1.4 Comprehension

Understanding the reading

1.4.1 Give extensive answers to the questions. Use the following expressions to present your answers:

• It ran through my mind that…

• Beyond the shadow of a doubt…

• To begin with…

• I am afraid I don’t know…

• Frankly speaking, I am in a real predicament…

1. What do you think contributed to the fundamental continuity of the British political system?

2. How did the British political history progress?

3. What are the milestones along the road to full democracy in the UK?

4. What were the reasons for the King of England to require the approval of Parliament to tax his subjects?

5. Why do you think the bicameral structure of the British Parliament proved to be the best two-chamber model for very many parliamentary systems in the world?

6. Why do you think the franchise extension was an apple of discord between the Liberals and the Conservatives for so many years?

7. What are the reasons from your point of view for the fact that the UK’s state structure is based on the regional rather than federal concept?

8. Is there any separation of powers between the EU Government and the UK’s Government?

9. What are the limitations on the UK’s Government’s authority caused by the British EU membership?

10. The British say that the Queen reigns but she doesn’t rule. Comment on this statement.

11. How are the powers separated in the UK’s Government?

12. What are the UK’s current economic ratings in the world?

13. What is the contribution of the British Empire to the world’s economic development?

14. What is the UK’s progress in the struggle to recover from the 2008 financial crisis?

15. How can the UK’s austerity plan eliminate its current account balance deficit which is the sixth largest in the world?

16. What are the prospects for keeping inflation and interest rates under control?

17. What are the percentages of agriculture, industries and services in the UK’s GDP make-up? How can you account for them?

18. What is the evidence of the UK’s being a typical postindustrial society?

Scanning

1.4.2 Scan the text and quest for definitions in the Internet to determine whether these statements are true (t) or false (f), and if they are false say why.

1. The British political history has essentially been a struggle to shift political power and accountability from regional parliaments to the national parliament.

2. Scotland, England, Wales, and Northern Ireland are not independent countries but are four somewhat autonomous regions which are part of the country known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland or just United Kingdom for short.

3. Hereditary and primogeniture principles mean that the oldest female child of a monarch is the next in line to the throne.

4. Magna Carta was the first document forced onto a King of England by a group of his subjects, the feudal barons, in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their privileges.

5. GDP per capita is a measure of personal income and cannot be considered an indicator of a country's standard of living.

6. The UK is one of the world's leading global financial services centers and the most internationally focused marketplaces in the world.

7. The Party of Whigs included many of the leading aristocratic dynasties committed to the Protestant succession, and later drew support from elements of the emerging industrial interests and wealthy merchants, while the Party of Tories were associated with the landed gentry, the Church of England and the Church of Scotland.

8. By the mid 19th century the Tories had evolved into the Liberal Party, and the Whigs had evolved into the Conservative Party.

9. The recovery effort of the UK’s economy from the 2008 crisis has been rather strong.

10. Inflation rates refer to a general rise in prices measured against a standard level of purchasing power.

11. Having two legislative chambers grew out of the monarchy system in the UK, where there was a need to represent both the aristocracy and the common man.

12. One of the disadvantages of a bicameral parliament is that with two legislative bodies, there is enhanced oversight of the executive branch.

13. A bicameral parliament has the capacity to formally represent diverse constituencies (regional, class, ethnic, etc.)