Steve's story
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«Many forms and rules of parliamentary procedure date back to the beginning of the sixteenth century.
People outside Great Britain believe that if they elect the man to sit in the Parliament he has a seat there. But the House of Commons has seats for only about two thirds of its members. Thus on great occasions when the House is full, members have to sit in the gangways. Only four members of the House of Commons have reserved seats: the Speaker, the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition and the member who is in the Parliament for the longest unbroken period. Ministers sit on the front bench, but have no right to any particular seat there.
The Queen usually opens the new session of Parliament. When she takes her seat on the throne she sends the official of the House of Lords, called Black Rod,1 to call the Commons. When he arrives at the door of the House of Commons they bang it in his face to show their independence. After this they follow Black Rod into the chamber of the House of Lords, where they stand while the Queen reads her speech. During the election of the Speaker, when he is going to his great chair at one end of the House, he struggles and pretends that he doesn't wish to accept the honour. This comes from the days when men were afraid to become the Speaker. It was because the sovereign and the House of Commons often quarrelled and the Speaker's duty of acting as go-between was both difficult and dangerous.
Nowadays the Speaker no longer takes part in debates as other members do. He presides over the debates and decides which member is to speak at any particular moment. Often several wish to speak and they stand up and try «to catch the Speaker's eye», as they call it. The Speaker doesn't take part in the debates, and he doesn't vote at the end of them. But if the Government and the Opposition gain an equal number of votes, then the Speaker has the casting vote.
1. Who has reserved seats in the Parliament?
2. Have the ministers right for reserved seats?
3. Who opens the session of the Parliament?
4. Where does the Queen send Black Rod?
5. Do the members of the House of Commons follow Black Rod?
6. Why were the men afraid to become Speaker?
7. What is the business of the Speaker nowa days?
8. Why do the members stand up and try «to catch the Speaker's eye»?
Almaty is the former capital of Kazakhstan.
Almaty was the capital of the Kazakh SSR from 1929 to 1991 and of independent Kazakhstan from 1991 to 1997. In 1997, the capital was moved to Astana. Since then, Almaty has been referred to as the southern capital of Kazakhstan. Almaty is the major commercial and cultural centre of Kazakhstan. The city is located in the area of southern Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan.
Almaty is the cultural, Scientific, economic and transport centre of Kazakhstan. This is one of the most beautiful cities of Asia. The city has a mild climate. Summer in Almaty lasts from May till September with the average temperature of 22 degrees in July. Winter is not very cold with the average temperature of 8 degrees below zero in January.
The city was founded in 1854. Till 1921 it was named Verny. In 1929 Almaty became the capital of the Kazak Socialist Republic. Almaty was the capital of independent Kazakhstan till November 1997. Nowadays the city has seven theatres, many cinemas, hundreds of clubs, libraries and other cultural and educational centres. The most important theatres are the Kazak State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre named after Abai and the Kazak State Academic Drama Theatre named after M.Auesov. The city also has the Russian, Uigur, Korean theatres and many other troupes.
Verny had only one gymnasium. Now in Almaty there are 185 schools of general education, a lot of technical secondary schools and Universities. Almaty is a University city. Young people from different places og Kazakhstan come to study here.
Almaty is situated at the food of the Ala-Tau montains. The climate is very favourable for gardening. Everybody in kazakstan knows the world famous apples "aport". The citizens of Almaty are proud of the well known skating-rink "Medeo". It is equipped with all modern sport facilities. The most important competition are held there.
Almaty is the city of kind and hospitable people. It is a great pleasure to visit it.
1 reason: Gorgeous, clean, sparkling beaches, tropical forests, white plain. Any landscape that you'd like to see, you will find in Australia.
2 reason: Its diverse landscapes abound with wildlife that are found nowhere else. Kangaroos, koalas, echidnas and platypus, wombats, Tasmanian devils - these are just some of the amazing animals wildlife, whose only in Australia are the natural habitat.
3 reasons:
The complex, noisy, elegant, but unpretentious Australian cities, each of them is special and unique. Melbourne has twice been named the most livable city in the world. Sydney was named the best city in the world, Perth and Adelaide are also in the list of top 10 cities with the best living conditions: stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure of the city.
4 Cause: Australian beaches are known as some of the best beaches in the world, Australia also has many small islands, which can be reached in just a few minutes by ferry, plane or boat ride away. Net huge beaches with white powdery sand and sparkling turquoise warm water. В Австралии есть все: великолепные заснеженные горные вершины, нетронутые пляжи и обширные пустынные земли, вкуснейшие продукты питания, красивая архитектура, не говоря уже о добродушном, спокойном австралийском народе, который заставит любого чувствовать себя подобно их лучшему другу.
1 причина: Великолепные, чистые, сверкающие пляжи, тропические леса, белоснежные равнины. Любой пейзаж, который ты бы хотел увидеть, ты найдешь в Австралии.
2 причина: Ее разнообразные пейзажи изобилуют дикой природой, которая не встречаются больше нигде. Кенгуру, коалы, ехидны и утконосы, вомбаты, тасманийские дьяволы - это лишь некоторые животные из удивительной дикой природы, чьи естественные места обитания находятся только в Австралии.
3 причина :
Сложные, шумные, шикарные, но неприхотливые австралийские города, каждый из них особенный и уникальный. Мельбурн дважды был признан самым пригодными для жизни городом на Земле. Сидней был признан лучшим городом в мире, Перт и Аделаида также находятся в списке топ-10 городов с лучшими условиями жизни: стабильность, здравоохранение, культура и окружающая среда, образование и инфраструктура города.
4 причина : Пляжи Австралии известны как одни из лучших пляжей в мире, Австралия также имеет много небольших островов, до которых можно добраться всего за несколько минут на пароме, самолетом или на лодке от отеля. Чистые огромные пляжи с белым порошкообразным песком и искрящиеся теплой бирюзовой водой.