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Westminster, Washington and the club project

Lessons 36–37 · 2 lessons · L. Jurayev, M. Abdullayeva, H. Tuhtarova, S. Khan, L. Tsoy, K. Inogamova, L. Matskevich, R. Ziryanova. Fly High English 9 (English, Grade 9), revised and expanded 2nd edition. “Yangiyo‘l Poligraf Servis”, Tashkent, 2014
36

Westminster and Washington

Textbook: pp. 55–56
GoalWestminster and Washington: the British Parliament and the US Congress; legislature, cabinet, statute law, common law; completing a comparison table.
New words
legislature · qonun chiqaruvchi organcabinet · vazirlar kabinetistatute law · yozma qonun (statut)convention · urf-odat (konvensiya)
Explanation

The British Parliament meets in the Palace of Westminster in London (the Houses of Parliament). Formally, Parliament includes the monarch and two houses: the House of Lords and the House of Commons. After an election, the party that wins the most seats in the Commons usually forms the government, and the King asks its leader to become Prime Minister. The Prime Minister lives and works at 10 Downing Street. He or she chooses the ministers, and a smaller group of senior ministers, the Cabinet, makes the key decisions. The UK has no single written constitution: its rules come from Acts of Parliament (statute law), judges’ decisions (common law) and long-standing practices (conventions). In the USA, Congress meets in the Capitol in Washington, D.C. The states give some powers to the federal government but keep others, for example over schools, police and roads.

Worked examples
Westminster is the name for the Houses of Parliament in London. Washington is the capital of the USA, and the Capitol is where Congress meets. In both cities laws are discussed and decisions are made.
Table (own sample). UK: capital London; constitutional monarchy; head of state the monarch; head of government the Prime Minister; building the Houses of Parliament. USA: capital Washington, D.C.; federal republic; head of state and government the President; building the Capitol.
Class activity

Table: groups fill in a five-column table for the UK and the USA (country, structure, head of state, head of government, building).

Practice
1
Where is the Prime Minister’s official home?
2
Where does Congress meet?
3
Complete: The Cabinet ___ (make up) of senior ministers.
4
Why is the British constitution not in one document?