Английский для бакалавров. Зарубина Л.П - 144 стр.

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144
regulations, principles and procedures for the running of the country - all the things
that political scientists and legal experts study and which are known collectively as
'the constitution'. But there is no single written document which can be appealed to as
the highest law of the land and the final arbiter in any matter of dispute. Nobody can
refer to 'article 6' or 'the first amendment' or anything like that, because nothing like
that exists.
The activities of Parliament in Britain are more or less the same as those of the
Parliament in any western democracy. It makes new laws, gives authority for the
government to raise and spend money, keeps a close eye on government activities
and discusses those activities.
The British Parliament works in a large building called the Palace of Westmin-
ster (popularly known as 'the Houses of Parliament'). This contains offices, commit-
tee rooms, restaurants, bars, libraries and even some places of residence. It also con-
tains two larger rooms. One of these is where the House of Lords meets, the other is
where the House of Commons meets. The British Parliament is divided into two
'houses', and its members belong to one or other of them, although only members of
the Commons are normally known as MPs (Members of Parliament). The Commons
is by far the more important of the two houses.
A unique feature of the British parliamentary system is its hereditary element.
Unlike MPs, members of the House of Lords (known as 'peers') are not elected. They
are members as of right. In the case of two-thirds of them, this 'right' is the result of
their being the holder of an inherited aristocratic title. The House of Lords is there-
fore a relic of earlier, undemocratic times. The fact that it still exists is perhaps typi-
cally British. It has been allowed to survive but it has had to change, losing most of
its power and altering its composition in the process.
The House of Lords (like the monarchy) has little, if any, real power any more.
All proposals must have the agreement of the Lords before they can become law. But
the power of the Lords to refuse a proposal for a law which has been agreed by the
Commons is now limited. After a period which can be as short as six months the pro-
posal becomes law anyway, whether or not the Lords agree.
The position of British Prime Minister (PM) is in direct contrast to that of the
monarch. Although the Queen appears to have a great deal of power, in reality she
has very little. The PM, on the other hand, appears not to have much power but in re-
ality has a very great deal indeed. The Queen is, in practice, obliged to give the job of
Prime Minister to the person who can command a majority in the House of Com-
mons. This normally means the leader of the party with the largest number of MPs.
There are three main political parties in Great Britain: the Labour, the Conserva-
tive and the Liberal parties.
I. Read and transcribe the names of the following cities:
Belfast, Cardiff, London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, Glasgow, Liv-
erpool, Newcastle.

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