Британский парламент
Задание 1. Прочитайте и переведите текс письменно в тетрадь
THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT
The UK Parliament is one of the oldest representative быть установлен in the world, having its origins in the middle of the 13th century. From the 14th century, parliamentary government in the United Kingdom has been based on a two-chamber system. The House of Lords (the upper house) and the House of Commons (the lower house) sit separately and are constituted on entirely different principles. The relationship between the two Houses is governed largely by convention but is in part defined by the Parliament Acts. The legislative process involves both Houses of Parliament and the Monarch.
In the beginning, Great Britain was an absolute monarchy, but in the 17th century, tensions increased between parliament and monarch. Civil War broke out the following year, leading to the execution of King Charles 1 in January 1649. Following the restoration of the Monarchy in 1660, the role of parliament was enhanced by the events of 1688-89 (the ‘Glorious Revolution’) which established the authority of Parliament over the King. The state political system became to be Parliament monarchy. Nowadays the Monarch is no more but a symbol and tradition of the nation.
The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons and the Queen.
Today the House of Commons plays the major role in law-making. It consists of Members of Parliament. Each of them represents an area in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Members of Parliament are elected either at a general election or at a by-election following the death or retirement of one of them. Parliament has a maximum duration of five years. At any time up to the end of this period, a general election can be held for a new House of Commons and it is the Prime Minister who decides on the exact day of the election. The minimum voting age is 18. The election campaign lasts about three weeks, the British parliamentary system depends on political parties. The party which wins the majority of seats forms the government and its leader usually becomes Prime Minister. The Prime Minister chooses about 20 MPs from his party to become the cabinet of ministers. Each minister is responsible for a particular area in the government. The second largest party becomes the official opposition with its own leader and «shadow cabinet». The leader of the opposition is a recognized post in the House of Commons. The parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government and they only meet together on symbolic occasions, such as coronation of a new monarch or the opening of the parliament. In reality, the House of Commons is the one of three which has true power.
The House of Commons is made up of six hundred and fifty elected members, it is presided over by the speaker, a member acceptable to the whole house. MPs sit on two sides of the hall, one side for the governing party and the other for the opposition. The first two rows of seats are occupied by the leading members of both parties. Each session of the House of Commons lasts for 160-175 days. MPs are paid for their parliamentary work and have to attend the sittings. As mentioned above, the House of Commons plays the major role in law making. The procedure is the following: a proposed law («a bill») has to go through three stages in order to become an act of parliament; these are called «readings». The first reading is a формальность and is simply the publication of the proposal. The second reading involves debate on the principles of the bill. And the third reading is a report stage. This is usually the most important stage in the process. When the bill passes through the House of Commons, it is sent to the House of Lords for discussion, when the Lords agree it, the bill is taken to the Queen for royal assent, when the Queen signs the bill, it becomes act of the Parliament and the Law of the Land.
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The House of Lords has more than 1000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work of the house. Members of this Upper House are not elected, they sit there because of their rank and the chairman of the' House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor. And he sits on a special seat, called «Woolsack». It is another tradition of Great Britain. The members of the House of Lords debate the bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons. Some changes may be recommended and the agreement between the two houses is reached by negotiations.
Задание 2. Ответьте письменно на вопросы в тетрадь.
QUESTIONS
1. When was the UK Parliament established?
2. When did the parliamentary government in the United Kingdom begin to be based on a two-chamber system?
3. How is the upper house called?
4. How is the lower house called?
5. How is the relationship between the two Houses governed?
6. Who are involved in the legislative process in the British Parliament?
7. Whom does the real power in the Parliament belong to?
8. When did the Monarchy restoration happen?
9. What happened to King Charles I?
10. When was the King Charles I executed?
11. Does the Monarch have the real legislative power in Great Britain nowadays?
12. Is the state political system of Great Britain an absolute monarchy today?
13. What political system does Great Britain have today?
14. Who decides on the exact day of the election to be held for a new House of Commons?
15. Who always stands in the official opposition in the Parliament?
16. How many members are there in the House of Commons?
17. How many members are there in the House of Lords?
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18. Are members of the House of Lords paid for their parliamentary work?
19. What is the minimum voting age in Great Britain?
20. What is a maximum duration for the Parliament?
Задание 3. Запишите слова в словарь и выучите их.
VOCABULARY
representative - полет, представительный
origins - происхождение, начало
two-chamber system - двухпалатная система
the House of Lords - палата лордов (верхняя палата британского парламента)
the House of Commons - палата общин (нижняя палата британского парламента)
to constitute - составлять; учреждать; создавать
to govern - править, управлять
convention - соглашение, договоренность, договор, конвенция
to define - определять, давать определение
to involve - взимать
tension - противоречия, напряженность
to break (past broke, p.p. broken) out - разразиться
restoration - ист. Реставрация (в 1660 p. в Англии)
to enhance - увеличивать, усиливать
to elect - выбирать, выбирать
retirement - выход в отставку; выход на пенсию; отход от дел
the Prime Minister - премьер-министр
to depend on - зависеть от MP - сокращение от член парламента)
responsible - ответственный, несущий ответственность, отвечающий
coronation - коронация
to make (past made, p.p. made) up - здесь: состоять из
the speaker - спикер
row - ряд
to attend - посещать; присутствовать