District of Columbia to give him a majority. If he does all those things, he has won the right to the office of President of the United States. However the people don't directly elect the president. That's done by the electoral college. It's the method provided by the US Constitution to elect the president and the vice-president. When the founding fathers were creating a system to elect a president, they wanted to protect the country against "popular passions," and devised a system (based on ancient Roman and Greek models) that would allow a select group of (in those days) men to elect a president. At first, the electoral college had real power. But as the process became more democratic over the decades, the electoral college's role transformed into a largely ceremonial one. Now the college meets in early January after the general election. Each elector casts one vote for a presidential nominee and one vote for a vice-presidential nominee. The results are sent by registered mail to the president of the US Senate, who is the incumbent Vice President. Currently, a candidate needs 270 votes to win the election. If a candidate wins less than 270 votes, the election is thrown into the House of Representatives. Three times in the history of the US presidential elections candidates have won the popular vote but have not been elected president. The President-elect starts functioning as President the minute he is sworn in on inauguration day.

READING AND SPEAKING: THE US GOVERNMENT

Read the text and complete the tasks which follow. The Government of the USA The USA - the United States of America - is a federation of fifty states. Washington is the centre of Federal Government, but each state has its own capital and its own government. State governments have a large amount of power and independence: they make their own laws, and they are also responsible for education, for the state police force, for the prison system, for road-building and many other things. Federal laws are made by Congress, which is the equivalent of the British Parliament. There are two “houses”: the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each state sends representatives and senators to Congress. Elections to the House of Representatives are held every two years, while Senators are elected for a six-year period. The President is elected separately, together with the Vice-President. They serve for a term of four years. The President chooses the people who will form the cabinet. These do not have to be elected members of Congress - they can be brought in from outside Congress - but the Senate must approve their appointment. Power is shared between the President and Congress, and if the President belongs to the minority party in Congress, it can cause problems. There are two main political parties in the United States: the Democrats and the Republicans. The Democrats are slightly more to the left than the Republicans, but the differences between their policies are not usually very great. The United States does not have a separate ceremonial Head of State. 1. Read these words and give the Russian equivalents. Chambers, laws, to govern, secret ballot, the chief executive, a monarchy, a majority, a minority, cabinet, to take policy decisions, to be controlled by..., to elect, to be separately elected, to have a large amount of power and independence, the state police force, the prison system, road-building, local government, regional government, ceremonial head of state, Congress, Conservatives, country, county, Liberal Democtats, Representative, Republicans, Senate, approve, to hold (held, held), right-wing, slightly, to be responsible for..., to serve for a term of four years, to share power. 2. Give the English equivalents for these words: Правительство, создавать законы, парламент, конгресс, палата общин, палата лордов, палата представителей, сенат, члены парламента, принадлежать к разным партиям, глава исполнительной власти, власть ограничена парламентом, большинство, меньшинство, назначать, выбирать, контролировать, избираться отдельно, церемониальный глава государства, федерация, независимость, каждые два года, на четырехлетний срок, на шесть лет, формировать кабинет министров, одобрить, левое крыло, тайное голосование, президент, премьер-министр. 3. Which of these words would you use speaking about the USA and about the UK? Write them into two columns.

READING AND SPEAKING: THE UK COUNTRY PROFILE

Read the text and complete the tasks which follow. The United Kingdom is made up of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. It has a long history as a major player in international affairs and fulfils an important role in the EU, UN and Nato. The twentieth century saw Britain having to redefine its place in the world. At the beginning of the century it commanded a world-wide empire as the foremost global power. Two world wars and the end of empire diminished its role, but the UK remains a major economic and military power, with considerable political and cultural influence around the world. Britain was the world's first industrialised country. Its economy remains one of the largest, but it has for many years been based on service industries rather than on manufacturing. Despite being a major member of the EU, the country is not part of the euro zone, and the question of whether it will join any time soon appears to have receded for the moment. The government has said a series of economic criteria must be met before the issue can be put to a referendum. Diversity The UK is ethnically diverse, partly as a legacy of empire. Lately, the country has been struggling with issues revolving around multiculturalism, immigration and national identity.This is against a background of concerns about terrorism and political and religious radicalism, heightened after the suicide bomb attacks on London's transport network in 2005. Head of state: Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II became queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 1952 upon the death of her father, George VI. She is the second longest serving head of state, after the Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, who was crowned in 1946. She is also head of state of 16 independent countries including Canada and Australia.As a constitutional monarch, her role in the legislative process is largely ceremonial. Prime minister: David Cameron Born the son of a wealthy stockbroker in 1966 in London, Mr Cameron was educated at Eton College - Britain's top private school - and Oxford University. Aged 43 on coming to power, he was the youngest prime minister since 1812. David Cameron became prime minister at the head of a coalition government on 11 May 2010, returning his centre-right Conservative Party to power after 13 years of rule by the centre-left Labour Party. Mr Cameron formed a partnership with the third party, the Liberal Democrats, after an inconclusive parliamentary election from which the Conservatives emerged with the largest number of seats, but without an absolute majority. It is the first formal coalition government in 70 years to govern the UK, where the electoral system usually guarantees a majority for the largest party. The new PM was confronted by a daunting economic situation, with the UK only slowly emerging from a deep recession caused by the 2008 global financial collapse, and facing a rapidly mounting budget deficit as a result of the crisis. Assuming office, Mr Cameron promised that cutting the deficit would be his top priority. In October 2010, Mr Cameron's government announced a programme of deep cuts in government spending - the UK's largest in generations. In 2011, the prime minister was criticised for hiring a journalist implicated in the scandal surrounding the hacking of phones by the now defunct News of the World newspaper as his communications director. The journalist, Andy Coulson, a former News of the World editor, resigned and was later arrested in connection with the allegations. Mr Cameron's predecessor, Gordon Brown, became prime minister in 2007, succeeding Tony Blair, who had stepped down after coming under growing pressure over Britain's role in the Iraq War. Are these statements true or false according to the text? Prove your point of view with the text. 1. The UK is made up of Great Britain, England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. 2. The UK is one of the main states which has influence on the international affairs. 3. The UK plays a major role in the European Union, United Nations, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the Commonwealth of Independent States. 4. At the beginning of the 20th century the UK was an emerging power. 5. The UK’s role on the global arena in the 20th century decreased because of the Second World War. 6. British economy was based on service industries. 7. The UK’s currency isn’t euro. 8. The UK’s problems in the 21st century mainly deal with ethnical diversity and terrorism. Answer the questions. 1. When did Elizabeth II become the head of the UK? What other countries does she rule? 2. How long has she been the Queen? 3. How old is David Cameron? How old was he when he was elected PM? What political party does he lead? 4. What’s his educational background? 5. How long had the Labour Party been in power before 11 May 2010? 6. Why did Mr Cameron have to form a partnership with the Liberal Democrates? 7. What economic situation was the new PM confronted by? 8. What are the two issues Mr Cameron is primarily criticized for by the British and the media? 9. Who were Mr Cameron’s predecessors? Be ready to retell the text in detail. You are to be ready to speak about: Major Facts about the UK; The UK’s role in the past and in the present; The major issues of concern for the British government; British PM David Cameron; The UK Head of State. You may add any additional information you consider important for your talk.