One day Richard Brody got a letter from a company in New York. The company had good news for Mr. Brody. “Congratulations!” the letter said. “You are the winner of a mini electronic piano! Please send us $ 10 for shipping, and we will ship the piano to you.”

Mr. Brody read the letter very carefully and decided to mail the company $ 10 for the piano.

Two months later Mr. Brody received a box in the mail. It was his piano! He opened the box and found pieces of newspaper. He reached through the newspaper... and reached... and reached. Finally, he felt something small and hard. He pulled out his piano. The piano was made of plastic and it was only five inches by two inches. It had 13 tiny buttons. When Mr. Brody pushed the buttons, the piano made a beeping sound. The piano costs $ 1.99 in most stores. The company that sent Mr. Brody the piano was dishonest. Dishonest companies often do business by mail. They are very clever. They send letters and tell people that they own something. They also trick people with their advertising.

Every year people in the U.S. send over 500 million dollars to dishonest companies. Perhaps Richard Brody can laugh because he spent only $ 10 for his mini electronic piano”. Some people send much more than $ 10 to dishonest companies.

The United States Postal Service tries to stop the dishonest companies who do business by mail. Three hundred employees at the Postal Service have only one job—shopping the dishonest companies.

【小题1】What was the good news for Mr. Brody?
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【小题2】When did Mr. Brody receive the box?
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【小题3】What was the piano like?
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【小题4】How do dishonest companies often do business?
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【小题5】How much do people in the U.S. send to dishonest companies every year?
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