Page 172 - English Vocabulary in Use (Pre & Intermediate)

Exercises

82.1 Complete this word-building table. Use a dictionary to help you if necessary.

Abstract noun Person Adjective

politics
democracy
dictatorship
socialism

conservatism
liberalism

$2.2 Fill the gaps to complete this text about the political system in the United Kingdom. One
word in each gap.
In the UK ® 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
political party with 30% of the @ should get 30% of the seats in 4) .In
the UK, the political © 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
political © which wins a of the seats will ® the government
on their. own. As.a result of this system, it is possible for a party to be in (°) with only
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.

82.3 Answer these questions about your own country. If possible, ask someone else the same
questions.
1 Which party is in power at the moment?
2 When were they elected?
3 Who is the leader of this party?
4 Is this person the President or Prime Minister of your country?
5 Do you agree with most of their policies?
6 Would you describe yourself as left-wing, right-wing, or in the centre?
7 Do you think your political views have changed much during your lifetime?
8 How many major (= important) political parties are there?
9 Who did you vote for in the last election?
10 Do you think this party will win the next election? Will you vote for them again?

82.4 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