One word only

The Hitchhiker

It was a very wet and windy day and David Williams was (0) soaked to the skin (1) he stood at the side of the road (2) to hitch a lift. (3) far, only four cars had (4) along and each one had gone past (5) stopping . David was beginning to wonder if anyone (6) stop for him when a lorry suddenly (7) up and the driver told him to hop on the back as there wasn’t (8) in the cab. David accepted gladly and quickly climbed aboard.
To his (9) , in the back was an empty coffin. (10) it was still raining heavily, David decided to climb (11) it for shelter. Standing by the roadside had (12) him feel very tired, so it wasn’t (13) before he had fallen fast asleep.

While he was sleeping, the lorry (14) stopped again to (15) up another hitchhiker. Like David, he too climbed on to the back of the lorry. By now, the rain had stopped and the sun had come (16) . It began to (17) very hot inside the coffin and David suddenly woke up. Without thinking, he lifted the lid (18) the coffin, saw the stranger sitting there and shouted: ‘Have I (19) asleep for long?’

His fellow hitchhiker took one look at David, screamed (20) fear and jumped (21) the lorry in panic. Needless to say, he has never hitchhiked (22).

Keys

1. as /while
2. trying/ hoping/ waiting
3. so
4. passed / come
5. without
6. would
7. drove/ pulled / drew
8. space/room
9. surprise /horror /amazement /disgust /annoyance /delight etc
10. as/since/because
11. inside
12. made
13. long
14. had
15. pick
16. out
17. be / get / feel
18. of / off
19. been
20. with
21. from /off / out of
22. again / since

Vocabulary

• To drive up/ draw up / pull up: if a vehicle or driver drives up, the vehicle moves near to a person or place and stops (ES: pararse, detenerse)
• soaked to sb’s skin: (ES: calarse  hasta los huesos)
• needless to say (ES: ni que decir tiene)
• gladly: pleased and happy (ES: felizmente)
• so far: (ES: hasta entonces)
• coffin: a long box in which the body of a dead person is buried or burned (ES: ataud)
• fast asleep: (ES: profundamente dormido)
• hop on the backs: (ES: satar a la parte de atrás)
• wasn’t long: (ES: no tardó mucho)
• shelter: (ES: refugio)
• hitchhiker: (ES: hacer autostop. To hitch a lift / thumb a lift)