What type of political system is the UK?

How many states does the Commonwealth include besides the UK?

How many overseas territories does the UK have?

Which countries don’t have a codified constitution?

What is the ultimate legislative authority?

Where does the Parliament meet?

How many houses are there in the British Parliament?

How are the members to the House of Commons elected?

When are general election called?

Who is the Prime Minister?

How is the Cabinet formed?

Who is the present Prime Minister in the country?

How many major political parties are there in the UK?

What are the legislative and executive branches represented by the UK?

Complete the sentences using the information of the text.

1. The UK is a … .

2. The Queen is also … .

3. The UK parliamentary government is based on … .

4. The UK does not have … .

5. The Prime Minister … .

6. The Prime Minister and the Cabinet are appointed … .

7. The parliament meets … .

8. The parliament consists of … .

9. Any Bill requires … .

10. General Election is held … .

11. Parliament term is … .

12. The political parties … .

Agree or disagree with the following statements using the expressions.

I (quite) agree (with you). I don’t think so.

I think so too. I don’t agree.

Certainly! I think you are mistaken.

The UK is a democratic state.

The head of the state and the Commonwealth is Queen Elizabeth II.

The Crown Dependencies are the lands owned by the monarch and which are the part of the UK.

The UK constitution consists of many written documents, such as statutes, treaties and others.

The Prime Minister is the leader of the party which obtained the majority in the House of Commons.

The Parliament of the UK meets at 10 Downing Street.

The Parliament consists of the members of the House of Commons who are elected every two year.

John Major is the present Prime Minister in the country.

The UK is divided into 646 constituencies for elections.

There are two main political parties in the UK: the Labor party and the Liberal party.

Arrange the sentences according to the text.

The Cabinet and the Prime Minister represent the executive power in the country.

Besides them there are many other parties but they don’t have enough representatives in the House of Commons.

The House of Commons is an elected body for which the UK is divided into 646 constituencies.

The UK is a constitutional monarchy.

There are 3 main political parties in the country: Labour, Conservative and Liberal Democrats.

Queen Elizabeth II is the head of the state.

The UK does not have a codified Constitution.

There are three territories known as Crown Dependencies besides 15 Commonwealth countries.

The Prime Minister is the head of the party which has the majority in the House of Commons.

There are two houses in the Parliament of the UK, the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The Members of Parliament are elected for 5 years.

The government bases on the Westminster System.

Fill in the chart.

19. a) Make written translation of the text. Make use of the words given after it.

On the blessing of monarchy

The British monarchy. The sedate and dignified guards in red uniform, wearing black turban-like fur hats standing stock-stillby Buckingham Palace, the Queen's main residence. The Queen stately visit to the inauguration ceremony of a Parliamentary session, with the traditional cuirassier mounted soldiers in glinting armor following the gilded coach upon prancing horses. The dismal Tower, the famous fortress-cum-prison, where some claimants to the throne used to languish, where Count Earl of Essex, and Anne Boleyn, the first wife of King Henry VIII, and some other notables were once beheaded. One cannot very well imagine the United Kingdom without the Royal palace and its trappings, and without the Gothic-style Westminster Abbey, the Parliament building on the Thames River. But all that is not just picturesque scenery, simply a tourist attraction, and those landmarks are not only relics of history. The monarchy is deeply rooted in country's life and politics, and in the mentality and psychology of its citizens.

According to the British Constitution, never recorded in a single volume, in its entirety,(it is in effect a code of fundamental acts of Parliament beginning with the Great Charter, or the Magna Carta, of 1215) the Queen of England is officially not only the Head of State but is also the protector of the Church of England. Furthermore, she is the supreme Commander-in-Chief of the country's Armed Forces.

Formally, a king, or a queen, has the right to dissolve Parliament and appoint a Prime Minister. (Incidentally, they have never once exercised that prerogative.) It goes without saying that real power is exercised by the Parliament and the government.

But it would be a mistake to dismiss the real-life impact exerted by the Crown on society's political and moral climate.

Possessing untold wealth, and maintaining extensive links and connections in the country's highest circles, and disposing of endless information (Buckingham Palace regularly receives top-secret government documents),the Queen and the members of the Royal family exert a tangible (if imperceptible) influence on the shaping and formulation of both foreign and domestic policies.

(MN, №1, 1994)

Anne Boleyn — Анна Болейн (вторая жена английского короля Генриха Восьмого, мать королевы Елизаветы Первой; казнена по обвинению в супружеской неверности)

stock-still ‒1. (совершенно) неподвижный, недвижимый, без движения (Syn: quite motionless, stone-still) 2. (совершенно) неподвижно; как столб to stand stock-still — стоять не шелохнувшись

languish – томиться; to languish in jail — томиться в тюрьме

dispose –располагать

imperceptible – незаметный

b) Answer the questions.

1. What isthe Queen's main residence?