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Some of them wear funny wigs and call each other "Right Honourable". The Speaker hardly ever speaks, and there is someone called Black Rod who is neither black, nor is his name Rod. But all are vital to the day-to-day running of the British Houses of Parliament. The strange behaviour and rituals of the Members of Parliament and officials is based on traditions that go back to medieval times. We present our guide to all you need to know about the British legislative chambers.

Who rules over England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales? Queen Elizabeth, of course! But besides being the richest woman in Britain and owning the most beautiful buildings, she's just a tourist attraction. It's the government and Parliament, and especially No.10 Downing Street, who write the rules.

There are many uses of the word 'back'. We have selected the most common compound words and phrases used in everyday conversation to help you understand their meanings.

BACKBREAKER - any work or job which causes backaches, such as moving furniture, digging in the garden, etc. " Carrying bricks for the new barbecue was a real backbreaker ." Also," Carrying bricks was real backbreaking work."

BACKLOG - a build-up or accumulation of something, usually work. " When Harry returned to the office after a week's sick leave, he had a huge backlog of work."

With low unemployment, a high standard of living, a warm and friendly people and an even warmer climate, it's no wonder that so many want to live, work and study in Australia. The World of English went along to the Australian Embassy to meet His Excellency, Mr. Patrick Lawless, the nation's representative in Warsaw.

Photo: Bernhard Kahmel, ESA Co-ordinator

The European Summer Academy has been taking place for three years. After Spain and Germany in previous years, this time the event was hosted by Poland. More than 130 people from all over Europe came to Czarny Potok near Krynica to work together and share their cultural experience. The main ESA theme this year was:" Transition to the new".

Euroscola is a multilingual programme designed to give schoolchildren from all parts of Europe a chance to participate in the workings of the European Parliament. A group of 500 secondaryschool pupils spend one day learning about the European Parliament' s role, and debate a chosen issue. The results of the debate are presented in the Chamber of the European Parliament at the end of the day and later passed on to the relevant parliamentary bodies.

A więc już miesiąc z kawałkiem minął jak radość opanowała śpiewających Odę do Radości. I co? Ano mamy radość codzienną, bo ciepło, bo wakacje za pasem, bo podróże czekają, bo tak po prostu to, czy mamy w sobie radość czy nie zależy od nas samych, z odą czy bez ody, z młodością, czy już z nie tej pierwszej młodości młodością.

Rugby: a game for thugs played by gentlemen; football: a game for gentlemen played by thugs - or so the old saying goes. But whom would you least like to bump into on a dark night, a rugby player or a footballer?

Crazy American Supermarkets? Or maybe just the Americans who shop in them. American food shopping habits are a little different from the rest of the world, though where they shop is catching on in Poland as well. Be warned!