- •«Political Systems of different countries»
- •Us legislative branch of power
- •Exercises
- •1. Give equivalents of the following:
- •2. Find as many synonyms as you can:
- •3. Translate into English:
- •4. Translate the underlined passage into Russian.
- •Uk Legislative Branch of Power: Law-making in theory and practice
- •Exercises
- •1. Find the equivalents for the following:
- •2. Give as many synonyms as you can:
- •3. Translate into English:
- •4. Translate the underlined passage into Russian.
- •Listen, read and discuss Exercises
- •Describe the procedure of legislating in the British Parliament.
- •Listen to the text and consider this particular case.Say what other factors should be taken into consideration for a bill to become a law. Listening I.
- •Read the article and discuss it. Before you read,
- •David Steel attacks Nick Clegg's reform of the House of Lords
- •Disscussion Point 1
- •Executive Branch of Power of the usa
- •Exercises
- •1. Give the equivalents to the following:
- •2. Give as many synonyms as you can:
- •3. Translate into English:
- •4. Translate the underlined passage into Russian.
- •The British Government: The Structure of Her Majesty's Government
- •Exercises
- •1. Read the text and complete these sentences:
- •2. Speak about these appointments and their responsibilities. Translate the names of the titles into Russian.
- •3. What is the difference between Ministers of State, Junior Ministers and Non-Departmental Ministers? The Cabinet
- •1. Find equivalents of the following:
- •2. Give as many synonyms as you can:
- •3. Translate into English
- •4. Translate the underlined passage into Russian.
- •Listen, read and discuss
- •Speak about Presidential powers and the ones of a Prime Minister.
- •Listen to the text and consider this particular case. Say what powers are exercised by the Monarch and by the British Prime Minister. Listening II
- •Read the article and discuss it. Before you read,
- •Us legal system
- •Exercises
- •1. Find equivalents of the following.
- •2. Give as many synonyms as you can.
- •3. Translate into English
- •4. Translate the underlined passage. Lesson 10. Uk legal system
- •Exercises
- •1. Answer the following questions.
- •Speak about criminals which should be sentenced to death penalty. Do you think there have been more or less hard criminals recently?
- •Read the article and discuss it. Before you read,
- •Miscarriages of justice are slipping off the public radar
- •Judicial systems of different countries
- •Elections in the usa
- •1. Find equivalents of the following:
- •2. Continue the following phrase as you wish:
- •3. Translate into English
- •4. Translate the underlined passage into Russian.
- •General elections in the United Kingdom
- •Polling Day
- •Exercises
- •Speak about Barack Obama’s electoral campaign. Which party does he represent? Who were his main rivals? What do you know about their political careers?
- •Listen to the text and answer the following questions. Listening IV.
- •Read the article and discuss it. Before you read,
- •Analysis: European elections can bring a cash bonanza for the far Right
Polling Day
Polling for parliamentary elections takes place on Thursdays. The hours of voting are 7.00 to 22.00, no break is allowed. Each voter goes to a polling station in his/her constituency. Voters have their names checked against the election register before they are given ballot papers. The paper lists the names of candidates in alphabetical order, with a brief description of the candidates or their political parties. Voting takes place in booths, which are screened to maintain secrecy. Voters mark their ballot papers with a cross in the box opposite the name of the candidate of their choice and then fold the paper to conceal the vote, before placing it in the ballot box. Voters who spoil their ballot papers by mistake can vote using a fresh ballot paper once the first ballot paper is cancelled
After the end of polling the ballot boxes are sealed to prevent further votes from being added. The votes must be counted as soon as possible after the end of polling. The candidates and their agents have the 'right to be present. The number of papers in the box is counted and checked against the ballot paper account. After this, papers are sorted according to the candidates for whom they are marked. Doubtful papers are put aside and the returning officer decides whether they are valid. If the result is close, candidates or their agents may seek a recount; the decision is made by the returning officer. If the number of votes 'is equal, the winner is decided by drawing lots
Let us imagine that the result was as follows:
Adams Con 25,000
Johnson SDP 7,000
Maxwell Lab 19,000
Thomas LibDem . 11,000
The winner is Adams, even though the total of the votes for the other candidates was greater. Adams, then, will represent the constituency in the House of Commons. If this type of result is repeated in other constituencies, the make-up of the House of Commons will not necessarily accurately reflect the way that people voted across the country. This voting system is commonly called the first-past-the-post system. It favours a two-party system, particularly when tie parties' support is concentrated geographically, as is the case with the Conservative and Labour parties. It doesn't favour parties whose support is spread across constituencies, such as the Liberal Democrats, as they tend to accumulate relatively small numbers of votes in each constituency and consequently do not win many seats.
Exercises
1. Describe how the first-past-the-post system works.
2. Speak about the polling day.
3. What is a one-member constituency?
4. What is the difference between the House of Lords and the House of Commons as regards the elections?
5. What are the main political parties in Britain?
Lesson 14. LISTEN, READ AND DISCUSS
Speak about Barack Obama’s electoral campaign. Which party does he represent? Who were his main rivals? What do you know about their political careers?
Listen to the text and answer the following questions. Listening IV.
1) Where was campaigning to intensify after political conventions? Why are some states referred to as “battleground states”?
2) Was the 2008 nomination of MacCain his first nomination? When was the first? Who did he lose to?
3) What was the main idea of MacCain’s acceptance speech?
4) What did he believe to be his advantage compared to Barack Obama?
5) What did he promise to Americans if having been elected?
6) What is extraordinary in MacCain’s candidacy?
7) What kind of message did he have for Obama’s supporters?
8) How did Sara Palin fight off liberal bloggers’ claim that her daughter is pregnant out of marriage?
9) What post had Sara Palin held before becoming Alaska’s governor?
10) Who is Senator Joe Biden? Why was Sara Palin to meet him on October 2 ?