The Parliamentary Candidate (4)

The crowd remained good-natured for the first part of his speech and Henry was feeling pleased with himself. And then, ......... half a dozen tractors roared onto the field.
automatically
particularly
suddenly
especially

'Do you like tomatoes?' shouted one of the tractor drivers. Henry ......... for a moment and then replied: 'Yes, I like them very much.'
delayed
stumbled
stated
hesitated

'Well, we can't sell them at a profit,' said the tractor driver, 'because the imported ones are too cheap. So instead of letting them go to ........., you can have them!'
loss
disaster
waste
rubbish

It was then that Henry ......... that the tractors were loaded with boxes of tomatoes, which the farmers started to throw at him. Unfortunately for Henry, two of them hit him full in the face.
noticed
decided
believed
remarked

He realized that he had to say something quickly to ......... the crowd over to his side. 'Thank you for your generous gift, but I really prefer them in sandwiches. And now let's get on with the meeting.'
acquire
win
gain
control

The crowd started to ......... and Henry managed to finish his speech without further interruptions. In the meantime the police had made a thorough search of Henry's house and assured him that there were no hidden bombs. He went back to his sister's house to collect his family.
cry
call
weep
cheer

Vera: I've got some supper ready. I'm sure you must be ..........
fasting
eating
starving
munching

Henry: You shouldn't have bothered. We can all go back home now. The police have ......... the house thoroughly and found nothing at all.Vera: Well, at least stay and eat the nice salad I've made.Henry: All right, Vera. Just so long as there are no tomatoes in it!
searched
found
looked
hunted

After supper, Henry and his family went home. Later that evening the phone rang.Man's voice: Oh, Mr. Orpington. I've been trying to reach you all day. This is Paul Harris. I called you this morning but I was cut off. It was a bad line or something.Henry: Well, what about the bomb?Harris: The bomb? What on ......... do you mean?Henry: That's what I'd like to know. You said, I want to warn you about a bomb.
land
ground
mud
earth

Harris: Oh, dear! I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding. I didn't have time to finish my sentence. You see, I ......... some farmers planning to break up your meeting.Henry: I don't see what all this has got to do with a bomb.Harris: Well, if we hadn't been cut off I was going to warn you about a bombardment of tomatoes!
listened
overheard
attended
understood