Thieves are ripping up ancient pavements, slate1 roofs and even graveyards2 to feed a fashion for real stone in expensive home makeovers.
时下盛行用天然石材进行昂贵的家居翻新，为满足潮流需求，窃贼们从古道、石板瓦屋顶甚至墓地盗取石材。
The organised gangs have switched from stealing copper3 and other types of metal following new rules demanding tighter checks by scrap4 metal merchants.
Schools, churches, memorial gardens, farm buildings, homes and even historic city pavements are being targeted by the criminals.
The stone is being sold on to unscrupulous builders who use it to create kitchen floors and work surfaces, fireplaces, patios5, drives and walls.
People with valuable stone on their property, such as Portland - which was used in the construction of St Paul's Cathedral - Yorkshire and Cotswold are most at risk.
Eric Bignell, editor of Natural Stone Specialist magazine, said the uses for stone in the home have increased massively in recent years.
'People want something which is substantial in their home, from hard landscaping to housing interiors,' he said.
'It's very desirable to have a house built with stone walls, but we're also seeing stone floors, fireplaces, even kitchens all have granite6 worktops now and stone theft is a problem.
'People are stealing everything from stone walls and tiles to garden statues to reuse in the home.'
Recent cases include a Cotswold farmer, who was left with a ￡50,000 repair bill after thieves stole the stone roof from his stable block twice in three weeks.
1 slate
n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订
参考例句：
The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？
2 graveyards
墓地( graveyard的名词复数 )； 垃圾场； 废物堆积处； 收容所
参考例句：
He takes a macabre interest in graveyards. 他那么留意墓地，令人毛骨悚然。
"And northward there lie, in five graveyards, Calm forever under dewy green grass," 五陵北原上，万古青蒙蒙。 来自英汉 - 翻译样例 - 文学
3 copper
n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的
参考例句：
The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。
4 scrap
n.碎片；废料；v.废弃，报废
参考例句：
A man comes round regularly collecting scrap.有个男人定时来收废品。
Sell that car for scrap.把那辆汽车当残品卖了吧。
5 patios
n.露台，平台( patio的名词复数 )
参考例句：
Concrete slab for making pathways or patios. 用于建造通道或天井的混凝土板。 来自互联网
Typically, houses with patios crowd along narrow streets around a mosque with a square minaret. 沿着狭窄的街道是拥挤的带有天井的房子，环绕着一个有正方形尖塔的清真寺。 来自互联网
6 granite
adj.花岗岩，花岗石
参考例句：
They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。
