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HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT AT WESTMINSTER



2016-09-17 463 Обсуждений (0)
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The Palace of Westminster — among the world's most famous buildings — houses the British Parliament the House of Lords and the House of Commons. The first palace was built for Edward the Confessor, who came to the throne in 1042. Forty-five years later William Rufus, son of William the Conqueror, had Westminster Hall — the finest in Europe — added to the apartments and here he feasted in 1099. Henry III added the Painted Chamber in the 13th century and in his reign Parliament (from French parler — to speak or talk) had its origins. Knights from the shires and burgesses from the towns were invited to meet in 1265. Thirty years later a more democratic Model Parliament took place with representatives who were elected, not simply nominated. By 1550 the Commons and the Lords were meeting separately with Members of Parliament occupying the secularised exquisite St. Stephen's Chapel, meanwhile the impressive Westminster Hall had been rebuilt with its hammerbeam roof and carved flying angles. When Charles II came to the throne in 1660, Cromwell's skull was stuck on a spike on the roof, where it rotted for 25 years.

By the 19th century overcrowding had become a major problem. Plans for rebuilding were hastened in dramatic fashion when the night skies of London were lit up with a fierce blaze. The Palace of Westminster was engulfed in a fire in 1834. Sir Charles Barry received the commission to build anew, in Gothic splendour, with the assistance of Augustus Pugin who provided picturesque ornamentation. St. Stephen's Chapel became St Stephen's Hall - a wide corridor with paintings and marble sculptures and a brass stud on the floor marking where the Speaker's chair used to stand. The crypt survived, so did Westminster Hall, although the neighbouring chamber of the Commons was destroyed yet again, in the Second World War.

Every British citizen has the traditional right to ask to see his or her Member of Parliament, and they meet in the highly decorative Central Lobby. When Parliament is sitting, it is possible to hear debates from the Strangers' Galleries. Even the Queen is subject to restrictions. For the State Opening of Parliament she has to sit enthroned in the Lords while the Prime Minister and the Cabinet is summoned from the Commons - a custom which goes back to the era of Charles I, who burst in, demanding the arrest of five Members of Parliament. He failed. The House of Lords is composed of Church of England's bishops and archbishops, peers who have inherited titles and peers who are appointed for life. Those members who are qualified in the law, also sit as a court of law - the Supreme Court of Appeal in the United Kingdom. In the Chamber - where State Openings of Parliament take place with the Queen reading from the throne - the Lord Chancellor, who is also Speaker, has a seat called the Woolsack, formerly made of a large sack of wool. The Lord Chancellor is the highest civil subject in the land and takes precedence, after the royal family, before all the Queen’s other subjects, with the exception of the Archbishop of Canterbury.

On either side of the Peers' Corridor frescoes depict events of the 17th century, including King Charles I's intrusion into the House of Commons in 1642. The average attendance at the House of Lords, which sits on about 140 days a year is 270, but in the course of a year some 700 partake in the proceedings. The official report of Parliament's business is called Hansard. Parliament's paramount power is to make laws. It provides, through taxation, the means to govern, a democratic process ensured by the party system which provides each government with an Opposition. Parliament consists of two chambers - the House of Lords and the Commons with 650 elected members.

Beyond the Central Lobby is the Members lobby, no called because only lobby correspondents can accompany Members this far. Beyond here are the Aye and No lobbies where Members pass through for a count when a vote or Division is called during debate. In the main chamber, the Speaker presides with the symbol of his authority, the Mace, on the table. The Prime Minister and Government Ministers sit on the front bench on the right side. The Opposition are on the left side.

For relaxation, the Members of Parliament have reception rooms which lead onto the riverside terrace. That could not be used until 1865 when London's new sewerage system opened and reduced the slink from the polluted Thames.

In gardens across the road is the Jewel Tower a stone structure built in 1365-66 as a royal treasure house. Among modem sculptures to have been placed in the vicinity is a masterpiece by Sir Henry Moore, while Sir Winston Churchill presides over Parliament Square, with his larger-than-life size sculpture raised on a plinth.

Task I. Read the first 3 paragraphs of the text, match the names and events:

1. Edward the Confessor a) had Westminster Hall added
2. William Rufus b) added Painted Chamber
3. Members of Parliament c) was commissioned to build Westminster anew
4. Sir Charles Barry d) provided picturesque ornamentation
5. Augustus Pugin e) had the first palace built
6. Henry III h) occupied St. Stephen's Chapel

Task II. Read the second half of the text, answer the questions:

1. Why are there the Strangers Galleries in the Houses of Parliament?

2. What custom goes back to the era of Charles I?

3. How does the House of Lords differ from the House of Commons in membership composition?

4. What are the 3 highest subjects in the Kingdom?

5. What is the Parliament's paramount power?

6. What is the arrangement of the Parliament beyond the Central Lobby?

7. What is known of the riverside terrace and the Jewel Tower?

 



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