Ex.4. T EXT QUESTIONS: Look back at the text 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. CHAT: Discuss with your classmates the key ideas of the text.

Ex.6. INTERNET SEARCH: Find in the Internet the additional information on HMRC. Share your findings with your classmates.

Ex.7. VOCABULARY: Circle the words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

Ex.8. 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.

Ex.9. COMPUTER PRESENTATION: Make a computer presentation on HMRC.

Ex.10. VIDEO: While watching the video about the HMRC activities give your extended comments.

EX.11. WRITING: Write a short message about the differences between the FCS and HMRC.

Text 2

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), is responsible for keeping America’s borders safe and secure. On March 1, 2003, CBP combined the inspectional workforces and broad border authorities of the U.S. Customs Service with three other agencies:

Immigration and Naturalization Service, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Border Patrol. At CBP, the job is to keep terrorists, their weapons, and other illegal material or individuals from entering the United States, while also facilitating the flow of legitimate trade and travel. For obvious reasons, this mission is vitally important.

The CBP mission is:

The CBP ensures that all imports and exports comply with U.S. laws and regulations. The Service collects and protects the revenue, guards against smuggling, and is responsible for the following:

• Assessing and collecting CBP duties, excise taxes, fees and penalties due on imported merchandise.
• Interdicting and seizing contraband, including narcotics and illegal drugs.
• Processing persons, baggage, cargo and mail, and administering certain navigation laws.
• Detecting and apprehending persons engaged in fraudulent practices designed to circumvent CBP and related laws.
• Protecting American business and labor and intellectual property rights by enforcing U.S. laws intended to prevent illegal trade practices, including provisions related to quotas and the marking of imported merchandise the Anti-Dumping Act and, by providing CBP Recordations for copyrights, patents and trademarks.
• Protecting the general welfare and security of the United States by enforcing import and export restrictions and prohibitions, including the export of critical technology used to develop weapons of mass destruction, and money laundering.
• Collecting accurate import and export data for compilation of international trade statistics.

Today, in addition to its own laws, CBP enforces well over 400 other provisions of law for at least 60 agencies. A number of these statutes are quality of life issues that relate to the environment, such as motor vehicle safety and emission controls, water pollution standards, pesticide controls, freon smuggling and the protection of endangered wildlife. Other laws safeguard American agriculture, business and public health, and consumer safety.

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 “U.S. Customs and Border Protection

(CBP) ”.

Ex.4. T EXT QUESTIONS: Look back at the text 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. CHAT: Discuss with your classmates the key ideas of the text.

Ex.6. INTERNET SEARCH: Find in the Internet the additional information on CBP. Share your findings with your classmates.

Ex.7. VOCABULARY: Circle the words you do not understand. In groups, pool unknown words and use dictionaries to find their meanings.

Ex.8. 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.

Ex.9. COMPUTER PRESENTATION: Make a computer presentation on CBP.

Ex.10. VIDEO: While watching the video about the CBP activities give your extended comments.

EX.11. WRITING: Write a short message about the differences between the FCS and the CBP.

Text 3