Tower of London hit by theft of valuable keys

The Tower of London has been hit by a burglary, it emerged last night. A thief reportedly managed to escape with keys from the leading tourist attraction on Guy Fawkes Night. The unidentified raider, who has not been caught, is said to have managed to scale the Front Gate as well as an inner entrance. He then managed to grab a set of keys from a metal box that had been mistakenly left unlocked at a sentry post, the Sun reported.

Tower officials insisted that the Crown jewels were never at security risk but admitted that staff could lose their jobs over the fiasco. Despite being spotted by guards, he escaped because the security team have strict instructions not to leave their posts. A source told the newspaper: “Security was a total shambles. The box was supposed to be locked at all times and it was open. It went from bad to worse”

The newspaper reported that the pleas for help requesting back-up were ignored during the incident on Bonfire Night. It was claimed that the “heavy” bunch of keys included those to unlock drawbridges, conference rooms and the restaurant.

As a result of the embarrassing security blunder the locks had to be changed, at an estimated cost of thousands of pounds. Scotland Yard tried to radio a night watchman but failed to find the suspect who targeted the tower, which is guarded by Yeoman Warders, or Beefeaters. They are supported by a private security firm.

Last night a spokesman for the Historic Royal Palaces, which manages the Tower, admitted that security procedures “were not carried out to the expected standard”. He added: “A staff disciplinary process is underway.” They did not comment further.

Question 1. Indicate whether these sentences are true or false. Justify your answers with evidence from the text.

a) The keys were found at a box that happened to be wrongly open.

b) Guards at the Tower are not allowed to abandon their positions.

c) Scotland Yard broadcast a manhunt to catch the thief.

d) Safety at the Tower is run by the Government.

Question 2. Answer the following questions in your own words.

a) Why wasn’t the thief caught?

b) What were the consequences of the theft?

Question 3. Find a word or a phrase in the text that means the same as

a) take (par.1)

b) request (par.3)

c) mistake (par.4)

Question 4. Rewrite the following sentences without changing the meaning

a) The raider is said to have managed to scale the Front Gate.

          It is…

b) Despite being spotted by guards, he could escape.

         Although…

c) A Spokesman admitted “Security procedures were not carried out to the expected standard. And that a staff disciplinary process is underway.”

        A spokesman admitted that…

Question 5. Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

“We should keep our cultural and artistic heritage”. Do you agree?