Do the tasks:

Great Britain is not a federation, or union of states like the USA.

There are no written laws, no written constitution. A thousand years
ago, before the Norman Conuest in !"##, the Anglo$Sa%on kings
consulted the Great Council &an assembly of the leading men from
each district' before taking im(ortant decisions. Between !"## and
!)!* the king ruled alone, but in !)!* the nobles forced +ing ,ohn
to acce(t -agna Carta &The Great Charter', which took away some
of the king.s (owers. /n later centuries this was seen as the firs
occasion on which the king was forced to take ad0ice. /n !)#1 the
first (arliament of nobles met together. Since then the British
Constitution has grown u( slowly as the result of countless Acts of
2arliament. There ha0e been no great changes in the Constitution
since the re0olution in !#33. Then, 2arliament in0ited 4illiam and
-ary to become Britain.s first constitutional monarchs. A
constitutional monarch is one who can rule only with the su((ort of
2arliament. The Bill of 5ights &!#36' was the first legal ste(
towards constitutional monarchy. This Bill (re0ented the monarch
from making laws or ha0ing an army without 2arliament.s a((ro0al.
Since !#36 the (ower of 2arliament has grown, while the (ower of
the monarch has become weaker. The 5eform Acts of !37), !3#8
and !331 ga0e the 0ote to large number of common citi9ens. Today
e0ery man and woman aged eighteen has the right to 0ote.
:or the last se0enty years the (olitical scene has been
controlled by the Conser0ati0e and ;abour (arties. The (arty in
(ower determines the home and foreign (olicy of the country.
1. Decide, whether the statements are true or false?
!. Great Britain is a (arliamentary monarchy.
). Great Britain has a written constitution.
7. -agna Carta reduced the (ower of +ing ,ohn.
1. The British 2arliament submits to the ueen.
*. -ary and 4illiam riled the country with the su((ort of (arliament.
#. The Bill of 5ights (rohibited making laws and decisions by king or
ueen without the 2arliament.
8. <0ery citi9en of Great Britain aged !3 has the right to 0ote.
3. There are two main (arties in the United +ingdom.
6. The monarch.s (ower in the U+ is unlimited.
2. Put the events into the correct order:
a' 4illiam and -ary became first constitutional monarchs.
b' +ing ,ohn had to acce(t -agna Carta.
c' British citi9ens became able to take (art in (olitical life of their country.
d' The Anglo$Sa%on kings consulted the Great Council before acce(ting law.
e' The Bill of 5ights was acce(ted.
f' The British 2arliament met for the first time.
3. Match the words and expressions (1 !" to their explanations (a h":
!. -agna Carta a' inhabitant of the country
). the British Constitution b' the charter signed by king ,ohn. /t
reduced the (ower of the king. /t
became the basis of <nglish citi9ens.
rights.
7. the British 2arliament c' to choose, to elect
1. 4illiam and -ary d' an organi9ation to gain (olitical
(ower
*. the Bill of 5ights e' first constitutional monarchs
#. to 0ote f' the highest body of state (ower in
the U+.
8. citi9en g' the set of rules and (rinci(les
under which the U+ is go0erned,
unwritten in one single document.
3. (arty h' an act of the (arliament of Great
Britain, one of the foundations on
which British constitutional law was
laid.