Prohibited and restricted goods from outside the EU
Certain goods are prohibited or restricted to protect health and the environment. We cannot list all the goods involved but we have listed some of them below.
Prohibited goods (that is, goods which are banned completely):
Unlicensed drugs, such as heroin, morphine, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamines, barbiturates, and LSD.
Offensive weapons, such as flick-knives, sword-sticks, knuckledusters, and some martial arts equipment.
Obscene material, and indecent and obscene material featuring children, such as books, magazines, films, videotapes, laser discs, and computer software.
Counterfeit and copied goods such as watches, clothes, and CDs, also any goods with false marks of their origin.
Restricted goods (that is, goods which you cannot import without authority gives a license):
Firearms, explosives, and ammunition, including electric shock devices (such as stun guns) and gas canisters.
Dogs, cats, and other animals, including rabbits, mice, and rats.
You must not bring these in unless you have a British health import (rabies) license.
Live birds, including family pets, unless they are covered by a British health import license.
Endangered species, including birds and plants, whether alive or dead, also such things as fur, ivory, or leather (or goods made from them) that have been taken from endangered species.
Meat, poultry, and most of their products including bacon, ham, sausages, eggs, milk, unless they are cooked and in airtight containers.
Certain plants and their produce. These include trees, shrubs, potatoes, certain fruit, bulbs, and seeds.
Radio transmitters such as CB radios that are not approved for use in the UK.
b) The situations:
1. You are arriving in the UK from Copenhagen (Denmark). You have 75 cigars which you bought at a shop in the city. Will you have to pay duty?
2. You are flying from Milan (Italy) to Birmingham (UK). You want to buy some perfume without paying duty. How much perfume can you buy at the duty-free shop at Milan airport?
3. You are arriving in the UK from Montevideo (Uruguay), where you live. How many duty-free cigarettes can you bring in?
4. You are going to fly from Marseilles (France) to London (UK). You want to buy some Sauterne (white wine) at a shop in Marseilles before you go to the airport. How much wine can you take with you to London duty-free?
5. You are going to London for three weeks. Will you have to pay duty on your camera?
6. You and your family (2 adults and two teenagers of 16 and 18) are going to travel from Moscow (Russia) to Liverpool (UK) to visit friends. How much in the tobacco line, perfume line and spirits are you all allowed to bring in?
7. Which of the two channels – red or green - would you go through at customs, if you travel from Madrid (Spain) to London (UK) and have ten packs of cigarettes, three bottles of champagne and 70 g of perfume?
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Alex: Come along, we are only just in time for the train.
Berney: Oh, no! We’re all right: it doesn’t pull out for another twenty minutes yet.
Alex: I thought it would leave at 12.30.
Berney: No, not till 12.50.
Alex: Oh, that’s all right! Have you got the tickets?
Berney: No, let’s go along to the booking-office. I want a few magazinesand
newspapers, so we’ll call at the bookstall on the way.
Alex: Yes, and I’ve left my bag in the cloakroom: I’ll just slip along there and
reclaim it while you get the tickets and newspapers.
Berney: I’ll meet you outside the left-luggage office in ten minutes’ time.
(ten minutes later)
Alex: I’m glad we are traveling together. Have we got reserved seats?
Berney: No, the train isn’t very crowded and we’ll get seats quite easily, I guess.
Here’s a porter; he can put our bags in the guard’s van and help us find us the
seats. Porter!
Porter: Yes, sir. Do you want these bags to go into the luggage van of the 12.50?
Are the bags labelled, sir?
Berney: Yes, there’s a tie-on label on mine and a stick-on label on my friend’s.
Get us two corner seats in a first-class smoker.
Porter: Very good, sir. Better come along at once; the train is filling upquickly.
Platform 14.
Berney: Ah! Here we are. How do you like to sit, facing the engine or with your
back to it?
Alex: I don’t mind either way, but if it’s all the same to you I’d prefer to sit the
way the train is going.
Berney: That will suit me perfectly. I’m rather fussy about not sitting in a draught,
so I prefer to sit with my back to the engine.
Alex: Well, here we are, ready for the journey.
Berney: Put this small bag on the rack above your head, will you? I’ll just go along
the corridor and see where the dining-car is and book for the first service; I’m
hungry.
Alex: Right, we shan’t be long now, the signals are down and the guard is blowing
the whistle. He’s waving his flag. We’re off, now.
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VIA Rail has refurbished some of its classic trains in all the rich fabrics, subtle colours, and polished wood of the art-deco era. Your choice of route and cabin accommodation is outlined below.
Roomette: ideal for one person, the little cabin has a comfy seat and turns into snug sleeping quarters at night (private facilities on western routes).
Section: semi-private with wide couch-style seats facing each other; these convert to bunk beds, with heavy curtains for privacy at night.
Bedroom: ideal for two adults, by day a private living room with two armchairs and a picture window, by night this converts to lower and upper berths. The cabins have a sink and WC.
Coach class: there is plenty of space to move around, comfortable reclining seats, and chair-side drinks and snacks service. On longer routes, Coach service seats are enhanced by foot rests and there’s cafe and glass-domed observation car.
VIA Rail offers first class service and adds to the coach car comfort with exclusive lounges at Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa, pre-boarding privileges, distinctive decor, a cellular phone on board, delicious meals served at your seat, complimentary drinks, and a choice of wine and liquers with your meal.
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a) you were left behind at the station?
b) you missed your train?
c) you had to share your compartment with a party of very noisy children?
d) you suddenly missed your ticket when the train began to pull out?
e) you could not get a taxi to take you to the station and you had an enormous amount of luggage?
f) you suddenly discovered that the bag containing your travelling things was gone?
g) you found your berth occupied by another passenger?
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- Tickets are available from ticket agents at port or on the boats (in high season it is sometimes not possible to buy tickets on board). Ticket prices are regulated by the government.
- Three classes of tickets are on sale: first (luxury), second, and third (deck). Most people travel deck class. If you buy on board, you will probably get a tourist class ticket (deck plus 20% surcharge). Ocean-view cabins are more expensive than inside cabins.
- A return ticket usually means a 10% discount.
- Half-fare for children aged 4 to 10.
- Cash payments only.
- Tickets are normally non-transferable.
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Travel and hotels have always been closely related. In Europe and America, inns and taverns were spaced along the roads at the distance a horse could travel in a day. The inns were primitive by modern standards. The traveler usually had to share his bed with at least one other person, and as many as four other persons in some remote areas. The old-fashioned inns, however, did provide food and shelter for both men and horses and therefore became a symbol of hospitality.
Modern mass transportation, that is, the movement of large numbers of people at relatively low prices, began with the development of the railroads in the 19th century. Up to that time, accommodations had been provided by country inns or by family-owned and operated hotels in the cities. Other means of transportation – the automobile and the airline – resulted in the growth of corresponding accommodation facilities. Motels have sprung along highways all over the world.
The word “motel” was created by combining ‘motor’ and ‘hotel’. When automobiles were first used, flimsy and inexpensive tourist cabins were built beside the highways. As people demanded better comfort, the cabins were replaced by tourist courts and then by modern hotels.
Now the choice of accommodation available is vast. It includes hotels, inns, “bed and breakfasts”, farmhouses and self-catering establishments – the list goes on. An increasing number of hotels have leisure facilities for the guests – swimming pools, tennis courts, golf courses and sauna, for example.
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Hints for Hotel Guests
1. The first thing to do is to book a room in advance either by letter, telephone or fax. Otherwise you may arrive at the hotel and be told that there are no rooms.
2. On arrival at the hotel, go to the reception desk in the lobby and confirm your reservation. The clerk will then give you a registration form to fill in and sign. The form is to be filled in block letters. In smaller hotels you simply sign the visitor’s book and give your permanent address.
3. At large hotels you may ask for any service by phone. Tell the operator if you wish to be called at a certain time. Call Room Service when you want a meal or drinks sent up to your room. Call Valet or Maid Service if you need your suit or dress cleaned or pressed.
4. Let the hotel manager know well in advance the day and time of your departure. Vacate your room before noon. 12 o’clock is the international check-out time. If for some reason you stayed longer, you would have to pay for another night.
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