At the Customs House

Nowadays people who go on business mostly travel by air. Passengers are requested to arrive at the airport two hours before departure time on international flights and an hour on domestic flights as there must be enough time to complete the necessary airport formalities. Passengers must register their tickets and their luggage.

Each passenger has a free luggage allowance. Generally this limit is 20 kg for economy class passengers and 30 kg for the first class passengers. Excess luggage must be paid for extra.

Each passenger is given a boarding pass to be shown at the departure gate and again to the stewardess when boarding the plane.

Landing formalities and customs regulations are more or less the same in all countries. While still on board the plane the passenger is given an arrival card to fill in.

After the passenger has disembarked, officials will check his airport and visa. In some countries they will check the passenger’s certificate of vaccination. The traveler is also requested to go through an AIDS check within ten or fourteen days of his arrival in the country. If the traveler fails to do so, some strict measures could be taken by the authorities including imprisonment (in some countries) or payment of a considerable penalty.

A moment a traveler cross the border their luggage is taken to the customs house by porters. Every country has its own customs regulations, which stipulate what articles are liable to duty and what are duty-free.

Sometimes an article which falls under customs restrictions and is liable to duty is allowed in duty-free traveler does not exceed a certain fixed quota. This are listed in a duty-free quota list. Customs restrictions also include a prohibited article list. This is a list of items which may not be brought into a country or taken out of it. An official paper (from the proper authorities) giving permission to take items, which fall under special customs restrictions, in or out of a country is known as an import or export license.

If the traveler has any item which comes under customs restrictions he is asked to declare it. That is, he is asked to name the item, stating its value and other particulars. The declaration is made either orally or in written on a special form.

The practice seems to vary in different countries. Upon payment of duty the traveler is given a receipt. As a rule personal effects are duty-free.

In some cases the Customs officer may ask you to open your bags for inspection.

It sometimes happens that a passenger’s luggage is carefully gone through in order to prevent smuggling. The formalities at the customs-house usually take some time. After all Customs formalities the Customs officer will put a stamp on each piece of luggage or chalk them off.

Task 6. Give the English equivalents of the following collocations:

Таможенник, досмотр багажа, высаживаться с самолета, заполнить карточку прибытия, проверка паспортов, принимать строгие меры, подлежать обложению пошлиной, беспошлинный, не превышать установленную квоту, ввозить ч-л в страну – вывозить из страны, перечень товаров, запрещенных к ввозу в страну, декларировать ч-л, взимать пошлину, предметы личного пользования, контрабанда, пройти все таможенные формальности, на борту самолета, поставить штамп либо сделать отметку мелом на каждом предмете багажа, международные рейсы, рейсы на внутренних линиях, посадочный талон, садиться на самолет, доплачивать, излишки багажа по билету, указанное в билете количество багажа, который пассажир имеет право провести бесплатно, путешествовать туристическим классом, таможенные правила.

Task 7. Supply prepositionsor adverbs where necessary:

1. It is the porters who always carry the passenger’s luggage ______the hold of a ship or ______ the luggage-van of a train ________ the customs-house _________an inspection.

2. This is duty-free according ________ our customs regulations.

3. Do you know whether there are any restrictions _______ imported cameras in this country?

4. Personal effects are usually duty-free if one does not exceed _______a certain quota.

5. In a number of countries furs do not fall _______customs restrictions.

6. Customs duties are taxed both _______imported as well as exported goods.

Task 8. Make up, as many sentences, as you can with the Passive Voice using the following word combinations:

Not liable to duty, to be subject to customs restrictions, to inspect one’s luggage, to be released by the customs, to go through the customs, to have a greater amount of something.

Task 9. Read and translate the following text. Make up your own situation, using the words printed in the bold:

Text 2

Pat arrived at the airport two hours ago to catch her plane to Tokyo. At the check-in-counter, a ticket agent looked at her ticket and her passport and her baggage was checked in weighed on the scales. Pat’s suitcases were very heavy, so she had to pay an excess baggage charge amount of money for additional weight.

Next she was given a boarding pass a ticket that allows her to get on the plane. The boarding pass has a seat number written on it, and Pat was given a window seat in the non-smoking section. Her suitcases were labeled and sent off to be loaded into the hold of the airplane.

While waiting for the flight to be called, Pat goes to the newsstand to buy a newspaper. Then she goes through the security check, where her carry-on luggage the bags she is keeping with her on the plane is searched. Then Pat goes into the duty-free shop where she has a chance to buy some things cheaply. The goods she buys here are cheap because they are not taxed.

If the departure lounges Pat joins the other passenger who are sitting and waiting until it is time for their flight to depart. After a few minutes at hears the announcement: Flight 156 to Tokyo now boarding at Gate Three, and she goes to board get on her plane.

Task 10. Find out English and Russian equivalents for the words presented below:

____________ check-in-counter

билет ______________

багаж ______________

излишек (превышение багажа) ______________

_____________ load (v)

тележка ______________

_____________ hold (n)

посадочный талон ______________

_____________ departure lounge

магазин беспошлинной торговли _______________

______________ gate

______________ conveyor belt

весы _______________

______________ satchel

______________ to check in

объявление _______________

______________ security check

______________ carry-on luggage

Task 11. Add the following statements, using the information above:

1. When you arrive to the airport you first go to the _______counter.

2. You have to have a ______pass so that you can get on the plane.

3. After the security check, you wait in the ______lounge.

4. You can buy many things cheaply at the ______shop.

5. When you hear the announcement, you go to the _________to board your plane.

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