Упр. 3. Прочитайте текст и ответьте на вопросы.

Political system of the UK

The United Kingdom is a constitutional monarchy. This means that it has a monarch (a king or a queen) as its Head of State. At present the head of state is Queen Elizabeth II. She reigns with the support of Parliament, that means that the queen reigns, but does not rule.

The powers of the monarch are not defined precisely. Everything today is done in the Queen's name. It is her government, her armed forces, her law courts and so on. She appoints all the Ministers, including the Prime Minister. Everything is done however on the advice of the elected Government, and the monarch takes no part in the decision-making process.

The legislative power in the country is exercised by Parliament. The British Parliament consists of the House of Lords and the House of Commons and the Queen as its head.

Parliament and the monarch have different roles in the government of the country, and they only meet together on symbolic occasions such as the coronation of a new monarch or the opening of Parliament. In reality, the House of Commons is the only one of the three which has true power. It is here that new bills are introduced and debated. If the majority of the members are in favour of a bill it goes to the House of Lords to be debated and finally to the monarch to be signed. Only then it becomes law. Although a bill must be supported by all three bodies, the House of Lords only has limited powers, and the monarch has not refused to sign one since the modern political system began over 200 years ago.

The prime minister is usually the leader of the political party that has the most seats in the House of Commons. The monarch appoints the prime minister after each general election. The monarch asks the prime minister to form a Government. The prime minister selects about 100 ministers. From them, he picks a special group to make up the Cabinet.

Political parties are necessary to Britain's system of government. The chief political parties in Britain today are the Conservative Party and the Labour Party. The Conservative Party developed from the Tories, and has been supported by wealthy people as well as professional people and farmers. The Labour Party has been supported by skilled and unskilled workers, especially union members.

The flag of the United Kingdom, known as the Union Jack, is made up of three crosses. The upright red cross is the cross of St. George, the patron saint of England. The white diagonal cross is the cross of St. Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. The red diagonal cross is the cross of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

1. Is Great Britain a monarchy?

2. Who is the head of state in the country?

3. What body is the legislative power in Great Britain exercised by?

4. What does the Parliament consist of?

5. Has the House of Lords strong power?

6. What body draws up bills?

7. What political parties are there in Great Britain today?

Упр. 4. Укажите, являются ли следующие высказывания о политической системе Великобритании истинными или ложными:

1. The U.K. is an absolute monarchy.

2. A monarch appoints ministers in the U.K.

3. A monarch takes part in the decision-making process.

4. The true power belongs to a monarch in the U.K.

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

6. The powers of the House of Lords are not limited.

7. The prime minister is usually the leader of the political party that has the majority of seats in the House of Commons.

8. The monarch forms the government.

9. The Labour Party is supported by wealthy people.

10. There are stars and stripes on flag of the U.K.

The United States of America