Taxi Driver Gets Cheated by a Plastic Man

Before you read: some questions to help you think about the topic and the words you might need.

How would you feel if you were a taxi driver and got cheated by someone?

Have you ever been tricked by something that looked like a human being?

Recently, an English taxi driver took the bait by picking up a plastic dummy.

"Do you know who I had in the back of my cab last night?" may be a favorite conversation starter with taxi drivers, but one taxi driver now has a new answer to add to the list. After being tricked into driving a mannequin across London – all under the premise that it was a sleeping 'friend' who would pay the taxi fare. 

The driver had picked up what he thought was three male passengers in Brighton and had taken them to London as part of a $200 trip. The driver stopped to drop off two of the passengers at addresses in London, and then the second passenger gave the driver another address where he could drop off their third friend who was sleeping.

However, when the driver got out of the taxi to wake the third passenger he discovered that it was nothing more than a mannequin dressed in men's clothes and wearing a hat. This experience left the taxi driver significantly out of pocket and more than a little bit embarrassed.

The driver known as 'Stutter' stopped to pick up the men at Brighton train station late at night and agreed on the $200 fare. The three figures got into the taxi and headed to London, with two of them saying their friend was 'sleeping.’

Andy Cheesman, the boss at CityCabs – the company that manages the Brighton cab – told the Daily Mail newspaper: "It has been the funniest thing which has happened to one of our drivers. You can imagine the jokes that the driver got from the other workers when he got back to Brighton - it was hilarious

Try to guess the meaning of the words in bold and match them with their closest meaning from the choices in the right. Some of the answers are very close and have similar meaning. The meaning of these words is how they are used in the reading. Some of these words have different meanings in the dictionary depending on how they are used.

 The answers are below the table.

A=4, B=1, C=8, D=2, E=7, F=3, G=6, H=5

Some example sentences using the new words or phrases from the meaning of how they are used in the reading to help you understand better.

1. On April Fools day, people prepare tricks hoping someone will take the bait.

2. A good conversation starter in a new class is, ‘what do you think of the course?’

3. Sometimes the Police use mannequins to direct traffic when the road is being repaired.

4. We paid a lot of money for this course under the premise we would get the best teachers available.

5. He promised he would drop off the parcel at 4pm today.

6. I bought shares in this company, but I’m out of pocket for a lot of money because I lost it all.

7. The pilot said we are headed to Incheon Airport and expect to arrive in five hours.

8. Korean people find gag shows hilarious when someone falls over or does something really stupid.

Some questions using the new words/phrases. Try to use the words/phrases in your answer.

1. Tell about a time when your friends set a trap to trick you and you took the bait.

2. If you want to make a new friend, then what would be a good conversation starter?

3. How would you feel if you had been tricked by a mannequin?

4. Was there a time when the result of something didn’t meet what you premised?

5. How angry do you get if someone promises to drop something off, but doesn’t keep their promise?

6. How often were you out of pocket when you went to university?

7. Where would you like to head to for a vacation this winter?

8. What do you find hilarious?