Working on the text

Task 2. Find in the text the English equivalents of the following:

таможенное дело; обеспечивать поступления в бюджет; препятствовать перемещению контрабанды; обязанность; наименование и количество; оформление документов; законодательная база; сложная система тарифов; одна из главных задач; оперативные подразделения; технические средства получения оперативной информации

Task 3. a) Find words in the text corresponding to the following definitions:

1) to examine something and make a decision about it

a _ _ _ _ _ __________

2) to make people obey a rule or law

e _ _ _ _ _ _ __________

3) to make it easier for a process or activity to happen

f _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __________

4) to protect something from harm or damage

s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __________

5) to change something so that it is better or more modern

u _ _ _ _ _ _ __________

6) to check things to prevent something harmful from passing through

s _ _ _ _ _ __________

7) to do a job or a piece of work

p_ _ _ _ _ _ __________

b) Use the words below to make word combinations with the verbs above:

the skills and technology; legitimate trade; duty; inspections; people and merchandise; customs laws; public health

Task 4. a) Make the words negative using prefixes:

accompanied, commercial, possible, declared, dependent, important, direct, inform, legal, legitimate, paid, polite, load, responsible, represent, tariff, understand, regular, valid

il - __________, __________

un - __________, __________, __________, __________

ir - __________, __________

in - __________, __________, __________

im - __________, __________

mis - __________, __________, __________

non - __________, __________, __________

b) Use the negative words in the sentences:

1. The trucks took an __________ route avoiding the town centre.

2. The Russian Customs Service carries out the regulation of foreign trade by means of tariff and __________ methods.

3. It would be ___________ not to get a permission for export of valuables.

4. A vet.passport without a photo of the dog is considered __________.

5. The driver __________ some boxes from the back of the truck.

6. There must be some __________. I have placed the imported merchandise under a different customs procedure.

7. It would have been __________ to detect that drug concealment without using a drug detector dog.

8. I am afraid you have been __________ about the functioning of the dual-channel system.

Task 5. Answer the questions:

1) For how long has Russia had its Customs Service?

2) What was the first responsibility of the Customs?

3) How does the Customs carry out the fiscal function?

4) When was the first legal act handed down?

5) What does law enforcement function involve?

6) What do customs officers do to fulfill their border-related responsibilities?

7) What measures are taken by the Customs to act most efficiently?

8) How can you define the Russian Customs Service today?

Task 6. Translate the sentences from Russian into English:

1) Большая часть дохода поступает от сбора пошлин в портах прибытия коммерческих грузов.

2) Таможенники проверяют, соответствует ли товар наименованию и количеству, указанным в документах.

3) Многие из обязанностей таможенной службы имеют отношение к защите экономических интересов страны.

4) Сотрудники таможенных органов постоянно повышают свою квалификацию, чтобы эффективно выполнять свои обязанности.

5) Российская таможенная служба существует дольше, чем аналогичные службы многих других стран мира.

6) Помимо сбора налогов и пошлин перед таможенной службой стоят серьёзные задачи по борьбе с контрабандой и терроризмом.

7) Для таможенных органов очень важно сохранять равновесие между содействием развитию торговли и туризма и обеспечением соблюдения законов и правил.

Text 2

Task 7. a) Read and translate the text.

SHIPPING MANIFEST

Ranked first in the UK, the port of Felixtowe was the birthplace of a new way of working with containers – risk assessment.

Prior to arrival of the ship, the work starts with looking at shipping manifests – documents supplied by the shipping companies – which contain information such as the origin and the destination of the goods which can give vital clues to a preventive officer’s assessment.

Then team members make credibility checks on incoming traffic and determine which containers to target for examination. Checks can be made on the suppliers or companies receiving the goods. Contact is also made with police officers throughout the country who build up local knowledge of the businesses in their region and can verify whether a trader is legitimate, suspect or unknown. Preventive officers are encouraged to use their initiative when it comes to establishing targets. Any information which can throw more light on the company or the individual responsible for an incoming container is taken into account.

With structured risk testing, containers are identified as “high-risk”, “medium-risk” and “low-risk”.

Once a target has been established a team will either go out to examine the container or have it brought into their own shed. The container team works in close cooperation with other teams at Felixtowe and the National Investigation Service. An important part of the examination is health and safety precaution because a container can be unstable, or can contain infested products or hazardous substances – so teams adhere to stringent checks before undertaking the examination.

Potential smugglers may try to transit their goods through a known “low-risk country” to avoid customs checks. For example, South Africa was first listed as “a medium-risk country”. But after customs officers had had one seizure of cannabis, another one of half a million cigarettes, they recommended it to be seen as “a high-risk area”.

b) Make a glossary. Choose seven words to remember.

c) Find in the text the words corresponding to the following definitions:

1) to estimate, to decide;

2) a list of cargo or passengers carried by a ship;

3) a place to which a person or goods are going;

4) acting in accordance with law;

5) contaminated (products);

6) dangerous, being a source of danger;

7) the delivery of goods, especially by ship;

8) fact or idea giving a guide to the solution.

d) Translate and answer the questions:

1) Какой новый метод работы с контейнерами был разработан и применен в этом порту?

2) Какая информация содержится в грузовом манифесте?

3) Как эта информация может помочь определить подозрительные контейнеры для дальнейшей проверки?

4) Как определяются контейнеры повышенного риска,

5) Кто может подтвердить, занимается ли участник ВЭД легальным бизнесом,

6) Почему большое внимание уделяется вопросам безопасности при досмотре контейнеров?

7) Как скажется на внешней торговле применение нового метода таможенного контроля, основанного на «оценке рисков»?