9. A. Use the picture and text to identify the following:

The Table of the House	The Speaker's chair	Red lines on the floor
The Government front bench		The Opposition front bench

The house of commons

The Chamber of the House of Commons is quite small; it has seats for only about two-thirds of its members, so when there is something important to discuss it can become very crowded and MPs squeeze on to the benches or sit on the steps. The House of Commons has a chairman, called the Speaker, whose job is to keep the House in order. The Speaker sits in the centre at the back, on a high chair, and can see the whole Chamber from this position. There are red lines running along each side of the Chamber. This means that the Chamber is divided in two. Since Britain traditionally has two main political parties, the Conservative Party and the Labour Party, each party can have its own side! There are seats for the 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. The two red lines on the floor must not be crossed, to prevent either side attacking the other during a debate. MPs in Britain do not normally use physical violence, but the red lines are a historical tradition; in the past, MPs used to carry swords into the Chamber and the distance between the two lines is too wide for a sword fight!

The most important MPs sit on the front benches and are therefore called frontbenchers.

Younger and less experienced MPs sit on the back benches and are known as backbenchers.

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.

When the Prime Minister (the leader of the party in government) or any other leading politician makes a speech, they stand at the table in the centre, below the Speaker's chair. These seating arrangements have existed for hundreds of years.

B. What is the role of the Speaker? Why are there two red lines running down the middle of the Commons chamber?

10. What is the difference between the Commons and the Lords? Speak about the Houses of Parliament.

11. A. Read the text about Britain’s Crown and find out what role the Queen plays in the life of modern Britain.

The Crown, or sovereign, is the supreme power in the legislature, the executive, and the judiciary. The sovereign is also the head of the established Church of England and is commander in chief of the armed forces. In practice, however, the sovereign acts only on the advice of the Crown's ministers and cannot reject or ignore their advice. Since 1952, the sovereign of the United Kingdom has been Queen Elizabeth II. In effect the United Kingdom is governed by her majesty's government in the queen's name.

The queen still has several significant functions. The Prime Minister and Ministers receive their appointments from the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Laws are not laws until they have received the Royal Assent. She calls and dissolves Parliament, and she opens a new session with a speech from the throne. This speech is not written by her, however, but by the government in power, and it outlines the government's policy for the forthcoming session of Parliament. Similarly, the queen confers honors in the form of peerages, knighthoods, and decorations that are given on the advice of the government and that often reward people for services to the political party in power. She can award some honors herself, however such as the Order of the Garter. She appoints judges, army officers, diplomats, and officials of the Church of England also on advice.

Royal duties include visiting many parts of the UK, paying state visits to foreign countries.Although the queen has in fact little authority of her own, she is kept informed of events and is sometimes consulted by the government in power.

In addition to her other functions the queen is head of the Commonwealth, which consists of a number of states that formerly belonged to the British Empire. The queen and her family members are largely supported by the state. Parliament annually approves allowances for members of the royal family.

B. Agree or disagree with the following sentences, in your answers use the expressions of agreement or disagreement:

1. As Head of State, the Queen is informed and consulted on every aspect of national life.

2. The head of the government is commander in chief of the armed forces.

3. The Sovereign formally summons and dissolves Parliament.

4. Royal duties include choosing the Cabinet.

5. The Queen does not have to explain her actions.

6. The Queen visits only the states of the Commonwealth.