Customs Service: History and Present Day Activity

Unit 1.1 Studying Customs Business

Starting Up

Exercise 1. Answer the following questions:

1. How many years have you been studying at the Customs Academy?

2. Is it difficult or easy for you to study here?

3. Do you take notes at lectures?

4. What language do you study?

5. Have you had any disappointing experiences at the Academy?

6. Why do you think education is important for your future career?

Word Study

Exercise 2. Fill in the table of derivatives.

Exercise 3. Complete the sentences below using the phrases from the box.

1. There are ……………….

2. The end of school is…………………...

3. A lawyer protects………………..

4. A Customs officer must know …………………..

5. The duty of a Customs officer is not only……………………

6. Customs violations are …………………..

7. Working with other Customs administrations……………..

8. A large part of my role involves……………………….

9. Customs officers collect........................

Exercise 4. Make questions to ask your partner about Customs areas.

1. What/ the/study/Customs/subjects/do/Academy/you/at?

2. Various areas/can/to move/a/of work/ in/you/future/ expect/ through?

3. Who (m)/with/officers/work/closely/do?

4. Customs/you/do/graduation/from/will/Academy/after/the/what?

5. Aspects/important/what/the/work/Customs/are/most/of/at/?

6. This/qualities/essential/job/what/are/for?

Exercise 5. Study the following words and word-combinations:

diverse – многообразный, различный;

work areas – сферы деятельности;

overtime – сверхурочное время;

to undertake – предпринимать, совершать;

to be essential – быть существенным, важным;

to penalize – штрафовать, накладывать штраф;

enforcement – принудительное применение (закона), правоприменение;

objectives – цели;

to search people’s baggage – проверять/досматривать багаж пассажиров;

cargo – груз;

to X-ray – просвечивать на рентген-аппарате;

items – предметы;

shift-work – работа в дневную/ночную смену;

to be respectful – относиться уважительно;

to be anxious – быть обеспокоенным, встревоженным;

to deal with – иметь дело с кем/чем-либо.

Reading and Speaking

Exercise 6. Read the text and match verbs to nouns to make word-combinations.

Text 1

Training

Customs is a large organization with offices in all capital cities and also in some regional centres. Customs offers varied and challenging work.

That’s why Customs officers can move through a variety of work areas. Some of them involve shift-work and overtime. Most officers work closely with the public.

In the course of your career you will have the opportunity to develop different skills and undertake a wide range of tasks. At the Customs Academy you learn about the legal areas in which Customs operates to fulfil enforcement objectives. After learning the theory you will be asked to put your knowledge into practice.

Working at different departments you will understand that teamwork is essential to the day-to-day operation. And you can be asked to take on many different roles. Firstly, you must be able to understand and correctly apply many Russian laws, whether searching people’s baggage or cargo, X-raying postal items, checking passports, or questioning travellers[1].

Moreover you will see that the large number of travellers entering and leaving the country can be a challenge in itself. Many of them are questioned, some are searched and some are penalized or charged if they break the law.

Attention, concentration and clear thinking combined with an ability to question and look for connections between people are essential. The increased threat of terrorism means that this is even more important.

Being polite and respectful at all times and having an ability to cool down conflict is an important part of the job. You will meet people who are tired, upset or anxious and they can be difficult to deal with.

Exercise 7. Answer the questions below:

1. What does the work of a Customs officer involve?

2. What opportunities do Customs officers have during their career?

3. What qualities does a Customs officer need?

4. How is theory and practice combined in this job?

5. What types of passengers do Customs officers deal with?

6. What factors make the work of a Customs officer more complicated?

Exercise 8. Supply the missing words.

1. The number of Customs areas is__________.

2. Speech skills and habits need hard work and regular ___________.

3. Passengers are __________if they break the law.

4. The increased ___________of terrorism means that this is even more important.

5. Customs operates to fulfil _________ objectives.

Talking Points

Exercise 9. Ask your friend if he/she:

- wants to work at the Customs;

- is sure of his/her choice;

- is interested in subjects studied;

- knows anything about his/her career projects.

Exercise 10. In pairs, ask and answer the questions:

You: Do you like studying at the Customs Academy?

Your friend: …………………………………….......

You: What do you think about our future career?

Your friend: ………………………………………….

You: What do you think is the best working position for you?

Your friend:.................................................................

You: Why do you think you will make a good Customs officer?

Your friend: …………………………………………..

You: Do you want to be an executive?

Your friend: …………………………………..........................

You: What qualities do you think are essential for this job?

Your friend: …………………………………..........................

You: Can you communicate well?

Your friend: Yes, I can.I am patient with people. And what about you?

You: I can often control myself when others lose their temper. I am confident in my ability to deal with stress situations.

Exercise 11. In small groups,discuss the following issues.

1. Money spent on the brain is never spent in vain.

2. Customs officer must have positive approach at passenger and baggage control.

3. The code of conduct in Customs is very important.

4. Computers will no doubt be used in Customs more than they are used today.

5. A large part of Customs officer’s time will be freed in future. Why?

Exercise 12. In pairs, discuss your studies at the Customs Academy. Use the prompts.

Card 1. Speak with your partner about the Customs Academy.

First-year students; Rostov Branch; to be founded in June 30, 1995; higher educational institution; to train specialists in Customs Business; opportunities for mastering vocational training programmes; Customs Business Department (Faculty); Economics Department; Law Department.

Card 2. Speak with your partner about the research work at the Customs Academy.

To master Customs profile; development of practical skills; fundamental applied mathematics; information technologies; professional use of personal computers; problems of the Customs policy of Russia; Customs Business; Economics and Law; scientific research; problems of Customs; perfection of Customs education.

Card 3. Speak with your partner about students’ scientific work.

Students’ conferences; cooperation; scientific centres; Branches (Moscow, Vladivostok, St.-Petersburg); to be proud of; the right way in life; to become skilled specialists; to contribute to the development of Russia.

Card 4. Speak with your partner about the subjects students study at the Customs Academy.

A lot of knowledge, many subjects; Law; Computers; Customs Control of Transported Goods; Activity of Law Enforcement Agencies; Physical Training; Foreign Languages (English, German); the most wide-spread language; border points; communicate with different people.

Card 5. Speak with your partner about sports and social life at the Academy.

Physical Culture (Training) Department; to take care of; mind, body and soul; sports competitions; to enjoy oneself; different festivals; moments of joy; happiness; pleasure to other people; active; enthusiastic; clubs; dancing; singing; musical parties.

Focus on Grammar

Exercise 13. Make the plural forms.

A star, a mountain, a tree, a shilling, a king, the waiter, the queen, a man, the man, a woman, the woman, an eye, a shelf, a box, the city, a boy, a goose, the watch, a mouse, a dress, a toy, the sheep, a tooth, a child, the ox, a deer, the life, a tomato.

Exercise 14. Open the brackets using Present Simple or Present Continuous.

1. The man who (speak) to a passenger (be) our Customs inspector who (work) at the Customs of the airport.

2. What you usually (do)? – I (be) a student. I (study) at the Customs Academy.

3. Where you (hurry)? – I (hurry) to the railway station. My sister (come) from Moscow.

4. You (hear) the speaker well? – Yes, I (hear) him clearly. I (listen) very attentively, but I (not understand) the main points of his speech.

5. As a rule, it (take) him twenty minutes to get to the Customs Academy.

6. Listen, somebody (knock) at the door.

7. What she usually (do) at the weekend? – She usually (go) to see her friends.

8. Don’t come into the room. My brother (work) there now.

9. Where you (go)? – I (go) to the library to prepare for my seminar.

10. He seldom (stay) at home on Sunday.

Exercise 15. Translate into English.

1. Я обычно хожу пешком в таможенную академию. Я добираюсь за 10 минут.

2. Какой иностранный язык вы изучаете?

3. Она увлекается танцами и рисованием.

4. Где вы проводите выходные?

5. В свободное время я люблю слушать рок-музыку.

6. Каким видом спорта занимается твой брат?

7. Он всегда читает газету по утрам.

8. Я бы хотела изучать немецкий язык.

9. Мой рабочий день начинается рано.

10. Студенты факультета таможенного дела изучают различные предметы.

Exercise 16. Complete these sentences using did, was, or were.

1. __________ you have a good time?

2. What time __________ you leave?

3. _________ he staying in/at a hotel?

4. What ___________ they doing?

5. What __________ you do then?

6. Why __________ he working late last night?

7. She __________ n’t understand.

8. I __________ n’t having a test at 5 o’clock yesterday.

9. What __________ the students writing?

Exercise 17. Insert the article if necessary.

London

London occupies vast areas on (1) ___north and south banks of (2) ___Thames. London is not only a large city, but it is also (3) ___large seaport. Large ships go up and down the Thames. There are miles and miles of docks along (4) ___banks of the Thames. (5) ___large ocean going vessels bring different goods from many countries thousands of miles away.

(6) ___City of London is (7) ___area with a long history. It is also called (8) ___commercial and financial heart of London. (9) ___West End of London is (10) ___fashionable quarter. One can see (11) ___finest theatres, (12) ___cinemas, concert halls, (13) ___largest museums and shops.

(14) ___East End of London is (15) ___district of markets and docks. It is especially famous as (16) ___centre of the clothing industry. Westminster is (17) ___part of London that has long been connected with royalty and government. Buckingham Palace is (18) ___official residence of (19) ___Queen. Downing Street, 10 is (20) ___official residence of (21) ___Prime Minister.

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