Most British politicians spend a GREat deal of time discussing when the next general election will be．In the House of Commons，they talk about it all the time．Members of Parliament know that if they don't get enough votes they could be looking for a new job．
In Britain，for many years，the contest has been between the Conservative Party（保守党）on the right，and the Labour Party（工党）on the left．But there are now two other major political parties in the centre：the Social Democrats（社会民主党）and the Liberals（自由党）．And of course，the centre parties hope to attract more votes from both conservatives and socialists．
The British Head of State is not a president；it is a king or queen who has little real power．One of the few important functions left to the Head of State is to make sure that the Head of Government，the Prime Minister，calls a general election within five years．The PM listens to the advice of the cabinet ministers（内阁部长），and chooses a time when public opinion is favourable．At last the date of the general election is announced and the voters，who must be over the age of eighteen，make their choice．And as soon as it is all over，the politicians start talking about when the next election will be．
Questions：
1．What is the Head of State called？
2．What is the Head of Government called？
3．What are the major political parties called？
4．What are the elected representatives called？
5．Where do the elected representatives meet？
6．From what age can people vote？
（答案略）
Charlie from BBC Beginners' English
