Word Building

Use the word given in capitals at the end of each line to form a word that fits  the space in the same line.

The Elephant Man

John Merrick was one of the most (0. ORDINARY) human beings who ever lived. He suffered from a rare bone disease which (1. FORM) him grotesquely: his right arm was like a giant claw, his right leg was nearly twice the normal size. His head was (2. LARGE) and misshapen and his scaly skin reeked of a peculiar odour. When young he had a 9-inch (3. GROW) protruding from his mouth, which gave rise to the nickname ‘The Elephant Man’. Although it was removed when he was forteen, the (4 FORTUNE)  name  stayed with him.

Merrick made a (5. REASON) living as a freak in a peep show. It was there that he was seen by the eminent surgeon, Frederick Treeves. Merrick’s (6. PAIN) deformities disturbed and fascinated Treeves. He took him into his private care, set up an aparment for him in the London Hospital and gave him a mask to wear while walking the halls so as not to (7. FEAR) other patients and staff.

Treeves soon discovered that “The Elephant Man” had considerable (8 INTELLIGENT) and spoke like a poet. Treeve’s friends began to visit Merrick, initially to look, but in time to talk. Merrick neve complained of his pain and (9 SUFFER) , but kept his and other’s spirits high. His reputation spread. Members of the Royal familiy, (10 PARTICULAR) Princess Alexandra, were among those who (11 REPEAT) visited him.

The (12 BEAUTIFUL) of his sould had escped the prison of his body, but his (13 ILL) continued to progress. As he became weaker, walking became an exhausting process, and he was forced to spend more and more time in bed. Because of the huge (14 WEIGH)  of his head, he could only sleep sitting up. One night, at the age of 27, Merrick laid his head down and died. Among the few things he left behind were there lines of verse, written (15 SHORT) before his death:

Was I so tall I could reach the pole
or grasp the ocean with a span
I would be measured by the soul
the mind’s the measure of the man.

Merrick’s skeleton preserved in the Londond Hospital, is (16 PROVE) of he terrible disease from which he suffered. It also gives testimony to the (17 DIGNIFIED) of man.

Keys

0) extraordinary
1) deformed
2) enlarged
3) growth
4) unfortunate
5) reasonable
6) painful
7) frighten (fear == fright) (ES: temor)
8) intelligence
9) suffering
10) particularly
11) repeteadly
12) beauty
13) illnes
14) weight
15) shortly
16) proft
17) dignity

Vocubulary

peep show: film viewed through peephole (ES: dentro de una cabina)
misshapen: deformed (ES: deforme)
claw: (ES: garra)
growth: tumour (ES: tumor)
scaly: having scales  (ES: con escamas)
reek: smell bad (ES: oler mal)
give raise to: To trigger or cause something (ES: provocar, causar)
span: width of a hand (ES: palmo)
grasp: firm hold (ES: agarrar)