Words, words, words…

Match the words and their definitions.

shamrock	patron saint of Ireland
Ulster	kind of clover plant, with leaflet in groups of three
St Patrick	nationalist party in Northern Ireland
IRA	another name for Northern Ireland

DID YOU GET IT?

1. End the statements:

1. A characteristic feature of Northern Ireland is ……………………..

2. The area around Loch Neagh is popular for ………………………..

3. Since the 17^th century, Ulster has been suffering from a religious conflict between ………………………

4. The IRA is responsible for …………………………………………

5. Greater part of Ireland remains …………………………………….

6. Shipbuilding used to be an important industry but now ……………

7. Ireland is divided into ………………………………………………

TIME TO SPEAK

1. Work in pairs. Together with your group mates you’re going to visit one of the countries in the UK. Discuss together which country you would like to see, give your reasons and present your ideas to the rest of the group.

2. Give a brief presentation of your trip and prepare the itinerary using supplementary materials (books, photos, videos, websites, interactive maps).

Unit V. THE SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT

QUESTION TIME

Do you know:

1. if Britain has ever had a type of government other than a monarchy?

2. what functions the sovereign has in modern Britain?

3. what system of government there is in the UK?

TIME FOR READING

Read the text and check your answers to the pre-reading questions.

In theory, the constitution in Britain has three branches: Parliament, which makes laws, the government, which 'executes' laws i.e. puts them into effect, and the law courts, which interpret laws. Although the Queen (the Sovereign) is officially head of all three branches, she has little direct power.

Parliament has two parts: the House of Commons and the House of Lords. Members of the House of Commons are elected by the voters of 650 constituencies. They are known as MPs, or Members of Parliament. The Prime Minister, or leader of the Government, is also an MP, usually the leader of the political party with a majority in the House of Commons.

The Prime Minister is advised by a Cabinet of about twenty other ministers. The Cabinet includes the ministers in charge of major government departments or ministries. Departments and ministries are run by civil servants, who are permanent officials. Even if the Government changes after an election, the same civil servants are employed.

Members of the House of Lords (peers) are not elected. About 70 per cent of them are 'hereditary peers' because their fathers were peers before them. The other 30 per cent are 'life peers', whose titles are not passed on to their children. They are officially appointed by the Queen, on the advice of the Government, for various services to the nation.

Functions of Parliament	Functions of the Prime Minister	Functions of the Sovereign
• making laws • providing money for government, through taxation • examining government policy, administration and spending • debating political questions.	• leading the majority party • running the Government • appointing Cabinet Ministers and other ministers • representing the nation in political matters	opening and closing Parliament approving the appointments of the Prime Minister giving her Royal Assent to bill giving honours Head of the Commonwealth Head of the Church of England Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces

DID YOU GET IT?

Use the information from the text and answer the questions:

1. Which of the two Houses of Parliament has more power?

2. Which of these people are not elected: a peer, an MP, a civil servant, the Prime Minister?

3. What is the difference between a life peer and a hereditary peer?

4. Name two functions of Parliament and two of the Prime Minister.

5. What powers does the Queen have in government?

6. What are civil servants?