20). Leisure activities, sport and arts

Children do Skateboarding, roller blading, football, basketball, mountain biking, bmx biking, karate, judo, tenpin bowling, computer games, play station games, nintendo games. They enjoy playing and watching sports such as football, cricket, tennis and netball. Many children belong to clubs such as Cub Scouts, Brownies, Boys Brigade, St Johns Ambulance, Judo, Karate, dance and Youth Clubs. The traditional British holiday is a seaside holiday. Many of the world's famous sports began in Britain, including cricket, football, lawn tennis, golf and rugby. England's national sport is cricket although to many people football (soccer) is seen as our national sport. Football is our most popular sport. Some of England's football teams are world famous, the most famous being Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool. England's national sport is Cricket.

21)British National Ways of Life

The way of life in Great Britain is very different from ours. It is the result of the different social and historical development of Britain as an island country. The British hide their emotions. They are conservative and reserved. They are fond of sport. England's national sport is cricket/They are fond of football. People enjoy various indoor and outdoor activities in Britain. Among leisure activities we can name shopping, watching TV, travelling, cinema, eating out, pubs/home and gardening.They are fond of traditions. In Great Britain people attach greater importance to traditions and customs than in other European countries. Englishmen are proud of their traditions and carefully keep them up. The best examples are their queen, money system, their weights and measures. Halloween and Guy Fawkes Day(Bonfire Night.)Meals-Afternoon Tea, British food has traditionally been based on beef, lamb, pork, chicken and fish and generally served with potatoes and one other vegetable. The most common and typical foods eaten in Britain include the sandwich, fish and chips, pies.

22) Public holidays in the United Kingdom are the public holidays observed in some or all of the countries of the United Kingdom. Most businesses and non-essential services are closed on public holidays, although an increasing number of retail businesses (especially the larger ones) do open on some of the public holidays. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, public holidays are commonly referred to as bank holidays and the two terms are often used in the same meaning, although there is some difference. Bank holidays are holidays when banks and many other businesses are closed for the day. Public holidays are holidays which have been observed through custom and practice. The most principal holidays are New Years Day, Christmas Day, Saint Patrick's Day, Good Friday, Easter, May Day, Boxing Day, Victoria Day, Orangeman's Day, Summer Bank Holiday.

23) The British Education System. State Education in Britain.

All state schools in Britain are free, and schools provide their pupils with books and equipment for their studies. About 93% of British pupils receive free education.

3-5 age Nursery Education. Education is compulsory from 5 till 16 years. Primary Education is is the first stage of compulsory education.at the age from 5 – till 11. In the state system children are either educated in separate infant and junior schools or in a combined primary school. Most children are taught together, boys and girls in the same class.

At 11 most pupils go to secondary schools called comprehensives.

At 16 pupils take a national exam called «G.C.S.E.» (General Certificate of Secondary Education) and then they can leave school if they wish. This is the end of compulsory education.

Some 16-year-olds continue their studies in the sixth form at school or at a sixth form college, where they are prepared for a national exam called «A» level to enter a university. Other 16-year-olds choose to go to a college of further education to study for more practical (vocational) diplomas relating to the world of work, such as hairdressing, typing or mechanics.

Universities and colleges of higher education accept students with «A» levels from 18. Students study for a degree which takes on average three years of full-time study. Most students graduate at 21 or 22 and are given their degree at a special graduation ceremony.

24) (Вступление взять из 23 вопроса)Types of schools.In Britain there are several types of schools.First of all, they are divided into state/non-fee paying schools (they are:primary, secondary, comprehensive, grammar/university preparatory school and also church schools, community school) and public schools called independent or private schools, which are fee-paying, they are not run by the government.(e.g. Winchester, Harrow) Stereotypically, public schools are for boys only from the age of 13 (e.g. Eton)

25) Higher education is provided at academies, universities, colleges, liberal art colleges, institutes of technology and other institutions such as vocational schools, tradeschools, career colleges, that award academic degrees or professional certifications. University degrees. There is 3-level hierarchy of degrees currently used in the UK: Bachelor’s degree(3 years), Master’s Degree(typically taken in one year, though research-based master's degrees may last for two), Doctorate (typically taken in three years).The last 2 mentioned refer to Postgraduate education. Postgraduate education is not automatically financed by the state, and so admissions are highly competitive.

26)The Political Set-Up of the UK.

The UK Government is parliamentary(constitutional)monarchy. This means that the power is limited by Parliament. Monarch reigns, but doesn’t rule. The United Kingdom is governed within the framework of a constitutional monarchy, in which the Monarch is the head of state and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government. Executive power is exercised(осуществляться) by Her Majesty's Government, on behalf of(в интересах) and by the consent(согласия) of the Monarch, as well as by the devolved governments of Scotland and Wales, and the Executive of Northern Ireland. Legislative power is vested in the two chambers of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the House of Commons and the House of Lords, as well as in the Scottish parliament and Welsh and Northern Ireland assemblies. The judiciary is independent of the executive and the legislature. The highest national court is the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom.

27. Monarchy in Great Britain. Its History, Functions and Tradition The British monarch has enormous powers, but in reality those powers are limited and the Crown follows the dictates and advice of the ministers in Parliament. The real work of the monarchy consists largely of signing papers. The monarch has the right to be consulted on all aspects of national life and review all important government documents. He/she may also meet with the Privy Council, a now largely ceremonial body made up of Cabinet members that serves in advisory capacity to the monarch. The monarch is a figurehead and representing the country. The Queen's Speech is delivered by the Queen from the Throne in the House of Lords, in the presence of Members of both Houses. 28. British Parliament. Its History, Functions and Traditions At first, Parliament was not an institution but event. The barons’ leader Simon de Montfort, summoned representatives of towns to Parliament for the first time in 1265. The so-called Model Parliament of Edwart I (1295) contained all the elements of a mature Parliament: bishops and abbots, peers, two knights from each shire, and two representatives from each town. In the 14th century, Parliament spilt into two houses, gained control over statutes and taxation and created impeachment. The House of Commons has 659 members, elected from equal-size districts by British citizens at least 18 years old. The maximum life of a Parliament is five years. Members of the House of Commons are elected from geographical constituencies determined by population, and each MP represents approximately 60000 people. The House of Lords consists of about 1200 non-elected members. Members can be divided into the Lords Spiritual, higher bishops of the Church of England, and the Lords Temporal. The latter can be divided into Lords who have inherited their titles, Lords who have been given their titles for their lifetime and Law lords. Only a relatively small number of the members of the House of Lords take an active interest in politics and regularly attend meetings of the House, which usually sits about 145 days each year. The sole power of the House of Lords is to delay bills becoming a law. The speaker of the House of Lords, the Lord Chancellor, is a member of the Cabinet. The Law Lords sit as the highest court of appeal in England. 29. British Constitution. Its Main Sources The British constitution comprises multiple documents. The written part consist of the Magna Carta, written in 1215; the Petition of Right, passed by Parliament in 1628; and the Bill of Rights of 1689. It also includes the entire body of laws enacted by Parliament, precedents established by decisions made in British courts of law, and various traditions and customs. The democratically elected House of Commons can alter these laws with a majority vote. All laws passed by Parliament are regarded as constitutional, and changes or amendments to the constitution occur whenever new legislation overrides existing law. Although the Crown gives its royal assent to legislation, this is a mere formality.

30. Electoral System of the UK The Great Reform Bill of 1832 gave the vote to the middle class for the first time. The Parliament Act of 1911 weakened the House of Lords. Women aged 30 got the vote in 1918, those aged 21 in 1928. In 1969 the voting age for everyone was reduced to 18. There are five types of elections in the United Kingdom: United Kingdom general elections, elections to devolved parliaments and assemblies, elections to the European Parliament, local elections and mayoral elections. Elections are held on Election Day, which is conventionally a Thursday. General elections have fixed dates, and must be called within five years of the opening of parliament following the last election. Other elections are held on fixed dates, though in the case of the devolved assemblies and parliaments early elections can occur in certain situations. 31. The British Government. The Prime-Minister and his Cabinet The Governments power is concentrated in the hand of the Prime Minister, who at the same time is the leader of his party. He is the head of the government and has a seat in the Commons. Among other responsibilities, he recommends a number of appointments to the sovereign, including senior clergy of the Church of England. The cabinet started in the 18th century as an informal grouping of important ministers and officials of the royal household. In the 20th century, the cabinet has itself become more and more “official” and publicly recognised and much of the real decision-making takes place in the cabinet. It has about 20 members all of whom must be members of Parliament. The cabinet meets once a week and takes decisions about new policies, the implementation(выполнение) of existing policies and the running of the various government departments. The members of the Cabinet are chosen by the Prime Minister and may or may not have a government department under them.