Step 1: Intensive reading.
Try to answer the question below while you’re reading:
Question: How did Mr. Taylor try to stop the thieves?
Vocabulary:
smash-and-grab 砸橱窗抢劫
velvet 天鹅绒，丝绒
headlight（汽车等）前灯
arcade 有拱廊的街道（两旁常设商店）
blare 发嘟嘟声，吼叫
staff 全体工作人员
Piccadilly 皮卡迪利大街
raid 偷袭
jewellery 珠宝（总称）
scramble 爬行
necklace 项链
fantastic 非常大的
ring 戒指
ashtray 烟灰缸
background 背景
Passage:
The expensive shops in a famous arcade near Piccadilly were just opening. At this
time of the morning, the arcade was almost empty. Mr. Taylor, the owner of a
jewellery shop was admiring a new window display. Two of his assistants had been
working busily since eight o'clock and had only just finished. Diamond necklaces and
rings had been beautifully arranged on a background of black velvet. After gazing at
the display for several minutes, Mr. Taylor went back into his shop.
皮卡迪利大街附近的一条著名拱廊街道上，几家高档商店刚刚开始营业。在早晨
的这个时候，拱廊街上几乎空无一人。珠宝店主泰勒先生正在欣赏新布置的橱窗。
他手下两名店员从早上 8 点就开始忙碌，这时刚刚布置完毕。钻石项链、戒指漂
亮地陈列在黑色丝绒上面。泰勒先生站在橱窗外凝神欣赏了几分钟就回到了店里。
Notes:
1 Piccadilly, 皮卡迪利，这是伦敦市中心一条著名的街。这条街从海德公园通向
一个著名的广场，叫作“皮卡迪利广场”。
The silence was suddenly broken when a large car, with its headlights on and its horn
blaring, roared down the arcade. It came to a stop outside the jeweller's. One man
stayed at the wheel while two others with black stockings over their faces jumped out
and smashed the window of the shop with iron bars. While this was going on, Mr.
Taylor was upstairs. He and his staff began throwing furniture out of the window.
Chairs and tables went flying into the arcade.
宁静突然被打破，一辆大轿车亮着前灯，响着喇叭，呼啸着冲进了拱廊街，在珠
宝店门口停了下来。一人留在驾驶座上，另外两个用黑色长筒丝袜蒙面的人跳下
车来。他们用铁棒把商店橱窗玻璃砸碎。这一切发生时，泰勒先生正在楼上。他
与店员动手向窗外投掷家具，椅子、桌子飞落到拱廊街上。
Notes:
2 with its headlights on and its horn blaring, …这是 with 引导的独立主格结构，在
句中表示伴随状况。
One of the thieves was struck by a heavy statue, but he was too busy helping himself
to diamonds to notice any pain. The raid was all over in three minutes, for the men
scrambled back into the car and it moved off at a fantastic speed. Just as it was
leaving, Mr. Taylor rushed out and ran after it throwing ashtrays and vases, but it was
impossible to stop the thieves. They had got away with thousands of pounds worth of
diamonds.
一个窃贼被一尊很重的雕像击中，但由于他忙着抢钻石首饰，竟连疼痛都顾不上
了。这场抢劫只持续了 3 分钟，因为窃贼争先恐后地爬上轿车，以惊人的速度开
跑了。就在轿车离开的时候，泰勒先生从店里冲了出来，跟在车后追赶，一边还
往车上扔烟灰缸、花瓶。但他已无法抓住那些窃贼了。他们已经带着价值数千镑
的首饰逃之夭夭了。
Notes:
3 but he was too busy helping himself to diamonds to notice any pain.但他只顾忙着
抢劫钻石，根本顾不上疼痛了。这里 help oneself to sth. 是“擅自取用，侵占某物”
的意思。
6.2【阅读理解】Smash-and-grab
Step 2: Comprehension questions.
Comprehension:
1 Where was the famous arcade? (Near Piccadilly.)
2 What time of the day was it? (Morning.)
3 What were the shops doing? (Just opening.)
4 What had Mr. Taylor and his assistants been doing since eight o'clock? (Creating a
window display.)
5 What kind of shop was it? (A jewellery shop.)
6 What did the window display consist of? (Diamond necklaces and rings arranged on
a background of black velvet.)
7 Did Mr. Taylor admire this display? (Yes, he did.)
8 How was the silence broken? (By a large car with its horn blaring.)
9 Where did the car go? (Down the arcade.)
10 Where did it stop? (Outside the jeweller’s.)
11 What did two men do? (They jumped out and smashed the window of the shop.)
12 What did they have over their faces? (Black stockings.)
13 What did the third man do? (He stayed at the wheel of the car.)
14 What did Mr. Taylor and his staff begin doing? (Throwing furniture out of the
window.)
15 What happened to one of the thieves? (He was struck by a heavy statue.)
16 Why didn't he notice any pain? (He was too busy helping himself to diamonds.)
17 How long did the raid last? (Three minutes.)
18 Did the two thieves climb back into the waiting car? (Yes, they did.)
19 What did the car do then? (It moved off at a fantastic speed.)
20 Did the thieves get away with thousands of pounds worth of diamonds? (Yes, they
did.)
6.3【拓展写作】Smash-and-grab
Step 3: Composition
In not more than 200 words continue the above passage using the ideas given below.
Do not write more than three paragraphs.
Title: They got away.
Introduction: The thieves ’car joined the traffic —Mr. Taylor took a taxi—followed
the thieves’ car.
Development: A mad chase through the streets----the thieves’ car hit another car---did
not stop---the police chased both taxi and thieves---Mr. Taylor’ s taxi stopped at
traffic lights ---the thieves got away---taxi driver was stopped by the police---he had
been speeding--- Mr. Taylor explained the situation.
Conclusion: The thieves’ car was found ten minutes later---side
street---abandoned---the thieves escaped on foot.
Key to composition
A possible answer
They got away
Seeing the thieves' car join the traffic on Piccadilly, Mr. Taylor took a taxi and
followed them. The taxi driver drove at full speed when Mr. Taylor told him what had
happened.
There wasn't too much traffic at this time of the morning so there was a mad
chase through the streets of London. For a short time, the thieves' car was on the
wrong side of the road and hit another car, but it did not stop. Two policemen in a
police car watched in amazement as the two vehicles went past, both breaking the
speed limit. Lights on and horn blaring, the police car chased both the speeding cars.
Mr. Taylor's taxi stopped when the traffic lights turned red. The thieves ignored the
traffic lights and got away Meanwhile, the police caught up with the taxi at the traffic
lights and the taxi driver was charged with speeding. They refused to let the driver off
even though Mr. Taylor carefully explained the situation.
However, the police informed another police car of the chase and ten minutes
later the thieves' car was found abandoned in side street. The thieves had escaped on
foot and disappeared among the crowd.
课外练习：
1 While Mr. Taylor was admiring the new window display, .
(a)his two assistants were arranging jewellery in the window
(b)some thieves were on their way to raid his shop
(c)he was standing inside his shop
(d) his staff were finishing their work for the day
2 The car headlights were on and its horn blaring .
(a)as the thieves wanted to warn people out of their way
(b) as a special signal to the assistants
(c)so the thieves could see where they were going
(d) to break the early morning silence
3 The thieves chose to raid Mr. Taylor's shop because .
(a) it was early in the morning and not many shops were open
(b) they did not expect Mr. Taylor and his staff to try and stop them
(c) it usually had a great deal of valuable jewellery on display
(d) they had a very fast car to get away in
4 The expensive shops in were just opening.
(a)Piccadilly's famous arcade
(b) a Piccadilly famous arcade
(c)a famous Piccadilly arcade
(d) the famous arcade off Piccadilly
5 He the display for several minutes before re-entering- his shop.
(a)was gazing at
(b)gazed at
(c)had gazed at
(d)had been gazing at
6 Using bars made iron. the thieves smashed the shop window.
(a) of
(b)from
(c)by
(d) with
7 He and his staff began furniture out of the window.
(a)to throw
(b)by throwing
(c)and threw
(d) the throwing of
8 Had he not been so busy taking the diamonds, he the blow.
(a)would feel
(b) had been feeling
(c)had felt
(d) would have felt
9 To make the car 'roar down the arcade', the driver must have .
(a)accelerated
(b)sped
(c)run
(d)reversed
10 Two others, their faces black stockings, jumped out.
(a)covered with
(b)overdressed with
(c) overlooked by
(d) made up in
11 , Mr. Taylor was upstairs.
(a) For the time being
(b)Meanwhile
(c)As it happened
(d) For a while
12 Chairs and tables were into the arcade.
(a)flown
(b)emptied
(c)hurled
(d) projected
答案：1b 2a 3c 4c 5b 6a 7a 8d 9a 10a 11b 12c