U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials have been issuing special “trusted traveller” status to passengers who pay $100 and undergo a background check and fingerprinting. Some travellers however have had their status cancelled because of small legal problems. One woman was questioned this year about why she had an apple in her carry-on bag for a flight she took several years ago.

Those who don’t agree to undergo background checks and pay the money to the U.S. government have to stand in line and go through extensive security controls. These checks may include removing their shoes and explaining their reasons for travelling, even after they have already been given a visa for entering the U.S. 

sense of urgency

Tina: Have you sent in your application for next month’s conference?

Jerry: No, I’m too tired to do that now. Maybe I’ll do it next week.

Tina: But tomorrow is the deadline! What are you waiting for? You need to have a sense of urgency!

Explanation: A “sense of urgency” is the idea that something has to be finished, and it has to be finished soon. You should work hard until the job is completed.

screening

Patient: Why do I have to provide so many blood samples?

Doctor: We need the samples in order to screen you for different ailments. We want to make sure that we catch any diseases early.

Explanation: Screening is a way of saying that the patient is being tested to make sure they don't have any diseases. Various types of screening such as breast cancer screening are done regularly. 

baseline

Dear Caroline:

We want to go forward with the project, but we need to know the costs. Can you give us a baseline monthly budget? That way we can at least have a basic idea of how much we’ll have to spend every month.

 Explanation:

‘Baseline budget’ means the basic figure for the costs. The real costs could be a bit more or a bit less, but the baseline is the basic idea. Think of a baseball player running in a straight line from one base to another. He might go a bit to the left or the right, but he is usually close to the baseline.