It is not unusual for a pet1 to be sent by air cargo2 from Columbia to New York, but last December's shipment of a 4-year-old sheep dog caught a New York Kennedy Airport Customs inspector's eye3. The dog looked to be on its last legs4, and there was an unusual lump on the side of its body. An X-ray and emergency surgery revealed the presence of 10 condoms tightly packed with five pounds of cocaine that had been surgically implanted in the dog's abdomen一yet another first for' Customs in the war on drugs5.
When it comes to transporting drugs, the methods used are only as limited as a smuggler's imagination6. Kilo bricks of cocaine7 are routinely concealed beneath false bottoms8 of containers that hold poisonous snakes."You've got snakes that are 12 feet long," says a United States Fish and Wildlife Service agent一and sometimes the drug is in the snake. "Who's going to pull it out and feel it?"
In 1994, United States Customs seized 204,391 pounds of cocaine,559,286 pounds of marijuana9 and 2,577 pounds of heroin10. Just how much actually flows into the country is anyone's guess. Some Customs officials estimate that only 10 percent of the drugs coming into the country are ever seized. In Miami, the District Attorney won't even prosecute small fry. "It's got to be over five kilos of cocaine, above a kilo of heroin and more than 5,000 pounds of marijuana or it's not something that we're going to stop the presses on11,"says Tom Cash, a retired agent.
Given this deluge12, one can only wonder if agents are ever confounded by some of the smuggling methods."There are things we haven't seen before,"says John McGhee, a Miami Customs special agent, "but nothing really surprises us."
词汇：
emergency /i'mə: dʒənsi/ n.紧急情况
surgery /'sə:dʒəri/n.外科手术，外科;手术室，诊所
condom /'kəndəm/n.避孕套
surgically /'sə:dʒəri/adv.以外科手术的方式，通过外科手术
implant /im'pla:nt/vt.植人，插人，嵌人;灌输，牢固树立;移植
abdomen /'æbdəmen/n.腹部
kilo /'kiləu/n.千克;千米
attorney /ə'tə:ni/n.检察长，检察官;律师，代理人
prosecute / 'prɔsikju: t/vt.起诉，告发
deluge / 'delju:dʒ/n.洪水般的泛滥;洪水;大雨，暴雨
confound /kən'faund/vt.使吃惊，使惊惶失措;混淆，使(思想等)混乱
注释：
1. pet：爱畜，宠物
2. air cargo：空运货物，空运邮件
3. …caught a New York Kennedy Airport Customs inspector's eye.……引起了纽约肯尼迪海关一位检查员的注意。catch somebody's eye：被人看到，引起某人注意。又如：The dress in the window caught her eye when she passed the store.当她经过店铺时，橱窗里的那件连衣裙引起了她的注意。
4. The dog looked to be on its last legs.那只狗看上去奄奄一息。be on one's last legs：濒于死亡。又如：By the mid-1980s, the copper industry in the U. S. was on its last legs.到了20世纪80年代中期，美国的铜业已经衰落了。
5. ...yet another first for Customs in the war on drugs.……这是反毒战争中该海关创下的又一个第一。
6. When it comes to transporting drugs, the methods used are only as limited as a smuggler's imagination.说到运输毒品，走私者所使用的方法只要他们想得到的都用。when it comes to用于引入另一个话题或同一个话题的不同方面。又如：Most of us know that we should cut down on fat. But knowing such things isn't much help when it comes to shopping and eating.我们中的大多数人都知道应该少吃肥肉，不过一到买东西和吃饭的时候，这些道理也就顾不上了。
7. cocaine：可卡因
8. false bottoms：夹层的假底板，活板
9. marijuana：大麻毒品
10. heroin：海洛因
11. …or it's not something that we're going to stop the presses on...：……或者说这个数量应是新闻界感兴趣的。
12. Given this deluge：考虑到走私毒品的数量如此之大。given something：考虑到，把……考虑进去。
