Второй вариант контрольного задания №4 Text Parliamentary Chambers

People outside Great Britain believe, and their belief seems reasonable, that if a man is elected to sit in Parliament, he ought to have a seat. Indeed, most Parliaments provide each member not only with a seat, but with a reserved seat, often a desk in which papers can be kept.

Why, then, when the opportunity came after the war to rebuild the bombed House of Commons, did its members decide that their own Chamber should, like the pre-war Chamber, be too small to provide seats for all of them? The decision was a deliberate one, made after a debate in the House. Members rejected the idea that there should be seats for all.

The new House of Commons has many improvements, including air-conditioning and the provision of microphones. It has, however, seats for only about two-thirds of its 630 members. No change has been made in its shape. It is still an oblong, with seats for Government supporters on the Speaker’s right and seats for the Opposition on his left. There are, facing the Speaker, cross benches for Independent members, those who do not belong to either of the two great political parties.

There are obvious disadvantages in this arrangement. If, after an election, the two parties are about equal in number, there is not much difficulty. If, however, the Government has a large majority, seating will certainly be a problem. If one party has 400 members and the other 230, it becomes difficult to have Government and Opposition facing one another across the House except when the attendance is small.

If we examine the kind of Chamber favoured in other countries, we find that it is in some cases semi-circular. In the Chamber of the French National Assembly, for example, instead of a clear division between Government and Opposition, we find an amphitheatre. Members sit in a large semi-circle. On the President’s extreme left are the Communists, and on his right are the conservative parties.

This semi-circular arrangement of seats is the most probable explanation of the political terms that are commonly used today, especially of European politics. When we say that a man is left, right, centre (or even left of centre, right of centre), we are thinking of the seat he occupies in this French style of Chamber.

Another difference between the British House of Commons and Parliamentary Chambers in many other countries is that in the House of Commons there are benches; in other Chambers there are separate seats. From this we get the terms ‘front benches’, ‘back benches’ and ‘cross benches’. The term ‘front benches’ stands for the two benches, one on each side of the House, as far as the centre gangway. The front bench on the Speaker’s right is for the Prime Minister and the leading members of the Government. That on the Speaker’s left is for the Leader of the Opposition and those members of the Opposition who have formed, or who are likely to form, an alternative government. The back benches are those seats occupied by members who have no right to front bench seats. The cross benches may be used by those Independent members who do not vote regularly with the Government or with the official Opposition.

Only four members of the House of Commons have reserved seats. One, of course, is the Speaker. Another is the member who has sat in the House for the longest unbroken period, the member who is known as ‘the Father of the House of Commons’. The other two reserved seats are on each side of the Clerk’s table, and are for the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition. Ministers sit on the Front Bench, but have no right to any particular seat there.

In most semi-circular Chambers a member who is called upon to speak leaves his seat and goes to a reading-desk (a tribune or rostrum) placed below the raised seat of the President. Instead of facing and addressing the chairman, as in the House of Commons, he faces and addresses the whole House.

When a member ends his speech in the House of Commons, other members stand up and face the Speaker. They try to catch his eye, for the order of speakers is not arranged in advance. The Speaker decides who is to speak next. The member who is named remains standing, and speaks from the place where he has been sitting. He must address the Speaker, not the House as a whole. The only members who speak from the Clerk’s table are the Government and Opposition Leaders.

Notes.

1. chamber – place where Parliament meets for business

2. pre-war – before the war (here, before 1939)

3. Speaker – Member of Parliament who presides over the House of Commons

4 . the Opposition – members of the political party or parties that oppose the Government

5. cross bench – one that is across the floor, not along one side

6. the official Opposition – the main political party opposed to the Government,

(‘official’ because the Leader receives a salary paid by the State)

7. chairman – person who presides (e.g. the Speaker in the House of Commons) 8. catch his eye – get his attention; cause him to see that the Member wishes to speak

Questions

1. What kind of idea did Members of Parliament reject?

2. How many seats does the House of Commons have?

3. Where are the seats for the Government supporters and for the Opposition?

4. Who are Independent members?

5. What is the difference between the British House of Commons and Parliamentary

Chambers in many other countries?

6. What members of the Parliament have reserved seats?

7. Why do members of the Parliament stand up and face the Speaker?

8. They must address the Speaker, not the House as a whole, mustn’t they?

1. Заполните пропуски в следующих предложениях сочетанием must have, употре­бив глаголы, данные в скобках, в форме Past Participle. Переведите предложения на русский язык:

1. Someone ... (to tell) them what we were planning to do. 2. They don’t answer their telephone. They ... (to go) away some­where. 3. She speaks English beautifully. She ... (to study) a long time. 4. He ... (to come) by taxi. 5. You ... (to work) fast in order to finish all of those exercises so quickly.

2. Устно переведите следующие предложения на русский язык. Подчеркните сложное дополнение.

1. She always thought him to be right. 2. Every mother wants her child to be happy. 3. I could never understand what made her do that. 4. The parents expected the teacher to improve the child’s speech. 5. I heard somebody mention his name. 6. We expect this statement to be true. 7. I believed the calculation to be correct.

3. Переведите следующие предложения на русский язык, обращая внимание на сложное подлежащее. Подчеркните сложное подлежащее.

1. The experiment was supposed to have been completed. 2. Electric current is known to flow in metal parts. 3. The solution of this problem is said not to be easy. 4. Many new houses are planned to be built in our city. 5. This important problem is sure to be settled very soon.

4. Замените придаточные предложения герундиальным оборотом, употребив предлоги, данные в скобках:

1. Before the students graduate from the institute, they write their diplomas. (before) 2. When we were testing the machine, we found that it needed improvements. (on) 3. You will never know mathematics well unless you work hard at it. (without) 4. While I was solving these problems, I paid much attention to the correct computations. (while) 5. When I complete my work, I shall inform you of the fact. (on)

5. Переведите следующие предложения на русский язык, обращая внимание на форму герундия. Письменно назовите форму герундия.

1. I remember having obtained these data in our previous experi­ments. 2. We were surprised at hearing that he had refused to take part in the scientific conference. 3. We remember having been told about the different points of view on this theory. 4. This scientist achieved great results by working hard at the problem. 5. I remember having seen this device at our plant. 7. Solving difficult problems is his favourite occupation.

6. Устно переведите следующие предложения на русский язык, обращая внимание на независимый причастный оборот. Подчеркните независимый причастный оборот.

1. It being very late, we had to return home. 2. The translation having been done, we went for a short walk. 3. College courses finished, all the Russia’s graduates hope to get work according to their speciality. 4. The new methods having been introduced, the productivity of labour at the plant went up. 5. There is always water vapour in the air, the amount depending upon various conditions.

7. Замените следующие предложения восклицательными, употребляя what, what a, how

Образцы: 1) She plays the piano well. – How well she plays the piano! 2) It is a beautiful day. – What a beautiful day!

1. They have learned German very quickly.

2. Mike speaks English very well.

3. We are having beautiful weather now.

4. London is a beautiful city.

5. She has good taste in everything

8. Письменно переведите на русский язык предложения, обратите внимание на модальное сказуемое.

1. They must have been working all the time, they look tired. 2. They might have forgotten to send us a telegram. 3. Could he have missed 5 o’clock train? 4. You ought to have helped him. 5. She must have read nothing about it. 6. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. 7. He might have been repairing his bicycle since morning. 8. You needn’t have come so early! 9. My friend couldn’t have sent such a letter. 10. Now I clearly see all the mistakes I made and could have avoided. 11. You must have misunderstood Mike. 12. He was to have had a music lesson in the morning but the teacher called up to cancel it. 13. He ought not to have sent that telegram. 14. No one could have done more than you did. 15. They shouldn’t have let her speak about it. 16. You needn’t have booked a room in the hotel. We have a spare bedroom. 17. Who was to have done this shopping?

9. Поставьте частицу to перед инфинитивом, где это необходимо.

1. He told me … try … do it once again. 2. Will you help me … move the table, please?3. You needn’t … ask for permission, I’ll let you … take my books whenever you like. 4. He is expected … arrive in a few days. 5. You had better … make a note of it. 6. I heard the door … open and saw a shadow … move across the floor. 7. The teacher made me … repeat it all again. 8. I’d rather … walk a little before going to bed. 9. I’ll have … go there. 10. You ought not … show your feelings. 11. Why not … wait a little longer? 12. You seem … know these places very well. 13. I felt her … shiver with cold. 14. We should love you … stay with us. 15. You are not … mention this to anyone. 16. I’m not … blame. 17. She helped me … get over my fear. 18. There is nothing … do but … wait till somebody comes … let us out. 19. There doesn’t seem … be anything wrong with you. 20. Rose wanted them ... stop laughing, wanted the curtain … come down. 21. Look here, Jane, why .. be cross? 22. He was heard … say so. 23. What made you … deceive me? 24. She was not able … explain anything. 25. We got Mother … cut up some sandwiches.

ТРЕТИЙ ВАРИАНТ КОНТРОЛЬНОГО ЗАДАНИЯ №4

Tasks

1. Прочитайте текст и письменно ответьте по-английски на вопросы, следующие за текстом.

.

Text

The Conquest of Everest

Part 2

The rear base was about 20 miles south of Everest. Here most of the porters were sent back, but many of the Sherpas were kept to carry supplies to the camps that must be set up at places between this base and the last camp near the summit. The climbers spent the first fortnight in the mountainous area near the rear base. This was for the purpose of acclimatization. They also had to test the oxygen apparatus again and again, and to get used to breathing through it. If it went wrong, if any part of it was out of order, death might follow. The Sherpas porters also had to learn how to use the apparatus. Both climbers and porters had to get used to climbing with large oxygen cylinders strapped to their backs as well as heavy loads of food and clothing.

From the rear base the members of the party had to make their way up a valley. The upper part of this valley becomes the glacier of Khumbu, and on this glacier was one of the most difficult parts of the route to the summit. This was a wall of broken ice called the Khumbu ice-fall. The Swiss expedition had climbed this in the previous year, but the ice-fall had changed, and a new way had to be found up this rough wall of dangerous ice.

A base camp was set up on the glacier at about 18,000 feet. More of the porters were now sent back, and only 34 of the Sherpas stayed behind with the climbers. These men had the hard work of carrying supplies to still higher camps. A party of climbers found a way up the ice-fall. A route to the top was made for the porters by placing ropes or rope ladders in dangerous places, and light metal ladders across wide breaks in the ice.

Camp Two was set up half-way up the ice-fall, and Camp Three at the top. By the end of April the climbers had reached the high valley that Mallory had seen 32 years earlier, and that members of the Swiss Expedition had entered the previous year. The highest point of Everest, the North Summit, was to the north, and to the east was the South Col, 26,000 feet high, which must be reached before the final attempt on Everest could be made.

Colonel Hunt and some of his companions, now using oxygen, explored the rocky walls of this valley. Camp Four had been set up in the northern side of the valley. Three more camps were set up between Camp Four and the South Col. Hunt had chosen four men to make the final attempt. The other climbers and porters had the work of helping them to get supplies as high as possible. Parties of men made their way up the ice-fall. Tents, sleeping-bags, food, cookers, oxygen cylinders — all had to be carried up for use in the higher camps. Portable radio sets, or ‘walkie-talkies’, were used by those in the higher camps to tell those in the lower camps of their needs.

Towards the end of May Camp Eight had been set up successfully on the South Col. Of the 360 porters who had set out from Kat­mandu, only 19 were now with the climbers. On 26 May Colonel Hunt and three others left Camp Eight and made a difficult climb to a height of 27,350 feet. On the way they passed, at about 27,200 feet, the point where the Swiss guide Lambert and the Sherpas Tenzing Norkay had passed a terrible night on 28 May in the previous year, the night before their attempt on the summit Hunt and his com­panions left supplies there for the next party. Two days later, the New Zealander Hillary, and the Sherpas Tenzing Norkay, with three others, left the South Col to find a site for the last camp.

The way was very steep and difficult, and each climber was carrying about 60 lb. The supplies left by Hunt’s party two days earlier were found and picked up. Finally, at 27,900 feet, a site for Camp Nine was chosen. A tent was set up, Hillary and Tenzing remained there, and the three others went down to Camp Eight on the South Col.

During the night Hillary and Tenzing had a short sleep, helped by a little oxygen. The temperature inside the tent was minus 27 degrees Centigrade. At six o’clock they left the tent and started out in calm, clear weather. They took it in turns to cut in the ice and so make a path. At nine o’clock the men watching from the South Col saw the two climbers on the South Summit, a point about 500 feet below the North Summit. Then they were hidden from view.

Higher and higher the two men climbed, roped together. Each step forward needed an immense effort of body and mind. At 11.30 on the morning of 29 May 1953, they stood on the Summit of Everest. The success of the 1953 expedition was a triumph for its members, but it was a triumph that was shared by members of all previous expeditions. It was the experience, won by hard effort of earlier climbers, including those of the Swiss expedition of 1952, that made success possible in 1953.

Questions

1. How far was the rear base?

2. Why did the climbers spend the first fortnight in the mountainous area near the rear base?

3. Where was one of the most difficult parts of the route to the summit?

4. How was a route to the top made for the porters?

5. Which highest points of Everest must be reached before the final attempt on Everest

could be made?

6. What supplies did the climbers need?

7. At what height was a site for Camp Nine chosen?

8. When did the members of the expedition stand on the Summit of Everest?