Reading!
Hi, it’s Andy here. Read the text. Then, see if you can answer the questions. Finally, when you’re ready, do the quiz to test yourself. Good luck!
Reading 1
The text below is a news report on a bank robbery. Read it once. What has happened to the money that was stolen?
a) It’s all been returned. b) Some of it has been returned. c) None of it has been returned.
A bank robbery with a difference!
In December last year, a group of armed robbers arrived at the home of bank executive Chris Simmonds. At the time, Mr Simmonds was having dinner with his family. On hearing the knock on the door, he stood up to see who was there. The armed members were posing as police officers and told him they needed to speak to him urgently, so Simmonds opened the door for them.
Very quickly, the robbers tied up Mr Simmonds and his wife and kept them hostage that night. The following morning, they told Mr Simmonds to go to work and to behave as if nothing had happened. Then, shortly after the bank closed at 5pm, Mr Simmonds was forced to open the door for the gang and lead them to the underground vaults.
At 5.15pm, a white van was parked outside the bank and the robbers loaded it with crates filled with cash. It returned an hour later for a second collection. The haul included £10m of used, untraceable banknotes; and the total amount stolen was worth over £15m. After taking all the money, the robbers left Simmonds tied to a tree in a forest nearby. A few hours later, Simmonds managed to escape, but while he was running down the street, he was knocked down by a car and taken to hospital.
While he was being treated there, he told police officers what had happened, but by then the gang had escaped. However, the police reacted quickly, and within a short time, 10 people were arrested and three were charged in connection with the robbery. So far, none of them has been convicted. And to the frustration of detectives, the money still hasn’t been located.
Reading 2
Read over the text again. Then, answer the questions.
- When did the robbery take place?
- Who were the robbers pretending to be?
- When was Mr Simmonds forced to open the door for the robbers?
- How much did the robbers steal in total?
- What happened to Mr Simmonds after he escaped?
- Where was he taken after that happened?
- How many people were arrested in connection with the crime?
Answers
Reading 1
Option c – none of the money has been returned yet.
Very good! Now try the quiz to check your answers to exercise 2!
