Police Search for Girl in France

法國警方搜尋失蹤女童


Introduction

Police in France are looking for an 11-year-old girl. They found a body and they arrested a man.

法國警方正在搜尋一名 11 歲的女童。他們發現了一具屍體並逮捕了一名男子。

Main Body

A girl named Lyhanna disappeared. 170 police officers and people searched for her. On Thursday, they found a body. Police arrested a 41-year-old man. He lied about where the girl was.

一名叫 Lyhanna 的女孩失蹤了。共有 170 名警察和民眾參與搜尋。週四,他們發現了一具屍體。警方逮捕了一名 41 歲的男子,他之前謊稱不知道女孩的位置。

This man had problems with the law before. Other people said he hurt children in 2017, 2022, and 2025. The courts did not punish him. The police did not stop him.

這名男子此前曾有法律問題。其他人指稱他在 2017 年、2022 年及 2025 年傷害過兒童。但法院並未懲罰他,警方也沒有阻止他。

Now, the government is angry. Minister Laurent Nuñez wants to know why the courts did not act. Groups for women want new laws to protect children.

現在政府感到憤怒。部長 Laurent Nuñez 想要知道為何法院沒有採取行動。女性團體則要求制定新法律以保護兒童。

Conclusion

Police want to identify the body. The government is checking why the law failed.

警方希望能確認屍體身分。政府正在調查法律失效的原因。

Vocabulary Learning

🕒 The 'Past' Pattern

Look at these words from the story:

  • Found
  • Arrested
  • Lied
  • Disappeared

What is happening here? These are things that already happened. In English, we often add -ed to the end of a word to move it from 'now' to 'yesterday'.

Easy Examples:

  • Stop \rightarrow Stopped
  • Search \rightarrow Searched
  • Punish \rightarrow Punished

The Rebels (Irregulars): Some words don't follow the -ed rule. They change completely.

  • Find \rightarrow Found
  • Lie \rightarrow Lied (Wait, this one follows the rule!)
  • Say \rightarrow Said

👥 Who is doing what?

Notice how the story talks about people:

  • The Police (Group) \rightarrow They found a body.
  • The Man (One person) \rightarrow He lied.
  • The Government (One entity) \rightarrow It is checking.

Vocabulary Learning

police
law enforcement officers
Example:The police arrived at the scene quickly.
girl
a female child
Example:The girl was playing in the park.
France
a country in Europe
Example:I visited France last summer.
body
the physical part of a person
Example:The body was found near the river.
arrested
taken into custody by the police
Example:The man was arrested for theft.
man
an adult male
Example:The man walked into the store.
disappeared
vanished, no longer seen
Example:The child disappeared during the game.
officers
police officers
Example:Officers patrolled the streets at night.
searched
looked for something
Example:They searched the house for clues.
Thursday
the fourth day of the week
Example:We have a meeting on Thursday.
lied
told a false statement
Example:He lied about where he was.
law
a rule made by a government
Example:The law requires everyone to wear a seatbelt.
court
a place where legal cases are heard
Example:The case went to court.
punish
give a penalty for wrongdoing
Example:The judge decided to punish the offender.
government
the group that runs a country
Example:The government announced new policies.
minister
a government official in charge of a department
Example:The minister spoke at the ceremony.
why
for what reason
Example:I wonder why she left early.
act
to do something
Example:Please act calmly in the emergency.
groups
collections of people
Example:The groups gathered at the square.
women
adult female humans
Example:The women were waiting for the bus.
new
recently made or discovered
Example:She bought a new car.
laws
rules made by a government
Example:The laws protect everyone's rights.
protect
keep safe from harm
Example:The shield protects the soldier.
children
young people
Example:Children love to play games.
identify
find out who someone is
Example:The police tried to identify the suspect.
checking
examining or inspecting
Example:He was checking his watch.
failed
did not succeed
Example:The plan failed because of bad timing.
angry
feeling displeasure
Example:She was angry about the delay.
found
discovered or located
Example:They found the keys on the table.
hurt
caused pain
Example:He hurt his arm while playing.
before
earlier in time
Example:Finish your homework before dinner.
people
humans in general
Example:People enjoy music.
11-year-old
aged 11
Example:The 11-year-old student won the contest.
41-year-old
aged 41
Example:The 41-year-old man works as a teacher.
Practice A2 words in a crossword