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N（forNO）ifthestatementcontradictstheinformationgiveninthepassage;
NG（forNOTGIVEN）iftheinformationisnotgiveninthepassage.
Forquestions8-10,completethesentenceswiththeinformationgiveninthepassage.
Passage1
TheHouseofLords
WelcometotheHouseofLords
OneofthemostfamiliarimagesoftheHouseofLordsistheStateOpeningofParliamentbyHerMajestytheQueen.Thisisasplendidandcolorfulceremonialoccasion.TheQueen'
sSpeech（writtenbytheGovernment）setsoutParliament'
sworkingagendaforthecomingyear.
ButtheHouseisnotjustaplacewheregrandceremoniestakeplace.TheHousehasexistedasaseparatechamberofParliamentsincethe14thcentury,andispartoftheoldestparliamentarydemocracyintheworld.Itisalsooneofthebusiest,secondonlytotheHouseofCommonsinthenumberofdaysandhoursitsits.
AmajortaskoftheHouseistoexamineandpasslegislation.TheHouseplaysakeyroleinrevisinglegislationsentfromtheCommons.Italsoinitiateslegislation,andsosharestheburdenofthelegislativeload.
Anotherimportantfunctionistoactasacheckongovernmentbyscrutinizingitsactivities.TheHousedoesthisbyaskingquestions,debatingpolicyand,throughitsselectcommittees,takingevidencefromministersandothers.
TheHousealsohasanimportantjudicialroleasthehighestCourtofAppealintheland.
MembersoftheHouse,collectively,haveanenormousbreadthofexperienceand,individually,arecharacterizedbyindependenceofthought.TheycomplementtheworkoftheelectedHouseofCommons,whichreflectspoliticalandconstituencyinterestsandwhich,unliketheLords,mustspendasubstantialamountoftimeonfinancialandpublicexpenditureissues.
ThisbriefguidegivesaflavoroftheHouse'
sworkanditscontributiontoParliamentandthecountry.
TheHouseofLords—whatitdoes?
•Itprocessesandreviseslegislation.BillshavetogothroughvariousstagesinbothHousesbeforetheyreceiveRoyalAssentandbecomeActs.TheLordsspendsabouttwo-thirdsofitstimerevisingorinitiatinglegislation.
•ItactsasacheckontheGovernment.MembersquestiontheGovernmentorallyorbywrittenquestions,theydebatepolicyissuesandscrutinizesecondarylegislation.
•Itprovidesaforumofindependentexpertise.SpecialistCommitteesusemembers'
wide-rangingexpertise.TheEuropeanUnionCommittee'
s7sub-committeesinvolvingover70memberswhovetproposedEuropeanlegislation.TheScienceandTechnologyCommitteeinvolvesover20Membersinexaminingsciencepolicy.TherearealsoCommitteesontheConstitutionandEconomicaffairs.
•ItactsasafinalcourtofAppeal.TheHouse,throughitsAppellateCommittee,fulfilsthisfunctionfortheUnitedKingdomincivilcasesandforEngland,NorthernIrelandandWalesincriminalcases.Itssittings,ontheCommitteecorridor,areopentothepublic.
Atypicalworkingday
TheChamberoftheHouseofLordsisthemainfocusforitswork,particularlypubliclegislationanddebates,butmuchwork,mainlybyselectcommitteesandonprivatelegislation,isdoneoutsidetheChamberincommitteeroomsinthemornings.
TheHousesitsat2.30p.m.untilnotlaterthan10p.m.onMondaysandTuesdays,at3p.m.onWednesdaysandat11a.m.onThursdays.IfitsitsonaFridayitusuallystartsat11a.m.
SomeimportantdatesinthehistoryoftheHouseofLords
•14thcentury—TheLordsbegintositinseparateHousefromtheCommons.MembersoftheHouseofLordsaredrawnfromtheChurch（LordsSpiritual）andfrommagnateschosenbytheMonarch（LordsTemporal）,whileCommonsmembersrepresenttheshiresandboroughs.
•15thcentury—LordsTemporalbecomeknownas"
peers"
.
•18thcentury—ActsofUnionwithScotland（1707）andIreland（1800）entitleScottishandIrishpeerstoelectrepresentativestositintheLords.
•1834—ThePalaceofWestminster,includingtheHouseofLords,isdestroyedbyfire.RebuildingofthenewPalace,designedbySirCharlesBarryandAugustusPugin,beginsin1840.
•1847—TheHouseofLordsfirstsitsinitsnewchamber.
•1876—AppellateJurisdictionAct—CreatesLordsofAppealinOrdinary（LawLords）tocarryoutthejudicialworkoftheHouseasthefinalCourtofAppeal.
•1911and1949ParliamentActs—AllowsomebillstobecomeActswithouttheconsentoftheLordsandlimitthepowertodelayotherbillstooneyear.
•1958LifePeeragesAct—Createsbaronies"
forlife"
formenandwomen;
womensitintheHouseforthefirsttime.
•1963PeerageAct—Allowshereditarypeerstodisclaimtheirpeerages,andhereditarypeeressesandallScottishpeerstositintheHouse.
•1999HouseofLordsAct—Removestherightofallexcept92hereditarypeerstositandvoteintheHouse.
•2005ConstitutionalReformAct—SetsupaSupremeCourt（fromOctober2009）,separatingthejudicialandlegislativefunctions.
Members
UnlikeMPs,Lordsareunelectedandunpaid,exceptforcertainallowancestocoverattendancewhichisvoluntary.ThereisnoupperlimitonthetotalnumberofMembers.Currentlythereareabout700Members.Theyinclude26ArchbishopsandBishopsand92hereditarypeersunderthetermsoftheHouseofLordsAct1999.ApartfromthefixednumberofBishopsandhereditarypeers,numbersineachofthepartyandcrossbenchgroupsfluctuate.UptodatefigurescanbefoundontheInternet.
PartyGroups
Eachofthethreemainpartygroups,Conservative,LaborandLiberalDemocrat,hasaleader,whipswhoorganizethebusinessoftheHouseanddepartmentalspokesmenwhositonthefrontbench.Manypeershavenopartyaffiliationandareknownascrossbenchers.TheyhaveaConvenerbutnowhipsystem.TheirindependenceisadistinctivefeatureoftheHouseofLords.
TheLordSpeakerpresidesoverbusinessintheChamberandcanofferadvicebut,unliketheSpeakeroftheHouseofCommons,hasnopowertocontrolproceedingsastheHouseregulatesitself—keepingorderintheHouseistheresponsibilityofallthememberspresent.
OnParchment,inprint,onTVandonline
TheHouseofLords'
businessisrecordedinavarietyofforms:
•Theday'
sproceedingsareprintedintheOfficialReport,referredtoasHansardafteritsfirstprinter,andalsoavailablewithotherinformationat<
www.parliament.uk>
•ThetelevisingofParliamentwaspioneeredbytheHouseofLordsin1985andtheLords'
proceedingscanbeseenonBBCParliament.
•Forliveweb-castofproceedingsgotowww.parliamentlive.tv.
•Archivesfrom1497,includingoriginalActsofParliament,arekeptintheHouseofLordsRecordOffice（TheParliamentArchives）,whichisopentothepublic.
Questions:
1.ThepassageisabriefguideoftheHouseofLords,whichgivesanintroductionoftheHouse'
2.GrandceremoniesliketheStateOpeningofParliamentusuallytakesplaceintheHouseofLords.
3.TheHouseofCommonsplaysakeyroleinrevisinglegislationsentfromtheHouseofLords.
4.OnTuesdaystheHouseofLordssitsat2.30p.m.untilnotlaterthan10p.m.
5.Itisin1876thatwomenforthefirsttimesitintheHouseofLords.
6.TheMPsareunelectedandunpaid,exceptforcertainallowancestooverattendancewhichisvoluntary.
7.ThereisalimitonthetotalnumberofmembersintheParliament.
8.ThemainfunctionoftheHouseofLordsistoexamineandpass.
9.WhenBillsgothroughvariousstagesinbothHousesandfinallyreceiveRoyalAssent,theybecome___________.
10.________,LaborandLiberalDemocratarethethreemainpartygroupsintheUK.
Passage2
EnergyintheFuture
Greatsourcesofenergyareneededifgovernmentswanttodevelopindustryandmakelifemorecomfortable.However,fuelswhichareusedtoproduceenergyatthemomentwillsoonrunout.Itseemscertainthatpeoplewillhavetodependonnuclearpowerasthesourceofenergy.Butalotofpeopledonotwantthisformofenergy;
theythinkitisdangerousandsowouldlikesomeothersourceofpower.Manysuggestionshavebeenmade;
someofthemarenotverypracticalbutotherscouldbeusedsuccessfully.
Peoplewhoareagainstnuclearpowerwouldratherusetheforcesofnature,forexamplethewind,thesea,theriversandthesun.Itisstrangetothinkthatthesesourcesofenergywereusedlongagoforwindmillsorforwatermillsbutthenwerealmostforgotten.Hydro-electricityisprobablythemostusedformofenergysuppliedbynature.Yetonlyasmallpartofthewaterenergywhichcouldbeusedisindeedused.IncountriessuchasBritain,America,CanadaandRussia,therearegreatpossibilitiesfordevelopinghydro-electricitybutonlyasmallnumberofgeneratorshavebeenbuilt.
Hydro-electricitycannotbedevelopedincertaincountries,however,becausemountainsorhillsareneededtogivethenecessaryforcetothewaterasitfalls.Morethanthree-quartersoftheearthiscoveredbythesea,whichisalwaysmoving.Themovementofthewaterdependsonthemoonwhichpullsattheearth.Theseamovesfirstinonedirectionandthenbackagain;
thismovementbackwardsandforwardsiscalledthe"
tide"
.Insomepartsoftheworldthetideisverystrongandwatermovesveryquickly.Itispossibletoproduceelectricitybyusingtheforcesoftidestoturnthebladesofaturbine.Thissourceofpoweriscalled"
tidalenergy"
.Itissurprisingtofindthatonlyonecountryintheworldproducesenergyinthisway:
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