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Read the text. 2. Answer the questions:






 

2. Answer the questions:

1) How many towers does the “Tower of London” comprise?

2) What is the oldest one? When does it date back?

3) Where do steps of the Trailor`s Gate lead down to?

4) Who was released from the tower and became a queen?

5) What does the crown of the Queen Mother contain?

6) What does the legend state?

3. Complete the sentences:

1) The…is one of the most important and imposing of London`s historical sites;

2) In 1483 King Edward`s 2 sons were…in the so-called…;

3) The Tower is famous as home of the Crown…;

4) Everyone has heard of the Yeoman Wardersof the Tower of or…

5) No visit to the Tower would be complete without seeing the…;

Why doesn't Britain have a written constitution?

The British constitution has evolved over many centuries. Unlike the constitutions of the United States, France and many Commonwealth countries, the British constitution has not been assembled at any time into a single, consolidated document. Instead it is made up of common law, statute law and convention.

Of all the democratic countries in the world, only Israel is comparable to Britain in having no single document codifying the way its political institutions function and setting out the basic rights and duties of its citizens. Britain does, however, have certain important constitutional documents, including the Magna Carta (1215) which protects the rights of the community against the Crown; the Bill of Rights (1689) which extended the powers of Parliament, making it impracticable for the Sovereign to ignore the wishes of the Government; and the Reform Act (1832), which reformed the system of parliamentary representation.

Common law has never been precisely defined - it is deduced from custom or legal precedents and interpreted in court cases by judges. Conventions are rules and practices which are not legally enforceable, but which are regarded as indispensable to the working of government* Many conventions are derived from the historical events through which the British system of government has evolved. One convention is that Ministers are responsible and can be held to account for what happens in their Departments. The constitution can be altered by Act of Parliament, or by general agreement to alter a convention.

The flexibility of the British constitution helps to explain why it has developed so fully over the years. However, since Britain joined the European Community in 1973, the rulings of the European Court of Justice have increasingly determined and codified sections of British law in those areas covered by the various treaties to which Britain is a party. In the process British constitutional and legal arrangements are beginning to resemble those of Europe.

 

 

Glossary:

assemble – збирати;

statute – статутний;

convention – конвенція;

codify – зіставляти;

extend – розширяти;

impracticable – нездійсненно;

precisely defined – точно визначений;

deduced – виведений;

precedent – передумова;

derive – виникати;

alter – змінювати;

flexibility – гнучкість;

determine – визначати;

section – пункт;

arrangement – розпорядження;

resemble – нагадувати;


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