Texts for listening. Text № 1. Political system of Great Britain.

Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy. The Queen is the head of the state. Today she is only a formal ruler. The power of the Queen is limited by the Parliament which consists of two Chambers, the House of Commons (about 630 members) and the House of Lords (about 1000 members). Peers* sit in the house of Lords. In the House of Commons representatives of the people of England, Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland take their seats.

The Prime Minister is responsible for the policy conducted by the Parliament. The Prime Minister and other ministers form the British Government. All the ministers must be members of either the House of Commons or the House of Lords. A minister may speak only in the House of which he is a member. The Prime Minister of the UK is elected in general election that is held every four years. The party that wins the majority of seats in the general election forms the government. The leader of this party becomes the Prime Minister and he forms the Cabinet.

The Prime Minister lives and works in the official residence at №10 Downing Street, London. The Cabinet usually meets once a week here.

There are three main political parties in Great Britain. They are the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberals.

*words, to be introduced before reading

Text № 2. New York.

New York is a city where all the languages of the world are spoken and where people live on the ground, travel under the ground and work in the sky.

The first permanent white settlers* came to New York from Holland in 1626. These Dutch settlers bought all of Manhattan Island from the Indians for the equivalent of twenty-five dollars, while today some of this land costs a million dollars an acre (акр= 4047 кв.м). This island is the heart of the city.

Most of the skyscrapers are located on Manhattan Island. This island is connected by six long bridges, as well as by tunnels and ferries, with the other four districts that constitute New York City.

New York is the largest city in the United States. Today there are more people living in New York City than in Australia, Peru or Sweden.

New York means of transport include buses, the subway, taxis and ferries The buses are slow because of the crowded streets, whereas the subway train go as fast as railroad trains stopping only at the most important stations.

New York moves vertically as well as horizontally, taking its people by elevators to their offices on the fortieth, sixtieth, or eightieth floor.

New York is the richest and the poorest, the most modern and the most old-fashioned of cities. It has expensive hotels and cheap boarding houses (пансион=небольшая, сравнительно дешёвая гостиница), magnificent cathedrals and night clubs, the largest US publishing houses and the biggest newspapers. It is the home of the famous Metropolitan Opera and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

New York makes a great impression on all visitors because of its many high buildings, its theatres, museums and hotels, its beautiful bridges, and its expensive shops with their fabulous (баснословный) prices.

*words to be introduced before reading

Список использованной литературы:

1. Бурова, Силинская

2. интернет сайты www.google.ru, www.yandex.ru

3. статьи из интернет-энциклопедии Wikipedia (сайт www.wikipedia.com)

4. статья из журнала для изучающих английский язык Speak Out № 1(53) 2006 г.

5. Занина Е. 95 устных тем по английскому языку, Айрис пресс, Москва, 2000