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Each session of the Parliament is usually opened in the House of
Lords by the Queen who is attended by heralds, officers of the Court and
members of the Diplomatic Corps. The Commons are ‘summoned’ to the
Chamber by Black Rod (the Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod, whose
title derives from the black staff with golf fittings which he carries on
formal occasions).
Over the past two centuries of more modern times, there has been
pressure for the House of Lords to be abolished or reformed.
The members of the House of Commons take their seats on the
green leather benches according to their party and position. From this we
get the term ‘frontbenches’, ‘backbenches’ and ‘crossbenches’. The
Government and the Opposition sit facing one another.
The leaders of the Government and the Opposition are known as the
frontbenches because they sit on the nearest the center of the chamber.

Task 5. Read the texts and answer the questions.
The Sovereign
"Her Most Excellent Majesty Elizabeth the Second by the Grace of
God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of
Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth,
Defender of the Faith."
The Queen is the official Head of State and, for many people, a
symbol of the unity of the nation. For a thousand years England (and later
the whole of the United Kingdom) has been united under one sovereign, a
continuity broken only after the Civil War, by the republic of 1649 to
1660. The hereditary principle still operates and the Crown is passed on to
the sovereign's eldest son (or daughter if there are no sons).
The Queen has a central role in state affairs, not only through her
ceremonial functions, such as opening Parliament, but also because she
meets the Prime Minister every week and receives copies of all Cabinet
papers. However, she is expected to be impartial or "above politics", and
any advice she may offer the Prime Minister is kept secret.
Functions of the Sovereign:
- opening and closing Parliament;
- approving the appointment of the Prime Minister;
- giving her Royal Assent to bills;
- giving honours such as peerages, knighthoods and medals;
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