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A federal judge sentenced Bruce Jones to 12 years in federal prison for fraud (诈骗罪). Over a
10-year period, Jones had managed to cheat thousands of people throughout the state out of almost
$10 million.
He advertised his fantastic ideas on TV. "For some reason," Jones said, "TV seems to break the ice.
Even though you are a total stranger to the viewer, once he sees you on TV in his home, he feels like
he knows you. You enter his living room and become a trusted friend."
Jones had an imagination that wouldn't quit. One time he showed viewers an "official government"
earthquake report which "proved" that the western half of California would collapse into the sea within
three years. For $100, he said, Jones would insure your house and property for full value. Thousands
of people who saw that TV ad sent him a hundred dollars each.
In another TV ad, Jones claimed that he had come to an agreement with the federal and state
government for exclusive (独享的) air rights. He told viewers that, for only $100, they could own the
first 10 miles above all their property. You would be able to charge any commercial plane that flew over
your property $100 per crossing. You would also be able to charge government rockets, satellites, space
shuttles, and space stations $100 for each and every violation of your air rights.
Another time, Jones claimed to have invented a product that gets rid of calories. He showed the
viewers a spray can of "NoCal." He said that by simply spraying NoCal on your food, a chemical
interaction would cause all the calories in the food to simply disappear within about 10 seconds. The
NoCal was only $10 a can. As usual, Jones received thousands of checks in the mail.
The judge told Jones that he should be ashamed of himself. Jones responded that he was very
ashamed of himself, and that when he got out of prison he hoped to become a TV adviser to help
people avoid getting cheated. He told the judge that he was already developing an instructional CD that,
for merely $100, would save people thousands of dollars in scams (骗局). The judge nodded, and then
changed Jones' sentence from 10 years to 12 years.
1. According to Jones, he could successfully cheat many people mainly because _____.
A. he promised them a large profit
B. they were too eager to make money
C. they believed too much in TV ads
D. he was skillful in communicating with people
2. Which of the following statements isTRUE?
A. Jones showed unusual imagination in his tricks.
B. Jones was closely related to the state government.
C. Western California was in danger of going under the sea.
D. Jones felt guilty and was determined to lead a new life.
3. We can infer that people who wanted to buy "NoCal" from Jones _____.
A. were mainly from low income families
B. all had a rich knowledge of chemistry
C. were probably interested in losing weight
D. usually did the shopping through the Internet
4. The judge changed the sentence at last because _____.
A. Jones was planning another big scam
B. he could hardly believe what Jones had told him
C. Jones had cheated more people than he expected
D. he had suffered from Jones' scams himself

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