Welcome to New Concept English Book 3, Lesson 6. In today's lesson, we will dive into an engaging text that will challenge and expand your English language skills. Our learning objectives include mastering key vocabulary and expressions, analyzing complex grammatical patterns, developing advanced reading comprehension abilities, and practicing proper pronunciation and intonation. This comprehensive approach will help you build confidence in using English at an intermediate to advanced level.
Now let's read the complete text of Lesson 6, titled 'Smash-and-grab'. Listen carefully to the pronunciation, stress patterns, and intonation as I read each sentence. The expensive shops in a famous arcade near Piccadilly were just opening. At this time of the morning, the arcade was almost deserted. 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. The silence was suddenly broken by a loud crash. This was followed immediately by the sound of jewellery being scattered over the stone floor. One of the thieves was rushing out of the shop and straight into the arms of a passing policeman. The other one was caught by Mr. Taylor.
Let's analyze the key vocabulary from Lesson 6. First, we have 'arcade', pronounced as /ɑːˈkeɪd/, which is a noun meaning a covered passage with shops on both sides. Next is 'deserted', /dɪˈzɜːtɪd/, an adjective meaning empty or abandoned. 'Jewellery', /ˈdʒuːəlri/, refers to ornaments made of precious stones and metals. 'Admiring' means looking at something with pleasure and appreciation. 'Velvet' is a soft, smooth fabric often used for luxury items. 'Gazing' means looking steadily at something for a long time. Finally, 'scattered' means spread widely over an area. Learning these words in context helps you understand their usage and remember them more effectively.
Now let's examine the key grammar structures in Lesson 6. The text demonstrates excellent use of various past tenses. We see the past continuous tense in 'The expensive shops were just opening' and 'Two assistants had been working busily', showing ongoing actions in the past. The past perfect tense appears in 'had been working since eight o'clock' and 'had only just finished', indicating actions completed before another past action. Passive voice is used effectively in 'Diamond necklaces had been beautifully arranged' and 'The silence was broken by a crash', focusing attention on the action rather than the doer. The text also uses past simple for sequential events and participle phrases like 'After gazing at the display' to add descriptive detail. Understanding these structures helps you write more sophisticated English.
Let's analyze the text comprehension and literary elements of Lesson 6. The story is set in a famous arcade near Piccadilly during the quiet early morning hours, creating a peaceful atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the sudden chaos of the robbery. The main characters include Mr. Taylor, the jewellery shop owner, his two hardworking assistants, the two thieves, and a fortunate passing policeman. The plot follows a classic structure: exposition with the peaceful morning scene, rising action as the beautiful display is completed, climax with the sudden crash and robbery attempt, and quick resolution as both thieves are caught. The author uses effective literary techniques including vivid imagery with descriptions like 'black velvet' and 'diamond necklaces', dramatic contrast between peace and chaos, and suspense building through detailed description. The timing creates dramatic irony - just as the perfect display is completed, it's destroyed by the robbery attempt. This story structure and use of literary devices make the text both engaging and educational for English learners.