Say if the statements are true or false. Correct the false ones.
1) British monarch is the head of the UK.
2) The British Parliament is a unicameral assembly.
3) Membership of the House of Lord is mostly appointed.
4) Members of Parliament are publicly elected.
5) Only people older than 20 have the right to vote.
6) MPs don’t get salary.
7) The Commons alone is responsible for making decisions on financial Bills.
8) The political party that wins the most seats in a general election forms the new government.
Match the highlighted words in the text with the definitions below.
1) formal agreement _____
2) higher in rank _____
3) calling upon to meet _____
4) king or queen _____
5) to change _____
6) prohibition _____
7) derived from one’s ancestor _____
8) final _____
9. Whose functions are the following? Write Q(for Queen),P(for Parliament),G(for Government)
1) _____ examines what the Government is doing.
2) _____ is head of state.
3) _____ runs the country.
4) _____ makes new laws.
5) _____ assents to all Bills passed by Parliament.
6) _____ holds the power to set taxes.
7) _____ is headed by the Prime Minister.
8) _____ participates in the summoning and dissolving of Parliament.
9) _____ is responsible to Parliament.
10) _____ opens each new session of Parliament.
Read the text and match the headings to the paragraphs (A-F).
| The Queen’s family The Queen’s duties The Queen’s home | Introduction The Queen’s biography The Queen’s interests |
Queen Elizabeth II
A
The British Royal Family is over 1,000 years old. Queen Elizabeth is the fifty-fourth monarch since King Alfred in the ninth century.
B
Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary was born in London on 21 April 1926. On the death of George VI in 1952 she succeeded to the throne and was crowned on 2 June 1953.
C
The Queen lives in Buckingham Palace in London. She also spends time in two other castles in England. She stays in Balmoral Castle in Scotland in the summer.
D
Her husband is Prince Phillip. They have got four children and seven grandchildren. The first child of the royal marriage and the current heir to the throne is Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. He has got two sons from his marriage to Princess Diana. However, the marriage broke down and a divorce followed. These troubles, together with the divorces of Princess Anne and the Duke of York, were seen by some to diminish the monarchy in public esteem. The death of Diana, Princess of Wales on 31 August 1997 in a car crash in Paris unleashed a wave of hysteria stirred up by the media, and the family have had to suffer relentless intrusion by the world's press into their lives.
E
Elizabeth II is now the longest reigning British monarch since Queen Victoria. The Queen works very hard. As Head of State, the Queen undertakes constitutional and representational duties. There are inward duties, like opening and dissolving of Parliament, signing Acts of Parliament, and meetings with the Prime Minister. There are also outward duties, when the Queen represents Britain to the rest of the world. She receives foreign ambassadors and high commissioners, entertains visiting Heads of State, and makes state visits overseas to other countries, in support of diplomatic and economic relations.
F
The Queen loves dogs and horses. She hasn’t got much free time, but she loves going to the horse races in May and June.
Answer the questions.
1) How old is the British Royal Family?
2) When did Elizabeth II become the Queen?
3) Where does the Queen live?
4) Who is the current heir to the throne?
5) What are the Queen’s responsibilities?
6) What are her interests?
SPEAKING TASK
12. Describe the political system of the Great Britain and Northern Ireland using the plan:
A) The Monarch;
B) Legislature;
C) The Executive.
LANGUAGE FOCUS
Passive Voice. Simple Tenses
Introduce correct passive forms of the verb in
A) Present Simple
1) A lot of olive oil _____ (use) in Greek cooking.
2) Two hundred people _____ (employ) by my company.
3) Ann _____ (believe) to be a very intelligent person.
4) Many accidents _____ (cause) by drunk drivers.
5) Arabic _____ (write) from right to left.
6) Stamps _____ (sell) in most newsagent's in Britain.
7) Smoking _____ (not/allow) in hospitals.
8) Spanish _____ (speak) in Peru.
9) Many books for children _____ (publish) in Ukraine every year.
10) More chocolate _____ (eat) in the US than in any other country.
B) Past Simple
1) My cat _____ (hit) by a car yesterday.
2) Those beautiful poems _____ (write) by my best friend.
3) Her new car _____ (damage) very badly last night.
4) You _____ (sack) because you didn't work hard enough.
5) The telephone _____ (invent) a long time ago.
6) My friends _____ (rob) when they were doing shopping last week.
7) His decision _____ (not/regard) as wise from the very beginning.
8) I _____ (give) a prize only once in my life.
9) My dog _____ (find) in the forest and _____ (bring) home yesterday.
10) The windows _____ (not/shut) when I came home.
C) Future Simple
1) This house _____ (sell) next month.
2) My work _____ (finally/finish) tomorrow.
3) A final decision _____ (make) on Monday.
4) Dinner _____ (serve) in a minute.
5) That problem _____ (not/solve) until next week.
6) My new book _____ (publish) soon.
7) The money _____ (pay) at the end of October.
8) Bill _____ (not/invite) to my party any more.
9) Your bicycle _____ (repair) as soon as possible.
10) A new airport _____ (build) near here soon.
14. Complete the following passive voice sentences in the tenses suggested.
1) This picture (always admire). — Present
2) The Tower of London (formerly use) as a prison. — Past
3) This play (forget) in a few years' time. — Future
4) English (speak) all over the world. — Present
5) The piano (play) far too loudly. — Past
6) The matter (discuss) tomorrow. — Future
7) Any questions (ask) about me? — Past
8) Milk (use) for making butter and cheese. — Present
9) Your question (answer)? — Present
10) The bridge (build) last year. — Past
11) I (punish) for something I didn't do. — Past
12) Not a sound (hear). — Past
13) The book (finish) next month? — Future
14) This exercise (do) very carefully. — Present
15) What (do) about this? — Present
15. Write down the sentences in the passive (present or past)
1) Napoleon / born / in 1769.
2) Mahatma Gandhi / kill / by a fanatic.
3) Ice-hockey / not play / in Jamaica.
4) Ferrari cars / make / in Italy.
5) America / discover / in 1492 / by Christopher Columbus.
6) The Tower Bridge / build / in 1894.
7) American Football / invent / in the U.S.A.
8) St. Paul's Cathedral / destroy / in 1666.
9) Many cars / produce / in the U.S.A.
10) Millions of Michael Jackson records / sell / in the 1980s.
11) Yesterday / the football match / watch / by thousands.
12) Lady Diana / kill / in a car accident / in 1997.