Exercises 82. I
Complete this word-building table. Use a dictionary to help you if necessary.
Abstract noun
Person
Adjective
politics democracy dictatorship socialism conservatism liberalism Fill the gaps to complete this text about the political system in the United Kingdom. One word in each gap. In the UK (I) are held every five years. (The (2) Minister may decide to hold one after four years, but five years is the maximum.) Some countries have a system of proportional representation: this means in theory, that a should get 30% of the seats in (4) • In political party with 30% of the (3) the UK, the political (5) is different: here the winner takes all. This means that the person with the most votes in each political area (called a constituency) wins the seat; and the which wins a of the seats will (8) the government political (6) with only on their own. Asa result ofthis system, iris possible for a party to be in (9) 40% of the total vote. Some people think this system is unfair. What do you think? What possible reasons could there be to justify (= support) this system? Think about your answer, then compare it with the ideas suggested in the key. 1
Answer these questions about your own country. If possible, ask someone else the same questions.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Which party is in power at the moment? When were they elected? Who is the leader of this party? Is this person the President or Prime Minister of your country? Do you agree with most of their policies? Would you describe yourself as left-wing, right-wing, or in the centre? Do you think your political views have changed much during your lifetime? How many major (= important) political parties are there? Who did you vote for in the last election? Do you think this party will win the next election? Will you vote for them again?
You can increase your English vocabulary in politics quite easily: Buy three newspapers (in English if you are in an English speaking country, or your own language if you are in your own country), and find the same political story in each one. Read the articles and underline any words that appear in all of them, and any other words you think are important. If you are reading a newspaper in English, try to guess the meaning of these words and then use a dictionary to check. This exercise is equally useful if you read articles in your own language. You use a bilingual dictionary to find the English translation/explanation for your underlined words, and you can then look up these words in a monolingual dictionary as well. English Vocabulary in Use (pre-intermediate & intermediate)
169