A) Read the text and fill in the gaps with the suitable items (A-G) given below.
There are eight __ (1) __ criteria used to determine whether an entity is an independent country (also known as a State with a capital "s") or not. A country only needs __ (2) __ one of the eight criteria not to meet the definition of independent country status. Scotland does not meet all eight criteria; it fails on six of the eight criteria.
I. Scotland has __ (3) __ boundaries. Scotland is 78,133 square kilometers in area.
II. Scotland has people who live there __ (4) __. According to the 2001 census, Scotland's population is 5,062,011.
III. Scotland certainly has __ (5) __ and an organized economy; Scotland even has its own GDP (over 62 billion pounds as of 1998). However, Scotland does not regulate foreign or __ (6) __ because the Scottish Parliament is not authorized to do so. The Bank of Scotland does issue money but it prints the British pound on behalf of the central government.
IV. The Scottish Parliament has the power of __ (7) __, such as education.It is able to control education, training, and __ (8) __ (but not social security). However, this power was granted to Scotland by the UK Parliament.
V. Scotland itself has a transportation system but the system is not fully under Scottish control. The Scottish Parliament controls some aspects of transportation, including the Scottish __ (9) __, bus policy and ports and harbors while the UK Parliament controls railways, __ (10) __ and regulation. Again, this power was granted to Scotland by the UK Parliament.
VI. The Scottish Parliament has the ability to control law and home affairs (including most aspects of __ (11) __, the prosecution system and the courts as well as __ (12) __ and fire services. The UK Parliament controls defense and __ (13) __ across the United Kingdom. Again, Scotland's power was granted to Scotland by the UK Parliament.
VII. Scotland has no__ (14) __. The United Kingdom Parliament definitely has power over Scotland's territory.
VIII. Scotland does not have __ (15) __ nor does Scotland have its own embassies in other independent countries.
Thus, as you can plainly see, Scotland (nor Wales, nor Northern Ireland, nor England itself) is not an independent country nor is it a State. However, Scotland is most certainly a nation of people living in an internal division of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
A) social engineering
B) on an ongoing basis
C) national security
D) transport safety
E) domestic trade
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F) road network
G) to fail on
H) sovereignty
I) internationally recognized
J) the police
K) social work
L) accepted
M) external recognition
N) criminal and civil law
O) economic activity
B) Fill in the following grid.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
According to the meaning given in brackets find the only word to fill in the gap in the sentence.
1. ______ has been a concern of philosophers since Plato. (a science of governing or a political science )
(A) A policy; (B) A politician; (C) Politics; (D) A politics.
2. I have always been open about my _______. (political beliefs and opinions)
(A) policies; (B) politicians; (C) Politics; (D) politics.
3. It would not be _______to ignore the reporters. (sensible and likely to bring advantage)
(A) politicised; (B) politicking; (C) politic; (D) political.
4. It makes no _______ sense at all! (connected with trade, industry, and the management of money)
(A) economy; (B) Economics; (C) economical; (D) economic.
5. We flew _______ class. (the cheapest type of seats in a plane)
(A) economy; (B) economical; (C) economic; (D) economist.
6. _______ is the study of the way in which money and goods are produced and used. (a science)
(A) economies; (B) economics; (C) Economics; (D) economy.
7. The _______ of the scheme are to be looked at very carefully. (the way in which money influences whether a plan or a business will work effectively)
(A) economies; (B) economics; (C) Economics; (D) economicals.
Use the plan and helpful phrases given in Appendix 1 to profile the UK’s political history, political structure and economy. Surf the Internet, find extra information and base your presentation on it.
Comment on the presentation given by your colleague. Make use of the points and helpful phrases given in Appendix 2.
Make up a questionnaire to survey the class into their opinions about the UK’s pro-Brexit vote. Write a report summarizing the main viewpoints and giving your comments on them.
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DIALOGUE
Read and translate the following dialogue:
Managing Public Funds
| A. | Good morning, Mr. Black. Pleased to meet you. |
| B. | Good morning, Mr. Antonov. I’m also very glad to meet you again. |
| A. | If you don’t object I’d like to resume our conversation about the importance of the budget. The experts underline that the responsibility for managing public funds is divided among the three branches of government. The chief executive of each of the governments is in charge of drawing up the budget. Am I right? |
| B. | Yes, that’s true. It’s impossible to overestimate the importance of a good, balanced budget for a country. |
| A. | Could you be more specific, please? Let’s discuss the budget process arrangement. If I’m not mistaken the budget process includes the activities of government bodies on formation, consideration, approval and execution of the budget. |
| B. | Moreover, it’s absolutely necessary to mention that budget consideration and approval is the responsibility of the legislative branch. The executive branch is liable for the preparation and execution of the budget. The head of the executive branch must see that the money is spent according to the budget’s plan. The courts in the juridical branch settle disputes over the collecting and spending of the public money. |
| A. | I’m clear now. I suppose you know that in Russia public finance is the sum of budgets of all levels of the subjects of the Federation, extra-budgetary and reserve funds. In Russia the Ministry of Finance is the central coordinating body in charge of compiling and presenting the budget. It has major inputs from ministries in different fields of the economy and the state tax institutions. |
| B. | But I’d like to clarify one more point concerning the state bodies controlling the execution of the budget. Can you give me some information about the bodies examining public expenditure in your country? |
| A. | The way I see it, the Russian government has set up separate divisions to handle public funds. In Russia it’s the Accounts Chamber, established by the Federal Assembly, then the Federal Treasury System. Can you tell me which department controls the public finance in the UK? |
| B. | As far as I know, in the UK the government department responsible for broad control of public finance and expenditure is the Treasury headed by the Chancellor of the Exchequer[1]. And beyond this, the Bank of England advises the Government on financial matters. The Budget[2] is announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer who reviews the nation’s economic performance and describes the Government’s economic objectives and the policies to achieve them. |
| A. | Can I butt in? I have long been seeking to understand the difference between “Green Paper” and “White Paper”. Would you be so kind as to clarify it for me? |
| B. | Yes, of course. As a rule, in December each government department submits to the Treasury public expenditure estimates giving details of its cash requirements for the financial year beginning in the following April. Limited discussions of government proposals take place in the Cabinet meetings. From time to time consultative documents, sometimes called "Green Paper"[3], are set out for public discussion at a formative stage. After the approval by the Treasury these Supply Estimates published in the document called "White Paper"[4] are presented to Parliament. Parliament approves them in July. |
| A. | Thank you for the explanation. I think you are aware that in Russia our Parliament, the legislative body of our country, usually considers the draft budget. And deputies submit some amendments to the draft budget, e.g. about restructuring debts and paying off pensions and child benefits. |
| B. | Yes, I’ve got some information about the participation of your Parliament in the budgetary process. I hope you will kindly give me more detail about it next time. I think we’ve touched a lot of major points today. Let’s have a rest, shall we? |
| A. | Well, Mr. Black, thank you very much for putting me into the picture. |
| B. | Don’t mention it. I’m at your service. |
Task 1 . Report the dialogue. Use the following reporting verbs:
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| · to inform | · to clarify |
| · to stress | · to mention |
| · to confirm | · to make it clear |
| · to explain | · to finalize the matter |
Task 2. Work with a partner. Look at the dialogue and discuss what A. and B. say about the following subjects:
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a. who is responsible for drawing up the budget
b. the mechanics of the budgetary process and the roles of the executive and legislative branches
c. public finance in the Russian Federation
d. the responsibilities of the Treasury and the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Bank of England in the sphere of public finance
Task 3. Do it in English :
A.
· должностное лицо, руководитель, администратор
· невозможно переоценить важность сбалансированного бюджета
· расходовать деньги в соответствии с бюджетным планом
· включать в себя деятельность правительственных органов по фор- мированию, рассмотрению, одобрению и выполнению бюджета
· быть ответственным за составление бюджета
· создать отдельные управления, чтобы регулировать общественные средства
· счётная палата, учрежденная федеральным собранием
· система федерального казначейства
· управление государственными финансами
· министерство финансов Великобритании, возглавляемое министром финансов
· доклад правительственной комиссии, распространяемый для обсуждения какого-либо важного вопроса (Великобритания)
· в стадии формирования
· сметы государственных расходов
· сметы доходов
· вносить поправки в проект бюджета
B .
Бюджетный год Великобритании начинается 1 апреля и заканчивается 31 марта следующего года. Проект государственного бюджета составляет казначейство. Ежегодно осенью министерства и ведомства готовят смету своих расходов на следующий год, а департаменты внутренних доходов, таможенных пошлин и акцизов - сметы доходов. Сметы передаются казначейству, которое проверяет и уточняет их. Кабинет министров передает проект бюджета для обсуждения в парламент. Рассмотрение и обсуждение проекта бюджета в Великобритании начинается с выступления в палате общин канцлера казначейства. В своем выступлении он дает оценку закончившемуся финансовому году, сообщает об экономических перспективах развития страны в новом году. В палате общин бюджет утверждается голосованием. Утверждение бюджета палатой лордов и подписание его королевой имеет чисто формальное значение.
Task 4. Look back at Dialogue 1 .6. Produce your own dialogue about the significance of the budget using Supporting materials. Search the Internet to find further information about the budgetary process. Make a full use of the underlined helpful phrases from Dialogue 1.6.
Supporting Materials
US vs UK budget
A nation’s budget is the forecast by a government of its expenditures and revenues for a specific period of time. The U.S. has a relatively open budget, which is presented as a whole and subjected to congressional scrutiny. In contrast, the government of the United Kingdom presents the budget in different documents, at different times and, although subjected to parliament scrutiny, it is rarely changed.
The US budget is presented as a coherent whole for lengthy consideration by Congress, during which it is often substantially revised. This joint consideration of revenue and expenditure is also common in most European countries. In the United States of America nearly all of the federal government's revenues come from taxes. Each year, Congress establishes the federal budget. Then it passes a revised budget. Since 1974, income security has been the largest category of federal spending. Income security includes retirement and disability payments for federal employees, unemployment insurance, and social security payments to retired and handicapped workers. Defense spending makes up the second largest category. Interest payments on the national debt constitute the third largest expenditure.
Practice in the UK continues to reflect the historical separation of revenue and expenditure. The UK budget consists of a number of different documents. A sketchy report of the government’s intentions is given in an Autumn Statement, usually published in November. This document contains expenditure plans for the forthcoming three years. Details of these plans and the aims of government expenditure and the output obtained are given in an annual White Paper in February or March. The documents concerned with the revenue side are represented in a separate volume entitled the Financial Statement and Budget Report usually presented in March. This gives a general outline of the economic policy, details of proposed tax changes and estimates of likely revenues, as well as the size of the reserve to cover unforeseen events. It is very difficult to relate the public expenditure White Paper to the Financial Statement and Budget Report. The social security expenditure is presented in yet another document.
Each year the British government reviews and carries forward its public expenditure plans in the Public Expenditure Survey and publishes the results in a White Paper. Then they are submitted in the form of Supply Estimates to Parliament for approval.
There are different ways of analyzing total public spending. Each of them is useful for answering different questions. It may be organized by department - "who plans it". This covers all spending for which the relevant Secretary of State (one of several members of the government in charge of departments) is responsible whether it is carried out by Central government, local authorities or public corporations. But figures are also given for these different spending authorities -"who spends it" - and for economic categories - "what it is spent оn". Some departments spend money on a range of different functions. To complement the purely departmenlal approach, spending can also be analyzed on a purely functional basis. This is information on "where it goes".
CROSS-CULTURAL ASSOCIATIONS
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