16. These lines are from the email. Where do they go?
a) Could you tell me what time the restaurant closes?
b) I look forward to hearing from you.
c) Could I possibly have a quiet room at the back of the hotel?
17. Write an email to book a room at the hotel.
Book a double room for four nights next month.
Ask for a room with a view of the sea.
Ask about Internet and other facilities (phone, TV, room service, car parking, satellite, shower, etc).
Give your personal details.
UNIT 2
Lead-in
1. A) Guess some political items.
Her Majesty’s Government;
This word is derived from the word “parley” which means ‘a discussion”. It was first used in the 13th century.
The part of the Parliament which consists of Archbishops, Bishops and the Lords Temporal.
The representatives of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland in the Parliament.
b) Check your answers at the back of the book.
Reading
A) Complete the scheme about the uk political system.
…
b) Read the text to add details to the scheme.
Political life
The main institutions of the government in Great Britain have developed gradually since the 12th century.
The British are said to have a high respect for the law. Britain is a constitutional monarchy. That means it is a country governed by a king or queen who accepts the advice of a parliament. It is also a parliamentary democracy. That is, it is a country whose government is controlled by a parliament which has been elected by the people.
The sovereign is queen1) or king. The queen/king is the head of the judiciary, the commander-in-chief of all Armed Forces of the Crown. She/he summons and dissolves Parliament; she/he opens a new session of Parliament with a Speech from the throne.
The British Parliament is divided into two “houses”. They are the House of Commons and the House of Lords. It works in a large building called the Palace of Westminster.
The House of Commons is by far the more important of the two houses. The members are known as MPs. The members are chosen by the electors. There must be a general election every five years. Each session lasts for about 160-175 days. The party that wins the general election makes up the majority in the House of Commons and forms the Government. And the second biggest party is called the Opposition.
The Speaker is the person who chairs and controls discussions in the House of Commons, decides which MP is going to speak next and makes sure that the rules of procedure are followed. It is a very important position. In fact, the Speaker is, officially, the second most important non-aristocrat in the Kingdom after the Prime Minister.
The position of a British Prime Minister is in direct contrast to that of the Monarch. The Prime Minister appears to have much more power than the queen/king. Normally, the Prime Minister (PM) is the leader of the party with the largest number of MPs. He or she chooses and presides over the Cabinet and heads the Government. The PM also chooses senior ministers and recommends their appointment to the king or queen. While other ministers are responsible for particular government departments, the PM is concerned with policy as a whole.
The House of Lords consists of hereditary peers and peeresses. They are members as of right (they are not elected). The House of Lords is a relic of earlier, undemocratic, times. It has been allowed to survive, but it has lost most of its power, e.g. it has no power to reject any bill passed by the Commons. However, the House of Lords has the power to defer the bill. The modern House of Lords is a forum for public discussion.
The Lord Chancellor is the chair man and seats on a special seat called the Woolsack.
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1) The present sovereign (2009) is Queen Elizabeth II. She was born in 1926, married to Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, and succeeded to the throne in 1952.
Language development