1. THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT

2. Fill in the gaps with the suitable words. It was the ______ century, the year of ______. The ____ was a greedy and incompetent ruler. The _____ were high but he decided to raise them. The _____ didn’t like it and started a _______. The ____ decided to hide in his castle but they found him. He had to sign the _______, an agreement between the King and his barons, because the _______ made him do it. The ______ limited the King’s power. Since then all the English _____have had to ask the barons before they made any important ________. THE BEGINNING OF THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT

3. Fill in the gaps with the suitable words. It was the 13th century, the year of 1215. The King was a greedy and incompetent ruler. The taxes were high but he decided to raise them. The barons didn’t like it and started a revolt. The king decided to hide in his castle but they found him. He had to sign the Magna Carta, an agreement between the King and his barons, because the barons made him do it. The magna carta limited the King’s power. Since then all the English kings have had to ask the barons before they made any important decisions. THE BEGINNING OF THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT John Lackland The Magna Carta The barons made the King sign the Magna Carta.

4. Who is she? What is she famous for?

7. Who is he? What is he famous for?

10. Where are we? The lords and ladies sit here. This chamber is also called the Parliament Chamber. We are in the Chamber of the House of Lords.

11. What is this? When the Queen arrives in the House of Lords to open the Parliament, she sits on this. This is the Queen’s throne.

12. What is this? There is wool inside. It’s a part of a very old tradition which started in the 14 th century. It symbolises the importance of wool to the British economy at that time. This is the Woolsack.

13. Do you know this person? He sits on the woolsack and presides over the House of Lords. He is the Lord Chancellor.

14. How is this place called? It is one of the two long narrow corridors, which are very important for the whole country, because MPs come here to vote. It is called the “aye”, or yes lobby.

15. Where are we now? MPs sit here. We are in the Chamber of the House of Commons.

16. Who is this person? He presides over the House of Commons. He is the Speaker.

17. What are these red lines for? We can see two red lines in front of the benches on each side of the chamber. That’s part of a tradition. The distance between them is two swords’ lengths. In the old days when MPs used to carry swords, it was dangerous if they got angry with each other. They are here to remind MPs that they shouldn’t start a fight, and they can’t go over these lines when they are speaking in a debate.

18. What is this thing? It lies on the table when the House is debating. It’s the symbol of the power which Parliament has won from the King. It even has its own guard, who has a very big sword. This thing is the Mace.

19. And where are we at last? This is the oldest part of the building. A lot of famous events and meetings have taken place here. It saw Guy Fawkes, who tried to blow up the Houses of Parliament in 1605, and in World War II bombs fell on it. We are in Westminster Hall.

20. The Speaker The Lord Chancellor The Mace The Woolsack Two red lines on the carpet The throne Green benches Red benches MPs Peers

21. Who is the head of state in the UK? Who is the head of the government in the UK? Is the UK a republic, a monarchy or a federation? How many Houses does it consist of? Which House represents the people of Britain? How often do British people vote for MPs? What are Britain’s main political parties? What are the members of the House of Lords called? (The queen is). (The Prime Minister is). (A monarchy). (Two Houses). (The House of Commons). (At least every 5 years). (Labour and Conservative). (Peers).

22. What do MPs do with their feet? What is the surname of one of the most famous British Prime Ministers (“the Iron Lady”)? What does the Lord Chancellor sit on? What is a member of the House of Commons called? Who opens the Parliament? Who presides over the House of Commons? 1 2 3 4 5 6

23. What do MPs do with their feet? What is the surname of one of the most famous British Prime Ministers (“the Iron Lady”)? What does the Lord Chancellor sit on? What is a member of the House of Commons called? Who opens the Parliament? Who presides over the House of Commons? 1 V1 VOTE 2 THATCHE 3 WOOLSACK 4 MP 5 QUEEN 6 SPEAKE R R