Read the extracts below and put them in correct order.
ELECTION FEVER
_______The British Head of State is not a president; it is a king or queen who has little real power. One of the few important functions left to the Head of State is to make sure that the Head of Government, the Prime Minister, calls a general election within five years.
_______In Britain for many years the contest has been between the Conservative Party on the right, and the Labour on the left. But there are now other major political parties in the centre: the Social Democrats and the Liberals. And of course, the centre parties hope to
attract more votes from both conservatives and socialists.
_______The PM listens to the advice of the cabinet ministers, and chooses a time when opinion is favourable. At last the date of the general election is announced and the voters, who must be over the age of 18, make choice. And as soon as it is all over, the politicians start talking about when the next election will be.
_______Most British politicians spend a great deal of time discussing when the next general election will be. In the House of Commons, they talk about it all the time. Members of Parliament know that if they don’t get enough votes they could be looking for a new job.
Describe the political system of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
a) the Monarch;
b) Legislature;
c) the Executive.
Ex. 8. Match a word with a proper definition.
| 1. constitution | a) established socially accepted practice; |
| 2. monarch | b) the main law-making body, made up of the Queen, the lords and the elected representatives of the people; |
| 3. custom | c) a change, made in or suggested for a rule, law, statement; |
| 4. authority | d) a fact to be considered when making a decision; |
| 5. parliament | e) the most important ministers of the government, who meet as a group to make decisions or to advise the head of the government; |
| 6. sessions | f) the power or right to control and command; |
| 7. prorogation | g) to establish; |
| 8. amendments | h) the people who rule; |
| 9. consideration | i) the body of laws and principles according to which a country is governed; |
| 10. the Cabinet | j) to put off until later; |
| 11. government | k) a ruler of a state who has a right by birth to the office or title, and doesn’t have to be elected; |
| 12. the Prime Minister | l) a body of people of high rank in politics and public life who may advise the king or queen on certain State affairs; |
| 13. constitute | m) a formal meeting of a law-making body or court; |
| 14. delay | n) to bring to an end a regular set of meetings until the members return on a stated day to continue unfinished business; |
| 15. the Privy Council | o) first in rank or importance; chief; |
Ex. 9. Complete the passage below by choosing the best word from the box for each blank space.
| Law | practice | Act of Parlament |
| Convention | provision | Legal enactment |
| rule | bill | Statute law |
| legislation |
English Laws
A proposal of law, or 1) ________ only becomes a/an 2) ______ called a/an 3) ________ when all its 4) ________ have been approved by the Queen in Parliament. Many 5) _________ of English constitutional 6) _______ do not derive (come) from 7) __________ or common law, but are political; 8) ________ called 9) _________ which have the force of law.
Ex. 10. In the sentences below, fill each blank space with a suitable word from the word family given in capitals on the right.
1. The constitution is changing to the __________ of laws in the courts and the ___________ of new Acts of Parlament. (Interpre, Introduce)
2. The government is responsible for ___________ laws into effect and directing ____________ policy. (Put, Nation)
3. Bill’s __________ in printed form is announced in the chamber. (Publicate)
4. The Prime Minister is responsible for Cabinet agendas and the control of Cabinet__________. (Proceed)
5. Nearly all British citizens over the age of 18 are members of the ______ (Elect).
6. In the British constitutions the Queen in Parliament is the legislative ___________ (Sovereign)
7. Many British ________ are in favour of changing the ________ (Vote, Elect).
8. For the purpose of tax, a person is ______ in the UK if s/he stays there for more than six months of the year. (Reside)
9. Parliament _____ the ____ of the special Commission. (Approve, Recommend)
10. Direct ________ to the European Parliament are held every five years. (Elect)
Ex. 11. Choose the correct alternative and complete each of the sentences below.
1. The ___________ met urgently at 10 Downing Street to decide government policy on the new economic crisis.
| a) civil service | b) Privy Council | c) Cabinet | d) ministries |
2. The exact effect of legislation is influenced by judicial _________ .
| a) interpretation | b) custom | c) sovereignty | d) codification |
3. Parliament is a ____________ body.
| a) legislation | b) legislature | c) legislative | d) legislate |
4. _____________, codes and delegated legislation are all sources of written law.
| a) Law reports | b) statutes | c) Rules of law | d) Court cases |
5. The Minister presented the new Housing ____________ to the House of Commons for reading and debate
| a) Act | b) Code | c) Law | d) Bill |
6. The government lost the confidence of the House of Commons, Parliament was dissolved and a/an ___ was called.
| a) general Election | b) electoral roll | c) by-election | d) election campaign |
7. In general, a Bill becomes an Act of Parliament when it has received the ________ of both Houses of Parliament and the sovereign.
| a) consent | b) ratification | c) enactment | d) assent |
Discussion