Vocabulary

parliamentary monarchy – парламентская монархия

to be responsible for – быть ответственным

to conduct – проводить

hereditary – наследственный

executive – исполнительный орган

judiciary – судебные органы

judicial – судебный

assent – согласие

legislative – законодательный

to represent/to be represented – представлять (быть представленным)

to consist of – состоять из

peer – пэр

to elect/to be elected – выбирать (быть выбранным)

election – выборы

to appoint – назначать

to compose – сочинять, зд. составлять

vote/to vote – голосование, голосовать

court – суд

to count/to be counted – считать (быть посчитанным)

teller – кассир, зд. счетчик

Queen Elizabeth II

Ex.1 Read proper names accurately:

Elizabeth the Second [ ]

Westminster [ ]

Buckingham Palace [ ]

William the Conqueror [ ]

Balmoral Castle [ ]

Sandringham House [ ]

Duke of Edinburgh [ ]

Windsor [ ]

Ex.2 Read and translate the text:

Great Britain is the constitutional monarchy. At the Head of the State is the Queen, but really the power belongs to the Parliament.

At her coronation in Westminster Abbey on 2 June 1953, Her Majesty’s full title was revealed as: Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of her other Realms and Territories Queen and Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are the Queen’s servants and all government work is carried out in her name – “On Her Majesty’s Service.” She is the Head of the Judiciary, Commander-in-Chief of all the Armed Forces and the temporal Head of the established Church of England.

The Queen could sell all the ships in the navy or disband the army. It is in her name that a war is declared and it is her personal ambassadors who represent the United Kingdom abroad and, in addition, it is to her Court of St James’s that ambassadors from other countries are accredited. In practice, of course, all these decisions are taken in a true democratic style by the elected government of the day: in effect the Queen reigns but does not rule. The Queen has no power in a political sense, yet she is an integral part of the parliamentary system.

Elizabeth II is recognized as Queen or Head of the Commonwealth by no fewer than 51 countries varying in size from sub-continents such as Australia and India to tiny island independencies in the South Pacific whose populations are less than those of an outer London Borough. She is, however, Head of State of only 16 of these countries. When The Queen visits one of her Commonwealth realms, she acts as Queen of that country and not as Queen of the United Kingdom. However, when she visits a republican member, it is as Queen of the United Kingdom.

Buckingham Palace is the Queen’s London residence and it is also the centre of administration for the monarchy. So only a small part is used by the Queen herself. Her private apartments are on the first floor facing Green Park. At staff of 335 works in the Palace but of these only a handful actually comes into regular contact with Her Majesty.

Weekends are spent at Windsor, the largest castle in Europe and a royal fortress since the days of William the Conqueror.

The two private houses owned by The Queen are Balmoral Castle in Scotland and Sandringham House in Norfolk, where the estate extends to 20.000 acres.

When the Queen is in residence at Buckingham Palace, every day is a working day, both for her and for the Duke of Edinburgh. They meet for a quick breakfast at half-past eight when they will discuss each other’s daily programme but, unless they have joint engagement, they frequently do not see each other again until late evening. By 9.30 a.m. Her Majesty is at her desk ready to start the day’s routine.

A digest of the day’s newspapers will have been prepared for her by the Press Secretary with items of particular interest marked or cut out. When Parliament is sitting, a report on the previous day’s proceedings will have been delivered by the Vice-Chamberlain of the Household.

One of Her Majesty’s three Private Secretaries will then arrive with the morning’s post.

Throughout the working day a number of visitors will call ranging from incoming or outgoing diplomats to Her Majesty’s dressmakers, who may arrive to discuss the wardrobe for a forthcoming overseas tour.

Once a month a meeting of the Privy Council is held in order that the Royal Assent may be given to various items of government legislation.

At the end of the morning Her Majesty usually lunches alone and then in the afternoon she will often have an engagement in the London area. On her return she may well hold important domestic discussions with the Master of the Household.

Towards the end of the day there is always another pile of official papers, government documents and reports to be read, initialled or acted upon. Even when the members of the Royal Household have all gone home for the night there is often one light still burning: it is the Queen’s for whom the business of a constitutional monarchy never ends.

The Queen is the country’s official hostess entertaining, on behalf of her people, quests from all over the world. She has been described as the most generous hostess in the world with no other Head of State entertaining on quite the same scale. Her majesty welcomes visiting monarchs, princes, sheiks and presidents to her places, castles, the Royal Yacht and even to her private homes at Balmoral and Sandringham, where they are treated to a unique hospitality.

Windsor is also the scene of the Queen’s large Christmas party where the family gathering has now expanded to include more than 40 people. New Year is spent at Sandringham where the Duke of Edinburgh hosts a series of shooting parties, and in August the royal couple move to Scotland where, once again, a large number of guests arrive at Balmoral.

A tradition has grown whereby the Prime Minister and his wife are invited for a weekend, which usually includes several hours discussing affairs of State.

When the Court moves to the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh for one week in July, another round of parties then begins with an official dinner every evening and a garden Party for 6 000 guests held in one of the most attractive in Britain.

Perhaps the most significant change in royal entertaining in recent years has been the Queen’s decision to open the doors of Buckingham Palace to the public.

During the summer months, from early August until October, the 19 magnificent State Apartments can be inspected and thousands of visitors from all over the world spend hours enjoying the splendours of the rooms, including the impressive Blue Drawing rooms, the Throne Room and the Picture Gallery.

Royal hospitality could so easily become a cold and formal affair. The Queen has turned it into a warm, human activity by obvious pleasure she takes in sharing her homes with others.