Learning English

Who's going to the Caribbean with John Whitbread?

In Activity 1 we read about John Whitbread and how he got dumped just before his wedding. John was left with an extra ticket for a honeymoon trip to the Caribbean and no-one to go with.

Read this text quickly to find out what he did next.

ነቲ ጽሑፍ ብምንባብ ነቲ ስራሕ ዕመምዎ

Not wanting to give up the chance for this 'holiday of a lifetime', Mr Whitbread decided to put the ticket up for auction online. He posted it on an auction website and was overwhelmed by the response. Soon he had 65 bidders competing for the chance to buy a ticket to a Caribbean paradise. But things did not go completely according to plan.

Things were looking up when the auction closed and the highest bid of £8,000 had been made. However, it wasn't to be and the bidder failed to pay for the ticket. Mr Whitbread, who had been jilted by his fiancée before his wedding, was rejected again. And it got worse: he was disappointed yet again when the second-highest bidder for the honeymoon trip also pulled out.

What could he do? Mr Whitbread decided to sell £10 raffle tickets for the chance to win the place on the trip and managed to raise £1,420 for the charity Balls to Cancer. The eventual winner was Kelly Wood from Suffolk. The pair didn't meet up in person until the actual day they went away. Mr Whitbread said that not meeting before the trip would make it more fun.

Did you work out what John did next?

He auctioned - or put up for sale - his extra ticket. Then he went away with someone he had never met before!

To do

Time to check how much you understood of the story. Try this quiz!

Next

So was Mr Whitbread and Ms Wood's trip to the Dominican Republic a success? Did they get on with each other? Or was it a disaster?

Go to the next activity to find out and test your comprehension with a quiz!