Unit 8 english

Unit 8. THE HISTORY OF CUSTOMS

WARM UP

Exercise 1. Read and translate the following words and word combinations. Learn them

by heart. Use the words in the sentences of your own.

Customs - customs duty - customs service - Customs Department - Customs

Administration - customs officer/official - customs seal - customs station - customs

application - customs inspection/examination - customs tariff- customs union.

Exercise 2. Match the English words on the left with their Russian equivalents on the right. Learn the words by heart.

1. a revenue а) внешняя торговля;

2. smuggling b) сбор денежных средств;

3. to swear an oath с) денежное обращение, валюта;

4. to take up office d) давать клятву;

5. counterfeit money e) контрабанда;

6. an inward commodity f) законодательный документ;

7. an outward commodity g) внутренние предметы потребления;

8. currency h) фальшивые деньги;

9. a legislative document i) вступать в должность;

10. foreign trade j) заграничные предметы потребления.

READING

Exercise 3. Read and translate the following text. Use the dictionary when necessary. A Brief History of the Russian Customs Service

Russia's Customs Service is closely connected with the history of the Russian state. In the 10^th and 12^th centuries the Customs began as a revenue collected by the so-called Mytnic Brigades, who were responsible for the trading and transit of Mytnic Duties. At the end of the 13^th century and at the beginning of the 14^th century the Mytnic Brigades were superseded by Tamgachey collectors of the Mongolian Khan Horde who collected the so-called Tamgha Duty. Since that time, this fee has come to be known as a customs duty and its place of collection - a customs office.

Revenue collection was entrusted to the Russian Principalities and by the 14^th century the right to collect the duties and be customs officials could be inherited in some

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towns and villages and small administrative settlements. The Russian Customs Service has always targeted smuggling. Among other things targeted by the Moscow Customs Department were the following: heretical books, other items of a religious nature and playing cards, all of which could be harmful to the people of Russia. In the 15^th and 17^{th centuries} visiting foreigners were often found to be smuggling out of Russia secret maps "I Its territories and its fortresses. Even Russian Tsars and Emperors were subject to the rules of the Customs Administration. The very colours of the Russian Customs flag Symbolize honour, dignity, and the honesty and fairness of Russian Customs officers.

From the 16^th to the 17' century customs officers and their aids had to swear an OAth to the Tsar and kiss an icon "The Crucifixion" on taking up office. The Customs Charter of Tsar Ivan the Terrible, the Law Code of Tsar Aleksey Michailovich, the Trading Charter and the Novotorgovy Trading Act seem to be the basic customs legislative documents in Russia. The Central State Department was in charge of the revenue collection at that lime. Local authorities used to be responsible for the collection of customs duties and fees.

With the development of monetary system the customs took part in the campaign against the illegal importation of counterfeit money from Europe. Different annual and monthly customs seals became an integral part of the Russian customs service. Peter the Great pioneered the modernization of the Russian Customs Service, especially, in the organization of its personnel. Since 1720 the major customs houses were called Senior Customs Observers or Inspectors. New appointments were made such as: comptrollers, collectors and a variety of customs dealers. The Russian State took over customs stations in 1762.

The Customs system was increasingly developing its infrastructure. The reforms adopted in the 18" century contributed to the restructuring of the Russian Customs Service. Inward and outward commodity transactions were levied with an additional 13% duty in Russian currency. Since 1811, the Customs Division in the Foreign Trade Department of the Ministry of Finance has been responsible for the management of all customs stations. In 1864 the Customs Division was renamed the Customs Revenue Collection Department of the Ministry of Finance.

In April 1918 the basic organization of the customs was fixed by the Sovnarkom Decree. The main focus was on the Governmental control of foreign trade and smuggling. In December 1921 a Customs Department which was responsible for still control over the customs stations was established as part of the Soviet Ministry of Foreign Trade. From 1946 to 1986 it was under the control of the Ministry of Foreign Trade of the USSR. The New benchmark is dated 1991, when the State Customs

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Committee was founded. In 2004 the Federal Customs Service succeeded the State Customs Committee.

Exercise 4. Decide whether the following statements are true or false. 1. Russia's Customs Service is intertwined with the history of Russia. 2. Customs began as an organization fighting with smuggling. 3. Foreigners were often smuggling furs and caviar out of Russia. 4. Customs officers had to swear an oath on taking up office. 5. An additional 13% duty was introduced in the 20^th century.

Exercise 5. Answer the following questions.

1. Whom can we name the first custom officers in Russia and when did they appear? 2. What is Tamgha Duty? 3. What was one of the main targets of the Russian Customs Service? 4. What were the items targeted by the Customs Department in the early ages? 5. What does the Russian Customs flag symbolize? 6. What did the customs officers have to do on taking up office in the 16^th— 17^th centuries? 7. How did the work of the customs change with the development of monetary system? 8. What innovation appeared in the work of the customs in the 18^th century? 9. Did the Soviet government fix the customs as a separate organization? 10. How is the organization under consideration called nowadays?

Exercise 6. Read and translate the following text. Use the dictionary when necessary. The History of Customs in the UK.

In the United Kingdom the Board of Customs, responsible for collecting His or Her Majesty's Customs (depending on the gender of the reigning monarch), had a very long history. Originally, the term customs meant any customary payments or dues of any kind (for example, to the king, or a bishop, or the church), but later became restricted to duties payable to the king on the import or export of goods. The centralized English customs system can be traced to the Winchester Assize of 1203-4, in the reign of King John, from which time customs were to be collected and paid to the State Treasury. The first Customs officers were appointed in 1294.

A Board of Customs was effectively created by ordinance on 21 January 1643, under which the regulation of the collection of customs was entrusted to a parliamentary committee. His or Her Majesty's Excise duties are inland duties levied on articles at the time of their manufacture, such as alcoholic drinks and tobacco, but duties have also been levied on salt, paper and windows.

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The combined Board of Customs and Excise was formed in 1909 by the transfer of responsibility for Excise from the Board of Inland Revenue. HM Customs and Excise Investigators guarded the borders of the UK from smugglers. Following a 1971 amalgamation the service included the former Waterguard, whose uniformed officers had long been a common sight at entry points into the United Kingdom. Customs officers had authority throughout the country, including the powers of entry to premises and of arrest.

Nowadays the department is responsible for the administration and collection of direct taxes including income tax and corporation tax, capital taxes such as capital gains tBX and inheritance tax, indirect taxes (including value added tax), excise duties and Stamp duty land tax, and environmental taxes such as air passenger duty and the climate change levy. Other aspects of the department's responsibilities include National Insurance contributions, the distribution of child benefit and some other forms of stale support including the Child Trust Fund, payments of Tax Credits, enforcement of the national minimum wage and collection and publication of the trade-in-goods statistics.

HMRC has two overarching Public Service Agreement targets. The first is to improve the extent to which individuals and businesses pay the tax due and receive the credits and payments to which they are entitled. The second is to improve customers' experiences of HMRC and improve the UK business environment

HMRC inland detection officers have wide-ranging powers of arrest, entry, search and detention. The main power is to detain anyone who has committed, or who the officer has reasonable grounds to suspect has committed, any offence under the Customs and Excise Acts.

Exercise 7. Match each definition with the correct word. Translate the words into Russian and learn them by heart.

1. dues a) money which must be paid to the government according to

income, property, goods bought, etc.;

2. goods b) the government tax on certain goods produced and used inside

the country;

3. to appoint c) to demand and collect officially;

4. to establish d) the ability, power, or right to control and command;

5. an ordinance e) official charges or payment;

6. to entrust f) to set up, begin;

7. to levy g) to choose for a position or job;

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8. to excise h) an order given by a ruler or governing body;

9. a tax i) articles for sale;

10. authority j) to give someone something to be responsible for.

Exercise 8. Choose the right answer.

1. How is the customs service in Great Britain called?

a) His or Her Majesty's Customs; b) His or Her Majesty's Excise;

c) Board of Customs and Excise; d) HM Revenue and Customs.

2. When did the centralized customs system appear in the UK?

a) in 1203-4 ; b) in 1643; c) in 1909; d) in 2005.

3. Which articles have always been levied on?

a) wood; b) cattle; c) alcohol and tobacco; d) books.

4. What other authorities did customs officers in the UK have?

a) coining money; b) selling alcoholic beverages;

c) entry to premisses and arrest; d) interrogating criminals.

5. What docs HMCE stand for?

1. High Magic College Education;

2. Home Management of Country Establishment;

3. Home Market of County Enterprises;

4. Her or His Majesty's Customs and Excise.

6. What taxes does HMCE NOT deal with?

a) income tax; b) environmental tax; c) ecological tax; d) land tax.

7. What did originally the term custom service mean?

a) duties payable to the king; b) payments or dues of any kind;

c) duties payable to the church; d) duties payable to the bishop.

8. When was the regulation of the collection of customs entrusted to a parliamentary committee?

a) in the 17^th century; b) in the 18^th century;

c) in the 19^th century; d) in the 20^th century.

9. How are people working in HMRC called?

a) policemen; b) agents;

c) HMRC inland detection officers; d) officials.

10. What is the main power of the inland detection officer?

1. to arrest suspicious individuals;

2. to collect taxes;

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c) to protect the borders of the country;

(I) to detain anyone who has committed any offence.

9. Fill the table. Add two more categories for comparison.

Foundation	Russian Federation	United Kingdom
Name
Foundation
Main functions

Exercise 10. Fill in the gaps using the words given below, and translate the sentences into Russian.

dutiable goods customs officials customs revenue

customs system • customs seals port of entry-

Collector of Customs imposed tariffs Border Protection

local authority trafficking of contraband customs houses

I. In ancient Russia ... who collected a very larger number of fees were given a variety of rewards. 2. The ... was not the only thing to be prevented by the Customs. 3. In the Central Customs Museum there are examples of ... and prints showing the main trading centres of Russia. 4. ... appeared in Russia in the 17^th century. 5. Since 1720 the major .. were called Senior Customs Observers or Inspectors. 6. Today U.S. Customs and ... under the Department of Homeland Security remains the nation's oldest federal agency. 7. The Founding Fathers and Members of Congress understood the urgent need for money to support the new federal government, which ... on imports and the tonnage of ships. 8. The President appointed the four principal officers: ..., Naval Officer, Surveyor of Customs, and Appraiser of Customs. 9. The highest ranking positions in the Customs brought the appointees high prestige, great power and ..., large incomes and social status. 10. By 1900, New York was the premier port of entry in the U.S., producing 65 percent of the gross national ... . 11. The U.S. Customs Service is the nation's most important .... 12. The titles of American Customs officers were derived from the British ....

Exercise 11. Replace the underlined words with the synonym.

1. Russia's Customs Service is closely connected with the history of the Russian state

a) is intertwined; b) is permitted; c) is confronted; discharged.

2. At the end of the 13' century and at the beginning of the 14^th century the Mytnic Brigades were superseded by Tamgachey collectors.

a) were changed; b) were selected; c) were replaced; d) were known.

3. The place where customs duty is collected is called a customs office.

a) salary; b) wages; c) bribe; d) impost.

4. The Russian Customs Service has always targeted smuggling.

a) robbery; b) contraband; c) terrorism; d) murder.

5. The colours of the Russian Customs flag symbolize honour, dignity, and the honesty and fairness of Russian Customs officers.

a) cleverness; b) kindness; c) integrity; d) self-respect.

6. Later the term customary payments became restricted to duties payable to the king on the import or export of goods.

a) inherited; b) named; c) examined; d) limited.

7. The centralised English customs system can be traced to the Winchester Assize of 1203-4.

a) can go back to; b) can come to; c) can reach; d) can be found.

8. The combined Board of Customs and Excise was formed in 1909.

a) was originated; b) was reformed; c) was built; d) was organized.

9. President George Washington signed the Tariff Act of July 4, 1789, which authorized the collection of duties on imported goods.

a) supported ; b) wrote; c) was for; d) put his name under.

10. The fifth act of Congress established the United States Customs Service and its ports of entry.

a) found; b) create; c) founded; d) passed.

Exercise 12. Match the verbs on the left with the nouns on the right. Make up sentences with the phrases you have got.

1. to be connected with a) a new department;

2. to collect b) the import and export of goods;

3. to entrust c) by Royal charter;

4. to be subject to d) a fine on;

5. to swear e) a revenue;

6. to become f) a rule;

7. to be appointed g) the history;

8. to levy h) an integral part;

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9. to manage i) an oath;

10. to form j) revenue collection.

13. Choose the most suitable word in each sentence.

1. While entering the country you have to pay Customs duties/Customs inspection. 2. For years lie has been smuggling/carrying jewels through customs. 3. The customs officers .swore/told allegiance to the government. 4. A lot of counterfeit/fake money was found at the customs. 5. Everyone knows that dollar is a free/bad currency. 6. The behavior of customs survey/customs officers has completely ruined the tourist trade for the next few years. 7. The government is going to have to form/levy some new taxes. 8. Britain must try to import/export fewer goods from overseas, so as to help her own industries. 9. He was chosen/appointed to the position of customs official. 10. The tourist was thanked/fined for smuggling.

WKITING AND COMMUNICATION

Exercise 14. Write an essay on one of the given topics.

1. The History of Russian Customs.

2. The History of British Customs.

Exercise 15. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English. 1.. В середине XIX века контрабанда являлась одним из широко поставленных способов торговли. 2. В мае 1912 года была проведена последняя реорганизация таможенной службы в царской России. 3. Оплата пошлины на Руси подтверждалась личной пломбой (печатью) князя. 4. В XIV-XV веках на Руси существовала система таможенных сборов - мыт и тамга. Мыт зародился как единая торговая пошлина, а тамга была принесена в Россию монголо-татарами. 5. В XVII веке таможенный голова назначался царским указом. 6. Чтобы стимулировать внешнюю торговлю, Петр Первый снизил таможенные пошлины на многие виды товара. 7. Первый таможенный флаг был учрежден в 1827 году. 8. На рубеже XIX-XX веков особо дерзкие формы контрабанда принимала на морских границах. 9. К началу 1920-х годов таможенная служба в России была практически разрушена. 10. В годы войны самыми главными были задачи оформления и пропуска грузов (вооружение, боевая техника, медикаменты).

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Exercise 15. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English. 1 .. In the middle of the XIX century, smuggling was one of the ways to trade broadly defined. 2. In May 1912, was held last reorganization of the customs service in Tsarist Russia. 3. Payment of fees in Russia confirmed personal seal (stamp) of the prince. 4. In XIV-XV centuries in Russia a system of customs duties - and strangles tamga. Strangles began as a single trade duty and Tamgha was brought to Russia the Mongols. 5. In the XVII century the head of the customs appointed royal decree. 6. In order to encourage foreign trade, Peter reduce customs duties on most items. 7. First Customs flag was established in 1827. 8. At the turn of the XIX-XX centuries, particularly audacious smuggling took shape on the sea borders. 9. By early 1920 Customs in Russia was virtually destroyed. 10. During the war, the most important were the problems of design and release the goods (weapons, military equipment, pharmaceuticals).