The lower courts, and prepares cases for barristers to try in higher courts.

Standing committee (n) - a permanent congressional committee that specializes in a particular legislative area.

theft (n) - see Ch. V.2ofc<xx5 «&d

,tiy?v^"S&Ch.IV. tribunal (n) - a court dealing with professional standards, disputes

between individuals and government departments (e.g. over taxation). violence (n) - 1. unjust or unwarranted exercise of force, usually

accompanied with outrage or fury. 2. force unlawfully exercised against the laws and against public

liberty.

violent (adj) death - death caused by violent, external means, as

distinguished from natural death.

violation (n) - the act of breaching of right, duty or law. veto (n) -the president's disapproval of a bill that has been passed by

both houses of Congress.

- veto (v).

will (n) - a written legal declaration of the manner in which sb. would have his/her property disposed of after his/her death.

- to make a ~

witness (v) - to testify, to act as legal witness.

~ box (Br.); ~ stand (US) - an enclosure in which a witness testifies in court.

witness (n) - a person who testifies to what he has seen, heard or otherwise observed; a person whose declaration or affirmation under oath is received as evidence for any purpose.

Chapter II

Great Britain

Unit I. The System of Government.........................................................43

Unit II. Parliament..................................................................................45

Unit III. A Member of Parliament..........................................................51

Unit IV. Elections...................................................................................54

Unit V. The Royal Family.............................................................„........59

Revision..................................................................................................65

Just for Fun.............................................................................................68

Unit! THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

TASK L Before reading the text, tell the class what you remember about the system of government in Great Britain.

TASK 2 Read the text.

In theory, the constitution has three branches: Parliament, which makes laws, the government, which "executes" laws, i.e. puts them into effect, and the law courts, which interpret laws. Although the Queen is officially head of all three branches, she has little direct power.

Parliament has two parts: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Members of the House of Commons are elected by the voters of 650 constituencies. They are known as MPs, or Members of Parliament. The Prime Minister, or leader of the Government, is also an MP, usually the leader of the political party with a majority in the House of Commons.

The Prime Minister is advised by a Cabinet of about twenty other ministers. The Cabinet includes the ministers in charge of major government departments or ministries. Departments and ministries are run by civil servants, who are permanent officials. Even if the Government changes after an election, the same civil servants are employed.

The House of Lords consists of the Lords Temporal and the Lords Spiritual. The Lords Spiritual are the Archbishops of York and Canterbury, together with twenty-four senior bishops of the Church of England. The Lords Temporal consist of hereditary peers who have inherited their titles; life peers who are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the Government for various services to the nation^ and the Lords of Appeal (Law Lords) who become life peers on their judicial appointments. The latter serve the House of Lords as the ultimate court of appeal. This appeal court consists of some nine Law Lords who hold senior judicial office. They are presided over by the Lord Chancellor and they form a quorum of three to five when they hear appeal cases.

TASK 3. Analyze the chart Give Russian equivalents for the words in bold type. The System of Government

Sovereign

The Queen is head of government,

she makes laws with Parliament

and she is head of the courts

TASK 4. Answer the questions.

1. Which of these people are not elected: a peer, an MP> a civil servant, the Prime Minister?

2. What is the difference between life peers and hereditary peers, Lords Temporal and Lords Spiritual?

3. What are civil servants?

4. Which areas of government do these people deal with: the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Home Secretary, the Lord Chancellor?

5. Find two examples of executive organisations outside central government.

TASK 5. Work in pairs and discuss the following questions.

1. What differences are there between Parliament and the Government?

2. What are the similarities and differences between the UK parliamentary system and that of your your own country?

Unit II PARLIAMENT

TASK 1. Complete the following text with the words and expressions from the box.

The House of Commons

Cabinet;*benches; &.

backbenchers;," Budget; \ ^

Prime Minister; "r Speaker; 6

ministers^; t ^!- front bench

debates; -C^C Opposition;

Foreign Secretary; О Shadow Cabinet;

Home Secretary; ^Leader of the Opposition;

Chancellor of the Exchequer.

ЧлД,

This is the House of Commons, where Members of Parliament take their

i -.!

seats on the green leather (a)^ Г/ ^1 ь according to their party and position. One of them is chusen to be the (b) } _, who acts as a kind of

Т, cliairman of the

which take place in the House. In front of him

•_.. _;. The one who deals with financial matters and prepares the

j_______speech on the economic state of the country is called

£,.-..* Opposite this group sits the (n)________ (the

on his right sit the MPs of the biggest party, which forms the government, and

facing them sit the MPs of the parties who oppose them, the (d) ^ ______.

The leaders of these two groups sit at the front on each side. MPs without special positions in their parties sit behind their leaders at th,e back. They are called (e).l ^. •'. *"* <, The leader of the government, the (f)_^_li_i____, sits

on the government (g)J_______, 'of course, next to his or her

(h)________. The most important of these form the (i) Л ^M> *____. The

minister responsible for relations with other countries is called the (j) '< '*0n".v.f лЗДэе one responsible for law and security is called the (k)___ nual (Г the (m)i#

main person in the largest party opposing the government) and the (о), ч > *, each member of which specializes in a particular area of government. ' * ''

TASK 2. Read the text.