Vocabulary Notes on the Text. Read and translate the text

Read and translate the text

Pre-reading exercise

Unit 3

1. What container examination facilities do you know?

2. Do you think that containers are often used to smuggle drugs, firearms and other prohibited goods?

3. How effective can container examination be?

Funding allocated under the 'Tough On Drugs' program in the 1999/2000 Budget and the 'Protecting Our Borders' initiative in the 2002/2003 Budget enabled Customs to develop container examination facilities including container x-ray technology, as part of a more comprehensive and integrated approach to sea cargo examination The goal of container examination facilities is to dramatically increase Customs capacity to detect prohibited goods, including illicit drugs and illegal firearms, and assist in the identification of non- compliance with import and export requirements.

An extensive evaluation of available technology identified several operational options at varying degrees of cost and effectiveness. In confirming which system presented the most viable option, the Customs operational requirements included:

· the physical examination facility in close proximity to the x-ray scanning hall;

· substantial building infrastructure to effectively house the system;

· siting within the port environs to minimise impedance to container traffic flow and port operations;

· development of a suitable container transport process to maximise the efficiency of the x-ray system while minimising the impact on the port/land interface.

The shift to purpose-built container examination facilities, housing relocatable or mobile x-ray inspection systems, is an innovation in the way Customs conducts its business in the sea cargo environment. In particular, it represents a shift in emphasis to more efficient detection and risk-management techniques, namely,

· an increased ability to detect prohibited, illicit and non-compliant goods in sea cargo

· more frequent detections of misreported consignments, revenue evasion, smuggling and large-scale fraud

· faster clearance rates

· rationalisation of some cargo-examination activity

· a reduction in the time consignments remain under Customs control

· limiting the physical handling of goods, as the process offers a rapid, safe and non-intrusive means of verifying container contents

· further reduced impact on legitimate container traffic flow, due to Customs ability to clear selected consignments more rapidly.

x-ray	рентген
scanning	сканирование
comprehensive	всесторонний
prohibited goods -	товары, запрещенные к ввозу или вывозу
compliance -	соответствие
available	имеющийся в наличии
impedance -	препятствие, задержка
relocatable	передвижной
revenue evasion	уклонение от уплаты налогов
fraud	мошенничество
verify	проверять, подтверждать
large-scale	крупно масштабный

Дата добавления: 2014-12-29