Ceremonial modification the Senate separation widely adopted hereditary

 

1. Quebec wanted some form of … from the rest of Canada.

2. The more senior part of the US Congress is called ….

3. The Senate has requested … of the programme.

4. … title was passed from the King to his youngest son.

 

5. … head of state is one of the executives in the UK.

6. We can't use this programme because it's not ….

 

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Government Stability

 

In most presidential systems of government the president's term of office is fixed. This enables presidents to serve their full terms even if they become

unpopular or lack support in the legislature. For this reason, governments in presidential systems are fairly stable. In parliamentary systems elections may occur at any time. In the United Kingdom if the government loses a vote on an important issue, or if a majority of the House of Commons votes against it on a vote of confidence, the government resigns. The leader of the opposition party may then be asked to form a new government, or, more likely, an election is held to decide which party shall have a majority. In parliamentary systems the government may also lose its majority in the legislature as a result of general elections. In the United Kingdom one party usually wins a majority in the House of Commons. In most other European countries, however, no single party is generally able to command a strong majority in the legislature. In this situation, it is necessary to form a coalition government: the cabinet consists of ministers from two or more parties, and the prime minister is normally a member of the party that received the largest number of votes.

 

In most European countries coalition cabinets are the rule. Although coalition cabinets have been fairly stable in some countries, such as Switzerland and Germany, they tend to provide less stable governments than the one-party cabinets of the United Kingdom. In France, during the Third Republic from 1870 to 1940, there were no fewer than 110 different governments. In Italy there were 67 ministries in the 74 years between 1848 and 1922, when Benito Mussolini came to power. Whereas France stabilized its government under the Fifth Republic, beginning in 1958, Italian governments remained unstable. From the end of World War II to the end of the 20th century, Italy had more than 50 governments, though in many of them the same individuals appeared again and again.

 

Because of the great diversity of parties in most parliamentary systems, even forming a coalition can be time -consuming. After elections in The Netherlands in 1972, it took 165 days to form a government. In Israel, which often has about 25 parties in its 120-seat Knesset (legislature), government formation can also take a very long time. And once a coalition is formed, it can be upset easily if there is a realignment of parties over some issue or if an issue on which the coalition partners disagree becomes prominent.

 

2. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту:

1. What enables presidents to serve their full terms?

 

2. Why can a government resign in the UK?

3. What can happen after the government in the UK resigns?

4. What is a coalition government?

5. Are coalition cabinets the rule?

6. Can there be more than 50 governments? Give examples.

 

7. Why can it take much time to form a government in parliamentary system?

8. What is the reason that a coalition can be upset?

 

3. Скажите, соответствуют ли данные утверждения прочитанному тексту:

1. In presidential systems of government the president's term of office isn't

 

fixed.

2. Governments in presidential systems aren't fairly stable.

 

3. In parliamentary systems the government may lose its majority in the legislature as a result of general elections.

 

4. In the USA one party usually wins a majority in the House of Commons.

5. Coalition cabinets have been fairly stable in Switzerland and Germany.

 

6. In France, during the Third Republic from 1870 to 1940, there were only

20 different governments.

7. Italian governments weren't stable.

8. Coalition is time-consuming process.

 

4. Замените подчеркнутые слова синонимами из текста:

 

1. The president hasn't made any strategic mistakes during the time that hehas had this position.

 

2. The time and the place of our meeting is arranged and doesn't change.

3. People got used to the unchanging economic situation.

4. One party wins more votes in the House of Commons in the UK.

5. Forming a coalition can t ake much time because of the great diversity of

parties.

 

6. After a group of parties in a government is formed it can be easily upset.

 

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Parliament

 

The legislature, or lawmaking body, of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, India, and most other Commonwealth nations is called a parliament. The legislative assembly of the European Union is called the European Parliament. Many individual European nations and Japan also have parliamentary-type legislatures, though they use other names. Japan's legislature, for example, is called the Diet, while Sweden's is the Riksdag.

 

Most parliaments, like the Congress of the United States, are bicameral— they have two houses. Bicameral legislatures usually consist of an “upper” house of elected, appointed, or sometimes hereditary members and a larger “lower” house of popularly elected members. The term upper reflects the greater traditional prestige of the upper house and the social standing of its members, who traditionally represented the elite. The members of the lower house, on the other hand, traditionally represented the common people. One of the oldest parliaments, and the one on which most modern parliaments are modeled, is that of the United Kingdom, made up of the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Australia uses the terms Senate and House of Representatives, while Canada has a Senate and a House of Commons. Several European countries, including Sweden and Finland, have unicameral, or one-house, legislatures.

The word parliament is related to the French verb parler, which means “to speak,” and to the English word parley—a discussion or conference. Legislatures are places where elected representatives of the people meet to debate and to discuss proposed laws and other national business.

 

The federal government of the United States is noted for its separation of powers: it has three distinct branches—the presidency, the Congress, and the federal courts. No individual who is serving in one branch may, at the same time, be a member of another branch. In most parliamentary systems this separation does not exist in such a clear-cut fashion. In Britain the prime minister is always a member of Parliament (MP), as are all the ministers, or heads of departments. A prime minister always holds office as leader of the majority party. If the party loses an election, the leader of the winning party becomes the new prime minister. In the United States the length of a president's term is not affected by election results in Congress because the president is not and cannot be a member of Congress. In Britain the highest court in the land is the House of Lords. Therefore some functions exercised by the United States Supreme Court are in Britain carried out by the upper house of Parliament.

 

The typical modern parliament is more than a lawmaking body. It spends much of its time on fiscal matters—the so -called money bills. These are appropriations of funds for such governmental needs as defense, construction of public works, and salaries of departmental employees. Through this control of the purse, parliaments have a large measure of control over government policy. Policy itself, however, is decided by the prime minister and the Cabinet

 

2. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту:

1. What is a legislature of the UK and other countries?

 

2. Are most parliaments bicameral? What does it mean?

3. What house represented the elite?

4. Is one of the oldest parliaments the Parliament of the UK or Australia?

5. What countries have unicameral legislatures?

6. What is separation of powers?

7. Who can become a prime minister in the UK?

8. Can a president be a member of Congress in the US?

 

3. Скажите, соответствуют ли данные утверждения прочитанному тексту:

1. The legislative assembly of the EU is called the European Parliament.

2. The Congress of the US is unicameral.

3. Members of a “lower” house are hereditary.

 

4. Canada has a Senate and a House of Representative.

5. Sweden and Finland have unicameral legislatures.

6. The federal government of the USA is noted for its separation of powers.

7. In Britain the prime minister is not always a member of Parliament.

8. A prime minister in Great Britain is a leader of the minority party.

9. In the US the length of a president's term is not affected by election results in Congress.

 

10. In Britain the highest court in the land is the House of Commons.

 

4. Найдите синонимы:

1.	bicameral	A carried out
2.	exercised	B common people
3.	fiscal matters	C lawmaking body
4.	legislature	D one-house legislature
5.	lower house	E so-called money bills
6.	unicameral	F the elite
7.	upper house	G two houses system

 

5. Найдите в тексте английские эквиваленты:

1. Japan has законодательство парламентского типа.

2. The upper house of a parliament usually consist of избранных,

назначенных or наследственных members.

3. Finland has однопалатное legislature.

4. Elected representatives meet to debate and обсудить proposed laws.

5. The US has разделение властей.

 

6. The British Prime minister always занимает пост as a leader of the партии большинства.

 

7. Government usually take care about оборона and other important issues.

 

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Elections

 

Part 1

 

Alternatives are central to elections. The word election is derived from the Latin verb legere, meaning “to choose.” Elections are the process through which citizens choose who will represent them in government or what will be done about a particular public issue. If there is to be a real choice, there must be alternatives. If public officials are being chosen, there must be at least two candidates. If an issue is being decided, voters must be free to say yes or no.

 

Types of Elections

 

Elections may be categorized in several ways. They include what is being voted for, the level of government at which the voting takes place, and whether the election is held to select candidates or to elect public officials.

 

Levels of Election

 

In every large democratic nation, elections take place at a variety of levels: local, state, and national. A local election may be a citywide affair, or it may only include part of a city. A special aldermanic election, for instance, takes place only within one ward, or election district, of a city. In some countries there may be an election in one province or state without the rest of the country being affected.

Geographical Districts

 

Most candidates for public office run in specific geographical districts. Each member of the House of Representatives, for instance, is elected from a district within a state. The size of the district is based on population. As states gain or lose population, they are redistricted and gain or lose representatives. The same is true of most large cities. They are divided into wards, and each ward is entitled to one representative—usually called an alderman.

 

At-large Elections

 

Sometimes, however, candidates are elected at-large. In an at-large aldermanic election, the candidate who wins does not represent a ward but all the city residents. A state legislator at-large represents all the people of the state, not just one legislative district. Such elections are not common, but they are occasionally used to avoid district or geographical representation in a legislative body.

 

2. Ответьте на вопросы к тексту:

1. What is the most important about elections?

2. What is a local election?

3. What is aldermanic election?

 

4. In what way elections are connected to geographical districts?

5. What is an at-large election?

 

3. Подберите к определениям соответствующие термины: