Task 11. Read and translate the text.

Traditions in Parliament

Part I

The "throning" of a Speaker for the House of Commonsis a tradition. He is generally elected by the common consent of all parties and is dragged from the floor of the House forcibly by two MPs and he puts up a resistance. This ceremony dates back to the period before the Bourgeois Revolution, when the Speaker, as the representative of the Commons, had the unpleasant task of presenting its demands to the King. Sometimes he might lose his head for it or be thrown into the Tower.

Having been chosen the Speaker is carefully segregated. He is aloof from any political involvement, he lives in a big gothic house inside the Palace of Westminster, earns good money and retires with a peerage and a pension. His job requires a special temperament – phlegmatic but firm, as his main job is to keep fair play between the parties and between back-benchers and front-benchers, to protect the House from outside influences, and this can justify much of the pomp. He insists that MPs call each other "honourable members", bow to him on entering and leaving and address all their speeches to him. But too often the Speaker's role degenerates into having to control childish squabbles and "unmanaged" debates with outbreaking of anger or uproar.

There are 5 rows of benches running the length on either side of the Speaker. Her Majesty's Government sitting to the right of the Speaker and Her Majesty's Opposition sitting to the left of him have always held face-to-face debates. Sometimes those debates became so heated that MPs crossedswords with each other and fights began. Therefore a rule was imposed prohibiting members from crossing the space marked on the floor by red lines. This space is the width of two drawn swords. The red line in front of each front bench still marks the limit beyond which an MP may not approach the opposite side. If he steps on the lines the speaker immediately calls him to order and he is to apologize.

Notes to the text:

to put up a resistance – оказывать сопротивление

to segregate – отделяться, изолироваться

to be aloof from – держаться в стороне от, чуждаться

involvement – участие

honourable – почтенный

squabble – перебранка, ссора из-за пустяков

outbreaking – (внезапное) начало, вспышка

uproar – шум, беспорядки

Task 12. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and word combinations: с общего согласия, выставлять требования, зарабатывать много денег, уходить в отставку (на пенсию), честная игра, оправдывать, наставать на чем-либо, проводить дебаты, скрестить мечи, навязывать правило, запрещать, приближаться, призывать к порядку, извиняться.

Task 13. Match the words having the opposite meaning:

pleasant back-bencher to justify right to earn to prohibit fair inside to degenerate order

to spend disorder to progress outside to allow unpleasant to accuse left front-bencher unfair

Task 14. Answer the questions:

1. Why does a Speaker resist taking up the post?

2. What does the job of the Speaker look like?

3. How did the tradition of red line appear?

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