III. Agree or disagree with the statements:

1. There are three elements, which make up British Parliament – the Prime Minister, the House of Lords and the House of Commons.

2. All the elements of the Parliament are constituted on the same principles.

3. Parliament consists of two chambers known as the House of Lords and the House of Commons

4. Parliament and the monarch only meet together on occasions of symbolic significance.

5. The House of Commons is the only one of the five elements which is true power.

6. New bills are introduced and debated in the House of Commons.

7. After debates in the House of Commons, the bill goes directly to the monarch to be signed.

8. One of the main functions of Parliament is to debate main issues of the week.

9. A Parliament has a maximum duration of five years.

10. The Queen’s speech to Parliament is traditional at the beginning of each session.

IV. Answer the questions:

1. What elements does the Parliament consist of?

2. When do the Queen, the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons usually meet?

3. Which one of the three elements of Parliament is true power?

4. What are the main functions of the Parliament?

5. How long does every session of the Parliament last?

V. Match the first part of the sentence (1-5) with the second one (a-e).

1	A Parliament has a maximum duration of five years,	a	known as the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
2	The main functions of Parliament are:	b	and they only meet together on symbolic occasions.
3	Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country	c	but in practice general elections are usually held before the end of this term.
4	Parliament consists of two chambers	d	are constituted on different principles.
5	The three elements, which make up Parliament,	e	to pass laws, to provide the means of carrying on the work of government.

VI. Make up a plan of the text.

VII. Retell the text in a written form (in English or Ukrainian). Text 31. The political party system

I. Read and memorize the following words and word combinations:

Existence – існування, approval – схвалення, the Conservative Party – Консервативна партія, the Labor Party – Лейбористська партія, to vary – різнитися, to abolish – відміняти.

II. Listen to the text: The Political Party System

The present political system depends upon the existence of organized political parties, each of which presents its policies to the electorate for approval. The parties are not registered or formally recognized in law, but in practice most candidates in elections, and almost all winning candidates, belong to one of the main parties.

For the last 150 years there were only 2 parties: the Conservative Party and the Labor Party. A new party – the Liberal Democrats – was formed in 1988. Social Democratic Party is also the new one founded in 1981. Other parties include two nationalist parties, Plaid Cymru (founded in Wales in 1925) and the Scottish National Party (founded in 1934).

The effectiveness of the party system in Parliament rests largely on the relationship between the Government and the Opposition parties. People belonging to smaller political parties join one of the larger parties and work from within to make their influence felt. The exception to this are members of the Scottish National and Welsh Nationalist Parties, who, because their influence votes are concentrated in specific geographical areas, can manage to win seats although their total support is relatively small.

Her Majesty's Government is the body of ministers responsible for the administration of national affairs. The Prime Minister is appointed by the Queen, and all other ministers are appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. Most ministers are members of the Commons, although the Government is also fully represented by ministers in the Lords. The composition of governments can vary both in the number of ministers and in the titles of some offices. New ministerial offices may be created, others may be abolished and functions may be transferred from one minister to another.