(单词翻译:单击)
英语文本
精听建议：
先完整地把一条新闻听一到三遍，争取掌握大意。然后，一句一句精听，力争每句话都听明白。遇到实在不懂的地方，再听写。
下面的文本材料中空缺部分里面要填的词都很简单，不过是一些值得注意的连读或者典型的美式发音哦，有些语速比较快。试试看，你能不能全部写对？
（参考文本，欢迎指出错误^^）
Lesson12 The Government of the United Kingdom
The British method of government has developed very slowly 1 . This is perhaps why it can be rather difficult to understand. For example, the Queen is the head of State, but she has no real power.
Parliament is the real government of Britain. It has two 'Houses', the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. The 'Lords' are members of the old aristocracy, bishops, lawyers, and retired politicians. They have little power now, but they can suggest new laws and change or delay laws that the House of Commons wants to pass. The House of Commons makes laws, 2 , and decides what taxes the people must pay.
The British people choose the 3 of the House of Commons 4 . In each area there are usually two or three main political parties to choose from. The party who gets most members into parliament makes the new government.
The Prime Minister is 5 the winning party. Only party members (not the whole British people) choose their leader. The Prime Minister chooses the members of the Cabinet, who are called ministers. Each minister has a special job to do, for example, education, or health, or transport.
■填空答案■
答案：
1. over hundreds of years
2. agrees on policy
3. 650 members
4. every five years
5. the leader of
■隐藏■
中文翻译
英国的政体
英国的政体几百年间发展缓慢，这恐怕也是人们很难弄明白它的原因。例如，女王是国家首脑，但她没有实权。
议会是英国真正的管理机关，它分为上议院和下议院两院。上议院议员是由旧贵族、主教、律师以及退休的政治家组成。他们拥有的权力不多，但可以提议新法，改变或推迟下议院想要通过的法律。下议院制定法律、协商政策，并决定税收种类。英国人每五年选出下议院的六百五十名议员。在每个选举区，通常有两个或三个主要政党参选。在议会获得最多席位的政党组成新政府。
获胜政党的领导人成为首相。只有政党成员（而不是全体英国人）选举他们的领导者。首相挑选内阁成员，这些人称为大臣。每个大臣有特定的负责范围，如教育、健康、交通。
词汇注释:
parliament 国会，议会
House of Lords （英国国会的）上议院
bishop 主教
cabinet 政府内阁
