Exercises

1. Read the text and entitle its parts. Choose the headings from the list

1________________________ 2________________________ 3________________________ 4________________________ 5________________________ 6__________________________

A Lords Spiritual B Changes proposed to the House of Lords C Lords Temporal D Role of the House of Lords E Organization of the House of Lords F Composition of the House of Lords

2. Put up questions to these sentences : a)a general question

b) 2-3 special questions

1. They were drawn from the various groups of senior and influential nobility

2. There are only 92 peers who sit by virtue of hereditary peerage.

3. The Government has been consulting on proposals and attempting to legislate for further reform of the Lords.

4. Members of the Lords do not represent constituencies, and are not involved in matters of taxation and finance.

5. The House of Lords acts as a revising chamber for many of the more important and controversial bills.

6. The Lords can amend all legislation, with the exception of bills to raise taxation.

7. Government's manifesto commitments, in the form of Government Bills, are not voted down by the House of Lords at second reading.

8. The Lords of Appeal employed full-time take part in judicial proceedings.

9. Lords business is expected to be conducted in an orderly and polite fashion without the need for an active Speaker.

10. It is to him, and not the Lord Chancellor, that members have turned for advice and leadership on points of order and procedure.

11. All members of the House of Lords except Law Lords are unpaid, but they are entitled to reimbursement of their expenses.

12. About two thirds of the Lords align themselves with a political party.

13. Some Lords have been elevated to the Lords from Commons in recognition of distinguished service in politics.

14. The number of spiritual peers is now reduced to 26.

15. Law Lords are appointed for life to discharge the judicial functions of the House.

16. The Queen exercises the prerogative to grant non-hereditary titles or life peerages on the advice of the Prime Minister

3. Give definitions for the following .Translate the names of the titles marked with asterisk into Russian.

Lords Spiritual*

Lords Temporal

Law Lords

Royal Assent

Lords of Appeal*

Lord Chancellor

Chief Whip*

The Leader of the House

The Clerk of the Parliaments*

The Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod*

4. Check yourself and fill in the gaps without looking into the text. See how much you have coped with.

1) Only 92 peers sit in the Upper House __ ____of ______________ _______________. 2) The majority of members are now _________ ________. 3) Normally, the _________ of the Lords is required before Acts of Parliament can be passed, and the Lords can _______all ____________, with the exception of bills to _________ _________, long seen as the responsibility of the Commons. 4) A ________ of _________was_______________, which was further ___________ by the Parliament Act of 1949. 5) Government's_________ _________, in the form of Government Bills, are not __________ _______by the House of Lords __ __________ __________. 6) Lords business is expected to be conducted __an ______ and polite _________ without the need for an active Speaker. 7) All other members of the House of Lords are ____________, but they are _____________ ___ __________________________of their expenses. 8) About two thirds of the Lords _________ ______________with a political party. 9) Some Lords are former Members of the House of Commons who have been _____________ _______the Lords __ _________ __distinguished service in politics. 10) Law Lords are appointed for life to ____________ the ___________ ____________of the House). 11) The Queen grants ____________titles or life peerages to both men and women. 12) The Queen ____________ this prerogative ____ the _______________of Prime Minister.