宝可梦卡价值飙升引发英国砸店抢劫潮

今天你练听力了吗？

🤔️小作业：

1. Based on the description of the robbery at Celestial Collectables, what can be inferred about the perpetrators?

A. They were likely inexperienced amateurs who took a long time to execute the robbery.

B. They appeared to have planned their actions to avoid detection and act quickly.

C. They specifically targeted only the most valuable individual cards known to experts.

D. They used sophisticated technology to disable the shop's entire security system.

无注释原文：

Rising value of Pokémon cards sparks smash and grab crime spree

From: BBC

A series of smash-and-grab robberies have hit Pokémon card shops across the UK as the increasingly popular collectible cards soar in value.

Celestial Collectables in Warrington, Cheshire is one of the latest stores to be targeted after robberies in Rugby, Bristol, Bournemouth, Peterborough and Nottingham among others in recent weeks.

Shops have seen stock worth tens of thousands of pounds stolen. Cheshire Constabulary told the BBC it was in contact with police in the north west and around the UK about the issue.

Pokémon cards have been collected and traded for 30 years but since Covid, they have attracted more attention online, with some of the rarest selling for huge sums.

A recent auction by specialist auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwins saw over £1.5m in "Pokémon assets" change hands.

While most cards are not worth thousands of pounds, high-profile sales of the rarest items have driven both collector and investor interest.

Earlier this year, the YouTuber, wrestler and boxer Logan Paul auctioned an ultra-rare, high-quality Pikachu card for a record-shattering $16.5m (£12m).

However, as the value grows so does the cards' appeal to criminals.

"Some of these thieves, they don't know what they're taking," said Roy Raftery, trading card expert at Stanley Gibbons Baldwins.

He has personally brokered Pokémon sales worth over £2m, including an £84,000 Pokémon Trainer, a £442,800 Charizard and an £832,000 Pikachu Illustrator.

He said: "Thieves know Pokémon is lucrative, they just know Pokémon is worth taking now. And they think it's an easier target than robbing a bank or robbing a jewellery shop."

Just this week, Wiltshire Police said a shop in Trowbridge had been burgled "during which a substantial amount of Pokémon cards and other items were stolen".

Unfortunately, Chris Grundy has had first-hand experience of this.

The owner of Celestial Collectables in Warrington said: "They pulled up outside the shop in a transit van, they moved the cameras up with brushes and knocked the glass panel through.

"Then in pretty much four minutes they ransacked the whole shop."

- ◆ -

注：完整题目见本文开头；中文文本为BBC官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

Rising value of Pokémon cards sparks smash and grab crime spree

From: BBC

A series of smash-and-grab robberies have hit Pokémon card shops across the UK as the increasingly popular collectible cards soar in value.

随着收藏卡的受欢迎程度与价值持续飙升，一连串“砸店抢劫”案正席卷全英国的宝可梦卡店。

smash-and-grab 字面意思是“砸了就抢”，通常指一种暴力式破窗盗窃。

smash-and-grab raid /ˌsmæʃ.ənˌɡræb ˈreɪd/ 表示“砸橱窗抢劫的罪行”，英文解释为“a crime in which thieves break the window of a shop and steal things before quickly escaping”

collectable /kəˈlek.tə.bəl/ 表示“可收藏的；值得收藏的”，英文解释为“Collectable things are considered to be worth collecting as a hobby.”举个🌰：Comics from the 1960s are highly collectable. 20世纪60年代的连环漫画具有很高的收藏价值。

soar /sɔːr/ 1）表示“急剧增加”，英文解释为“If the amount, value, level, or volume of something soars, it quickly increases by a great deal.”举个🌰：Shares soared on the New York stock exchange. 纽约证券交易所股票暴涨。

2）表示“高飞，翱翔”，英文解释为“If something such as a bird soars into the air, it goes quickly up into the air.”举个🌰：If you're lucky, a splendid golden eagle may soar into view. 幸运的话，一只金色雄鹰会跃入视线。

3）作动词，表示“升空；升腾”，英文解释为“to rise quickly and smoothly up into the air”举个🌰：The rocket soared (up) into the air. 火箭升空。

📍《经济学人》（The Economist）一篇分析受疫情影响的旅游业的文章中提到：Soaring incomes in China explain part of the increase. 这一增长的部分原因是中国人收入猛增。

soaring /ˈsɔː.rɪŋ/ 表示“高耸的；飞涨的”，英文解释为“reaching a great height”举个🌰：The deep blue lakes, soaring peaks, and lush valleys are typical of Switzerland. 深蓝色的湖泊、高耸的山峰和郁郁葱葱的山谷是瑞士的特色。

Celestial Collectables in Warrington, Cheshire is one of the latest stores to be targeted after robberies in Rugby, Bristol, Bournemouth, Peterborough and Nottingham among others in recent weeks.

位于柴郡沃灵顿的“神圣收藏品”（Celestial Collectibles）商店是最新遭殃的店家之一。过去数周，盗窃案已在拉格比、布里斯托、伯恩茅斯、彼得伯勒、诺丁汉等多地接连发生。

Shops have seen stock worth tens of thousands of pounds stolen. Cheshire Constabulary told the BBC it was in contact with police in the north west and around the UK about the issue.

多家店铺的库存遭窃，价值动辄数万英镑。柴郡警方告诉 BBC，他们正就此问题与英国西北部及全国其他地区的警方保持联系。

作动词，stock /stɒk/ 1）表示“（商店或工厂）储备，贮存”，英文解释为“If a shop or factory stocks something, it keeps a supply of it.”举个🌰：Most supermarkets stock a wide range of wines. 大多数超级市场备有许多种类的葡萄酒。

2）表示“为…备货；把…填满”，英文解释为“to fill something such as a cupboard or shelves with food or goods”举个🌰：He has a part-time job stocking shelves in the local supermarket. 他有一份兼职工作，在当地超市摆货架。

作名词，1）表示“（商店的）库存，存货”，英文解释为“the total amount of goods or the amount of a particular type of goods available in a shop”

2）表示“股份；股票”，英文解释为“part of the ownership of a company that can be bought by members of the public”举个🌰：Stock prices fell yesterday in heavy trading. 股价昨日放量下跌。

类似的：

📍share作名词，表示“股份，股票”，英文解释为“any of the units of equal value into which a company is divided and sold to raise money. People who own shares receive part of the company's profits.”

Pokémon cards have been collected and traded for 30 years but since Covid, they have attracted more attention online, with some of the rarest selling for huge sums.

宝可梦卡已有30年的收藏与交换历史，但自新冠疫情以来，它们在网路上获得更多关注，其中一些稀有卡更以天价成交。

A recent auction by specialist auction house Stanley Gibbons Baldwins saw over £1.5m in "Pokémon assets" change hands.

专业拍卖行斯坦利·吉本斯·鲍德温（Stanley Gibbons Baldwins）最近举行的一场拍卖会上，“宝可梦资产”的成交额超过 150 万英镑。

auction /ˈɔːk.ʃən/ 1) 作名词，表示“拍卖”，英文解释为“An auction is a public sale where items are sold to the person who offers the highest price.”举个🌰：The painting is expected to fetch up to $123,000 at auction. 这幅画预计在拍卖会上能卖到12.3万美元。

2) 作动词，表示“拍卖”，英文解释为“If something is auctioned, it is sold in an auction.” 举个🌰：Two drawings by French artist Cocteau will be auctioned next week. 法国艺术家科克托的两幅画作将在下周拍卖。

表示“转手，易主”，英文解释为“to go from one owner to another”举个🌰：That Italian restaurant is nowhere near as good since it changed hands. 那家意大利餐馆自从转手后就一落千丈。

While most cards are not worth thousands of pounds, high-profile sales of the rarest items have driven both collector and investor interest.

虽然大多数卡牌成交价并未达到数千英镑，但最稀有卡牌的高额成交纪录，推动了收藏家与投资者的兴趣同步升温。

profile /ˈprəʊ.faɪl/ 一词经常出现，1）表示“（有关某人的）简介，概况”，英文解释为“A profile of someone is a short article or programme in which their life and character are described.”举个🌰：A newspaper published comparative profiles of the candidates' wives. 一份报纸刊登了候选人妻子们的对比简介。

2）表示“关注度”，英文解释为“If someone has a high profile, people notice them and what they do. If you keep a low profile, you avoid doing things that will make people notice you.”

常用：a high profile 惹人注目/关注；高姿态，a low profile 不惹人注目，低姿态；如：a move that would give Egypt a much higher profile in the upcoming peace talks 会给埃及在即将到来的和平谈判中高关注度的一个行动。

📍如果你把微信语言设置成英文，你就会发现微信官方把头像处理成：Profile Photo，上面的“My Profile”对应的中文则是“个人信息”。

作动词，1）表示“扼要介绍；概述；写简介”，英文解释为“to give or write a description of sb/sth that gives the most important information”举个🌰：His career is profiled in this month's journal.这期月刊概述了他的工作生涯。

2）表示“给……画侧画像；显出……侧面轮廓”，英文解释为“represent in outline from one side”

Earlier this year, the YouTuber, wrestler and boxer Logan Paul auctioned an ultra-rare, high-quality Pikachu card for a record-shattering $16.5m (£12m).

今年稍早，YouTuber、摔角选手兼拳击手罗根・保罗（Logan Paul）以破纪录的1,650 万美元（1,200 万英镑）拍出一张极为罕见、品相顶级的皮卡丘卡牌。

wrestler /ˈres.lər/ 表示“摔跤运动员”，英文解释为“a person who wrestles as a sport”

-shattering /ˈʃæt.ər.ɪŋ/ 表示“终结…的，打破…的；有巨大影响的”，英文解释为“used with a noun to describe a situation that ends, breaks, or has a very powerful effect on something”如：a confidence-shattering defeat (= one which destroys confidence) 摧毁信心的失败。

However, as the value grows so does the cards' appeal to criminals.

然而，价值越高，也越吸引犯罪者觊觎。

"Some of these thieves, they don't know what they're taking," said Roy Raftery, trading card expert at Stanley Gibbons Baldwins.

“有些窃贼根本不知道自己拿走的是什么。”斯坦利·吉本斯·鲍德温拍卖行的卡牌专家罗伊・拉夫特里（Roy Raftery）说。

He has personally brokered Pokémon sales worth over £2m, including an £84,000 Pokémon Trainer, a £442,800 Charizard and an £832,000 Pikachu Illustrator.

他经手的宝可梦卡交易总额超过200万英镑，其中包括一张8.4万英镑的训练师、一张 44.28万英镑的喷火龙，以及一张83.2万英镑的皮卡丘插画师。

作名词，broker /ˈbrəʊ.kər/ 表示“经纪人，掮客”，英文解释为“a person who buys and sells foreign money, shares in companies, etc., for other people”如：a commodity/insurance/mortgage broker 商品/保险/抵押经纪人。

作动词，表示“作为经纪人（或中间人）安排（交易、协议等）”，英文解释为“to arrange something such as a deal, agreement, etc. between two or more groups or countries”举个🌰：The diplomats have failed in their attempts to broker a ceasefire. 外交官们促成停火的尝试已告失败。

He said: "Thieves know Pokémon is lucrative, they just know Pokémon is worth taking now. And they think it's an easier target than robbing a bank or robbing a jewellery shop."

他说：“窃贼知道宝可梦很值钱，他们只知道现在偷宝可梦卡是值得的。他们觉得这比抢银行或抢珠宝店容易。”

lucrative /ˈluːkrətɪv/ 表示“（尤指生意、职位或活动）赚钱的，盈利的”，英文解释为“(especially of a business, job, or activity) producing a lot of money”举个🌰：The merger proved to be very lucrative for both companies. 事实证明，这次兼并使两家公司都获利丰厚。

rob /rɒb/ 表示“抢劫，掠夺；盗取”，英文解释为“to take money or property illegally from a place, organization, or person, often using violence”举个🌰：My wallet's gone! I've been robbed! 我的钱包没了！我被偷了！

Just this week, Wiltshire Police said a shop in Trowbridge had been burgled "during which a substantial amount of Pokémon cards and other items were stolen".

就在本周，威尔特郡警方表示，特罗布里奇（Trowbridge）一间店铺遭到入室行窃，“大量宝可梦卡与其他物品被盗”。

burgle /ˈbɜː.ɡəl/ 表示“入室盗窃”，英文解释为“to enter a building illegally and steal things”举个🌰：When they got back from their holiday they found that their home had been burgled. 他们度假回来时发现家中被盗了。

substantial /səbˈstæn.ʃəl/ 1）表示“大的；可观的；价值巨大的；重大的”，英文解释为“large in size, value, or importance”举个🌰：The findings show a substantial difference between the opinions of men and women. 这些发现表明男性和女性之间存在着重大的意见分歧。

2）表示“基本上的；大体上的”，英文解释为“relating to the main or most important things being considered”举个🌰：The committee was in substantial agreement (= agreed about most of the things discussed). 委员会基本上达成了一致意见。

Unfortunately, Chris Grundy has had first-hand experience of this.

克里斯・格伦迪（Chris Grundy）不幸亲身经历了这一幕。

The owner of Celestial Collectables in Warrington said: "They pulled up outside the shop in a transit van, they moved the cameras up with brushes and knocked the glass panel through.

身为沃灵顿“神圣收藏品”商店店主的他说：“他们开着一辆运输车停在店门口，用刷子把摄影机推开，然后敲破玻璃板。”

"Then in pretty much four minutes they ransacked the whole shop."

“接着在短短四分钟内，他们就把整间店洗劫一空。”

ransack /ˈræn.sæk/ 表示“洗劫；劫掠；粗暴地搜翻”，英文解释为“to search a place or container in a violent and careless way”举个🌰：The burglars ransacked the house but found nothing valuable. 窃贼把房子翻了个底朝天，但没有找到任何值钱的东西。

- 词汇盘点 -

- 词汇助记 By AI -

LearnAndRecord

2015年2月8日

2026年4月19日

第4089天

每天持续行动学外语