Parents tried to sell baby on eBay

BEFORE READING 

1. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article:

1.	tried	a.	presently
2	care	b.	trading
3.	looking into	c.	accepted
4.	trafficking	d.	found
5.	tracked down	e.	investigating
6.	currently	f.	things
7.	fitness	g.	attempted
8.	admitted	h.	stupid
9.	stuff	i.	safekeeping
10.	ridiculous	j.	suitability

Police in Germany have arrested the parents of a seven-month-old baby boy after they tried to sell him on the Internet auction site eBay. The baby, named Merlin, is now in the care of the local government while police investigate his parents’ actions. The couple said they offered their son for sale on eBay “as a joke”. Unfortunately for them, the police failed to see the funny side and are now looking into whether the couple could be guilty of child trafficking. The infant’s 23-year-old mother told Germany’s Bild newspaper: "It was only a joke. I just wanted to see if someone would make an offer." The baby was advertised at a starting price of one euro ($1.60) but no one placed any bids in the two hours the ad was online. German Internet users alerted the police, who tracked down the parents with the help of eBay officials.


The woman is currently undergoing tests on her fitness to be a mother. She said she posted her son online because he had become too noisy. The ad read: “Offering my nearly new baby for sale, as it has gotten too loud. It is a male baby, nearly 70cm long and can be used either in a baby carrier or a stroller.” The title of the post was, “Baby - Pick up in Person Only”. The mother has admitted her stunt was in very poor taste, telling the newspaper: “I would never give up my beloved Merlin.” She fully understands the seriousness of her ‘joke’ and why people do not see it as a laughing matter. “They've taken my son and I've got to take some psychiatric tests next week,” she said. Barbara Schmitt, a cybercrime expert, said: “I have seen the Internet used for all kinds of bad stuff, but trying to auction a baby has to be the most ridiculous.”

COMPREHENSION 

1. TRUE / FALSE: Look at the article’s headline and guess whether these sentences are true (T) or false (F):

a.	A couple tried to sell their seven-month-old baby on eBay.	T / F
b.	When the police found out, they thought it was very funny.	T / F
c.	The parents put a starting price of $1,000,000 for the baby.	T / F
d.	The baby’s older brother told police about the eBay sale.	T / F
e.	The mother is having tests to see if she is good at sports.	T / F
f.	The mother said she tried to sell her baby because it was too noisy.	T / F
g.	The mother has to undergo psychiatric testing in a week’s time.	T / F
h.	An internet crime specialist thought the sale was ridiculous.	T / F