11 Class. THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF GREAT BRITAIN

Gооd mоrning, pupils!

Tоday 's tоpic is:

               "  THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF GREAT BRITAIN"

 1.VOCABULARY (write оut new wоrds and learn them.)

chamber — палата парламенту

the House of Commons — палата громад

the House of Lords — палата лордів

bill — законопроект

to preside — головувати

Royal assent — королівська санкція

woolsack — набита вовною червона подушка, на якій сидить лорд-канцлер; звичай зберігся з XIV ст.

inheritance — спадщина

peerage — перство, звання пера

Lord Chancellor — лорд-канцлер

to abolish — усунути, ліквідувати

2. Read the text and be read  tо speak abоut THE POLITICAL SYSTEM OF GREAT BRITAIN

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch (a king or a queen) as its Head of the State. The monarch reigns with the support of Parliament. Today, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is the Head of the State. She appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is done however on the advice of the elected Government and the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.

The Queen is very rich as are other members of the royal family. In addition, the government pays for all her expenses. The Queen’s image appears on stamps, notes and coins.

The British Parliament consists of two chambers known as the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as the coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Parliament.

The House of Commons is made up of 635 elected members, known as Members of Parliament. The House of Commons is presided over by the Speaker. Each session of the House of Commons lasts for 160 — 175 days. A proposed law, a bill has to go through three stages in order to become Act of Parliament. If the majority of Members of Parliament vote for the bill, it is sent to the House of Lords for discussion. When the Lords agree, the bill is taken to the Queen for Royal assent. All bills must pass through both houses before being sent for signature by the Queen, when they become Acts of Parliament.

The House of Lords has more than 1000 members, although only about 250 take an active part in the work of the House. The House consists of those lords who sit by right of inheritance and those men and women who have been given life peerages which end with life of their possessors.

The chairman of the House of Lords is the Lord Chancellor and he sits on a special seat called the Woolsack.

The members of the House of Lords debate a bill after it has been passed by the House of Commons. The House of Lords is the only non-elected second chamber in the parliament of the world, and some people in Britain would like to abolish it.

 3. ANSWER THE QUESTIONS IN WRITTEN FОRM.

1. What are the powers of the monarch in the UK?

2. What are the powers of the British Parliament?

3. What is the role of the House of Commons?

4. How many members are there in the House of Lords?

 Hоmewоrk

Put yоur оwn guestiоns tо the text.