Legislation in great britain

New legislation in Britain usually starts in the House of Lords. In each house a bill considered in three stages, called reading. The first reading is purely formal, to introduce the bill. The second reading is usually the occasion for debates. After the second reading the bill is examined in detail by a committee.

The bill is then returned to one of the houses for the report stage, when it can be amended. If passed after its third reading, it goes to the other house. Amendments made to the bill by the House of Lords must be considered by the Commons. If the House of Commons does not agree, the bill is altered and send bask to the Lords. In the event of persistent disagreement between the two houses, Commons prevails.

Finally, the bill goes to the reigning monarch for the royal assent. Nowadays the royal assent is merely a formality. In theory the queen could still refuse her consent, but the last monarch to use this power was Queen Anne, who vetoed the unpopular Scottish Militia Bill in 1707.

THE COURT SYSTEM OF ENGLAND AND WALES

The most common type of a law court in England and Wales is the magistrates’ court. There are 700 magistrates’ courts and about 30,000 magistrates. More serious criminal cases then go to the Crown Court, which has 90 branches in different town and cities. Civil cases (for example, divorce or bankruptcy cases) are dealt with in county courts.

Appeals are heard by higher courts. For example, appeals from magistrates’ courts are heard in the Crown Court, unless they are appeals on points of law. The highest court of appeal in England and Wales is the House of Lords. (Scotland has its own high court of appeal in Edinburgh, which hears all appeals from Scottish courts). Certain cases may be referred to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. In addition, individuals have made the British Government change its practices in a number of areas as a result of petitions to the European Court of Human Rights.

The legal system also includes juvenile courts (which deal witch offenders under seventeen) and coroners’ courts (which investigate violent, sudden or unnatural deaths). There are administrative tribunals which make quick, cheap and fair decisions with much less formality. Tribunals deal with professional standards, disputes between individuals, and disputes between individuals and government departments (for example, over taxation).

КОНТРОЛЬНОЕ ЗАДАНИЕ № 2

ВАРИАНТ 1

1. Перепишите и письменно переведите на русский язык текст

ПОЯСНЕНИЯ К ТЕКСТУ

1. first century A.D. – первый век н.э.

2. luxury – роскошь

3. William the Conqueror – Вильгельм Завоеватель, Вильгельм I (первый король из норманнов в Англии)

LONDON

1. London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, economic and commercial center. It is one of the largest cities in the world and the largest city in Europe. Its population is about 8 million. London is one of the oldest and most interesting cities in the world.

2. London was founded in the first century A.D. by the Romans. Traditionally London is divided into several parts: The City, Westminster, the West End and the East End. They are rather different from one another.

3. The heart of London is the City, its financial and business center. Numerous banks, offices and firms are situated there. There are some famous ancient buildings within the City. Perhaps the most striking of them is St. Paul`s Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It is Sir Christopher Wren`s masterpiece. It stands at the top of Ludgate Hill on a site where a Christian church has stood since the 7^th century. The Tower of London is also situated in the City. It has served as citadel, palace, prison, mint and menagerie and now it is a museum. Westminster is the historic and political center of London. The Westminster Palace, the seat of the British parliament, government and administrative buildings are in Westminster. Westminster Abbey is the ancient church, the crowning place of British monarchs. William the Conqueror was crowned in the Abbey and since then all the Coronations have taken place here.

4. The West End is the richest and most beautiful part of London. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. You can see the best hotels, shops, restaurants, clubs and theatres here. Oxford Street is an endless shopping area which attracts visitors from all over the world. Going down Oxford Street you cancome to Trafalgar Square which is yet another symbol of London.

5. The East End is the poorest district of London. There are a lot of factories, workshops and docks here. The streets are narrow, the buildings are unimpressive. The East End is densely populated by working class families.

II. Выпишите из текста предложения, сказуемые которых стоят во времени “Present Perfect”. Подчеркните данные сказуемые и укажите инфинитив глагола, от которого они образованы.

Напишите формы Participle I и Participle II от глаголов.

to play – playing, played to study – to prepare – to learn – to look – to start –

to take – taking, taken to know – to speak – to see – to meet – to do –

III. Вспомните значения модальных глаголов “can”, “may” и “must”. В 4 абзаце найдите, выпишите и переведите предложения с этими глаголами. Замените модальный глагол соответствующим эквивалентом.

IV. Перепишите и переведите предложения, подчеркните глагол–сказуемое в Present, Past, Future Continuous Active Voice.

1) Listen! Pat is playing the piano.

2) They are building a new hotel in the city center at the moment.

3) Look! Somebody is swimming in the river.

4) In 1980 they were living in Canada.

5) Today she’s wearing a skirt, but yesterday she was wearing trousers.

6) I woke up early yesterday. The sun was shining and the birds were singing.

7) She will be making a report at the seminar at this time the day after tomorrow.

8) We shall be waiting for you when you get back from the Institute tomorrow.

9) Don`t ring me up at 5 o’clock. I shall be taking part in the court proceeding at this time tomorrow.

V. Перепишите и переведите предложения, подчеркните сказуемые в придаточных предложениях.

1) I`ll phone you when I get home from work.

2) When you are in London again, you must come and see us.

3) I`m going to read a lot of books while I`m on holiday.

4) You must come and see us when you are in London again.

5) We must do something soon before it is too late.

6) Let`s go home before it starts raining.

7) Don`t say anything while Mary is here. Wait until she has gone.

8) Are these the keys you were looking for?

9) Unfortunately we couldn`t go to the wedding we were invited to.

10) I enjoy my job. I like the people I work with.

ВАРИАНТ 2

I. Перепишите и письменно переведите на русский язык текст.

ПОЯСНЕНИЯ К ТЕКСТУ

1. District of Columbia – округ Колумбия;

2. the Capitol – Капитолий (резиденция Конгресса США);

3. to be named in memory of – быть названным в честь;

4. huge – огромный, колоссальный;

5. nation’s affairs – национальные проблемы, дела нации.

WASHINGTON

1. Washington is the capital of the United States of America. It is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. Washington is situated in the District of Columbia. The White House, where the US President lives and works, the Capitol, the home of the US Congress, and the Supreme Court, are all in Washington. The city wasso named in memory of George Washington, the first president of the USA. Washington has been the federal capital since 1800. There are 50 states in the United States, but the city of Washington is not in any of them. A special district was created for the American capital – the District of Columbia (D.C.).

2. Washington is one of the most beautiful and unusual cities in the United States. In the very center of it rises the huge dome of the Capitol – a big white dome standing in a circle of the nation’s affairs. It’s easy to get lost in this huge building, full of paintings and statues.

3. Not far from the Capitol is the Library of Congress, the largest library in the States. It contains more than 13 million books, more than 19 million manuscripts, including the personal papers of the US presidents. The White House has been the official residence of every American President except G. Washington.

4. One can hardly find a park, a square or an open area in Washington without a monument or a memorial. The National Gallery of Art, a large museum of painting, sculpture and other arts is also situated in the capital. It is supported by the US government. At the National Air and Space Museum visitors can see the history of flight from the first airplane flown by the Wright brothers to the Apollo spaceship. There are 5 universities in Washington. There are no skyscrapers in Washington, because they would hide the city’s many monuments from view. No building in the city may be more than 40 meters tall.

Напишите формы Participle I и Participle II от глаголов.

to open – opening, opened	to choose – choosing, chosen
to wash –	to cost –
to visit –	to drive –
to clean –	to fly –
to help –	to hold –
to watch –	to read –

III. Вспомните значения модального глагола “can”, “may”и “must”. В 4 абзаце найдите, выпишите и переведите предложения с этими глаголами. Замените модальный глагол соответствующим эквивалентом.

IV. Перепишите и переведите предложения, подчеркните глагол–сказуемое в Present, Past, Future Continuous Active Voice.

1) Hurry up! The bus is coming.

2) Don`t go out now. It’s raining.

3) You can turn the television off. I`m not watching it.

4) At 4 o’clock she wasn`t at home. She was playing tennis.

5) Jane wasn’t at home when I went to see her. She was working.

6) The boys broke a window when they were playing football.

7) He will be painting a picture at this time the day after tomorrow.

8) I shall be watching TV when you phone me tomorrow.

9) Jack was reading a book when the phone rang. He answered the phone.

V. Перепишите и переведите предложения, подчеркните сказуемые в придаточных предложениях.

1) We`ll go out when it stops raining.

2) What do you want to be when you grow up?

3) Wait here until I come back.

4) He won`t speak to her until she apologises.

5) I`ll come straight back home after I do the shopping.

6) You`ll feel better after you have something to eat.

7) I`m going back home on Sunday. Before I go, I`d like to visit the museum.

8) Have you found the keys you lost?

9) The museum we wanted to visit was shut when we got there.

10) They give their children everything they want.

ТЕКСТЫ ДЛЯ ПЕРЕВОДА

BUSINESS HOURS

The standard working day in the United Kingdom and the USA starts at 9.00 a.m. and lasts till 5.00 p.m. with lunch time from 1.00 p.m. to 2.00 p.m. Many banks are usually open for customers from 9.30 a.m. to 3.30 p.m. Some businesses and industries traditionally work different hours.

Most employees have a five–day working week, Monday through Friday. The working week is between 35 and 40 hours long. Overtime is quite common and is generally paid, often at a premium to the basic rate of pay. The weekend usually starts on Friday night and lasts till Monday.

Thus on Saturdays and Sundays most businesses are closed. But as to shops they are open on Saturdays and some of them are open on Sundays.

In Britain the law does not say what shops can be open on Sundays but it says what goods can be sold on Sundays. They are newspapers, magazines and fresh food. If the law is broken, criminal proceedings may be taken. Many officials and the public demand that the Sunday trading rules should be abolished in the UK.

Most businesses are closed on public or national holidays.

THE ROLE OF POLICE

The police role in the criminal justice is to prevent and investigate crimes. In the USA and in Great Britain there are different police forces, operating within their own locality, having various offices, agencies, departments and bureaus. Each police force has its own administering body. When crimes are committed against property, people or public order police make arrests and prepare cases for investigation. They take an active part in the investigation of such crimes as housebreaking, larceny, robbery, rape, murder, etc. The police officers investigate crimes against persons, analyse evidence for court presentation and do other procedures of effective crime scene search.

Having arrived at the crime scene they examine it carefully, take pictures of the subjects of the crime scene, interview witnesses, collect evidence and interrogate criminals. Only through careful observation definite traces of criminal act will be found.

One of the most important functions of the police is identification. They identify persons, places and things. There are different methods used by the police. They are identikit, photography, finger–printing, crime scene search, collecting and analyzing impressions and traces. There are a lot of crime problems, which must be solved by the police officers. The crime problems include the rate of street crime, white collar crimes and organized crime.

The second category of problems is more delicate. It includes fragmentary police services, politics, legal restrictions, ghetto disorders and poor image of the police. To help the police to solve these problems specialized and auxiliary measures should be taken by the government of the countries.

КОНТРОЛЬНОЕ ЗАДАНИЕ № 3

ВАРИАНТ 1

I. Перепишите и письменно переведите на русский язык текст.

Пояснения к тексту

1. The House of Lords – палата лордов

2. The House of Commons – палата общин

3. The Lords Temporal - светские члены палаты лордов

4. The Lords Spiritual – епископы

5. The Lords of Appeal (Law Lords) – верховные судьи

6. a peer – пэр, лорд

7. The Lord Chancellor – лорд-канцлер

The System of Government

In theory, the constitution has three branches: Parliament, which makes laws, the government, which “executes” laws, i.e. puts them into effect, and the law courts, which interpret laws. Although the Queen is officially head of all three branches, she has little direct power.

Parliament has two parts: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Members of the House of Commons are elected by the voters of 650 constituencies. They are known as MPs or Members of Parliament. The Prime Minister or leader of the Government is also an MP, he is usually the leader of the political party with a majority in the House of Commons.

The Prime Minister is advised by a Cabinet of about twenty other ministers. The Cabinet includes in charge of major government departments of ministers. Departments and ministries are run by civil servants, who are permanent officials. Even if the Government changes after an election, the same civil servants are employed.

The House of Lords consists of the Lords Temporal and the Lords Spiritual. The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, together with twenty-four senior bishops of the Church of England. The Lords Temporal consist of hereditary peers who have inherited their titles; life peers who are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Government for various services to the nation; and the Lords of Appeal (Law Lords) who become life peers on their judicial appointments. The latter serve the House of Lords as the ultimate court of appeal. This appeal court consists of some nine Law Lords who hold senior judicial office. They are presided over by the Lord Chancellor and they form a quorum of three to five when they hear appeal cases.

II. Перепишите и переведите предложения, сказуемое которых стоит в разных формах страдательного залога. Выпишите сказуемое и определите его видовременную форму.

1. The federal courts are organized in three tiers, like a pyramid.

2. When Mr.Zung arrived home, his stereo and other property had been stolen.

3. The Bill is being discussed in a special committee now.

4. In 1963 the world was shaken by the news that President Kennedy had been killed in Dallas, Texas.

III. Перепишите и письменно переведите предложения, включающие

инфинитив.

1. To appeal means to take a case to a higher court.

2. To quality as a solicitor, a young man or a woman joins a solicitor as a “clerk”.

3. The US President has the power to veto a bill passed by the Congress.

4. I wish the matter to be settled today.

5. I am happy to have met them.

IV. Перепишите предложения и переведите их, обращая внимание на функцию герундий