Check yourself and fill in the gaps without looking into the text. See how much you have coped with.

1) Only 92 peers sit in the Upper House ____ of ______________ _______________. 2) The majority of members are now _________ ________. 3) Normally, the _________ of the Lords is required before Acts of Parliament can be passed, and the Lords can _______ all ____________, with the exception of bills to _________ _________, long seen as the responsibility of the Commons. 4) A ________ of _________ was _______________, which was further ___________ by the Parliament Act of 1949. 5) Government's _________ _________, in the form of Government Bills, are not __________ _______ by the House of Lords __ __________ __________. 6) Lords business is expected to be conducted __ an ______ and polite _________ without the need for an active Speaker. 7) All other members of the House of Lords are ____________, but they may _____________ ___ __________________________. 8) About two thirds of the Lords _________ ______________ with a political party. 9) Some Lords are former Members of the House of Commons who have been _____________ _______ the Lords __ _________ __ distinguished service in politics. 10) Law Lords are appointed for life to ____________ the ___________ ____________ of the House). 11) The Queen   grants  ____________ titles or life peerages to both men and women. 12) The Queen ____________ this prerogative ____ the _______________ of Prime Minister.

Speak about the legislative body in Great Britain, the USA and Russia.

Listening(4) Is the monarchy value for money? (06: 08)

Listen to Graham Smith and Phillip Blond discussing the economic and financial case for and against the monarchy. Answer the questions.

1) How much does the monarchy cost the taxpayer according to Ph. Blond and what is this money spent on?

2) What other expenses are there, according to G. Smith?

3) What are the experts’ estimates of the effect the monarchy has on tourism?

4) Where do the figures quoted by G. Smith come from?

5) What “undemocratic” aspect does G. Smith mention?

6) Why is, in Ph. Blond’s opinion, a constitutional monarchy a huge boon to any nation?

7) Why doesn’t his argument stand up to any scrutiny, according to G. Smith?

8) How do the experts see the role of the royal wedding?

UNIT 3.

Text 1 Executive Branch of Power of the USA

Before you read. Think over the following questions:

- Do you know how the Cabinet work? How do the members of the   

Cabinet cope with the workload of their everyday duties?

-What do you know about Her Majesty’s Privy Council and Privy Counselors?

Read the following text. Translate the underlined passage into Russian.

The chief executive of the United States is the president, who, together with the vice-president, is elected to a four-year term. Under a Constitutional Amendment passed in 1951, a president can be elected to only two terms. Except for the right of succession to the presidency, the vice-president’s only Constitutional duties are to serve as the presiding officer of the Senate; the vice-president may vote in the Senate only in the event of a tie.

The powers of the presidency are formidable, but not without limitations. The president, as the chief formulator of public policy, often proposes legislation to Congress. The president can also veto any bill passed by Congress. The veto can be overridden by two thirds vote in both the Senate and House of Representatives. As the head of his political party, with ready access to the news media, the president can easily influence public opinion regarding issues and legislation that he deems vital.

The president has the authority to appoint federal judges as vacancies occur, including members of the Supreme Court. All such court appointments are subject to confirmation by the Senate.

Within the executive branch, the president has broad powers to issue regulations and directives regarding the work of the federal government’s many departments and agencies. He also is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

Under the Constitution, the president is primarily responsible for foreign relations with other nations. The president appoints ambassadors and other officials, subject to Senate approval, and, with the Secretary of State, formulates and manages the nation’s foreign policy.

Checks and balances

When Americans talk about their three-part national government, they often refer to what they call its system of “checks and balances”. This system works in many ways to keep serious mistakes from being made by one branch or another. Here are a few examples of checks and balances:

If Congress proposes a law that the president thinks is unwise, the president can veto it. That means the proposal does not become law. Congress can enact the law despite the president’s views only if two thirds of the members of both houses vote in favour of it.

If Congress passes a law which is then challenged in the courts as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court has the power to declare the law unconstitutional and therefore no longer in effect.

The president has the power to make treaties with other nations and to make all appointments to federal positions, including the position of Supreme Court justice. Yet the Senate must approve all treaties and confirm all appointments before they become official. In this way the Congress can prevent the president from making unwise appointments.

Exercises

1. Give the equivalents to the following:

система сдержек и противовесов; неразумный; вводить закон; голосовать в поддержку; не иметь более юридической силы; оспаривать в суде как неконституционный; подтвердить назначение на должность; по Конституции; широкие полномочия; подлежат утверждению Сенатом; когда появляются вакансии; глава исполнительной власти; внушительный; наложить вето на законопроект; преодолеть вето; считать что-л. жизненно важным; равный счет голосов; легкий  доступ к ч.-л.

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