Fill in the gaps with the new words.
1. In the UK there is no president, the Queen is ………….. of the …………..
2. There are two Houses in the Parliament: …………………….. and ………………..
3. People who sit in the ………….. Commons are called …………………..
4. People who sit in the ………………. Lords are called ……………….....
5. British people …………………... for MPs at a general …………………..
6. The party which wins a general ………………... forms the ………………. and their leader becomes the ...............................................
7. After the Queen approves the bill, it becomes .....................
Say true or false. If false correct the sentence, please.
1. The British Parliament sits in two buildings.
2. There is a general election when the Queen decides.
3. If there was a general election in 2004, the next general election should be in 2009 or earlier.
4. Life peers get into the House of Lords because their parents were rich.
5. Every member of the House of Lords and the House of Commons is called an MP.
6. Most members of the House of Lords are very clever and competent.
7. Members of Parliament represent everyone in the country.
8. Members of the House of Lords form the British government,
9. The Queen chooses the Prime Minister.
10. The United Kingdom is a monarchy.
Now read the descriptions and match them with the pictures.
a) The lords and ladies sit here. This chamber is also called the Parliament Chamber.
b) MPs sit here.
c) When the Queen arrives in the House of Lords to open the Parliament, she sits on this.
d) There is wool inside. It's a part of a very old tradition which started in the 14th
century. It's in Parliament to symbolize the importance of wool to the British economy at
that time.
e) He sits on the Woolsack and presides over the House of Lords.
f) These are two long narrow corridors, which are very important for the whole country, because MPs come here to vote.
j) He presides over the House of Commons.
h) The distance between them is two swords' lengths. In the old days MPs used to have
their swords, and it was dangerous when they got angry with each other. So the lines are
here to remind the MPs that they should not start a fight.
Lesson Plan
Today we are going on to talk about the British Parliament. Today you’ll read and listen to the texts to get the main idea of it and the details, then you’ll refresh new words on the topic. By the end of the lesson you will be able to match the pictures with their descriptions.
First of all let’s remember how the British Parliament began.
What year is known as the beginning of the British Parliament? (It’s 1215. the King is greedy and not a very competent ruler. The barons are very unhappy and start a revolt. In 1215 the barons made the king sign the Magna Carta.)
What was the Magna Carta? (The Magna Carta was an agreement between the King and his barons. It limited the King’s power. Since then all the English kings have had to ask the barons before they made any important decisions.)
We’ve already read about the Parliament. Now look at the screen, read and find the best translations for the words.
The House –
а) дворец; б) палата; в) дом.
The House of Lords –
а) дом лордов; б) палата лордов; в) палата
аристократов.
Member of Parliament –
а) гражданин парламента; б) член парламента; в)
член совета.
Hereditary peers –
а) наследственные пэры; б) наследственные
аристократы; в) наследственные члены парламента.
Life peers –
а) пэры на время; б) пожизненные пэры; в) живые
аристократы.
Bill –
а) законопроект; б) счет; в) документ.
General election –
а) общий конкурс; б) общественное голосование; в)
общие выборы.
The House of Commons –
а) палата простых; б) палата обычных; в) палата
общин.
Now listen to me attentively. After that you’ll do some tasks.
The British Parliament sits in one building which is called the Palace of Westminster. It's also called the Houses of Parliament because there are two Houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons.
So what's the difference between the House of Commons and the House of Lords?
In the House of Commons MPs. or Members of Parliament, make all the important decisions and work on bills, which later become new laws. The Prime Minister is in the House of Commons too. Why are MPs more important?
Because they represent all the people in the country. There is a general election at
least every five years. People vote for an MP, and the party which has the most MPs wins
the election and forms the government. Their leader becomes the Prime Minister.
And what about the House of Lords? Well. They’re not elected. Some people in the House
of Lords just inherit their places from their fathers and grandfathers. They're hereditary
peers. Now most people in the House of Lords are life peers. They get the title
"Lord" or "Lady" for their personal achievements.
And what about the Queen? What does she do? The Queen is the head of state, She and the House of Lords have to approve the decisions of the House of Commons.
Now fill in the gaps with the new words.
1. In the UK there is no president, the Queen is ………….. of the …………..
2. There are two Houses in the Parliament: …………………….. and ………………..
3. People who sit in the ………….. Commons are called …………………..
4. People who sit in the ………………. Lords are called ……………….....
5. British people …………………... for MPs at a general …………………..
6. The party which wins a general ………………... forms the ………………. and their leader becomes the ...............................................
7. After the Queen approves the bill, it becomes .....................
Say true or false. If false correct the sentence, please.
1. The British Parliament sits in two buildings.
2. There is a general election when the Queen decides.
3. If there was a general election in 2004, the next general election should be in 2009 or earlier.
4. Life peers get into the House of Lords because their parents were rich.
5. Every member of the House of Lords and the House of Commons is called an MP.
6. Most members of the House of Lords are very clever and competent.
7. Members of Parliament represent everyone in the country.
8. Members of the House of Lords form the British government,
9. The Queen chooses the Prime Minister.
10. The United Kingdom is a monarchy.
Can you summarize it all? Please, go to the board; take these sheets of paper, magnets and try to do it. You may use your notes.
Look at the screen, please. I prepare a short presentation for you about people, objects and places in the Parliament. Look through these slides and refresh your knowledge.
(Presentation)
Now read the descriptions and match them with the pictures.
a) The lords and ladies sit here. This chamber is also called the Parliament Chamber.
b) MPs sit here.
c) When the Queen arrives in the House of Lords to open the Parliament, she sits on this.
d) There is wool inside. It's a part of a very old tradition which started in the 14th
century. It's in Parliament to symbolize the importance of wool to the British economy at
that time.
e) He sits on the Woolsack and presides over the House of Lords.
f) These are two long narrow corridors, which are very important for the whole country,
because MPs come here to vote.
j) He presides over the House of Commons.
h) The distance between them is two swords' lengths. In the old days MPs used to have
their swords, and it was dangerous when they got angry with each other. So the lines are
here to remind the MPs that they should not start a fight.
Thank you for your work. You have worked hard, and I want to give you marks. So ….
Your home assignment is to read the text “The Houses of Parliament” (p. 61 – 62) and try to give a summary of the text.