Chapter 5. Going through the customs (прохождение таможенного контроля)

Exercise 1. Read and translate the text, using the words below.

Before we are allowed to enter a foreign country, whether we travel by land, sea or air, we must go through the Customs. This means that our baggage must be examined by a customs official to see that we are not bringing in any articles, upon which duty should be paid, and that, if we have such articles, we pay the necessary duty. We are usually asked to make a declaration of what we have in our luggage. If we have any dutiable goods we are expected to declare them and produce them.

As a rule people are allowed to take their personal belongings with them into a country without paying any duty on them, but not presents for others, or anything bought for others. The reason is that if, for example, a woman takes three valuable fur coats into a country, it is natural to suppose that two of them are for her friends, who hope in this way to get them cheaper. If they bought them in a shop, the price would include the tax paid to the government.

Occasionally, if the customs man is suspicious, he makes a very thorough search, emptying everything out and examining each article carefully. It is no use entering into discussion with him if he happens to find anything dutiable. He will say that it should have been declared, and, in England, three times the ordinary amount of duty may have to be paid.

Some dishonest people are very skillful at getting stuff unlawfully through the Customs barrier. They use bags with false sides in which things may be hidden, or carry in their hand what looks exactly like a book but really is a box, or hang over their arm a thick walking-stick, most of which is hollow, and can be filled with all kinds of things. But sooner or later they are sure to be caught.

For the most part the customs officials make only a formal examination of the baggage. They open one or two suitcases, see that they contain clothing, etc., and are satisfied. It is usual for bags that have been passed to be marked in chalk with a cross. When this has been done, formalities are over , and the passenger is free to join the friends who have come to meet him.

Words to be remembered.

customs - таможня

baggage - багаж, возимое имущество

articles - предмет, товар

duty - пошлина

luggage - багаж

fur coat - шуба

tax - налог, пошлина, сбор

suspicious - подозрительный

dishonest - нечестный

to hide - прятать

walking-stick - трость

hollow – пустой

Exercise 2. Answer the following questions.

1. What must we go through before entering the country?

2. What does it mean?

3. Are people allowed to take their personal belongings with them into a country without paying any duty on them?

4. What are you asked to make?

5. When does the customs man make a very through search?

6. What do some dishonest people use to take some dutiable goods through the Customs barrier?

7. When are formalities over?

Exercise 3. Translate the sentences from Russian into English.

1. Прежде чем нам разрешат войти в зарубежную страну, мы должны пройти таможню.

2. Нас обычно просят написать заявление о том, что мы имеем в багаже.

3. Людям разрешается ввозить в страну свое личные вещи, не оплачивая пошлину за них.

4. Цена за товар включает налог.

5. Таможенный служащий тщательно осматривает багаж.

6. Некоторые люди используют сумки с ложными сторонами, коробки, похожие на книги или трости, чтобы пройти через таможенный барьер.

7. Когда все формальности закончены, пассажир свободен и может присоединиться к друзьям.

8. Какую пошлину я должен заплатить?

9. Есть ли у вас иностранная валюта?

10. Очень сожалею, но вам придется платить пошлину за ввоз.

Exercise 4. Give the synonyms to the following words.

Ship, luggage, dutiable, examine, contain, hollow, carry.

Exercise 5. Translate and act out the dialogue.

A: Hello! Could you tell me how to get my bags?

B: Go straight ahead, down the escalator, and there will be signs directing you.

A: Where do we clear customs?

B: First of all you will pick your bags up.

A: Should we have our passports out?

B: You should have your passport out and your Declaration form totally filled out before you get into line.

A: My friend is continuing here on to Puerto Rico, and we were wondering if she has to go through Customs.

B: Travelers who are continuing on to another country will check in over there and be directed where to go next. Their bags have been checked trough.

A: Are there any rest rooms here?

B: Yes, right over there after you pass through the line.

Exercise 6. Make up dialogues of your own using the following expressions and sentences.

To go through the customs. Проходить таможенный осмотр.

Dutiable goods. Товары, облагаемые таможенной пошлиной.

….. proved a matter of a few minutes. …... оказалось минутным делом.

Without paying any duty on them. Без уплаты какой-либо пошлины за них.

To make a very thorough search. Произвести тщательный досмотр.

To bring the action against. Возбудить дело против.

It used to belong to him. Когда-то он принадлежал ему.

It is no use entering into discussion with him. Бесполезно вступать с ним дискуссию.

Exercise 7. Translate the words in brackets into English, and then render the whole passage into Russian.

For one thing what impressed us very favourably when we stepped on Russian soil was the simplicity of formalities. We (ожидали тщательного таможенного досмотра. Но прохождение таможенных формальностей) proved a matter of a few minutes. There was no standing in line, to begin with, which is more or less usual on such occasions. (Таможенный инспектор взял наши паспорта, мы заполнили декларацию) itemizing the foreign currency we carried (и полчаса спустя) as we re-boarded the plane (после очень хорошего лaнча) our passports were handed to us.

Exercise 8. Retell the text.

CHAPTER 6. CARGO TRANSPORTATION (ТРАНСПОРТИРОВКА ГРУЗА)

Exercise 1. Read and translate the text, using the words below.

On the brink of the third millennium, the role of the Commonwealth`s transportation system is significantly changing. Thanks to objective preconditions, the system will transform into a “locomotive” capable of invigorating industrial development, intensifying economic activity and of raising the living standards in many Russian regions. The development of international Euro-Asian transport corridors will provide solutions to global social-economic problems.

All this is directly related to the fact that the world`s economy has grown rapidly during these last decades. This includes a global division of world labour and correspondingly, a radical increase in the exchange of goods between different parts of the world. Industrial supplies have intensified and large markets are more competitive due to accelerated capital flow.

“Door to door” cargo delivery with maximum reliability and cost effectiveness in minimum time is now especially relevant.

World cargo flow is regrouping in a focused search for more effective routes, including Eurasian ones. At present, cargo travels between Asia and Europe through the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. It takes 35 days to get to Europe from Japan through the Suez Canal. Reliable cargo delivery schedules depend on sea conditions. It is therefore not surprising that cargo owners are currently searching for alternative routes.

World foreign trade exceeds 4-5 trillion dollars. In 1997, Japan alone had a turnover of 0.88 trillion dollars. The volume of foreign trade for the ASEAN countries was assessed at 0.72 trillion dollars for the same year. The European Community and the USA especially, are the leading world exporters and had a far greater trade movement. The exchange of goods between Europe and Asia makes up half the world`s cargo. In 1998 alone, 6 million 20-foot containers were shipped between Europe and South East Asia. As a result, many countries are looking to create transportation corridors.

Almost all Eurasian routes pass within the transportation networks of the CIS countries and primarily of Russia. A common policy in respect to international cargo is important not only for the CIS but also for the majority of countries in the world.

Practically all CIS states have strong prospects for development based on a close interaction with each other. However, the most attractive routes for cargo owners cross Russian territory. By the year 2010, Russia could have the main portion of the Eurasian international freight flow thanks to its geographical location and powerful infrastructure which includes railway, motor and water transportation.

The importance of this issue has moved the government to create a federal program for the “Development of International Transportation Corridors”. This program envisions among others, two Eurasian transport corridors, “East-West” and “North-South”, a “great European water ring”, and the development of the “Northern Sea Route”.

The main route between Europe and Asia is the “East-West” wide corridor. Although there are several branches within the corridor, its general direction is latitudinal. The territory from the Russian Far East Coast to its western borders makes up the central section of this corridor. The eastern section covers China, Korea, Japan and other states of the Asian Pacific region. The western section includes European transportation corridors, Baltic waterways, the North, Black and Mediterranean Seas and the Danube and the Rhine.

In order to increase freight handling capabilities for cargo shipped from or via Russia and in order to give the country autonomy, various ports are being modernized while new ports are being constructed on the Baltic, Azov and Black Seas.

The backbone of the “East-West” international corridor is the Trans-Siberian Railroad thanks to which the Chinese northeastern provinces link to the town of Chita. Ulan-Ude is the starting point of another railway, which merges into the Trans-Siberian route that crosses Mongolia into inner China.

The Trans-Siberian Railroad covers three routes from east to west: Ekaterinburg-Perm-Nizhny Novgorod-Moscow, Ekaterinburg-Kazan-Moscow and Chelyabinsk-Ufa-Syzran-Moscow. In the European part of Russia, the railway network is supplemented with river ports, roads and airports. Also promising for the “East-West” corridor is the Volga transportation system through which cargo can be carried to the Baltic, Black Sea, Mediterranean and Caspian regions. What`s more, the Danube-Rhine water corridor further links the network with central Europe.

Even now the “Transib” is capable of handling up to 100 million tons of cargo a year. This includes international freight with a total sum of 140 thousand 20-foot containers. With a complete modernization, up to one million cargo containers could be shipped through the “Transib” annually. This is still insufficient though, given the present cargo volume between Europe and Asia an the very rapid increase of export-import cargo from Asian Pacific countries. The construction of a railway-road “Europe-Russia-Japan” corridor is an especially important project for regrouping global cargo flows between Europe and Asia within the “East-West”corridor.

Words to be remembered.

brink - рубеж

precondition - предпосылка

invigoratе - укреплять

transportation system - транспортный комплекс

transport corridors - транспортные коридоры

“door to door” - “от двери к двери»

exchange of goods - товарообмен

cargo flow - грузопоток

cargo travels - грузоперевозки

world foreign trade - мировой внешнеторговый грузооборот

assess - оценивать, облагать налогом, штрафовать

backbone - становый хребет

merge - сливаться, объединяться

international freight - международный транзит

Exercise 2. Practice reading the words. Translate them.

Commonwealth, development, “door to door”, routes, infrastructure, schedules, effectiveness, latitudinal, primarily, the majority, powerful, freight, railway.

Exercise 3. Ask all types of questions to the text.

Exercise 4. Complete the following sentences.

1. It takes 35 days to get …............ .

2. …......... could have the main portion of the Eurasian international freight flow.

3. …........ China, Korea, Japan and other states of the Asia Pacific region.

4.The construction of a railway-road “Europe-Russia-Japan is …..........

5.The role of the …........... transportation systems is changing now.

6. ….........…... covers three routes from east to west.

7. The railway network is supplemented with …..................

Exercise 5. Choose the right meaning of the word given in the text..

предпосылка

a) precondition b) preconduct c) preconductive

грузопоток

a) flow cargo b) cargo flow c) cargo anf flow

становый хребет

a) bone b) mountain c) backbone

создавать

a) create b) base c) develop

возможность

a) capability b) importance c) almost

груз

a) product b) items c) freight

Exercise 6. Say whether the statements are true or false. Correct them if necessary.

1. The development of Russian transport corridors will provide solutions to global social-economic problems.

2. The large markets are not more competitive due to accelerated capital flow.

3. “Window to window” cargo delivery with maximum reliability and cost effectiveness in minimum time is now especially relevant.

4. Reliable cargo delivery schedules depend on carriers.

5. In 1998 alone,1 million 20-foot containers were shipped between Europe and South East Asia.

6. All CIS states have not strong prospects for development based on a close interaction with each other.

7. The main route between Europe and Asia is the “East-South” wide corridor.

8. The railway network is supplemented only with river ports.

9. Now the “Transib” is capable of handling up to 1 million tons of cargo a minute.

10. The construction of a railway-road “Europe-Russia-China” corridor is not an especially important project for cargo flows between Europe and Asia.

Exercise 7. Give the infinitive forms of the following verbs and translate them.

is regrouping, makes up, shipped, are looking, creates, can be carried, exceeds, will transform, covers, is supplemented.

Exercise 8. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English.

1. В настоящее время становится острой проблема доставки грузов «от двери к двери».

2. Надежность и своевременность доставки грузов зависит от превратностей морской стихии.

3. Большая часть мировых грузоперевозок приходится на товарообмен между Европой и Азией.

4. Через Россию проходят все привлекательные для грузовладельцев маршруты.

5. В транспортный коридор «Восток-Запад» входят отдельные транспортные участки и ответвления.

6. Транссибирская магистраль является становым хребтом международного коридора «Восток-Запад».

7. Выработка единой транспортной политики Содружества в отношении международного транзита имеет важное значение для них самих и для большинства стран мира.

Exercise 9. Retell the text.

UNIT V