Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

I. Текущий контроль.

 

The British Monarch

The Queen Elizabeth II (born 21^st April, 1926) is the official Head of State and for many people she is a symbol of unity of the nation.

Queen Elizabeth II is not only the monarch of the United Kingdom but also of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as many other countries in the Commonwealth* (an association of States that were once ruled by Brit­ain). She is also Head of the Church of England. However, the Queen has almost no power to influence the church.

As Head of the Commonwealth, the Queen has more freedom from the government. When the Queen was growing up, the British Empire still had colonies, and she watched as they became independent members of the Commonwealth. She has met and knows the leaders of these countries. Although she has no executive powers as Head of the Commonwealth, she takes her role very seriously. However, Britain is now a member of the European Community* and is moving away from its links with the Commonwealth. In addition, people in some of the major Commonwealth countries, such as Australia and Canada, wonder if they should be connected to a monarch so far away.

Queen Elizabeth II is married to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The heir* to the throne is Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

The Queen's other children are Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. This group is usually called the royal family, together with Queen Elizabeth's mother - the Queen Mother who died in 2002 at the age of 101. Many members of the royal family undertake official duties in Britain and abroad. Their various responsibilities reflect tradition, their own personal interests and Britain’s former imperial status.

The Queen's power is limited by Parliament but every week she meets the Prime Minister and receives copies of the all cabinet papers. Elizabeth is the head of the executive, of the judicial power and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the U.K. She also has to fulfil her ceremonial functions such as opening of Parliament, for example.

The Royal Family's money comes from two sources: government funds and their own personal wealth, which is considerable. On the one hand the Queen is certainly one of the richest women in the world, while on the other hand her power is limited by the fact that so many of her expenses* are paid for by government money. Parliament has had control of the monarch's finances since the seventeenth century.

Vocabulary notes:

Commonwealth - Британское Содружество Наций

European Community - Евросоюз

heir — наследник

expenses - расходы

 

Ex. 1. Read and translate the functions of the queen. Point out which of them are not mentioned in the text.

Functions of the Sovereign:

a)opening and closing Parliament;

b) approving the appointment of the Prime Minister;

c)giving her Royal Assent (королевская санкция ( принятого парламентом закона )) to bills;

d) giving honours such as peerages, knighthoods and medals;

e)Head of the Commonwealth;

f) Head of the Church of England;

g) Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

Ex. 2. Read the sentences and find the ones which don’t conform to the text:

1. The Queen of the UK is not absolute but constitutional.

2. The highest judicial body in the UK is the House of Lords.

3. The Queen is the Head of the Church of England.

4. The Royal Family takes part in public life and has many official duties.

5. The Cabinet provides the Queen with the copies of all documents under discussion.

6. Each new Prime Minister may make changes in the size of the Cabinet.

7. The Cabinet and other ministers are responsible for the national policy.

8. Her Majesty the Queen is one of the richest women in the world.

Future of the Monarchy

The British Monarchy today is perceived by people in the country and beyond (за пределами) with mixed feelings. People's attitudes (отношение) are quite often determined by their age, sex, education, social status and political affiliation (принадлежность). The popularity of the Royal Family started to grow in the early 1980s, with the weddings of princes Charles and Andrew. The media and tabloids like The Sun, The Star and The Daily Mirror made the most of royal gossip – illness, romance, drama, arguments, divorce, accident – scandal and sensation.

As well as newspaper stories, television has contributed (способствовать) to the Royal Family success. In the last twenty years there have been dozens of royal documentaries, series and interviews. Before the days of television the Royal Family seemed formal and distant (отдаленный). Today they seem informal and friendly. They are still national symbols, but they are also 'stars' just like pop singers and Hollywood actors. Along this 'film star' factor there is also a 'soup-opera' factor, which makes the British Royal Family so popular. Like the Ewings and the Carringtons from the soap-operas of Dallas and Dynasty, the Windsors are a big family with lots of different and very interesting characters.

However, the arguments against the monarchy put forward (выдвигать) that it is anachronistic, non-democratic, too expen­sive, too exclusive and too closely associated with aristocratic privilege and establishment thinking. Moreover, it contributes to class divisions in society and sus­tains (поддерживать) a hierarchical structure. If the monarch's functions today are merely (только) ceremonial and lack power, the office should be abolished and replaced by a cheaper presidency.

Arguments in favour of the monarchy suggest that it has developed and adapted to modern requirements (требование), and is not remote (отдаленный) from people. Some British people look to the Queen not only as their head of State but also as the symbol of tradition and unity. She performs an important am­bassadorial role in Britain and overseas. As has been mentioned above, the monarchy is also said to have certain glamour (some would say soap-opera quality) about it, which is attractive to many people. Besides, most people think that the Royal Family is good for tourism.

Public opinion polls from time to time demonstrate majority support for the institution of monarchy as against a republican alternative. But the polls also suggest that the mon­archy should adapt more to changes in society, that less public money should be spent on it, and that its income should be subject (подвергать) to income tax.

 

II. Промежуточная аттестация.

Проводится в форме зачета и экзамена. Зачету и экзамену предшествует собеседование по домашнему чтению.

Собеседование по домашнему чтению предполагает умение читать и переводить подготовленный дома текст. При ответе текстов по домашнему чтению студентов имеет право пользоваться словарем, составленным им дома при подготовке к переводу. Количество слов не ограничено. Требование: слова должны быть выписаны в начальной форме. Собеседование по домашнему чтению считается пройденным, если не менее 70% текста, указанного преподавателем, прочитано и переведено.

Зачет

1. Прочитать и перевести со словарем отрывок оригинального текста по специальности объемом 700-800 печатных знаков. Время подготовки – 30 минут.

2. Сообщение по одной из устных тем.

 

Экзамен

1. Прочитайте и переведите с помощью словаря отрывок оригинального текста по специальности объемом 900-1000 печатных знаков на 40 минут.

2. Беседа по одной из устных тем.

 

Домашнее чтение для зачета.

The UK Political System

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a constitutional monarchy. It means that Great Britain is governed* by Parliament and the king or the queen is the Head of State. However, since the 13^th century the power of the English monarch has been limited by Parliament. But the power is hereditary, and not elective. The monarch doesn’t rule* and can only reign* with the support of Parliament.

The Houses of Parliament exercise* the legislative power in the country. The main function of the Parliament is to make laws. The British Parliament consists of two chambers: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The House of Commons has 650 members who are elected by people every 4 years from the constituencies* in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The House of Commons is the real governing body* of the UK.

The House of Lords is composed of about 1, 000 hereditary and life peers*. The members of the House of Lords are not elected. They inherit* this right from their fathers. The work of the House of Lords includes examining* and revising bills* from the House of Commons.

The executive power* is in the hands of the Prime Minister and his Cabinet. The Prime Minister is the majority party leader and is appointed* by the Queen. The Prime Minister chooses a team of ministers, twenty of the ministers are in the Cabinet. They are the leading members of the Government party (it has the greater number of seats in the House of Commons). The Cabinet and other ministers of the Crown are responsible* for directing national policy. The Prime Minister holds Cabinet meetings at his (her) house at number 10 Downing Street, which is very near the Houses of Parliament in Westminster.

The second largest party becomes the official opposition with its own leader and the Shadow Cabinet*. The two leading parties in Great Britain are the Labour Party and the Conservative Party, which is the ruling* party nowadays.

The judiciary branch* of the government determines common law* and is independent both of the legislative and executive branches. The highest judicial body in the English judicial system is the House of Lords.

Britain doesn’t have a written constitution, only precedents and traditions.

The present Sovereign* of the UK is Queen Elizabeth II. She is the leader of the society and a symbol of Britain.

I. Текущий контроль.

 

The British Monarch

The Queen Elizabeth II (born 21^st April, 1926) is the official Head of State and for many people she is a symbol of unity of the nation.

Queen Elizabeth II is not only the monarch of the United Kingdom but also of Australia, Canada and New Zealand, as well as many other countries in the Commonwealth* (an association of States that were once ruled by Brit­ain). She is also Head of the Church of England. However, the Queen has almost no power to influence the church.

As Head of the Commonwealth, the Queen has more freedom from the government. When the Queen was growing up, the British Empire still had colonies, and she watched as they became independent members of the Commonwealth. She has met and knows the leaders of these countries. Although she has no executive powers as Head of the Commonwealth, she takes her role very seriously. However, Britain is now a member of the European Community* and is moving away from its links with the Commonwealth. In addition, people in some of the major Commonwealth countries, such as Australia and Canada, wonder if they should be connected to a monarch so far away.

Queen Elizabeth II is married to Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh. The heir* to the throne is Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales.

The Queen's other children are Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward. This group is usually called the royal family, together with Queen Elizabeth's mother - the Queen Mother who died in 2002 at the age of 101. Many members of the royal family undertake official duties in Britain and abroad. Their various responsibilities reflect tradition, their own personal interests and Britain’s former imperial status.

The Queen's power is limited by Parliament but every week she meets the Prime Minister and receives copies of the all cabinet papers. Elizabeth is the head of the executive, of the judicial power and the commander-in-chief of the armed forces of the U.K. She also has to fulfil her ceremonial functions such as opening of Parliament, for example.

The Royal Family's money comes from two sources: government funds and their own personal wealth, which is considerable. On the one hand the Queen is certainly one of the richest women in the world, while on the other hand her power is limited by the fact that so many of her expenses* are paid for by government money. Parliament has had control of the monarch's finances since the seventeenth century.

Vocabulary notes:

Commonwealth - Британское Содружество Наций

European Community - Евросоюз

heir — наследник

expenses - расходы

 

Ex. 1. Read and translate the functions of the queen. Point out which of them are not mentioned in the text.

Functions of the Sovereign:

a)opening and closing Parliament;

b) approving the appointment of the Prime Minister;

c)giving her Royal Assent (королевская санкция ( принятого парламентом закона )) to bills;

d) giving honours such as peerages, knighthoods and medals;

e)Head of the Commonwealth;

f) Head of the Church of England;

g) Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

Ex. 2. Read the sentences and find the ones which don’t conform to the text:

1. The Queen of the UK is not absolute but constitutional.

2. The highest judicial body in the UK is the House of Lords.

3. The Queen is the Head of the Church of England.

4. The Royal Family takes part in public life and has many official duties.

5. The Cabinet provides the Queen with the copies of all documents under discussion.

6. Each new Prime Minister may make changes in the size of the Cabinet.

7. The Cabinet and other ministers are responsible for the national policy.

8. Her Majesty the Queen is one of the richest women in the world.

Future of the Monarchy

The British Monarchy today is perceived by people in the country and beyond (за пределами) with mixed feelings. People's attitudes (отношение) are quite often determined by their age, sex, education, social status and political affiliation (принадлежность). The popularity of the Royal Family started to grow in the early 1980s, with the weddings of princes Charles and Andrew. The media and tabloids like The Sun, The Star and The Daily Mirror made the most of royal gossip – illness, romance, drama, arguments, divorce, accident – scandal and sensation.

As well as newspaper stories, television has contributed (способствовать) to the Royal Family success. In the last twenty years there have been dozens of royal documentaries, series and interviews. Before the days of television the Royal Family seemed formal and distant (отдаленный). Today they seem informal and friendly. They are still national symbols, but they are also 'stars' just like pop singers and Hollywood actors. Along this 'film star' factor there is also a 'soup-opera' factor, which makes the British Royal Family so popular. Like the Ewings and the Carringtons from the soap-operas of Dallas and Dynasty, the Windsors are a big family with lots of different and very interesting characters.

However, the arguments against the monarchy put forward (выдвигать) that it is anachronistic, non-democratic, too expen­sive, too exclusive and too closely associated with aristocratic privilege and establishment thinking. Moreover, it contributes to class divisions in society and sus­tains (поддерживать) a hierarchical structure. If the monarch's functions today are merely (только) ceremonial and lack power, the office should be abolished and replaced by a cheaper presidency.

Arguments in favour of the monarchy suggest that it has developed and adapted to modern requirements (требование), and is not remote (отдаленный) from people. Some British people look to the Queen not only as their head of State but also as the symbol of tradition and unity. She performs an important am­bassadorial role in Britain and overseas. As has been mentioned above, the monarchy is also said to have certain glamour (some would say soap-opera quality) about it, which is attractive to many people. Besides, most people think that the Royal Family is good for tourism.

Public opinion polls from time to time demonstrate majority support for the institution of monarchy as against a republican alternative. But the polls also suggest that the mon­archy should adapt more to changes in society, that less public money should be spent on it, and that its income should be subject (подвергать) to income tax.

 

Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

One of the greatest statemen who led Great Britain to victory in the Second World War was Sir Winston Churchill, a man of inexhaustible energy, a historian, a veteran of war and master of politics. He was an intense* patriot and believed in his country's greatness and its historic role in Europe and in the world.

Winston Churchill was born on November 30, 1874 at Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire. After graduation from the Royal Military College at Sandhurst, the young officer left for Cuba. He spent there a couple of months reporting the Cuban war of independence from Spain. Later his regiment* went to India where he was both soldier and journalist. He also reported the South African War and returned to Britain as a military hero. In 1890 he entered politics as a Conservative and won a seat in Parliament.

In the years that followed his government and political posts alternated* with military ones. He remained outside the Government from 1929 to 1939, but he continued to hold a seat in Parliament and repeatedly warned of the menace* of Nazi Germany.

Winston Churchill was a major political figure during the Second World War. This English statesman successfully led Britain through this war. In 1940 he became the Prime Minister and later took over the Ministry of Defence. Throughout the war he worked tirelessly and built good relations with President Roosevelt. He inspired the confidence of the British people in their struggle for victory. He proclaimed one aim - " victory at all costs, victory however long and hard the road may be". The commons gave him their unanimous* vote of confidence*.

However, Churchill was regarded with suspicion by some people. Though he was seen as a great leader, he was also hated by many trade union members and working class people. In the 1945 post-war election his power was lost but he remained a vital leader of the opposition. Churchill's Conservative Party failed in the postwar period, but he led it back to office in 1951 and remained Prime Minister until 1955 when ill health forced* him to resign*.

Among Churchill’s talents and achievements are his historical writings, paintings and a number of publications. He found pleasure in writing. The most important are his two masterpieces* “The Second World War” and “A History of English Speaking Peoples”. Не was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1953.

 

Vocabulary Notes:

intense – сильный, глубокий

regiment – полк

alternate – сменять друг друга ( with ); чередовать(ся),

menace - угроза

to warn of - предупреждать о

unanimous – единогласный, единодушный

confidence – вера, доверие

to force - вынуждать

to resign - уйти в отставку

masterpiece - шедевр

 

 

1.1. Устные темы для текущего контроля.

About myself and my family.

Our Academy.

My native town.

My work.

 

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