Vocabulary Notes
to found основывать, учреждать, создавать
struggling (находящийся) в бедственном положении
law enforcement agency правоприменяющий, правоохранительный орган
to affect оказывать воздействие, влияние
on the brink of bankruptcy на грани банкротства
national treasury государственная казна
overriding важнейший; доминирующий
a guiding light путеводная звезда
solvent платёжеспособный
dedicated commitment (здесь) преданность
Exercise 9. Explain the meaning of the following words used in the text: struggling nation; law enforcement agency; on the brink of bankruptcy; the national treasury; to launch this country on its proper course; the national cupboard; a guiding light; solvent; the machinery for appointing Customs officers; the Tariff Act took effect; to set an early standard for Customs officials.
Exercise 10. Answer the following questions.
Why did the young Nation find itself on the brink of bankruptcy?
What was the main concern of the first Congress assembly in 1789?
Who proposed the scheme to make the Nation solvent?
What was the solution?
What is called the “Second Declaration of Independence”?
When did the Tariff Act take effect and what did it establish?
How many Collectors of Customs were nominated by President Washington?
Under which Department was the U.S. Customs Service placed?
Who was the first head of the Service?
Exercise 11. Study the following chart.
To turn a sentence from the active into the passive: a) The object of the active sentence becomes the subject in the passive sentence. b) The active verb changes into a passive form. c) The subject of the active sentence becomes the agent. Examples: present simple: She types the letters. >The letters are typed. present continuous: She is typing the letters. >The letters are being typed. past simple: She typed the letters. >The letters were typed. past continuous: She was typing the letters. >The letters were being typed. present perfect simple: She has typed the letters. >The letters have been typed. past perfect simple: She had typed the letters. >The letters had been typed. future simple infinitive: She will type the letters. >The letters will be typed. modals (modal + be + pp): She has to type the letters. >The letters have to be typed. |
Exercise 12 Rewrite the sentences in the passive.
They use this information is strictly for preventing and combating terrorism and serious criminal offenses.
The officers can use IBIS (Interagency Border Inspection System) terminals to access records on wanted persons and stolen vehicles.
Agriculture experts may detain food in the interest of preventing possible outbreak of foreign diseases in the U.S.
They had stopped him for a spot check in the Green Channel, and the penalty for breaking the law was pretty stiff.
The Customs inspect the entire volume of cargo and mail by means of X-ray television endoscopes.
We are sure they will seize and destroy these illegal products.
If you are one of the travelers selected for an examination, they will treat you in a courteous and professional manner.
We allowed the officials to use their discretion about “reasonable” quantities (for personal use) of products.
A team with dogs specially trained to detect explosives was patrolling the terminal building.
In July 1789 the First Congress of the United States established a system of tariffs on imported “goods and merchandises” in order to fund the new federal government.
Exercise 13. Read Part III of the text using the dictionary and making notes.
PART III
Because Customs was, in essence, the nation’s civil service in the early years, Congress would turn to it time and again to take charge of the nation’s diverse needs. When America needed lighthouses, for example, to guide ships safely past dangerous shallows, it turned to Customs to build those lighthouses.
From 1791 to 1850 Customs supervised the construction of more than 300 lighthouses, from the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico.
When America needed a system to pension agents to honor the debts owed to its Revolutionary War heroes it turned to Customs as the first “Veteran’s Administration.”
When America needed to provide for the relief of sick and disabled seamen, it turned to Customs as the first public health service.
When America needed armed revenue cutters to patrol its shores, it turned to Customs to direct those ships, making Customs the first coast guard. When, in 1830, America needed to devise a system of “uniform authentic weights and measures” to ensure for merchants and consumers alike that a pound was indeed a pound, it turned to Customs, the first “Bureau of Standards.” And when masses of immigrants began seeking refuge in America, Congress turned to Customs to manage the influx.
It was the first Immigration and Naturalization Service. This was and continues to be the character of Customs: always ready to serve the Nation, to accept any challenge in time of peace or war to protect, secure, and defend.
More than 150 years ago, for example, this country first began its battle against pornography. It was the Customs Service whom Congress first called upon to protect the public. More than 100 years ago, when American manufactured products started to become the targets of unscrupulous counterfeiters, it was Customs who first entered the fray to protect the rights of American manufacturers.
Nearly 90 years ago, when drug abuse first showed itself as the corruptive force it is, it was Customs who made the first efforts to close ranks in defending the nation in its war on drugs.
The traditional U.S. Customs Service Mission, as outlined in the Tariff Act of 1930 was threefold:
• To assess and collect customs duties on imported merchandise.
• To prevent fraud and smuggling.
• To control carriers, persons, and articles entering and departing the United States.