Vocabulary Notes

civil service государственная гражданская служба

diverse needs разнообразные нужды

disabled страдающий от увечья, болезни; нетрудоспособный

revenue cutter таможенное судно

devise a system разрабатывать систему

to seek refuge искать убежище

to enter the fray вступать в единоборство

to close ranks сомкнуть ряды; сплотиться

Exercise 14. Explain the meaning of the following words used in the text: to turn to Customs; the nation’s diverse needs; shallows; to pension agents; to provide for the relief; public health service; a pound was indeed a pound; to manage the influx (of refugees); to accept any challenge; unscrupulous counterfeiters; to enter the fray; to close ranks in defending the nation; to prevent fraud and smuggling.

Exercise 15. Scan the text and make a statement of 5-8 sentences summarizing the contents of it.

Exercise 16. Study the following chart.

With verbs which take two objects, such as ask, bring, tell, send, show, teach, promise, offer, give, pay, lend, etc., we can form the passive in two ways. Active: Someone sent me some flowers. Passive: a) I was sent some flowers. b) Some flowers were sent to me.

When the verb of the active sentence is followed by a preposition, the preposition is kept in the passive sentence as well. e.g. Burglars broke into our house last night. Our house was broken into last night.

Exercise 17. Rewrite the sentences in the passive in both ways, if possible. Consult the chart.

1. They offered him a new job. 2. Lisa is sending them an invitation. 3. Jack will show me how to operate this device. 4. They paid him a lot of money for the job. 5. They will teach you a lesson. 6. They gave him two days to think it over. 7. They gave us no explanation. 8. Did you send the parcel yourself? 9. They can’t tell her the truth. 10. He will lend me the money for the holiday. 11. Smugglers often use late booked or cash tickets. 12. The officer should examine the passport and establish reasons for frequency of travel. 13. They have changed the date of the delivery. 14. They are going to hold the next conference in Atlanta, GA. 15. People say the police have arrested three men after the accident.

Exercise 18. Rewrite the sentences in the passive.

1. The Customs officers often ask travelers this kind of question.

2. They teach us foreign languages at the Academy.

3. The chief asked them to hand in their report by the end of the day.

4. They listened to his lectures with great interest.

5. You must think the matter over.

6. They looked at the picture with admiration.

7. The government charges CBP with keeping terrorists and terrorist weapons out of the country while enforcing hundreds of U.S. laws.

8. The experts estimate the total domestic value for the shipments to be more than $335,000.

9. We can’t speak of such important matters in public.

10. We must call the police immediately.

11. They were televising the examination procedure for the court.

12. Did they produce this counterfeit painting in France?

Exercise 19. Read some facts from the history of the U.S. Customs Service. Translate the following paragraph twice: yourself and with the aid of any computer translation system. Which translation do you like best? Discuss the details with another student.

In 1956 the U.S. Border Patrol Canine Program was initiated with the purchase of surplus military sentry dogs from the U.S. military.

In 1970 the U.S. Customs Canine Program was established. The program initially utilized ex-military sentry dogs and handlers; training took place at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, where preparing a dog for Customs operations took approximately 2 months.

More than forty years ago, the U.S. Customs Service announced its new detector dog program at ports of entry. Canines had been used by the military as sentry dogs and also on the battlefield for a variety of uses, but they had never been used to sniff out drugs.

In response to the rampant use of recreational drugs by the 60s counterculture, the government launched the first “drug war,” passing new laws and establishing new agencies and programs. As demand for narcotics, especially marijuana, hashish amphetamines and psychedelic drugs ratcheted up, drug smuggling efforts increased and became more sophisticated.

The training was based on a ‘game” of hunting for a “toy,” in this case, a rolled up towel, scented with a narcotic odor. The process was deceptively simple— the toy was hidden and when the dog found it, the handler rewarded the dog with lots of praise and a game of tug-of-war.

The first canines were trained to detect and respond to marijuana and hashish, but by the end of September, the trainers determined that the same dogs could be trained to detect the additional odors of heroin and cocaine.

In 1984 the USDA (Department of Agriculture) establishes a detector dog program at LAX (Los Angeles International Airport). The APHIS (Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service) works with the Customs Service in developing a detector dog program. Beagles are selected as the breed of choice, and the USDA’s detector dogs become known as the Beagle Brigade.

Exercise 20. Make a summary of the above text in 5-7 sentences using verbs in the passive forms.

Here’s the beginning: The U.S. Border Patrol Canine Program was initiated in 1956.

Exercise 21. Read about other facts of the U.S. Customs Service on the official site:

http://nemo.cbp.gov/opa/TimeLine_062409.swf. Tell the class about these facts.

MODULE 3

3.2 The U.S. Customs Service. Grammar: Passive Voice

Exercise 1. Read the text using the dictionary and making notes. Make up a list of essential words and phrases from the text.

PART I

Since the 1960s, Customs officers have faced the almost overwhelming task of fighting the influx of opium, heroin, cocaine, hashish, marijuana, and amphetamines into the United States. A unique tool in Customs' drug fight is its force of drug detector dogs, their trainers, and the Customs officers who work with these canine detectors.

First used on a wide scale in 1970, Customs narcotic detector dogs save countless man-hours in locating narcotics in vehicles, mail, unaccompanied baggage, and on cargo ships. A dog and his handler can check 500 packages in 30 minutes; it would take a Customs mail examiner several days to inspect as many. At border ports, a dog can inspect a vehicle in about two minutes; the same search by a Customs inspector would take at least 20 minutes.

The seizure of contraband and the continuing efforts to eliminate illegal traffic in narcotics and other drugs are some of the more dramatic episodes in Customs Service history. Today these tasks are made easier by the use of modern technologies and by improved equipment.

Customs fleet of specially fitted interdiction aircraft pursues would-be smugglers to remote landing spots in difficult terrain. Science and analytical research assist Customs officers in their efforts to stop illegal and fraudulent activities. The Customs Service maintains numerous laboratories, where sophisticated equipment analyzes certain imports to determine their appropriate classification.

Computer technology has also increased and accelerated Customs' ability to perform surveillance and enforcement missions and has enhanced its role as registrar of statistics vital to U.S. trade, commerce, and security. In 1969 the Treasury Enforcement Communications Systems (TECS) was introduced to help Customs perform instant checks on suspicious travelers, vessels, aircraft, and importers, and to expedite the processing of law-abiding travelers.