The monarchy

1. The monarchy (be) the oldest institution of government, going back to at least the 9^th century. 2. Queen Elizabeth II herself directly (descend) from King Egbert, who (unite) England under his rule in 829. 3. The only interruption in the history of monarchy (be) the republic, which (last) from 1649 to 1660. 4. Today the queen (be) not only head of the State, but also an important symbol of national unity. 5. The royal title in Britain (be): “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, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith”. 6. In the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man the Queen (represent) by a Lieutenant-Governor.

6.8. Fill in the gaps with prepositions if necessary.

1. The British Parliament consists ... the House of Lords and the House ... Commons and the Queen as its head. 2. The House of Commons plays the major role ... law-making. 3. It consists ... Members of Parliament (called MPs ... short), each ... whom represents an area in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. 4. MPs are elected either ... a general election, or ... a by-election following the death or retirement ... an MP. 5. Parliamentary elections must be held every five years, but the Prime Minister can decide ... the exact date within those five years. 6. The minimum voting age is 18, and the voting is taken ... secret ballot. 7. The election campaign lasts about three ... weeks. 8. The election is decided ... a simple majority - the candidate ... most votes wins. 9. An MP who wins ... a small number ... votes may have more votes against him (that is, for the other candidates) than for him. 10. Many people think that it is unfair because the wishes ... those who voted ... the unsuccessful candidates are not represented at all.

6.9. Insert articles if necessary.

1. ... British parliamentary system depends on political parties. 2. ... political

parties choose candidates in elections. 3. ... party which wins ... majority of seats forms ... Government and its leader usually becomes Prime Minister. 4.... Prime Minister chooses about 20 MPs from his or her party to become ... Cabinet of Ministers. 5. Each minister is responsible for ... particular area of the government. 6. ... second largest party becomes ... official opposition with its own leader and 'Shadow cabinet. 7. ... Leader of ... Opposition is ... recognized post in ... House of Commons.

6.10. Complete sentences with words from a box.

alliance, ruling, 17th century, end, House, political, opposition, other, electoral, seats, votes, geographical

1. Political parties first emerged in Britain at the end of the … … . 2. The Conservative and Liberal Parties are the oldest and until the … of the 19th century they were the only parties elected to the … of Commons. 3. The main British … groupings are the Conservative and Labour Parties and the Party of Liberal Democrats. 4. The Conservative Party is the present … party, the Labour Party - the … to the Conservative - and the party of Liberal Democrats is called 'conservatively oriented. 5. The Social Democratic Party was formed in 1981 and made an … with the Liberal Party in 1988. 6. There are also some … parties: the Scottish National and Welsh Nationalist Parties, the Communist Party of Britain and the Communist Party of Great Britain. 7. Because of the … method in use, only two major parties obtain … in the House of Commons. 8. People belonging to smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within to make their influence felt. 9. The exception to this are members of the Scottish National and Welsh Nationalist Parties, who, because their … are concentrated in specific … areas, can manage to win seats although their total support is relatively small.

6.11. Act out a conversation below.

-	Do you like those beautiful old buildings, Helen?
-	Sure. I guess they are the Houses of Parliament.
-	You have guessed right. They were built in 1840-50. If you are interested in the name of the designer, I can tell you that they were designed by Sir Charles Barry.
-	I hear they were repeatedly damaged by air attack in the Second World War.
-	That’s right. The House of Commons was almost totally destroyed in 1941. Now it is rebuilt.
-	Is this area called Westminster?
-	Yes, it is. Westminster Abbey is over there. Many famous English men are buried there. Throughout this district there are many government offices.
-	Does the Prime Minister live here?
-	No, he lives at Number 10, Downing Street. In the Houses of Parliament two meet, the elected members of Parliament and aristocracy. The aristocracy meet in the House of Lords, the members of parliament meet in the House of Commons.
-	Is it true that the House of Lords has no real power?
-	Yes, that’s true. The House of Commons is the real governing body in the country. Most of the Ministers of State come from the House of Commons, although there is no reason why a Lord should not be a Minister.
-	There is a wonderful sense of history about this area. Many of the buildings are several hundred years old.
-	Yes, you right. Just a little way along the river many tall, new office buildings are being erected. Don’t you think they will spoil the beauty of the area?
-	I don’t think so. The contrast between the new and the old is very effective. We can say that London is a historical city as well as a very modern one.

6.12. Translate the following into English.