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I. Decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F):
1. It is no doubt that Britain is the oldest representative democracy in the world.
2. In Britain, the process of state-building has been one of evolution rather than revolution, in contrast to France and the US.
3. The oldest institution of government in Britain is the Monarchy.
4. The divine right of the king means the sovereign derived his authority from his subjects.
5. As the king in theory had God on his side, it was thought that he should exercise absolute power.
6. The term “parliament” was first officially used in 1066 to describe the gathering of feudal barons and representatives from counties and towns.
7. Britain is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.
8. Britain, like Israel, has a written constitution of the sort which most countries have.
9. Common laws are laws which have been established through common practice in the courts.
II. Choose the answer that best completes the statement or answers the question:
1. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of British government?
A. It offers the Queen high political status and supreme power.
B. It is both a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy.
C. It is the oldest representative democracy in the world.
D. It has no written form of constitution.
2. Which of the following kings was executed in the civil war?
A. James I.
B. James II.
C. Charles I.
D. Charles II.
3. What happened in 1215?
A. It was the year of Norman Conquest in British history.
B. Forced by barons, King John signed the Magna Carta.
C. Henry IV granted the Commons the power to review money grants.
D. King Egbert united England under his rule.
4. Which of the following is NOT true about the Great Council?
A. It included barons and representatives from counties and towns.
B. It was sometimes summoned by the kings to contribute money.
C. It later developed into what we now know as the Cabinet.
D. It represented the aristocrats as well as the communities.
5. Under whose reign was the Bill of Rights passed?
A. James II.
B. William of Orange.
C. Oliver Cromwell.
D. George I.
6. Which of the following is NOT related to the Constitution?
A. It is a written document which lists out the basic principles for government.
B. It is the foundation of British governance today.
C. Conventions and Laws passed by Parliament are part of the Constitution.
D. The common laws are part of the Constitution.
7. Which of the following statements is NOT correct?
A. There are no legal restraints upon Parliament.
B. Strictly speaking, the Queen is part of the Parliament.
C. Parliament has the supreme power of passing laws.
D. Parliament has no power to change the terms of the Constitution.
8. Which of the following is NOT a true description of the Queen's role?
A. The Queen selects the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
B. The Queen symbolises the tradition and unity of the British state.
C. The Queen acts as a confidante to the Prime Minister.
D. The Queen is the temporal head of the Church of England.
9. Which of the following is NOT a feature of the House of Lords?
A. Lords do not receive salaries and many do not attend Parliament sittings.
B. It consists of the Lords Spiritual and the Lords Temporal.
C. The lords are expected to represent the interests of the public.
D. Most of the lords in the House of Lords are males.
10. Which of the following is NOT based on the fact?
A. Members of Parliament elect the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.
B. MPs receive salaries and some other allowances.
C. MPs are expected to represent the interests of the public.
D. Most MPs belong to the major political parties.
III. Fill in the blanks:
1. ______, the ancestor of the present Queen, Elizabeth II, united England under his rule in 829.
【答案】 King Egbert
2. The doctrine of the “divine right of kings” held that the sovereign derived his authority from _____, not from _____.
【答案】 God, his subjects
3. During the civil war in the 17th century, those who represented the interests of Parliament are called _____, and those who supported the King were called _____.
【答案】 roundheads, loyalists
4. In 1215, some feudal barons and the Church forced King ______ to sign the ______ to place some limits on the King's power.
【答案】 John, Magna Carta
5. In medieval times, kings would summon a group of wealthy barons and representatives of counties, towns and cities — called _____ to raise money.
【答案】 the Great Council
6. In 1689, Parliament passed _____ to ensure that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.
【答案】 the Bill of Rights
7. In the 18th century, King George I left the job of chairing cabinet meetings to one of his ministers who later came to be called ______
【答案】 Prime Minister
8. In Britain, the official head of state is _____ while the real centre of political life is political life is in ______.
【答案】 the Queen, the House of Commons
9. The British Constitution consists of statute law, ______and ______.
【答案】 common law, conventions
10. The most important function of the Parliament is to ______.
【答案】 pass laws
11. Strictly speaking, the Parliament today consists of the Queen, ______ and ________
【答案】 the House of Lords, the House of Commons
12. Life peers should be nominated by ______ and appointed by___________.
【答案】 Prime Minister; the sovereign
IV. Tell what you know about the following in your own words:
1. The Bill of Rights of 1689
Key: In 1688, King James II's daughter Mary and her husband William were invited by the politicians and church authorities to take the throne, on condition that they would respect the rights of Parliament. The Bill of Rights was passed in 1689 to ensure that the King would never be able to ignore Parliament.
2. The Constitution
Key: Britain has no written Constitution. The foundations of the British state are laid out in statute law, which are laws passed by Parliament; the common laws, which are laws established through common practice in the courts; and conventions.
3. The functions of Parliament
Key: The functions of Parliament are: to pass laws, to vote for taxation, to scrutinise government policy, administration and expenditure and to debate the major issues of the day.
4. The House of Lords
Key: The House of Lords consists of the Lords Spiritual, who are the Archbishops and most prominent bishops of the Church of England; and the Lords Temporal, which refers to those lords who either have inherited the seat from their forefathers or they have been appointed. The lords mainly represent themselves instead of the interests of the public.
5. The House of Commons
Key: The House of Commons is the real center of British political life because it is the place where about 650 elected representatives (Members of Parliament) make and debate policy. These MPs are elected in the General Elections and should represent the interests of the people who vote for them.