Яков Аракин - Практический курс английского языка 2 курс

There are two "Chambers"or "Houses" of Parliament— that of the Commons and that of

the Lords. The more important and powerful of these is the House of Commons, whose members

are elected by the public. The Prime Minister and most of the Government are Members of the

House of Commons. The House of Lords is made up ofLords who have inherited their titles and the

right to sit in the House, and "life peers" who are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the

Government of the day.

Half of the building of Parliament is used by the Commons and the other half by the Lords.

At the Westminster Bridge end is the residence of the Speaker, who presides over meetingsof the

House of Commons and at the other end is the residence of the Lord Chancellor, who presides over

the House of Lords.

Parliament's most important function is the making of laws. Before a new law (or Bill)

can come into effect, it must pass throughthree stages in each House and be giventhe Queen's

approval. It then becomes an Act of Parliament.

(See: Mountefield

A. London. Lnd., 1979)

b) Say what you know about the Russian Parliament, i. e. two chambers: the

Duma and the Council of Federation.

XVIII. Give the idea of the text in English:

После более чем десяти лет споров по поводу того, стоит ли допускать телевидение в

британский парламент, лорды, наконец, разрешили установить камеры в своей палате. Однако

палата общин отказывается принять такое же решение. Один из основных противников

телетрансляций заседаний парламента — премьер-министр М.Тэтчер. Она оправдывает свою

позицию тем, что подобные передачи потребуют слишком больших затрат. Но, как считает

лондонский корреспондент американской газеты «Крисчен сайенс монитор», причина

упорного сопротивления Тэтчер кроется в нежелании делать достоянием гласности

критические выступления в адрес ее правительства. А как заявил во время недавних дебатов

лорд Уайтлоу, немалую проблему представляет и тот факт, что многие парламентарии на

заседаниях попросту спят. Появление на телеэкранах дремлющих законодателей отнюдь не

послужит росту их авторитета.

(«За рубежом», № 9, 1985)

XIX. Read and comment on the following:

REMEMBRANCE DAY (POPPY DAY)

Remembrance Day is observed throughout Britain in commemoration of the million or more

British soldiers, sailors and airmen who lost their lives during the two World Wars. On that day

wreaths are laid at war memorials throughout the country and at London's Cenotaph (a war memorial

in Whitehall) where a igreat number of people gather to observe the two-minute silence and to

perform the annual Remembrance Day ceremony. The silence begins at the first stroke of Big Ben

booming 11 o'clock and is broken only by the crash of distant artillery. When the two-minute silence

is over, members of the Royal Family or their representatives and political leaders come forward to

lay wreaths at the foot of theXenotaph. Then comes the march past the memorial of ex-servicemen

and women, followed by an endless line of ordinary citizens who have come here with their personal

wreaths and their sad memories. On that day artificial poppies, a symbol of mourning, are

traditionally sold in the streets and people wear them in their button-holes.

(From Customs, Traditions and Festivals of Great Britain

by T. Khimunina, N. Konon, L. Walshe. M, 1974)

XX. a) Collect information on English traditions and customs.

b) Arrange a talk between Russian and English students on their national

traditions, customs and habits. (One of the students should conduct it: introduce the

participants to each other, make a short introductory speech on the subject, ask

questions, etc. to keep the talk running on, sum up the discussion.)

LABORATORY EXERCISES (I)

1. listen to the text "Introducing London".

2. Respond to the following using the suggested models.

3. Complete the sentences using the given suggestions.

4. Translate the sentences into English, using the Essential Vocabulary of Unit Three. Check

your sentences with the key.

5. listen to some text and write it as a dictation, check the spelling with the key. Retell the

text.

6. Listen to the text "The House of Commons" or some other text on the same topic. Retell

the text, add more Information on the topic.

TOPIC: CITY

TEXT A. SOME MORE GLIMPSES OF LONDON

London is one of the biggest and most interesting cities in the world.

Traditionally it is divided into the West End and the East End. The West End is famous for its

beautiful avenues lined with plane trees, big stores, rich mansions, expensive restaurants, hotels,

theatres and night clubs. The East End used to be a poor area filled with warehouses, factories, slums

and miserable houses. Quite a lot of people lived from hand to mouth here. For the recent years this

area including Dockland has turned into a new housing development.

The heart of London is the City — its commercial and business centre. Here is situated the

Tower of London that comes first among the historic buildings of the city. If you want to get some

glimpses of London it's just from here that you had better start sightseeing.

The Tower of London was founded by Julius Caesar and in 1066 rebuilt by William the

Conqueror. It was used as a fortress, a royal residence and a prison. Now it is a museum of armour

and also the place where the Crown Jewels are kept. In present days, just as many centuries ago, the

Ceremony of the Keys takes place at its gates. Every night when the guard is changed at each gate

there is the cry: "Haiti Who goes there?" Then the guard replies: "The Keys." "Whose Keys?"

"Queen Elizabeth's Keys!" "Pass, Queen Elizabeth's Keys! All's well." And so the Tower of London

is safely closed for the night.

A twenty minutes' walk from the Tower will take you to another historic building — St.

Paul's Cathedral, the greatest of English churches. It was built by a famous English architect, Sir

Christopher Wren (1632-1723). St. Paul's Cathedral with its huge dome and rows of columns is

considered to be a fine specimen of Renaissance architecture. In one of its towers hangs one of the

largest bells in the world, Great Paul, weighing about 17.5 tons. Wellington,29 Nelson30 and other

great men of England are buried in the Cathedral.

Not far away, in Westminster, where most of the Government buildings are situated, is

Westminster Abbey. Many English sovereigns, outstanding statesmen, painters and poets (Newton,

Darwin, and Tennyson among them) are buried here.

Across the road from Westminster Abbey is Westminster Palace, the seat of the British

Parliament. Its two graceful towers stand high above the city. The higher of the two contains the

largest clock in the country and the famous bell Big Ben that strikes every quarter of the hour.

If now we walk along Whitehall, we shall soon come to Trafalgar Square. It was so named in

memory of the victory in the battle of Trafalgar, where on October 21, 1805 the English fleet under

Nelson's command defeated the combined fleet of France and Spain. The victory was won at the cost

of Nelson's life. In the middle of Trafalgar Square stands Nelson's monument — a tall column with

the figure of Nelson at its top. The column is guarded by four bronze lions.

The fine building facing the square is the National Gallery and adjoining it (but just round the

corner) is the Portrait Gallery.

Not far away is the British Museum — the biggest Museum in London. It contains a priceless

collection of different things (ancient manuscripts, coins, sculptures, etc.). The British Museum is

famous for its library — one of the richest in the world.31 In its large circular reading room Marx,

Engels and later Lenin used to work.

And now, even if you have almost no time left for further sightseeing, you cannot leave the

city without visiting Hyde Park or "the Park" as Londoners call it. When you are walking along its

shady avenues, sitting on the grass, admiring its beautiful flower-beds or watching swans and ducks

floating on the ponds, it seems almost unbelievable that all around there is a large city with its heavy

traffic.

TEXT B. SIGHTSEEING

— Is it possible to see anything of London in one or two days?

— Well, yes, but, of course, not half enough.

— What do you think I ought to see first?

— Well, if you are interested in churches and historic places you should go to Westminster

Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's and the Tower. Do you like art galleries?

— Rather!

— Then why not go to the National Gallery and the Tate?

— I'm told one ought to see the British Museum. Do you think I shall have time for that?

— Well, you might, but if I were you, I should leave that for some other day. You could

29 The Duke of Wellington(1769-1852): a famous British general whose army defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815

30 Nelson, Horatio(1758-1805): an English admiral who won the battle of Trafalgar (the Atlantic coast of Spain)

31 In 1973 the library of the British Museum and four other biggest libraries were joined into one — the British Library, which is the

biggest national library in the United Kingdom and one of the biggest and best present-day libraries in the world.

spend a whole day there. It's much too big to be seen in an hour or so.

— I suppose it is. What about going to the Zoo?

— That's not a bad idea. You could spend a couple of hours there comfortably, or even a

whole afternoon, watching the wild animals, birds and reptiles. You could have tea there too.

— I'll do that, then. How do I get there?

— Let me see. I think your best way from here is to walk across Regent's park.

— Is it much of a walk?

— Oh, no, a quarter of an hour or so, but, if you are in a hurry, why not take a taxi?

— I think I will. Ah, here's one coming. Taxi! The Zoo, please.

(From "The Linguaphone English Course")

TEXT С. RED SQUARE

Red Square has witnessed many important events in the life of Russian people. Though time