The British Parliament

There are four countries in the United Kingdom: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Laws in Great Britain are made by Parliament. It consists of two chambers: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. The House of Commons is more important as it governs the country. The members of the House of Commons are elected by secret ballot. They belong to different political parties. The main parties are the Conservative Party and Labour Party. The chief executive is the Prime Minister. He heads the Government but it is not the Head of State.

Great Britain is a monarchy and the head of State is a monarch whose power is limited by Parliament.

The Prime Minister is usually the leader of the party that has a majority in the House of Commons. Each new Prime Minister can make changes in the size of his cabinet, appoint new ministers and make other changes.

The Prime Minister takes policy decisions with the agreement of his minsters. He often holds Cabinet Meetings at his official residence at №10 Downing Street which is very near the House of Parliament in Westminster.

The Power of the Cabinet is controlled by Parliament.

Task 1. Working on vocabulary.

1. parliament парламент

2. law закон

3. to make laws издавать законы

4. chamber палата

5. member член (семьи, парламента)

6. to govern управлять

7. government правительство

8. to belong принадлежать

9. the Conservative Party Консервативная партия

10. the Labour Party Рабочая партия

11. to elect избирать

12. secret ballot тайное голосование

13. chief главный, основной

14. executive руководящий работник

15. Prime Minister премьер-министр

16. to head возглавлять

17. state государство

18. power власть

19. to limit ограничивать

20. leader руководитель

21. majority большинство

22. to appoint назначать

23. policy политика

24. decision решение

25. agreement согласие

26. to control контролировать

Task 2. Answer the questions

1. How many countries are in the United Kingdom?

2. Who makes laws in Great Britain?

3. What can you say about Parliament?

4. What are the main parties?

5. Who is the head of the Government?

6. Who is the head of the State?

7. Where does the Prime Minister hold Cabinet Meeting?

Task 3. Speak about the British Parliament.

London and its places of interest.

If you happen to be on a visit to England, it will be of great use for you to know a few facts about the capital of the country whose language you are studying.

London today stretches for nearly 30 miles from north to south and nearly 30 miles from east to west. This is the area known as “ Greater London” with a population of nine million.

If you fly low over London in a helicopter, for example, you will see below you the winding line of the river Thames flowing from west to east and dividing London into two parts known as the north bank and the south bank.

Those who come to learn London’s history will find much to interest them in the City, the heart of the business and financial life of the country. Here most of the streets are narrow and run down to the Thames, the traffic is slow. It is a very small part of London, only one square mile in area but it is one of the busiest parts of the capital. High office buildings stand on either side of the narrow streets, all business firms are concentrated here.

The most striking building in the City today is St. Paul’s Cathedral designed by Wren, a famous English architect of the 17 th century. People say that the Cathedral is finest Renaissance church in Europe.

About two miles westward is another part of London that now is called the West End. Here you will see Westminster Abbey, at which all British kings and queens are crowned It dates back to 1049. Many famous people are buried in the Abbey, among them Newton, Darwin, Dickens and Kipling.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey are the Houses of Parliament with its famous Big Ben, a huge clock built just over a century ago. In this part of London and further west, are the finest theatres, cinemas, and concert halls, large museums, hotels, restaurants, the most famous shops and numerous parks. That is the part where the rich live.

To the east of the City is the Port of London. Here, today, are miles and miles of docks and the great industrial areas that depend upon shipping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country’s commerce. The streets, here, are narrow and dirty, the houses are overcrowded.

That is the world of poverty, unemployment and disease. This is the part where live poor people live.

Task 1. Answer the questions

1. How many people live in London?

2. What is divided London into two parts?

3. What is the City?

4. Where are the British kings and queens are crowned?

5. Where are the rich people live?

6. What is the East End?

7. How is the East End look like?

8. Who lives in the East End of London?

Task 2. Translate into English

1. Река Темза разделяет Лондон на две части.

2. Сити является деловым и финансовым центром.

3. Все английские короли и королевы коронуются в Вестминестерском Аббатстве

4. В Вест Енд живут богатые люди.

5. Ист Енд бедная часть города.

Task 3. Speak about London.

London

Words and expressions:

Settlement - поселение

To ruin - разрушать

To be crowned - короноваться

To be buried - быть похороненным

Misfortune - несчастье

Conqueror - завоеватель

Plague - чума

Fire - пожар

to connect - соединять

to invade - вторгаться

duke - герцог

bank - берег

Text

London, the capital of Great Britain, is one of the oldest and largest cities in the world. It is said that London is two thousand years old. Hundreds of years before our era it was a small settlement on the banks of the river Thames. To this place, in the year 55 B.C. Caesar came from Rome. Liyn- din (which means “a lonely place”) – that was the name of the settlement – became Londinium. The Romans made Londinium a large and rich city with good streets, beautiful palaces and big shops.

In the fifth century the Romans left Britain and Britains and Danes invaded the British shores. They conqured the land and ruined city. For nearly 400 years, Londinium lay in ruins.

In the 9^th century Saxon kings began to rebuild the ruined city. Soon, two miles west of it, another centre, Westmister Abbey was founded.

In 1066, came William the Duke of Normandy, or William the Conqueror. He settled in Londinium which then became London. The Normans brought with them Latin, French civilization, the learning, the laws and the organization of the land.

The ideas were Norman, the labour was British. Westminster Abbey was finished and William was the first king to be crowned there. Since then for nearly 1,000 years, all English kings have been crowned in the Abbey. Many of them were buried there too.

In 1665, a great misfortune, the Plague, fell upon London. In a few months nearly 100,000 people died, about one fifth of the population.

In 1666, the year after the Plague,the Great Fire of London destroyed3,000 houses. The fire cleared away the old and dirty houses and a new London, A London of stone, with wider streets, was built.

Now London is a big industrial, political, and cultural centre. More than eight million people live there. The city is situated on both banks of the river Thames which connects London with the sea and makes it a large seaport.

The important parts of London are the City, the West End, the East End, and Westminster.

The City is the heart of business and commercial life of London. There are many business firms, offices, and banks. During the day, the City has a population of half a million, at night, its population is not more than one thousand.

The West End is the richest part of London. It is located in the west of London. The rich people live in this district. There are many theatres, cinemas, restaurants, hotels there. One of the best squares in this area is Trafalgar Square with the Nelson Column in the centre. Hyde Park is a favourite place for many Londoners. Many of the fashionable shops are in the centre of the West End in Piccadilly Circus.

The East End is the industrial part of London. All the factories, mills and docks are situated in this district.

The political centre of London is Westminster. The Westminster Palace, the seat of the British Parliament, and other government offices, are situated there. On the other side of the Parliament is Westminster Abbey. Buckingham Palace is the London home of the Queen. Downing street is a quiet little street where the prime ministers of England live in house №10.

Exercise1. Answer the questions.

1. What is the capital of Great Britain?

2. How old is London?

3. What does the word “Liyn-din”mean?

4. Speak about London’s history

5. Who was the first king to be crowned in Westminster Abbey?

6. What great misfortune fell upon London in 1665?

7. When was the Great Fire?

8. What river is London situated on?

9. What are the important parts of London?

10. What is the population of London?

11. What is the business centre of the city?

12. Where do rich people live in London?

13. Where is the industrial part of London?

14. What is the political centre of London?

Exercise2. Choose antonyms.

a) old, large, good, beautiful, to leave, to ruin, to finish, misfortune, to build, important.

b) To destroy, happiness, ugly, to come back, small, to begin, unimportant new, to rebuild, bad.

Exercise3.Put the correct articles where it is necessary and translate.

1. London__ capital of Great Britain is one of __ oldest and largest cities in __ world.

2. William was __ first king to be crowned there.

3. Since that time all English kings have been crowned in __ Abbey.

4. In 1665 __ great misfortune __ plague fell upon London.

5. In 1666 just year after __ plague, there was __ Great Fire of London.

6. __ important parts of London are __ City,__ East End,__ West End and __Westminster.