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.
The silence was suddenly broken by a loud crash. A large car, with its headlights on and its horn blaring, had crashed into the window. The alarm went off immediately but it was too late. A gang of thieves had already jumped out of the car and had started grabbing expensive watches and rings. After they had loaded a large bag with jewellery, the gang quickly made off. The whole operation had lasted less than three minutes.
When Mr. Taylor returned from the back room, he found that the showcase was empty. The thieves had gone but they had left something behind. Mr. Taylor picked up what was left of the alarm clock. 'It was worth five hundred pounds,' he said sadly. This was more than he had lost on the jewellery.
Just as Mr. Taylor was examining the remains of the fifteen-hundred-pound alarm system, the telephone rang. The shop next to his had been broken into as well. The thieves had been there too and had helped themselves to expensive rings and watches. The owner said that the thieves had got away with thousands of pounds worth of diamonds and other precious stones.
This concludes the reading of New Concept English Book 3, Lesson 6: 'Smash-and-grab'. The story tells us about a daring robbery at expensive jewelry shops near Piccadilly. The thieves used a car to crash through windows and quickly stole valuable items. Despite alarm systems, the operation was completed in less than three minutes, causing significant losses to the shop owners.