The crown
At the head of the United Kingdom is the King, or, as at present, the Queen. But her power is very symbolic. Everything is done in Queen's name. But her power is not absolute; it is limited in many various ways. It is said that the Queen reigns but does not rule. She personally does not decide what action the state shall take. The hereditary principle still operates and the Crown is passed on to the sovereign's eldest son (or daughter if there are no sons).
The Queen has a central role in state affairs, not only through her ceremonial functions, such as opening Parliament, but also because she meets the Prime Minister every week and receives copies of all Cabinet papers.
Functions of the Queen:
- opening and closing Parliament;
- approving the appointment of the Prime Minister;
- giving her Royal Assent to bills;
- giving honours such as peerages, knighthoods and medals;
- Head of the Commonwealth;
- Head of the Church of England;
- Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
Explain the meaning of the following words and expressions:
1. the head of the state;
2. to reign and to rule;
3. the hereditary principle;
4. the Crown;
5. to approve the appointment of smb.
Work in pairs.
a) Imagine that you are a journalist from Ukraine asking a British student about his feelings for the British monarchy. Discuss the following points:
- functions of the Sovereign;
- powers of the Queen in Government;
- the hereditary principle in the UK.
b) Find four arguments for and against monarchy. In the discussion, use the following forms of agreement and disagreement:
- I quite agree with you.
- You are right.
- Certainly.
- That's right.
- I disagree with you.
- I am afraid you are mistaken.
- Nonsense.
- Nothing of the kind.
Copy the following table into your notebooks. Write as many words and expressions as you can think of to complete it. There is not necessarily a 'correct' position for a particular word. The choice is personal.
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Parliament |
Monarchy |
Government |
|
House of Lords |
Queen Elizabeth II became queen in 1952 |
executive |
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UNIT 6
Transcribe and memorise the following words:
donkey, oligarchy, gain, a leap year, requirement, jury trails, amendment
Read, translate and retell the following text:
The political system of the usa
The United States of Americans a parliamentary republic. The government is divided into three branches: legislative (the US Congress), executive (the President and his Administration) and judicial (the US Supreme Court).
There are two main political parties in the USA: the Democratic (symbolized by a "donkey") and the Republican (its symbol is an "elephant") The US President is both head of state and government. He is elected for a four-year term. Presidential elections are held every leap year on first Tuesday after first Monday in November. The President is assisted by Secretaries who are the heads of the executive departments.
The Supreme Court consists of Chief Justice and eight Associate Justices who are appointed for life. It is supposed to decide whether a law of the Congress or an executive order of the President is constitutional or not.
The form of US government is based on the Constitution of September 17, 1787, adopted after the War of Independence. In December 1791, the Congress adopted ten amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. The latter enumerated what the government controlled by the oligarchy was not going to be allowed to do, which was, of course, an important democratic gain for people.
The Congress of the United States is composed of two houses, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate represents the states and the House represents the population according to its distribution among the states. All states have electoral requirements of the same nature. First of all they are residence requirements.
Through its power over the purse, the US Congress can control much that relates to foreign policy; also it is a governmental body that determines taxation.
Each of the fifty states of the USA has a constitution patterned after the federal Constitution, with its divisions of power: legislative, executive, and judicial.
The Presidency means not only a man: means an institution — the "executive branch" of the government.
The Supreme Court is the highest court in the country and the head of the judicial branch of US government. The federal and state courts have the power of "judicial review." Also there are about ninety district courts in different parts of the United States. American judicial practice is firmly committed to the idea of jury trails. The Constitution guarantees them for both criminal and civil cases.
Mark these statements T (true) or F (false) according to the text. Find the part of the text that gives the correct information:
1. The law-making body of the USA government is called the Congress.
2. The Congress consists of two chambers.
3. The US President is the head of its military forces.
4. There is an equal number of Senators representing each state in The USA.
5. Presidential elections in the USA are held every five years.
6. The elected President can't serve as long as he wins elections.
7. Besides others the executive branch includes the Library of Congress.
8. The President of the U SA nominates nine justices of the Supreme Court.
9. The president's Cabinet has no power of its own.
10. The President is the chief executive of the USA.
What the given words could mean, choose the appropriate definition: