152 EXAM PRACTICE Read the text about a political institution of the EU. Some words are missing. Change the word in brackets to form the missing word for each gap (1–10). Write your answers in the spaces provided. The first one (0) has been done for you. LANGUAGE IN USE 4 The European Parliament The European Union is a unique economic and political (0) (partner) comprised of 27 member states. It was created after the Second World War to (1) (strong) economic cooperation, the idea being that countries that trade with one another become (2) (economy) interdependent and thus more likely to avoid conflict. The EU is based on the rule of law: everything that it does is founded on treaties, agreed by all member states. The EU remains focused on keeping its institutions transparent and (3) (democracy). The European Parliament (EP) is a unique multinational parliamentary assembly elected directly by the citizens. The 705 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) (4) (present) about 447 million citizens. European citizens can take part in the political process in a number of ways. For instance, they can vote in (5) (elect), contact their MEP, petition the European Parliament or launch a citizen’s initiative requesting the European Commission to take action on an issue. The EP decides jointly with the Council of the EU on laws that (6) (effect) the daily lives of the European Union’s citizens. These include topics such as (7) (free) of travel, food safety and consumer protection, the environment and most sectors of the economy. Member states still have a veto right in areas such as taxation and foreign affairs. Some areas require the Council to obtain the EP’s (8) (approve) before making a decision. However, even areas where the member states decide alone – such as education and culture – are often supported by EU measures, such as the Erasmus+ programme, which provides young (9) (Europe) with opportunities to study, volunteer, train or gain work experience abroad. As the only elected institution of the EU, Parliament takes its role as a (10) (guard) of liberties, human rights and democracy, both in Europe and beyond, very seriously. The task of its members is primarily to be a voice for the citizens at EU level and defend their interests to EU leaders and the institutions of the European Union. 0 partnership 6 1 7 2 8 3 9 4 10 5 (2) You need a suffix to make the correct verb here. (5) There is no article before the gap, so the noun must be plural. (6) The verb only has a small difference in spelling to the noun. (9) Make sure you keep the capital letter for the people living there. Help Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv
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