Complete the following sentences.

1. Power in the UK is divided …

2. King Edward organized …

3. The main function of the Parliament is …

4. Members of the House of Lords are known as …

5. Originally members of the House of Lords inherited …

6. Members of the House of Commons are elected …

7. The United Kingdom is divided into …

8. The executive power in the UK belongs to …

9. The Prime Minister appoints …

10. The highest judicial body is …

Give English equivalents of the following words and word-combinations.

Власть, законодательная ветвь власти, палата парламента, наследовать, избирать, утверждать, избирательный округ, право вето, отклонять (отвергать), закон, одержать победу на выборах, большинство, предлагать, формировать правительство, советовать, исполнительная власть, правительство, судебная система, законопроект, всеобщие выборы.

 

Turn the following nouns into adjectives.

Legislation, heritage, royalty, execution, government, parliament, constitution, politics, democracy, judicature, tradition.

Explain what the following terms mean.

British Constitution, a monarchy, legislative process, a bill, life peers, lords spiritual, royal assent, general election, MPs, hereditary nobility, arbitrary action.

Fill in the gaps with the words and word combinations from the text.

1. … in Great Britain is divided among three branches: …, … and …

2. The Parliament in Britain … since 1265.

3. Bills go through … Houses and may start in … House.

4. The head of the executive branch is …

5. The most important ministers of the government … the Cabinet.

6. Children of “life peers” don’t … their titles like children of … peers.

7. As a final step the bill is sent to the Queen for …, after which it becomes ….

8. According to tradition, the Prime Minister is the leader of the party that … the election and has … in the House of Commons.

 

Translate the following sentences into English.

1. В Великобритании нет избираемого президента, их премьер-министр – лидер крупнейшей партии в парламенте.

2. Премьер-министр назначает министров, которые руководят различными министерствами.

3. Самые важные министры во главе с премьер-министром образуют кабинет из примерно 20 членов.

4. Предложения правительства выносятся на обсуждение парламента: они обсуждаются в палате общин, а позднее – в палате лордов.

5. Британское изобретение – должным образом выстроенная «лояльная оппозиция», которая обладает не только правом, но и обязанностью оппонировать правительству.

6. Права британского монарха носят формальный, а не практический характер.

7. Каждый вторник, когда королева в Лондоне, премьер отправляется в Букингемский дворец, чтобы проинформировать ее о событиях, происходящих в стране.

 

II. Supplementary reading.

Read the texts below to get more interesting information about the political system of the UK, its constitution and its political parties.

Political system

Great Britain is a parliamentary monarchy. Officially the head of the state is a king or a queen. The power of the monarch is not absolute but constitutional. The monarch acts only on the advice of ministers.

The hereditary principle upon which the monarchy is founded is strictly observed. The monarch, be it a king or a queen, is the head of the executive body, an integral part of the legislature, the head of the judicial body, the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the crown, the head of the Established Church of England and the head of the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Notes:

1. the Established Church – англиканская церковь

2. the British Commonwealth of Nations –Британское содружество (наций)

Answer the questions.

1. Who is the official head of the state of Great Britain?

2. What does the hereditary principle mean?

3. Who is the commander-in-chief of the British armed forces?

The Constitution

Practically speaking, there is no written constitution in Great Britain. The term “English Constitution” means leading principles, conventions and laws, many of which have been existed for centuries, though they have undergone modifications and extensions in agreement with the advance of civilization. These principles are expressed in such documents of major importance as Magna Charta, a famous document in English history agreed upon in 1215 by King John and barons, which set certain limits on royal power and which was later regarded as a law stating basic civil rights; Habeas Corpus Act, a law passed in 1679, which guarantees to a person arrested the right to appear in Court of Justice so that the jury should decide whether he is guilty or not guilty; the Bill of Rights, an act of Parliament passed in 1689, which confirmed certain rights of people; laws deciding the succession of the royal family, and a number of constitutional acts, separate laws and agreements.

 

Notes:

1. Magna Charta – Великая хартия вольностей

2. Habeas Corpus Act – Хабеас Корпус (английский закон 1679 г. о неприкосновенности личности)

3. the Bill of Rights – билль о правах

 

Answer the questions.

1. Is there a written constitution in Great Britain?

2. What does the term “English Constitution” mean?

3. When was Magna Charta signed?

4. What did Magna Charta set limits on?

5. When was Habeas Corpus Act passed?

6. When did Parliament pass the Bill of Rights?

 

Political Parties

The two main political parties of Great Britain are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. The Conservative Party (otherwise called the Tory Party) is right-wing, tending to be opposed to great and sudden changes in the established order of society. It is against state control of industry.

The Labour Party, sometimes called the Socialists, has a close association with Trade Unions, although it is now not as left-wing as it used to be. It has many supporters, especially among working-class and middle-class people.

Notes:

1. the Conservative Party – Консервативная партия

2. the Labour Party – Лейбористская партия

3. Tory – партия Тори

4. Trade Unions – профсоюзы

 

Answer the questions.

1. Which are the two main political parties in Great Britain?

2. What is another name of the Conservative Party?

3. How can the general policy of the Conservative Party be described?

4. What is the Labour Party sometimes called?

5. Where does the Labour Party have the majority of supporters?