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16. Read the text below and decide if the following sentences are True or False, according to the information given in the text.

  1. General Elections to Parliament are held annually.

  2. The Government is different from Parliament.

  3. The leader of the party in power becomes the Prime Minister.

  4. The Cabinet is appointed by Parliament.

  5. There are 100 Secretaries of State in the UK government.

Parliamentary elections are held once every five years, or less. The leader of the political party with the most MPs in the House of Commons is asked by the Queen to become Prime Minister and to form a government that will manage the country. 

The new Prime Minister chooses a team of people from Parliament who will run the country with him. There are normally about 100 people in a UK government. The Prime Minister heads the Government and appoints Ministers, who head individual Government departments. The most important ministers are called Secretaries of State and they form the Cabinet.

The Secretaries of State are in charge of a Government Department (a ministry). Each minister is responsible for his/her department, and makes sure that the department applies the policy of the government.

The most important Secretaries of State are: The Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance); The Foreign Secretary (international affairs); The Home Secretary (internal affairs); The Lord Chancellor (the legal system); The Secretary of State for Education; The Secretary of State for Transport and the Environment.

Every week the Prime Minister appears before the House of Commons and must answer questions put to him or her by the members of Parliament. Traditionally, the official residence of the Prime Minister is at Number 10 Downing Street.

17. Work in pairs. Look at the highlighted words and phrases and explain what they mean. Ask your partner to translate the sentences containing these words and phrases.

18. Read Text F and think of the best title. Write down 3 key word combinations from each paragraph. Then talk about the main function of the Queen.

Text f.

The British monarch has all authority, but no power. The Sovereign appoints the Prime Minister, and every year opens the sessions of parliament, in a historical and ritual ceremony called the State Opening of Parliament. This is the only regular time when the members of both Houses come together. During the ceremony the Sovereign (the current Queen Elizabeth II) reads out the government intended programme, which is to be implemented in the next twelve months. But the speech is prepared and written by the Prime minister’s office, not by the Queen.

The second major function of the sovereign is to sign new laws passed by Parliament. A bill does not become a law. Or an Act of Parliament, until it has “received royal assent”, meaning that it has been approved by the Queen.

The last major function of the sovereign – in the parliamentary context – is his or her weekly meeting with the Prime Minister. By tradition, the latter informs the Monarch, is Head of State, about important affairs of state and government business, and asks the sovereign for his or her opinion. Within over 60 years of experience, the current Queen Elizabeth II, has acquired great experience in managing affairs of state, and now acts as an experienced adviser, well liked by her Prime Ministers, of all political persuasions.

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