Ex.19. STUDENT COST OF LIVING SURVEY: Write five questions about living costs.

Ex.20. LIVING COSTS DISCUSSION:

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS

a. What did you think when you read the headline?

b. What is the cost of living like where you live?

c. Have you noticed changes in the cost of living in your town?

d. Would you like to live in Moscow or London?

e. Do you think the quality of life is good in cities that have a high cost of living?

f. Which world capitals would you choose to live in?

g. What things are reasonably priced where you live?

h. Do you like moving house/city/country?

i. Do you think you’d like an expatriate life?

j. Do you think it is/would be difficult to live in foreign country?

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS

a. Did you like reading this article?

b. Are you interested in currency fluctuations?

c. Do you follow what is happening with the dollar or your own currency?

d. Would you recommend your city to human resource officers as a good place to live?

e. What do you think life is/would be like in the world’s most expensive cities?

f. Do you think today’s most expensive cities will always be among the world’s costliest places to live?

g. Do you think there are any advantages of living in very expensive cities?

h. Would you prefer to live in an expensive city or a cheap village in the mountains, far from any city?

i. Are city dwellers different from country people?

j. Did you like this discussion?

Ex.21. AFTER DISCUSSION: Join another partner / group and tell them what you talked about.

a. What was the most interesting thing you heard?

a. Was there a question you didn’t like?

b. Was there something you totally disagreed with?

c. What did you like talking about?

d. Which was the most difficult question?

Ex.22. SPEAKING: COST OF LIVING PRESENTATION:

You are a marketing executive for your town. You want people to come and live there. With your partner(s), write down the cost of living in your town for the items in the table. In the next column, explain why these prices are very reasonable.

Item	Cost	Why this is a reasonable price
Rent
Restaurants
Transport
Food
Water
Other _______

• Change partners and give each other feedback on how to make your town sound more affordable and better value for money.
• Make presentations to the class, selling your town.
• Decide on a winner for the best presentation.

ADDITIONAL TASKS

1. VOCABULARY EXTENSION: Choose the words from the text. Use a dictionary or Google’s search field (or another search engine) to build up more associations / collocations with each word.

2. INTERNET: Search the Internet and find more information about the costs of living in Moscow and London. Talk about what you discover with your partner(s) at the next lesson.

3. MAGAZINE ARTICLE:Write a magazine article about the cost of living in your town. Describe what you think it’ll be like twenty years from now. Read what you wrote to your classmates at the next lesson. Which article was the best and why?

4. LETTER:Write a letter to a Muscovite or Londoner. Ask him/her three questions about what it’s like living in such an expensive city. Give three suggestions about how they can stretch their money. Read your letter to your partner(s) at the next lesson. Your partner(s) will answer your questions.

5. TRANSLATION FROM RUSSIAN INTO ENGLISH:Find an article in Russian describing the economic situation in Moscow. Translate it into English.

6. SPEAKING: Speak on the topic of the article.

Unit VII

Topics: 1.World Customs Organization

General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade

Grammar revision: Phrasal verbs

Text 1

World Customs Organization

The World Customs Organization (WCO) is the only intergovernmental organization exclusively focused on Customs matters. With its worldwide membership, the WCO is now recognized as the voice of the global Customs community. It is particularly noted for its work in areas covering the development of global standards, the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures, trade supply chain security, the facilitation of international trade, the enhancement of Customs enforcement and compliance activities, anti-counterfeiting and piracy initiatives, public-private partnerships, integrity promotion, and sustainable global Customs capacity building programmes. The WCO also maintains the international Harmonized System goods nomenclature, and administers the technical aspects of the WTO Agreements on Customs Valuation and Rules of Origin.

The World Customs Organization (WCO), established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) is an independent intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.

Today, the WCO represents 177 Customs administrations across the globe that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade. As the global centre of Customs expertise, the WCO is the only international organization with competence in Customs matters and can rightly call itself the voice of the international Customs community.

The WCO’s governing body – the Council – relies on the competence and skills of a Secretariat and a range of technical and advisory committees to accomplish its mission. The Secretariat comprises over 100 international officials, technical experts and support staff of some nationalities.

As a forum for dialogue and exchange of experiences between national Customs delegates, the WCO offers its Members a range of Conventions and other international instruments, as well as technical assistance and training services provided either directly by the Secretariat, or with its participation. The Secretariat also actively supports its Members in their endeavors to modernize and build capacity within their national Customs administrations.

Besides the vital role played by the WCO in stimulating the growth of legitimate international trade, its efforts to combat fraudulent activities are also recognized internationally. The partnership approach championed by the WCO is one of the keys to building bridges between Customs administrations and their partners. By promoting the emergence of an honest, transparent and predictable Customs environment, the WCO directly contributes to the economic and social well-being of its Members.

Finally, in an international environment characterized by instability and the ever-present threat of terrorist activity, the WCO’s mission to enhance the protection of society and the national territory, and to secure and facilitate international trade, takes on its full meaning.

WORKING ON THE TEXT

Ex.1. SKIMMING:

a.Read the headline and the first sentence of each paragraph of the text. Pair up to discuss the topic of the article.

b. Read the first paragraph and the last paragraph of the text. Then work in pairs to discuss the contents of the piece.

c. Read the text. Get into pairs to discuss the contents of the piece.

Ex.2. SCANNING:

a. While scanning the text find the answers for content-specific questions given by the teacher.

b.While scanning the text pick out the sentences containing the key words given by the teacher.

Ex.3. READING: Read and translate the text “World Customs Organization”.

Ex.4. TEXT QUESTIONS: Look back at the article and write down some questions you would like to ask the class about the text.

• Share your questions with other classmates / groups.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

Ex.5. THE WCO DISCUSSION:What is WCO? Talk about this with your partner(s). Rate each item from 10 (This is essential) to 1 (How ridiculous). Change partners and share your ideas.

_____ intergovernmental organization _____ global standards _____ harmonization and simplification _____ integrity promotion

_____ world customs organization _____ technical assistance _____ legitimate international trade _____ national territory

Ex.6. WRITING ON FACILITATION:Spend one minute writing down all words you associate with the word ‘facilitation’. Share your words with your partner(s) and talk about them.

Ex.7. CHAT: In pairs/groups, decide which of these expressions and words from the article are most interesting and which are boring.

intergovernmental organization, worldwide membership, development of global standards, the simplification and harmonization, piracy initiatives, public-private partnerships, integrity promotion, international Harmonized System, Rules of Origin, independent intergovernmental body ,competence in Customs matters, governing body, competence and skills, to accomplish its mission, technical experts, exchange of experiences, a range of, international instruments, technical assistance, training services, participation, endeavors, capacity, the vital role, legitimate international trade, fraudulent activities, is one of the keys, promoting the emergence, transparent, predictable, well-being, instability, ever-present threat, to enhance, national territory, to secure, to facilitate, full meaning.

Ex.8. TRUE / FALSE: Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F):

a.	The aim of the WCO is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.	T / F
b.	The World Customs Organization (WCO) is the only intergovernmental organization	T / F
c.	The WCO is now recognized as the voice of the global Customs community	T / F
d.	Its work in areas do not cover the development of global standards, the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures.	T / F
e.	The WCO also maintains the international Harmonized System goods nomenclature, and administers the technical aspects of the WTO Agreements on Customs Valuation and Rules of Origin.	T / F
f.	The World Customs Organization (WCO), established in 1947 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) is an independent intergovernmental body.	T / F
g.	The WCO’s governing body – the Directorate – relies on the competence and skills of a Secretariat and a range of technical and advisory committees.	T / F
h.	By promoting the emergence of an honest, transparent and predictable Customs environment, the WCO directly contributes to the economic and social well-being of its Members.	T / F

Ex.9. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1.	harmonization	a.	prosperity
	valuation	b.	to advance
3.	governing	c.	proficiency
4.	competence	d.	foretelling
5.	to contribute	e.	encirclement
6.	to promote	f.	to provide
7.	skills	g.	to supply
8.	predictable	h.	ability
9.	environment	i.	conducting
10.	well-being	j.	assessment

Ex.10. PHRASE MATCH: Match the following phrases from the article (sometimes more than one combination is possible):

1.	With its worldwide membership, the WCO is now …	a.	of Customs enforcement and compliance activities, anti-counterfeiting and piracy initiatives, public-private partnerships, integrity promotion, and sustainable global Customs capacity building programmes.
	The World Customs Organization (WCO), established in 1952 as the Customs Co-operation Council (CCC) is an independent…	b.	and can rightly call itself the voice of the international Customs community.
3.	As the global centre of Customs expertise, the WCO is the only international organization with competence in Customs matters …	c.	that collectively process approximately 98% of world trade.
4.	The WCO’s governing body – the Council – relies on the competence and skills of a Secretariat and …	d.	technical experts and support staff of some nationalities.
5.	The Secretariat also actively supports its Members in their endeavors to …	e.	the WCO directly contributes to the economic and social well-being of its Members.
6.	By promoting the emergence of an honest, transparent and predictable Customs environment, …	f.	the WCO’s mission to enhance the protection of society and the national territory, and to secure and facilitate international trade, takes on its full meaning.
7.	Finally, in an international environment characterized by instability and the ever-present threat of terrorist activity, …	g.	modernize and build capacity within their national Customs administrations.
8.	The Secretariat, comprising over 100 international officials, …	h.	a range of technical and advisory committees to accomplish its mission.
9.	It is particularly noted for its work in areas covering the development of global standards, the simplification and harmonization of Customs procedures, trade supply chain security, the facilitation of international trade, the enhancement …	i.	recognized as the voice of the global Customs community.
10.	Today, the WCO represents 177 Customs administrations across the globe …	j.	intergovernmental body whose mission is to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of Customs administrations.

Ex.11. WORD SEARCH: Look in your dictionaries / computer to find collocations, other meanings, information, synonyms … for the words ‘capacity’and ‘frudulent’.

capacity

frudulent

• Share your findings with your partners.
• Make questions using the words you found.
• Ask your partner / group your questions.

Ex.12. VOCABULARY: Circle the words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

Ex.13. TEST EACH OTHER: Look at the words below. With your partner, try to recall how they were used in the text:

global standards facilitate voice exclusively capacity building the technical aspects to enhance the effectiveness

competence in partnership approach to accomplish transparent terrorist activity exchange of experiences characterized by

Ex.14. WRITING AN ANNOTATION:Write an Annotation of this text.

Text 2