英语听力精选进阶版 7204（在线收听）

Background: 西班牙警方抓获一名专门偷窃乘客行李箱内贵重物品的小偷。在一辆开往巴塞罗那的长途汽车上，警方最后在一个行李箱里发现了他。

For weeks police were puzzled by repeated thefts from suitcases firmly locked inside the luggage compartment of a coach travelling between Girona Airport and Barcelona.

After one journey when bags had, again, been broken into, one of the passengers pointed out a large suspicious suitcase. Police opened it and to their amazement found a man curled up inside. With the help of an accomplice, who was also arrested, the six-foot contortionist had crammed himself inside.

His friend bought a bus ticket and put the case into the luggage hold. Once the bus set off the man in the case clambered out, opened other suitcases in the hold looking for valuables. Before the bus pulled into the stop in Barcelona he had zipped himself back into his hiding place. Police are reported to have described the crime as an 'open and shut case'.

Glossary 词汇表

to be puzzled by 深感迷惑或不解 

to be firmly locked 锁得牢固的 

to break into 撬锁打开 

to point out 指出 

to be curled up 蜷缩着身体 

an accomplice 同谋，帮凶 

a contortionist 柔体杂技演员 

to be crammed (into/in/inside) 塞满，挤进去 

to clamber out 艰难地爬出来 

an open and shut case 一个一目了然的案子

Questions and Answers

1. How did the police find the thief? 

A passenger indicated to them a strange suitcase and there was a man inside.

2. What did the thief’s associate do? 

He bought a bus ticket and put the case with his friend inside into the luggage compartment.

3. When would the thief go back to his hiding place? 

Before the bus stopped at its destination, Barcelona.

4. True or false? Contortionists have to have flexible limbs, and be slim and short. 

False. According to the report, the contortionist is not short. He is six-foot tall (about 1.82 metres).