Zvyšování kvality výuky technických oborů Klíčová aktivita V.2
Inovace a zkvalitnění výuky směřující k rozvoji odborných kompetencí žáků středních škol Téma II.2.1
Reals of the English speaking countries and the Czech Republic Kapitola 3 Political system in The United Kingdom Mgr. Drahomíra Pólová
30.9.2012
Obsah ÚVOD
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1 POLITICAL SYSTEM IN THE UNITED KINGDOM ............................................................................................. 2 1.1
CONSTITUTION ............................................................................................................................... 2
1.2
THE QUEEN ................................................................................................................................... 2
1.3
PARLIAMENT ................................................................................................................................. 3
1.4
THE GOVERNMENT ......................................................................................................................... 3
1.5
THE BRITISH FLAG AND ANTHEM ......................................................................................................... 3
QUESTIONS ............................................................................................................................................ 4 2 DOPORUČENÁ LITERATURA ......................................................................................................................... 5 3 POUŽITÁ LITERATURA A ZDROJE .................................................................................................................. 6
Úvod Výukový materiál je primárně určen pro žáky 3. a 4. ročníků čtyřletých oborů zakončených maturitní zkouškou (39-41-L/01 Autotronik, 33-42-M/01 Nábytkářská a dřevařská výroba, 23-45-M/01 Dopravní prostředky, 36-45-M/01 Technická zařízení budov, 39-41-L/002 Mechanik instalatérských a elektrotechnických zařízení budov) a 2. ročníků nástavbového studia (23-43-L/51 Provozní technika, 64-41-L/51 Podnikání), ale lze jej využít i při výuce nadanějších žáků v nižších ročnících uvedených oborů. V rámci seznámení se s problematikou reálií a života v anglicky mluvících zemí je výukový materiál vhodné použít jako podpůrný a doplňkový studijní materiál v předmětu Anglický jazyk. Jednotlivá témata korespondují s tématickými plány vypracovanými v souladu s ŠVP pro dané obory a vycházejí z požadavků RVP. Jazyková úroveň výukového materiálu je v souladu s požadavky úrovně Intermadiate - B1 (středně pokročilý) Společného evropského referenčního rámce pro jazyky. Výukový materiál se zabývá politickým systémem ve Spojeném království. Vzdělávací materiál zahrnuje souvislý text, jenž je souhrnným představením daného tématu. Součástí kapitoly je rovněž kontrolní cvičení.
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1 Political system in the United Kingdom 1.1 Constitution The United Kingdom is a unitary state under a constitutional monarchy. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state of the UK as well as of fifteen other independent Commonwealth countries. The United Kingdom has an uncodified constitution, as do only three other countries in the world. The Constitution of the United Kingdom consists mostly of a collection of disparate written sources, including statutes, judge-made case law and international treaties, together with constitutional conventions. As there is no technical difference between ordinary statutes and "constitutional law" the UK Parliament can perform "constitutional reform" simply by passing Acts of Parliament and thus has the political power to change or abolish almost any written or unwritten element of the constitution. However, no Parliament can pass laws that future Parliaments cannot change.
1.2 The Queen
The Queen is impartial and acts on the advice of her ministers. She has “the right to be consulted, the right to be warn”. One important duty is the choice of Prime Minister, although by convention the monarch chooses the leader of the party with majority in the House of Commons. She normally sees the Prime Minister each week as well as speaking to other ministers. She also receives copies of important government papers and a summary of debates in Parliament. Some duties are now largely ceremonial. A major example is the opening of Parliament each year by the Queen, when she delivers a speech from the throne setting out her Government´s plans for the coming year. The speech is prepared by the Government.
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1.3 Parliament The supreme law-making body in the country is Parliament which consists of the House of Commons and the House of Lords. There are 650 elected members of Parliament (MPs) in the House of Commons. General elections to choose MPs must be held at least every five years. Voting which is not compulsory, is by secret ballot and is from the age of 18. The House of Lords consists of hereditary and life peers and peeresses, the two archbishops and 24 most senior bishops who are the representatives of the Church of England. The center of parliamentary power is the House of Commons. The House of Lords as a revising chamber should complement the Commons and not rival it. The parliament of the United Kingdom meets in the Westminster Palace.
1.4 The Government The Government is formed by the party with majority support in the Commons. The Queen appoints its leader as the Prime Minister. The country is in fact governed by the Cabinet, i.e. about twenty leading ministers headed by the Prime Minister. The second largest party forms the official “shadow cabinet”. The Opposition has a duty to criticize government policies and to present an alternative programme. There are three main political parties in Britain: the Conservative party, the Labour Party and the Liberal-Democratic Party.
1.5 The British flag and anthem
The flag of the UK is officially called the Union Flag, but it is commonly known as the Union Jack. The flag is made up of the crosses of the patron saints of England (St George´s red cross on a white field), Ireland (St Patrick´s red diagonals on a white field) and Scotland (St Anrew´s white diagonals on a blue field) and has existed in its present form since 1801. Wales is not represented because when the flag first appeared it was already united with England. King Henry VIII united England and Wales under one Parliament in 1536. The Welsh flag, called the Welsh dragon, shows a red dragon on a green and white field. The British national anthem “God Save the Queen” was first performed as “God Save the King” in London in 1745. Only the first verse of the traditional version is usually sung.
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Questions
What does the uncodified constitution mean?
Who is the head of state?
What are the Queen´s duties?
Which chambers does the Parliament consist of?
Who is the head of the Government?
Name political parties in the UK.
Describe the UK flag.
Try to compare the British and Czech political system.
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2 Doporučená literatura 1. Mgr. Dagmar El-Hmoudová, Angličtina – maturitní témata Třebíč 2006. ISBN 978-8086873-04-6. 2. Světlana Brendlová, Reálie anglicky mluvících zemí Praha FRAUS, 2004. ISBN 8085784874. 3. Jana Odehnalová, Reading about theEnglish-speaking countries Praha PRÁH, 2004. ISBN 80-7252-095-4. 4. Janet Borsbey,Ruth Swan, Crossing cultures, Praha INFOA, 2010. ISBN 978-807240-683-8.
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3 Použitá literatura a zdroje 1. Mgr. Dagmar El-Hmoudová, Angličtina – maturitní témata Třebíč 2006. ISBN 978-8086873-04-6. 2. Světlana Brendlová, Reálie anglicky mluvících zemí Praha FRAUS, 2004. ISBN 8085784874. 3. Jana Odehnalová, Reading about theEnglish-speaking countries Praha PRÁH, 2004. ISBN 80-7252-095-4. 4. Janet Borsbey,Ruth Swan, Crossing cultures, Praha INFOA, 2010. ISBN 978-807240-683-8.
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