NEW YORK (AP) — The investigation into the disappearance of 6-year-old Etan Patz has gone through decades and countries, from basements to rooftops and seemingly everywhere in between.
No one has ever been charged criminally — and the little boy with sandy brown hair and a toothy grin was declared dead in 2001.
This week, the six-year-old boy who went missing from the Soho area of New York City in 1979 is back in the news. Police and the FBI are investigating a possible lead into the 33-year-old case of Etan Patz, the first missing child to appear on the side of a milk box.
The child disappeared on the way to school on the morning of May 25, 1979. It was the first time he was allowed to walk the two blocks to the bus stop alone.
A tip seemed to have led officials to the basement of a building on the corner of Prince and Wooster streets, about a block and a half from where Etan had lived with his family.
The name Etan Patz has become a hot topic on Twitter as people weigh in on the case. Shirley Brady noted: “As mom to a 6 years old in Soho, it’s still held out by locals as cautionary tale (警示故事).” Another wrote, “Boy who disappeared on his way to school in 1979 has been REOPENED! Crazy.” One wondered, “Why is FBI and NYPD searching for a kid that disappeared in 1979?”
Good question. This is a case that Stuart Gra Bois, as an assistant U.S. lawyer under Rudolph Giuliani, followed for years. It became the most famous missing-person case in New York City, turned a nationwide spotlight on missing children, and created headlines around the globe. No one was ever stated guilty of the crime.
The case led to the creation of National Missing Children’s Day, marked on May 25, the day the blond-haired, blue-eyed child went missing.
The case has even pointed to a suspect, charged with child molester (猥亵者) Julio Antonio Ramos, who is currently in prison. Patz’s babysitter had been dating the man, and Ramos did know the kid, but has denied taking him away.
New evidence in the case suggests another suspect who lived in the apartment at the time: a local handyman named Othniel Miller, who gave Etan $1 for helping him the night before the disappearance.
The man’s name had come up in an earlier investigation, but he was a friend of the Patz family, and the NYPD did not follow the lead.
Investigators plan to be at the site, 127 B Prince St., which is now a Lucky Brand jeans store, for the next two to three days to search for human remains. The Associated Press reports that the excavation (挖掘) has been the result of a recently ordered review of the case by Manhattan’s police.
1.We can learn from the first three paragraphs that ________.
A.The 6-year-old missing boy was found by the side of a milk box
B.Police and the FBI have not been following the case of Etan Patz for 33 years
C.The investigation into the disappearance of boy has worked fruitlessly for decades
D.Etan Patz went missing from the Soho area of New York city in 1979 and died in 2001
2.What does the underlined phrase “weigh in on the case” mean?
A.ignore the case B.feel stressed on the case
C.reopen the case D.begin to discuss the case
3.What was a possible cause of reopening the case of Etan Patz?
A.Local lawyers strongly demanded the reopening of the case.
B.The Associated Press reported the result of the review of the case.
C.New evidence appeared which led officials to the basement of a building.
D.Local people realized the importance of the case without criminal being charged.
4.Which of the following statements is true in the text?
A.The National Missing Children’s Day was created on May 25, 1979.
B.The search for human remains will be carried out at 127 B Prince Street.
C.The NYPD didn’t follow the lead of Julio Antonio for he had been dating Patz’ babysitter.
D.Othniel Miller, a local handyman assisted Etan and gave him $1 before the disappearance.
5.We can learn from the passage that ________.
A.People air the same view about the case on the Internet
B.People reject the reopening of the case of the missing boy
C.The missing-person case still has a long-lasting influence on people
D.Twitter is the only place for people to discuss about missing-person cases
My sister and I have been a headache for my mother, because my father was in the army, he was not around too often. __21__, my mother brought us up almost single-handedly and it must have __22__ real strength of mind to bring up such naughty and stubborn children who got out from one trouble only to get into another.
Bonus and I weren’t scholars either. __23__, we hated studying from the very beginning. We were __24__ to spend time with our schoolbooks---out of the fear of Mum’s scolding. I almost did not make it to 10th grade. That entire summer Mum __25__ that I read my schoolbooks from the very first chapter till the last.
I left __26__ college at 18. In my second year of college, while I was studying for my final exams, I got a phone call from Mum __27__ my sister had failed her 9th grade exams. Mum was heartbroken. My mother was an English teacher in a famous school in the city and it was a(n) __28__ for her.
Then started another __29__ for my Mum. There always seemed to be people who would come and talk about how well their children were doing __30__ my mother would be having a tough time making sure we stayed on the right path. Mum was __31__ that we would do well for ourselves. She never let my sister and me __32__ that we had lost out on something and always told us: “Let this be a lesson. We are going to work really really hard...__33__ will change.”
Things did change, but very slowly and __34__, one little step at a time. Last year I finished with law school and started working. My mother’s belief in me __35__. And just a few days ago I got a phone from Bonus. She had __36__ the exam with honors and was __37__ to the best university in the country. I was in tears. Later that night I __38__ Mum: “Mum, your two little failures didn’t do as badly as everybody thought.” Mum __39__ and said: “You are my daughters and I knew you the best. I always knew that you would succeed. It was just a __40__ of time.”
1. A.However B.Thus C.Otherwise D.Besides
2. A.devoted B.spent C.taken D.wasted
3. A.In that case B.In this way C.On the other hand D.On the contrary
4. A.pleased B.annoyed C.forced D.advised
5. A.demanded B.concluded C.promised D.mentioned
6. A.at B.for C.from D.after
7. A.announcing B.reading C.knowing D.saying
8. A.shame B.challenge C.pride D.honor
9. A.experiment B.research C.conflict D.trial
10. A.though B.while C.as D.unless
11. A.determined B.astonished C.satisfied D.concerned
12. A.predict B.imagine C.guess D.feel
13. A.Environment B.Society C.Circumstances D.Impressions
14. A.quickly B.extremely C.smoothly D.gradually
15. A.made up B.paid off C.took on D.burst out
16. A.attended B.received C.passed D.failed
17. A.accepted B.allowed C.admitted D.permitted
18. A.questioned B.convinced C.persuaded D.called
19. A.nodded B.laughed C.shouted D.joked
20. A.matter B.period C.waste D.length
—Will you complete the task in time?
—Surely, I will. _________.
A.Everything is possible B.But it’s too hard
C.No matter what will happen D.Though it’s a piece of cake
--So you know Catherine?
---Yes, it was last week_____ she came to visit my roommate Jane.
A.that B.when C.since D.before
________there are a large number of chemical factories, the air is likely to be polluted.
A.Where B.That C.Though D.As
They weighed the advantages of the operation ______ all the possible risks involved over and over again.
A.within B.except C.behind D.against