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.

For more information on the English Tenses turn to Grammar reference section.

Unit 1.2 CUSTOMS Officer Career

Starting Up

Exercise 1.Answer the following questions:

1. What types of jobs are there in Customs?

2. Do Customs officers wear uniform?

3. Are there physical requirements for joining Customs?

4. What qualities do you need to become a Customs officer?

Word Study

Exercise 2.Study the following:

to interact with people – работать с людьми

skills – умения, навыки

qualification – квалификация

preference – предпочтение

accounting/finance – бухгалтерский учет/финансы

Exercise 3.Match left and right.

Exercise 4.Give your own definitions of the following words:

agency, community, qualifications, experience, profession, training, trade, border.

Exercise 5.Fill in the table of derivatives.

Reading and Speaking

Exercise 6. Read the text to answer the following questions:

1. What career opportunities are open to students studying Customs Business?

2. What skills are essential for this job?

3. Who may find the career at the Customs interesting?

4. What does it take to make a good executive at the Customs?

5. What makes the Customs officer so important?

Text 1

Customs Officer Career

    Customs is the government agency with the job of protecting the community from potential risks arising from international trade and travel. There are not many jobs where you get such a good opportunity to interact with lots of people and see what is happening in many different countries. Thus managing the flow of people and goods across any border is international.

    There are basic criteria, skills, experience and qualifications for any position in the Customs Service. Usually there is a preference for people who have necessary qualification or previous experience.

    General skills that are also expected of a Customs officer are:

Ø good people skills, team skills;

Ø computer related skills;

Ø a reputation for integrity and honesty.

    The following subjects may also improve the chances: accounting/finance; business with languages; legal studies. That’s why career progression at the Customs is largely up to the individual. Training is considered very important and can be on-the-job or at specific training courses.

    This job is interesting for those who are comfortable interacting with people at all different levels and have a certain understanding of government and policy processes.

Exercise 7.Pronounce the following words correctly:

Academy, variety, enterprise, private, agency, technology, experimental, region, agenda, aware, accomplish.

Exercise 8.Look through the interview given below and find the English equivalents for:

полный рабочий день, разнообразие, предприятие, частный, давать советы, выполнять задачи, брифинг, бумажная волокита, осознавать, рабочая обстановка, персонал, вносить вклад, участвовать, международное сотрудничество, быть ответственным за кого/что-либо, руководство, продвижение по службе.

Exercise 9.Look through the interview given below and discuss it in class.

Interviewer: When and why did you decide to join the Customs?

Sergei: I became interested in this job when I was studying at the Customs Academy. When I finished my degree I decided to apply for a full-time job in Rostov Customs where I could put my Academy skills to good use.

Interviewer:What do you like about your job?

Sergei:The best part of my job is the variety. One day I might be coordinating Customs inspection of different enterprises or private businessmen and the next I might be working with other agencies providing advice on how to use new information technologies.

Interviewer:What new Customs technologies help accomplish your tasks?

Sergei:Throughout the years Rostov Customs has experimented with many new technologies. Thus, in 2009 it began using electronic declaration on the Internet.

Interviewer:What do you actually do?

Sergei:Our team is responsible for leading our international links and providing advice to other Customs of the region in performance of their duties. I also organize the brief meetings for the staff.

Interviewer:What about dislikes?

Sergei:Sometimes there is also quite a lot of writing, e.g. red-tape job. I dislike it.

Interviewer:Do you have any promotion prospects?

Sergei:I think so.Moreover,from my own experience in Customs, I am well aware of the important role that good leadership can play in my career. The head of our department creates favourable work environment where all staff have an opportunity to participate and contribute.

Exercise 10. Fill in the gaps with suitable prepositions if necessary. Find false statements and correct them.

1. Customs revenues provide the income ______ the Federal Assembly.

2. The duty ______ a Customs officer is only to punish people ______ various Customs violations.

3. A lawyer protects ______ offenders.

4. Customs officers collect _____ passengers’ visas and prevent _____ Customs taxes.

5. Customs responsibilities include checking _____ passengers’ declarations and inspecting _____ their baggage.

6. Lawyers are responsible _____ criminals.

7. Customs officers confiscate all the articles entering and departing _____ the state.

Exercise 11. Match left and right.

Exercise 12. Read Text 2 to answer the following questions:

1. When was the day of the Customs officer introduced?

2. What does this holiday demonstrate?

3. What system was actively implemented?

4. What does the Customs Service demonstrate?

5. Why do Customs officers need modern means of control?

Text 2