Vocabulary

amend v вносить поправки

archbishop n архиепископ

bishop n епископ

Church of England англиканская церковь (государственная церковь Англии;

протестантская)

civil servant n государственный гражданский служащий

constituency n избирательный округ

current issues n текущие проблемы

curtail v сокращать, уменьшать

enforce v проводить в жизнь (закон)

firmness of command n властная твердость/решительность

hereditary adj наследственный

House of Commons палата общин

House of Lords палата лордов

inherit v наследовать

Law Lords судебные лорды, лорды-судьи

Lord Chancellor лорд-канцлер (председатель палаты лордов и хранитель

печати)

Lord of Appeal лорд-судья по апелляциям (член палаты лордов)

Lords Spiritual «духовные лорды» (26 архиепископов и епископов англиканской

церкви в палате лордов)

Lords Temporal «светские лорды» (наследственные пэры, пожизненные пэры)

reject v отвергать

restrict v ограничивать

scrutinize v тщательно исследовать

sitting n заседание

sound adj точный, глубокий

Reading tasks

Answer these questions.

1. What branches of power does the British Constitution establish?

2. What elements does the British Parliament consist of?

3. How many elected members are there in the House of Commons?

4. What is the main purpose of the House of Commons?

5. Who presides in the House of Commons?

6. What does the work of MPs in the House of Commons include?

7. How many ministers are there in the Cabinet?

8. What are they in charge of?

9. Who are civil servants?

10. Who sits in the House of Lords?

11. Who is the supervisor in the House of Lords?

12. What matters are viewed in the House of Lords?

13. Is the House of Lords as powerful as the lower house?

Language focus

Put the words in brackets into the Present or Past Simple tense form, using the passive form where necessary.

Parliamentary Control

Ministers are responsible to Parliament for their department and its actions. The Commons can force a government to leave office. This 1) _____ (happen) in 1979, when the official Opposition 2) _____ (put) forward a no-confidence motion which 3) _____ (carry) by one vote. The Government 4) _____ therefore _____ (oblige) to advise the Queen to dissolve Parliament and a general election 5) _____ (follow).

One of Parliament’s most prized occasions is Commons’ Question Time. For roughly one hour a day, ministers 6) _____ (ask) by MPs searching questions on major government policies. This is often the best way for MPs to probe ministers about government intentions. The Prime Minister 7) _____ (question) twice a week.

Vocabulary tasks

A Find the words with similar meaning in a) and b). Write them down.

1. term, chamber, limit, reject, propose, control, happen, pass, issue, amend, examine;

2. veto, supervise, adopt, period, house, suggest, make amendments, matter, restrict, take place, scrutinize.

B Choose the traits which you think are distinguishing features of a politician.

1 an ability to organize people

2 an ability to choose the right person for a right job

3 an ability to handle debates

4 an ability to control the meetings

5 a good knowledge of a parliamentary procedure

6 to be impartial

7 to be honest

8 to be responsible

9 high standards of personal behaviour

10 firmness of command

C Analyse the chart. Give Russian equivalents for the words in bold type.