[originaltext] The world’s first gun made with 3D printer technology has bee

The world’s first gun made with 3D printer technology has been successfully fired in the US. The gun was made on a 3D printer that cost $8000 (￡5140) from the online auction site eBay. It was assembled from separate printed components made from ABS plastic—only the firing pin was made from metal. The controversial group which created the firearm, Defense Distributed, plans to make the blueprints available online. The group has spent a year trying to create the firearm, which was successfully tested on Saturday at a firing range south of Austin, Texas. Anti-gun campaigners have criticized the project. Victoria Baines, from Europol’s cybercrime center, said that at present criminals were more likely to pursue traditional routes to obtain firearms, but as time went and as this technology became more user-friendly and less expensive, it’s possible that some of these risks would emerge.
    3D printing has been hailed as the future of manufacturing. The technology works by building up layer upon layer of material—typically plastic—to build complex solid objects. The idea is that as the printers become cheaper, instead of buying goods from shops, consumers will be able to download designs and print out the items at home. But as with all new technologies, there are risks as well as benefits. Defense Distributed is headed by Cody Wilson, a 25-year-old law student at the University of Texas. To make the gun, Mr. Wilson received a manufacturing and seller’s license from the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). Donna Sellers, from the ATF, said that the 3D-printed gun, as long as it was not a National Firearms Act weapon, was legal in the US.
    Questions 12 to 15 are based on the passage you have just heard.
    12. What do we learn about the gun fired in the US?
    13. What is people’s response towards Defense Distributed’s new project?
    14. How does a 3D printer work?
    15. What do we learn about Cody Wilson, the head of Defense Distributed?