Australian Government controls the import of goods into Australia

The Department of Agriculture will examine any plant, food, animal or wooden items. Items included but not limited to such goods as dairy products, eggs and egg products, un-canned meats, live animals, live plants, seed and nuts or fresh fruit and vegetables will be examined and possibly seized.

The public are directed to the Department of Agriculture website under "Import" for details on the types of goods which may be restricted.

You also need to check that any plants, plant products, animals or animal products that you are importing are not covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES). You should make enquiries with the Department of Environment regarding CITES.

Exercise 10. Look at some phrasal verbs with the verb to check in a dictionary. Fill in the blanks using the prepositions in the box below.

back by for into off on out over through with

1. First, we checked _____ the hotel, and then we took a taxi over to the convention center.

2. I am just going to make a quick call to check _____ the kids and make sure that everything is OK.

3. Your luggage will be checked ______ to Los Angeles, so you don't need to worry about it when you transfer planes in Houston.

4. We are going to check ______ the new dance club downtown. Do you want to come along?

5. Danny has been sick for over a week. We are going to check _________ later to see how he is doing.

6. Dinner at Fillipi's sounds like a great idea but let me check _____ my wife first to see if she has already made plans for Friday. If we are free, we would love to join you.

7. Health professionals suggest women regularly perform self examinations to check ______ early indications of breast cancer. If cancer is detected early, treatment is highly effective.

8. After Burt dropped his camera, he carefully checked it ______ to make sure it wasn't damaged.

9. Patricia always keeps a detailed list of her daily tasks. As she completes each task, she checks it ______ her list and moves on to the next one. Talk about good organization!

10. The doctor gave Lucy some medicine for her stomach condition and told her to get plenty of rest. He said he would check ______ in a couple of days to see if she's feeling better.

Exercise 11. Test yourself. Choose the correct option.

1. She checked her luggage ______ as soon as she arrived at the airport.

a. off b. in c. up

2. He went to the doctors for a check-......

a. up b. off c. out

3. The hotel were very angry because she checked ....... without paying

a. in b. up c. out

4. The teacher checked ..... the names on the list as the pupils arrived

a. off b. in c. out

5. Could you check my work ...... for mistakes before I hand it in?

a. in b. out c. over

6. Their parents always telephone to check ..... on them if they go out

a. up b. in c. out

7. They checked our names off ....... the list before we got on the plane

a. in b. on c. up

8. His alibi checked ...... so the police released him

a. out b. in c. up

9. Some airlines want to see your passport when you check ......

a. up b. in c. out

10. If you don't check ..... your work, you can miss many mistakes

a. out b. in c. over

Exercise 12. Read the article and prepare to discuss the Customs’ role in combating environmental crime using the words in bold. For further information, go to http://www.wcoomd.org/en/topics/enforcement-and-compliance/activities-and-programmes/ep_environmental

Pollution of air, water, land, or destruction of endangered species poses ruinous threat to the sustainable development and the health of human beings. Environmental crime is a serious and growing international problem.

Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) are international or regional agreements to take specific measures for the protection of the environment and the conversation of natural resources. The main MEAs with international trade-related provisions are: the Convention on Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES); the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer (ODS); the Basel Convention on the Control of Trans-boundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal; the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutions (POPs); the Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade and the Cartagena Protocol on Bio-safety.

Customs plays a very important role in the implementation of those MEAs and the fight against environmental crime. The World Customs Organization (WCO) has committed itself to the fight against environmental crime. In response to its Members’ need, the WCO has developed an environment programme on the control of MEAs related trade and the combating of environmental crime. The WCO makes use of different international agreements to raise the awareness of its Members on environmental issues.

Exercise 13. Watch the video “Border Security Australia Frontline”, episode 5/8 about Wildlife trafficking and answer the following questions:

1. Why were Customs and Border Protection officers alerted?

2. What did the x-ray reveal?

3. What do the officers do with the owner of the bags?

4. Why do they have to be very careful while examining the bags?

5. Who arrives at the place to help the investigation? What do they say about the find?

6. Which of these animals is listed as endangered?

7. What happens to the smuggler? Does he face any charge?

8. How many animals have survived?

Exercise 14. Read the following news item.

Tiger Cub: Freed, Fuzzy Headed

The cat's out of the bag—at least for a woman caught smuggling a live, two-month-old, drugged tiger cub in a suitcase full of toys at Bangkok International Airport on Sunday.

The 31-year-old Thai national, whose identity has not been revealed by Thai authorities, was scheduled to board a flight to Iran. But when she was seen struggling with a large bag at check-in, airport officials decided to x-ray her luggage.

The x-rays revealed the tranquilized tiger cub among stuffed-tiger toys, according to a statement released Thursday by TRAFFIC, a wildlife trade monitoring network. (Related video: "Tiger Trade Slashes Big Cats' Numbers.").

Officials are investigating whether the cub was wild caught or captive-bred, as well as where the woman intended to bring the tiger. All Asian tigers are listed as endangered or worse by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), mostly due to the illegal trade in tiger parts.

The smuggler—who admitted carrying the cub—could face four years in prison, a $1,280 fine, or both for possessing and smuggling an endangered animal, officials told the Post.

Though authorities should be applauded for spotting the live tiger cub in luggage, the case demonstrated a real need for tougher action on tiger smuggling, according to Chris R. Shepherd, Southeast Asia deputy regional director for TRAFFIC.

"If people are trying to smuggle live tigers in their check-in luggage, they obviously think wildlife smuggling is something easy to get away with and do not fear reprimand," Shepherd said in a statement. "Only sustained pressure on wildlife traffickers and serious penalties can change that."

All tiger subspecies are listed under Appendix I of CITES, an international agreement that prohibits international commercial trade in the big cats.

Exercise 15. Comment on the news item and speak of other cases of Wildlife trafficking and the role of Customs and Border Protection officials who act as rescuers of endangered species. See some students’ presentations on the topic.

Exercise 16. Find out the meaning of the word combination “to get away with” in a dictionary. Think of your examples to illustrate the use of this phrasal verb.

Exercise 17. Test yourself. Choose the correct option.

1. Max _______ ____ at noon everyday.

a. gets together b. gets up c. gets along d. get into

2. Max _______ ____ his bicycle to fix his flat tire.

a. got off b. got over c. got by d. got in

3. We were able to _______ ____ on just 3 hours of sleep per night.

a. get by b. get out c. get into d. get over

4. Homework assignments really _______ me ____.

a. get out b. get along c. get down d. get in

5. The whiny sound of George's voice is starting to _______ ____ me.

a. get off b. get down c. get to d. get back

6. Please ask George to _______ ____. He's really bothering me.

a. get by b. get around c. get out d. get off

7. What time did you _______ ____ from the movies last night?

a. get around b. get back c. get over d. get up

8. Let's _______ ____ Thursday night to go over some ideas.

a. get by b. get over c. get along d. get together

9. It took me 3 weeks to _______ ____ that nasty cold.

a. get away b. get off c. get by d. get over

10. I wish the boys could all _______ ____. They are always fighting.

a. get along b. get off c. get up d. get over

Exercise 18. Match the multi-word verbs with get to their meanings. Consult a dictionary if necessary.

The children are very quiet. I hope they are not getting up to mischief. Now we are all here, let’s get down to business. I wish my parents would get off my back! I am studying as hard as I need to. The football coach decided it was time for his team to get back to basics. The business was a little slow to get off the ground but it’s doing very well now. I just can’t get the situation with Tom out of my mind. Doctors try to get the message across that too much salt is bad for you. You are too soft on Jane. You let her get away with murder. What happened between Dick and Karen? We must try to get to the bottom of it. They’ve seen how popular the product is and now other companies want to get in on the act.

stop nagging me make people understand start again at the beginning doing something naughty stop thinking about start our work become involved get started understand properly, not superficially behave badly and not to be criticized or punished

Exercise 19. Write a short essay on Combating Smuggling according to the plan:

• First, you start with the introduction where you simply tell the reader what you are going to talk about.

• Secondly, take each of the topics you listed in your introduction and write a paragraph or two about each topic.

• Thirdly, in your conclusion simply give a summary of the main points that you discussed in the body of the paper.

Exercise 20. Compose a presentation on one of the following topics.

1. How IPR is protected in your country.

2. Why trade in counterfeit and pirated goods is considered harmful.

3. The role of Customs in IPR enforcement.

4. Customs’ anti-smuggling measures.

5. Drug concealment methods.

6. Drug-related criminal activities.

7. Special enforcement operations.

8. The most comprehensive international agreement on IPR.

9. The Customs role in combating environmental crime.

10. Customs against wildlife trafficking.

11. SOS - Saving Our Species.

MODULE 8