GAPPED TEXT EXERCISE

The thief escaped from a jewellery shop in the mall. [___________] The police caught him near the entrance.

• The shop owner called the police immediately.

• A customer locked all the doors.

• The shops were all closed that day.

The police officer saw a man running towards the parking lot. [___________] He was wearing a pink jacket and red jeans.

• The security guard quickly pointed at him.

• The man dropped his wallet near the door.

• The officer walked back to his car.

The robbery happened late at night. [___________] It was difficult to find people who had seen what happened.

• The shop was still open when it happened.

• The security guards were not on duty at that time.

• A woman reported the crime in the morning.

The police arrived at the crime scene very quickly. [___________] However, the suspect had already escaped.

• They immediately searched the entire building.

• The shop owner refused to give details.

• The police spoke to the wrong person.

The alarm rang loudly across the mall. [___________] Everyone immediately stopped what they were doing.

• They believed something dangerous had happened.

• The alarm had been tested earlier that day.

• The security guard forgot to press the stop button.

The police interviewed the security guard after the robbery. [___________] He also explained that he had seen the thief escape through the emergency door.

• He refused to answer any more questions.

• The police did not write down his statement.

• He described the thief’s clothes in detail.

A woman reported the crime to the police as soon as she saw it. [___________] They thanked her for her quick action.

• She forgot to describe the thief.

• She saw the suspect running across the parking lot.

• The police were busy with another case.

The police found several fingerprints on the glass counter. [___________] Therefore, they could identify the suspect within minutes.

• They matched the prints with their database records.

• The CCTV camera was still recording.

• However, the suspect wore gloves during the robbery.

The suspect was caught near the train station later that day. [___________] However, the police continued to search for more evidence.

• The security guard had left before the police arrived.

• They had already found some of the stolen items.

• The police gave up on the case.

The shop improved its security system by installing new CCTV cameras. [___________] Besides that, all staff were trained to handle emergencies.

• Customers were unhappy with the changes.

• The shop was closed for a long time.

• This helped make the shop much safer.