Task 2: look at these sentences and decide if they are true or false. Use a dictionary to help you.

1. A monarchy is a system of government with an elected king or queen.

2. A politician is a person who works for the king or queen.

3. A statesman or stateswoman is an important religious leader or representative of a country.

4. A cabinet is a committee formed of the most important members of a government.

5. A president is the head of a republic.

5. A ministry is a person who works for the government.

7. A constituency is an area of a country which elects a Member of Parliament.

8. A policy is a government which is controlled by the police.

9. A referendum is the process of choosing by voting.

10. An election is a vote where all the people of a country are asked to vote on a single question.

Task 3: Now look at this extract from a current affairs radio programme and complete the gaps with one of the words or expressions from Tasks 1 and 2. In some cases, more than one answer may be possible. You may need to change the form of some of the words.

Good evening, and welcome to today's edition of Today in Government'

There were angry scenes in both … of Parliament today following an unprecedented walkout by the Prime Minister and other members of his … during a speech by the leader of the …. Criticising their … on law and order, the Prime Minister called his opposite number a 'strict … who wants to take away the freedom of the individual and turn the country from a freedom-loving … to a … run by one man.'

It's almost time for the people of Britain to vote again and it is now only one month until the …. All over the country, … from all the major parties are knocking on doors asking people to vote for them. We conducted a recent survey to find out who people will be voting for. Surprisingly, many support the Workers' Union Party for their policy of changing the country from a … into a …: a lot of people support the idea of getting rid of the Queen in favour of an elected president.

Members of Parliament have called for a … so that the people of Britain can decide whether or not the country joins the 'One Europe' organisation. This follows a survey in the town of Woolhampstead, the Prime Minister's own ….

The Ministry of Education was accused by the press today of employing too many …. Chris Smith, editor of the Daily News, defended his attack. 'It's no good having a department full of computer experts if they are unable to run our schools properly', he said.

Michael Yates, a senior statesman for Britain at the European Commission, has called for EU member states to impose strict economic … on the government of BoSand. This follows alleged human rights abuses on tribesmen in the north of the country who are demanding …. Their leader, Asagai Walumbe, called on countries around the world to help them in their struggle for freedom.

 

II. ELECTIONS AND GOVERNMENT

Elections 1 Put each of the following words or phrases in its correct place in the passage below.

election campaign support polling day ballot box vote predict opinion poll polling station candidate

People sometimes try to … the result of an election weeks before it takes place. Several hundred people are asked which party they prefer, and their answers are used to guess the result of the coming election. This is called an … Meanwhile each party conducts its … with meetings, speeches, television commercials, and party members going from door to door encouraging people to … their party. In Britain everyone over 18 is eligible to …. The place where people go to vote in an election is called a… and the day of the election is often known as …. The voters put their votes in a … and later they are counted. The … with the most votes is then declared the winner.

Government

2 Instructions as above.

cabinet alliance right-wing prime minister split coalition majority left-wing opposition one-party states

In most countries, except …, there are several different political parties. The one with the … of seats normally forms the government, and the parties which are against the government are called the …. Sometimes no single party wins enough seats, and several parties must combine together in a … to form a government. The principal ministers in the government form a group called the …. The leader of this group, and of the government, is the …. Of course, there are many different kinds of parties and governments. A socialist or communist party is often described as …. A conservative party on the other hand, is usually said to be …. Political situations are always changing. Sometimes in a party or between two parties there is a big argument or deep difference of opinion. This is called a …. When, on the other hand, two parties work together, this is sometimes called an ….

3. Explain the difference between

a)pro- and anti-

b) an election and a referendum

4. Put one of the following words in each space in the sentences
below.

with for against to in between

(a) I voted … the Liberal candidate.

(b) Put your voting papers … the ballot box.

(c) He's very right-wing, so he's … the socialists.

(d) She belongs … the Communist Party.

(e) The Liberals formed an alliance … the Social Democrats.

(f) There's a split … the two parties.

(g) There's a split … the party.

 

III. Electoral Reform

In most lines, there is a word which is spelled incorrectly. In the spaces on the right, write the correct spelling or put a tick to show that the line is correct.

1. You rightly promote electoral reform as way of acheiving a more

2. representitive government, but appear to overlook its possible role in solving

3. another important problem with our democracy: voter apathy.

4. Under the currant system, political parties concentrate their campaigning

5. on marginal seats, where the result is unknown and may be effected

6. by their efforts. Yet they seem surprized that many of the electorate

7. in safe seats might similarly calculate that voting is a waist of precious time,

8. since for most very little is affected by their efforts.

9. The hole idea of tactical voting serves to point out the problems of our

10. system. If voters are forced to vote against someone they do not want,

11. rather than for who they want, something is clearly wrong.

12. A form of proportional representation, preferably the single transferible

13. vote, as used in the Irish Republic, would allow people a real choose

14. not just between parties but also between individual candadates.

 

MINI-TEXTS FOR TRANSLATION

 

1. Barack Obama and John McCain made one last frantic round of campaign appearances ahead of America’s presidential election on November 4th. Flush with funds, Mr Obama appeared on prime-time television in a glossy 30-minute campaign ad. National opinion polls narrowed somewhat, but still pointed to a big win for the Democrat. Mr McCain insisted he would prove the pundits wrong and eke out a victory. See article Those states that allow early voting reported a brisk turnout. Gallup suggested that, as of October 27th, 18% of voters had cast their ballots already, and that Mr Obama held a ten-point lead over Mr McCain in that group.

 

2. The Democrats were expected to increase their majority in Congress on election day. Their chances of securing a 60-seat filibuster-proof majority in the Senate improved with the conviction of Ted Stevens on all charges of corruption relating to repairs on his home. The Alaskan senator is contesting his seat in a tight race. Senior Republicans, including Mr McCain, said he should resign.

 

3. Barack Obama won America’s presidential election, beating John McCain by 52% to 46%. During a momentous night, the Democrat swept to victory in almost all the battleground states, including Florida and Ohio. Indiana and Virginia voted for a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since 1964. As hundreds of thousands of his supporters celebrated, Mr Obama said that “change has come to America”. Mr McCain conceded gracefully, praising his rival and offering him his full support. See article In Congress, the Democrats increased their majority in the House and picked up at least five seats in the Senate, which would leave them at 56, four short of a 60-seat filibuster-proof majority. Despite his recent conviction on corruption charges, Ted Stevens looked likely to hold on to his Senate seat in Alaska.

4. Barack Obama paid his first visit to the White House since winning America’s election to discuss the transition of power with George Bush. With Congress returning to pass another stimulus package, Mr Obama pressed Mr Bush on an immediate bail-out of Detroit’s troubled carmakers. Meanwhile, leaders from the G20 countries headed to Washington for an economic summit, dubbed Bretton Woods 2, on November 15th that will discuss reform of the world’s financial system. See article The Democrats’ tally of seats in the Senate rose to 57 after returns from Oregon showed that the incumbent, a moderate Republican, had been defeated.

 

5. In other Senate races, the 206-vote margin obtained by Norm Coleman in Minnesota will trigger an automatic recount; Georgia is to hold a run-off election in December; and Alaska’s Senate race was level as the absentee-ballot count got under way. Ted Stevens is defending his seat there.

 

1. Совет стражей конституции Ирана допустил к участию в президентских выборах 12 июня 2009 года четырех кандидатов, сообщает AFP.

Ими стали нынешний президент Махмуд Ахмадинеджад, бывший премьер-министр Мир Хоссейн Мусави, бывший спикер парламента Мехди Карруби и бывший командующий Корпусом стражей исламской революции Мохсен Резаи.

Мусави и Карруби являются приверженцами реформистских взглядов. Предвыборными лозунгами консервативно настроенного Мохсена Резаи являются борьба с безработицей и бедностью, снижение цен.

В начале мая в Иране прошла предварительная регистрация для участия в выборах президента. Во время нее зарегистрировались 475 человек, в том числе 42 женщины. Кандидатуры всех претендентов были рассмотрены Советом стражей конституции, состоящим из шести юристов и шести представителей исламского духовенства.

2. МОСКВА, 16 июля - РИА Новости. Сопредседатели партии "Правое дело" Леонид Гозман, Борис Титов и Георгий Бовт должны возглавить список кандидатов от партии на выборах в Московскую городскую думу, которые состоятся 11 октября, считает Гозман.

В четверг в Москве проходит межрегиональное совещание "Правого дела", которое носит рекомендательный характер. Окончательно список будет утвержден на московской конференции партии 18 июля.

 

3. КИЕВ, 16 июля - РИА Новости. Фракция Блока Юлии Тимошенко будет инициировать проведение внеочередной сессии украинского парламента во время летних каникул, чтобы принять ряд важным документов, в частности, изменения в закон о выборах президента, которые состоятся через полгода, сообщил журналистам в четверг лидер фракции БЮТ Иван Кириленко.

Четвертая сессия украинского парламента шестого созыва закрылась в четверг после нескольких недель безуспешных попыток наладить работу законодательного органа. Оппозиционная Партия регионов более трех недель блокировала работу Верховной Рады, требуя повышения зарплат и пенсий, однако правительство заявило об отсутствии на это бюджетных средств. 10 июля парламент шестого созыва должен был закрыть свою четвертую сессию и уйти на летние каникулы, однако этого не удалось сделать из-за блокирования работы Рады. По той же причине не состоялось заседание 14 июля. Несмотря на то, что 16 июля спикер Владимир Литвин открыл заседание, Партия регионов продолжала блокировать трибуну и президиум Рады до самого конца.

 

4. ООН, 16 июля - РИА Новости, Дмитрий Горностаев. Совет безопасности ООН призвал к проведению свободных и справедливых выборов в Афганистане в условиях безопасности для избирателей и кандидатов, говорится в заявлении председателя Совбеза, принятом единодушно на заседании в среду.

Голосование по выборам президента Афганистана и депутатов местных советов назначено на 20 августа.

В заявлении, с которым от имени всех членов Совбеза выступил председатель СБ в июле - постпред Уганды при ООН Рухакана Руганда, подтверждается главная ответственность правительства Афганистана и Независимой избирательной комиссии за создание необходимых условий для выборов при активной поддержке международного сообщества.

 

SPEAK OUT

 

BE READY TO COMMENT ON THE FOLLOWING:

 

Democracy is the only system that persists in asking the powers that be whether they are the powers that ought to be. ~Sydney J. Harris

 

A citizen of America will cross the ocean to fight for democracy, but won't cross the street to vote in a national election. ~Bill Vaughan

 

It's not the voting that's democracy; it's the counting. ~Tom Stoppard, Jumpers

 

Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. ~George Jean Nathan

 

How come we choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America? ~Author Unknown

 

There are always too many Democratic congressmen, too many Republican congressmen, and never enough U.S. congressmen. ~Author Unknown

 

Do you ever get the feeling that the only reason we have elections is to find out if the polls were right? ~Robert Orben

 

Democracy is being allowed to vote for the candidate you dislike least. ~Robert Byrne

 

If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these acceptance speeches there wouldn't be any inducement to go to heaven. ~Will Rogers

 

Our presidential race is beginning to sound more and more like Harry Potter's duel with the Ministry of Magic. ~Dave Beard, 2008 Aug 02, during the Obama-McCain race

 

If God wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates. ~Jay Leno

 

The most important political office is that of the private citizen. ~Louis Brandeis

 

Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other. ~Oscar Ameringer

 

Truth is not determined by majority vote. ~Doug Gwyn

 

George Washington is the only president who didn't blame the previous administration for his troubles. ~Author Unknown

 

Mankind will never see an end of trouble until... lovers of wisdom come to hold political power, or the holders of power... become lovers of wisdom. ~Plato, The Republic

 

There are many men of principle in both parties in America, but there is no party of principle. ~Alexis de Tocqueville

 

We would all like to vote for the best man but he is never a candidate. ~Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard

 

A politician thinks of the next election; a statesman thinks of the next generation. ~James Freeman Clarke, Sermon

The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them. ~Karl Marx

 

MAP OF THE BOOK

 

UNIT 1 YOUTH AND EDUCATION……………………………………
UNIT 2 DEALING WITH CRIME……………………………………….
UNIT 3 MUSIC……………………………………………………………
UNIT 4 PAREMT-CHILD RELATIONSHIP…………………………….
UNIT 5LIFE SPAN ……………………………………………………….
UNIT 6 ETHNICITY AND RACE. FIGHTING TERRORISM………….
UNIT 7 ECOLOGY ……………………………………………………….
UNIT 8 MASS MEDIA……………………………………………………
UNIT 9 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY………………………………..
UNIT 10 ELECTIONS…………………………………………………….