Topic 60. The political system of great britain

Study the words

1. have power – иметь власть

2. make laws – издавать законы

3. rule – руководить,управлять

4. reign– царствовать, править

5. government– правительство, управление

6. encourage – поддерживать,одобрять

7. warn – предостерегать

8. chamber– палата

9. the House of Commons – Палата Общин

10. the House of Lords – Палата Лордов

11. hereditary– передаваемый по наследству

12. elect – избирать

13. bill – законопроект

Read the text about the political system of Great Britain. Translate the sentences with the new words.

The Political System of Great Britain

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. It means that there is a Queen (or King) and the Parliament. The Queen has almost no power in the country. Her powers are limited by the Parliament. Laws are made by the Parliament. The Queen is only a formal ruler: she reigns but does not rule. In fact everything that she does is done on the active of her ministers, who are responsible for the royal acts. Thus, most of her functions are symbolic. The United Kingdom is governed by the Government in the name of the Queen. But the Queen has all information, has the right to encourage and the right to warn. The Queen's residence in London is Buckingham Palace. Besides, she has some homes in England and Scotland.

The British Parliament consists of two cambers: the House оf Lords and the House of Commons. There are more than 1000 members in the House of Lords. Many seats are hereditary. The House of Commons has 635 members. They are elected by a general election (secret ballot). Any member may introduce a Bill and ask permission to bring it to the House for the first reading. After the third time reading the Bill goes to the House of Lords. If the Lords agree to a Bill, it will be placed before the Queen for signature. Then it becomes a law. The government is headed by the Prime Minister, who is the leader of the party that has won the election. In Great Britain there are three main political parties: the Conservatives, the Labour Party and the Liberals.

Questions

1. What does a parliamentary monarchy mean?

2. What is the function of the Queen?

3. What rights does the Queen have?

4. What is the Queen’s residence in London?

5. What chambers does the Parliament consist of?

6. How does a bill become a law?

7. Who is the head of the Government?

8. What are the main political parties in Britain?

Fill in the table using the information from the text

The Political body	The Roles of the political body

Speak about the British political bodies and their roles

TOPIC 61. LONDON

Study the names of London sights

1. The City – Сити

2. Westminster – Вестминстер

3. The West End – Вест энд

4. The East End – Ист энд

5. the Tower of London – Тауэр

6. St. Paul’s Cathedral – Собор святого Павла

7. The Houses of Parliament– Здания Парламента

8. Buckingham Palace– Букингемский дворец

9. Westminster Abbey– Вестминстерское Аббатство

10. Trafalgar Square – Трафальгарская площадь

11. The National Gallery –Национальная галерея

12. the British Museum – Британский музей

Find the English equivalents of the words

1. разделен на несколько частей

2. знаменитые исторические здания

3. крепость

4. королевская резиденция

5. музей оружия

6. центр правительства

7. башня

8. место, где проходят коронации монархов

9. символ богатство и роскоши

10. ознаменовывать

11. художественная галерея

12. содержать бесценную коллекцию

13. древние рукописи

14. промышленный район

15. текстильная промышленность

Read the text about London

London

London is the capital of Great Britain, its political, cultural and commercial centre. London is one of the largest cities in the world. Its population is more than 8 million.

London is a very old city. It 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 very different from each other.

The heart of London is the City – its commercial and business centre. There are many banks, offices and firms there. Few people live in the City. But over a million come to work here.

Two famous historic buildings are located in the City – the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral. The Tower of London was built in the 11 the century. It was used as a fortress, a royal residence and a prison. Now it is a museum of armour.

A twenty minutes’ walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building – St Paul’s Cathedral. It was built in the 17th century by the famous architect Sir Christopher Wren.

Westminster is the centre of government. Here we can the Houses of Parliament with the famous clock “Big Ben” on one the towers. All government offices are in Whitehall. The official residence of the Queen is Buckingham Palace. The residence of Prime Minister is at 10 Downing Street.

Opposite the Houses of Parliament stands Westminster Abbey. It is the place where all the coronations of the British monarchs take place. Many famous people are also buried in Westminister Abbey including statesmen, musicians and writes.

The West End is the richest and the most beautiful part of London. It is the symbol of wealth and luxury. There are the best shops, hotels, restaurants, houses and lovely gardens there. It includes Trafalgar Square, the main shopping areas of Oxford Street.

Trafalgar Square was built in the last century to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. Admiral Lord Nelson’s statue stands on top of a column in the middle of Trafalgar Square. The square makes a good place for people to meet. Behind Nelson’s column is the National Gallery, an art gallery in which you can find many old masters. Not far away from the National Gallery is the British Museum. It contains a priceless collection of ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures. It is famous for its library – one of the richest in the world.

The East End is an industrial district of London. It is famous as the centre of the clothing industry.

Complete the sentences

1. London is…

2.London was founded…

3.The city is divided into…

4.The City is…

5.There are … in the City.

6. St Paul’s Cathedral is…

7.The Tower of London is…

8.Westminster is…

9.In this part of London we can see…

10.Buckingham Palace is…