- •Introduction to Law Russian Federation
- •1 Look at the pictures. Can you name any of the events, people or the buildings? Match them to the pictures.
- •2 Scan the abstract and explain the term “Law”. What is “Law”?
- •3 Read the quotes of famous philosophers and jurists explaining the term “Law” and choose the one you like best. Compare with a partner. Give reasons.
- •4 Find you own definition of law.
- •1 Read the text and tick the issues it addresses.
- •The Nature of Law
- •Active vocabulary
- •1 Read the text and do the activities after it. The Federal Assembly and the Government
- •Active vocabulary
- •2 Mark the following statements as true (t) / or false (f).
- •3 Match the words (1-8) with their definitions (a-h).
- •5 Speak about the Federal Assembly and the Government following the chart above.
- •1 Circle the word that doesn’t collocate with the underlined word.
- •2 Match these common prefixes (1-6) with their common meanings (a-f) and illustrate them by your own examples.
- •3 Find pairs of words from these two lists.
- •4 Read the definitions of the political systems and fill in the gaps.
- •5 Fill each gap with the correct preposition, then translate the phrasal verbs into Russian.
- •6 Underline the correct word in each of the sentences below. Are there similar idioms in your language?
- •7 A) Read the text and put the duties of the President in the correct columns of the table. Consult a dictionary if it is necessary.
- •Political parties of the Russian Federation
- •Active vocabulary
- •United Kingdom
- •1 Match political people and places.
- •1 Before reading the text about British Crown answer the following questions:
- •The crown
- •Active Vocabulary
- •Did you know?
- •Vocabulary Practice
- •2 Match the underlined words in the text with their synonyms below.
- •3 From the list below match the verbs to the right definitions:
- •4 Answer the following questions. Base your answers on the information in the text.
- •5 Make up the presentation “The British monarchy: the past and the present” using visual aids (approximately 10-15 slides) in accordance with the following plan:
- •1 The British parliament is one of the oldest parliamentary systems in the world! Let’s investigate the idea of parliament.
- •Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
- •Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics
- •Longman Dictionary of English Language and Culture
- •2 Read the text and do the activities after it. Parliament
- •Active vocabulary
- •3 Give definitions of the following words and word combinations; illustrate their meaning in the sentences of your own (macmillanonline.Com):
- •4 Answer the following questions. Base your answers on the information in the text.
- •The House of Lords is back at work next week: some say it should never work again
- •The United States
- •1 Match the presidents of the us and important facts of their political life.
- •1 Read the text and do the activities after it. Congress and the Government of the usa
- •Active vocabulary
- •2 Complete these sentences with the correct numbers.
- •3 Read the following statements and mark them as true or false. If it is necessary, correct the statements.
- •1 Read the text. The President of the usa
- •Active vocabulary
- •2 Read the following statements and mark them as true or false. If it is necessary, correct the statements.
- •4 A) Watch this video where the American system of checks and balances is explained. Complete these sentences. Checks and Balances in the us Government
- •Vote for us!
1 Before reading the text about British Crown answer the following questions:
What are the powers of the Queen in Britain?
How do you understand it that “the reigning monarch is not only the head of state but also a symbol of the unity of the nation”?
Do you agree that the monarch in Great Britain is a politically important figure?
The crown
The Role of the Monarchy
Monarchy is the oldest form of government in the United Kingdom. In a monarchy, a king or queen is Head of State. The British monarchy is known as a constitutional monarchy. This means that, while The Sovereign is Head of State, the ability to make and pass legislation resides with an elected Parliament. Although the British Sovereign no longer has a political or executive role, he or she continues to play an important part in the life of the nation. As Head of State, The Monarch undertakes constitutional and representational duties which have developed over one thousand years of history. In addition to these State duties, The Monarch has a less formal role as 'Head of Nation'. The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of stability and continuity.
The Queen and Government
As Head of State the Queen has to remain strictly neutral with respect to political matters, unable to vote or stand for election. But the Queen does have important ceremonial and formal roles in relation to the government of the UK. The formal phrase 'Queen in Parliament' is used to describe the British legislature , which consists of the Sovereign, the House of Lords and the House of Commons. Of these three different elements, the Commons, a majority of whom normally supports the elected Government of the day, has the dominant political power.
The Queen's duties include opening each new session of Parliament, dissolving Parliament before a general election, and approving Orders and Proclamations though the Privy Council.
The Queen in Parliament
The Queen receives her authority from Parliament, and is subject to its direction in almost all matters. In short, she “reigns” but doesn’t rule. The remaining powers of the monarch are basically:
to summon, suspend until the next session and dissolve Parliament;
to give royal assent to legislation passed by Parliament;
to appoint government ministers, judges, officers of the armed forces, governors, diplomats and bishops of the Church;
to remit sentences passed on convicted criminals;
and finally to declare war on or make peace with an enemy power.
Active Vocabulary
undertakes constitutional and representational duties – подчиняется конституции осуществляет представительскую функцию
continuity- целостность
stand for election - выставлять свою кандидатуру на выборах
the House of Lords – палата лордов
the House of Commons – палата общин
to dissolve - распускать
the Privy Council – Тайный совет