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THE HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT

 

3. Before reading the text, match a word on the left with a definition on the right.

 

1. throne a) a member of one of the five degrees in

British nobility

2. amendment b) a long seat occupied by persons on

their official capacity

3. peer c) the act of changing or improving a law

4. bench d) the chair occupied by a sovereign

5. inherit e) to watch and direct

6. supervise f) receive or obtain a title, property, rights or

duties from an ancestor or predecessor as an

heir or the descendant of a person who dies, or

by the will of a dead person

7. debates g) making laws, the laws made

8. judge h) an application to a higher court to examine

again a case decided by a lower court and

possibly give a different decision

9. legislation i) a formal discussion in parliament

10.appeal j) a person with authority to hear and decide

disputes brought before a court for decision


3.1. Test your general knowledge in the quiz below.

1. The UK legislature is composed of

a) the House of Lords and the House of Commons

b) the House of Lords, the House of Commons and the Sovereign

c) the House of Lords, the House of Commons and the Cabinet

d) the House of Lords, the House of Commons and the Government

2. The British Parliament

a) is a democratically elected body

b) is not a democratically elected body

c) is a democratically elected body only in part

3. Law Lords are

a) Hereditary peers

b) Lords Spiritual

c) Lords of Appeal in Ordinary

4. If Parliament makes a law which is not just the English courts must

a) apply it

b) reject it

c) amend it.

3.2. Now read the text and see if you were right.

THE HOUSE OF LORDS

The House of Lords meets in the building called the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London, in a specially designed chamber. At the end of the rectangular chamber is the Throne from which the Queen reads her speech at the opening of Parliament. In front of the Throne is the seat of the Lord Chancellor, the speaker of the House of Lords, who supervises the debates. He sits on the woolsack, a seat which contains wool from all the Commonwealth countries. The peers’ benches, upholstered in red leather, are arranged on both sides of the House; the Government benches are on the right of the Throne, and the Opposition benches are on the left. The galleries on either side of the chamber are reserved for diplomats and «Distinguished Strangers», and the gallery at the northern end is for reporters and other members of the public.

There are over 1,000 members of the House of Lords. They are an unelected group of people who have either inherited their seats or have been given them by the Government. Their seats are between the Throne and the Government benches, facing the Opposition benches. They are Lords Spiritual and Lords Temporal. Lords Spiritual are the archbishops and bishops of the Church of England. There are 2 archbishops (the Archbishops of Canterbury and York) and 24 senior bishops. Their seats are between the Throne and the Government benches, facing the Opposition benches. The Lords Temporal are Hereditary peers, Law Lords and Life peers and peeresses. Hereditary peers constitute the largest class - about 800 members. There are 5 ranks in the peerage: Dukes, Marquesses, Earls, Viscounts and Barons. All peers, whatever their rank, have the same rights in the House of Lords. Law Lords are distinguished judges created peers for life (life peers) to assist the House of Lords in the performance of its judicial duties as the highest court of the land. Life peers and peeresses receive their peerage as a reward for service, and their children do not inherit the title.



The House of Lords shares in the making of laws, the examination of the Government’s work and in debating important matters of the day. The main work of the House of Lords consists in considering the bills in committees and in making amendments. But this chamber is not as powerful as the House of Commons. It can suggest changes in laws, but it is restricted to laws that have nothing to do with the finance of the country (for example, it cannot suggest any changes to the Budget, the annual statement of the Government’s financial plans). The House of Lords cannot reject laws that the House of Commons wants to pass, though it can amend them. Even then, the Commons can reject these amendments.

The main function of the House of Lords is legislation, i.e. reviewing and giving further consideration to Bills sponsored by the Government. Another function of the House of Lords is examining the work of the Government by debate. The work of this House also includes examining European proposals. In addition to its parliamentary duties, the House has important legal functions, e.g. hearing legal appeals. It is the final court of appeal for civil cases in the whole of the United Kingdom, and for criminal cases in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

3.3. Explain these words in your own language.

«Distinguished Strangers» Lords Spiritual

the Lord Chancellor Lords Temporal

woolsack Law Lords

3.4. Answer the following questions below.

1. How are members of the House of Lords elected?

2. What sorts of Lords are there?

3. Who constitutes the largest class in the House of Lords?

4. What are the judicial duties of the House of Lords?

5. What does the main work of the House of Lords consist in?

 

3.5. Before reading the text, match a word on the left with a definition on the right.

1. scrutinize a) to give up wholly

2. gangway b) an area of the United Kingdom

for which a representative is elected to the House of Commons

3. constituency c) examine in detail

4. abandon d) an aisle separating the Opposition

Party from the Government Party

5. assess e) to manage to get

6. session f) rule made by authority for the

proper regulation of a community or

for correct conduct in life

7. Chancellor of the Exchequer g) a period of time during which a

legislative body meets

8. law h) to put forward for opinion,

discussion, decision, etc.

9. submit i) to appraise, to test the value of

10.raise j) the Cabinet Minister, the head of

the Treasury, responsible for the

control of national finances, e.g.

public spending and tax

 

3.6. Test your general knowledge in the quiz below.

1. The Chairman of the House of Commons is

a) the Prime Minister

b) The Speaker

c) the Lord Chancellor

2. Bills can be delayed for a year by

a) the House of Lords

b) the House of Commons

c) the Cabinet

3. The lower chamber, the House of Commons is ... to the upper chamber, the House of Lords.

a) superior

b) inferior

4. The ceremony of the State Opening of Parliament takes place in

a) the House of Lords

b) the House of Commons.

 

3.7. Now read the text and see if you were right.


Date: 2015-12-24; view: 1733


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