Friendship

Divide the phrases into two groups.

Choose a word that fits the meaning. One of the most beautiful qualities of friendship is to _____ and to be understood.

Match the parts of the sentences. These are sentences from the story by Oscar Wilde «The Devoted friend» Match the halves of the sentences. Do you agree with these pieces of advice? (with these ideas?)

Choose the missing word. Can people live without friends? Most of us would say "no". Friends make our lives enjoyable and _____.

Choose the missing word. However, to find a true friend is not easy. Friendship requires honesty, trust and _____.

Choose the missing word. A true friend not only praises you but tells you when you are not right too. If you have already found such a person, you're _____.

Choose the missing word. It is _____ to live without people who care for you and who are always ready to help.

Choose a word that fits the meaning. A true friend is one who overlooks your failure and tolerates your _____.

Read the text and the statements below. Which one of them is not true according to the text? In this overstressed, hyperlinked age, some people seem wired to everything but each other. The struggle to balance career and family has had an unintended casualty: friends. Sociologists say that the time of life when people have the most friends is young adulthood and old age; the time of life when people have the least friends is middle age. But I can’t say that my parents’ ability to maintain friendship ebbs and flows. Despite the shortcomings of e-mails as a means of personal connection, it may help keep some relationships afloat, at least for the short term. My parents use e-mail to stay in better touch with a circle of high-school friends by sending along anecdotes, congratulations and digital photos of our family. Maintaining those connections has bolstered them during tough times, particularly when my father was out of job and when my grandfather (my mum’s father) died of cancer a few months ago. They knew my grandfather and understood how close my mum was to him. For my parents, the key is realizing that maintaining friendships takes extra efforts, just the way balancing work and family does. Every year, my mum manages to arrange a long weekend for our family and a dozen of friends. She plans the weekend with workplace efficiency, sending out invitation letters and fax-reply forms, reserving lodging space for the group and booking advance guided tours. “I’ve handled complex litigation,” she says. “Organizing a weekend isn’t that hard”. While some folks treat their lives as a house of card that could topple if they add just one more obligation, my parents think of friendship, as an integral component of their life. “You can’t wait to live your life”, they say. “If you like being around friends and want to continue to have a relationship, you can’t put them off”.

Read the text and choose all the correct statements. The next day, when little Hans was working in his garden, he heard the Miller's voice calling to him from the road. The Miller had a large sack of flour on his back. "Dear little Hans", said the Miller, "would you mind carrying this sack of flour for me to the market and selling it for me? As I am going to give you my wheelbarrow, I don't think you will refuse". "Oh, no, no", cried little Hans, and he went to the market because the Miller was his best friend. It was a very hot day, and the road was terribly dusty. Hans was tired when he reached the market. He had waited there for some time and, at last, sold the sack of flour. "It has certainly been a hard day", he said to himself as he was going to bed, "but I am glad I did not refuse the Miller, for he is my best friend and, besides, he is going to give me his wheelbarrow". Early the next morning, the Miller came down to get the money for his sack of flour, but little Hans was so tired that he was still in bed.

Choose the appropriate continuation of the sentences to express a complete thought. A strong friendship takes a significant amount of time to develop. I believe that, nothing can replace a true friend, not material objects, or money, and definitely not a boy. I met this boy two years ago. I spent my summer with him. His parents did not approve of our dating because of our age difference, He had told me the day we met that he had joined the air force and would leave for overseas that coming October. After three months had passed, the time came when he had to leave. I turned to my friends for support, but to my surprise, I had spent so much time with this boy and so little time with them, that they did not feel sorry for me when he left. For so long they had become the only constant in my life, and I had taken them for granted over something it Our relationship changed. I tried to fix all the aspects in my life. As for me, I try to keep my friends as close as I can. I know they will always support me in whatever I do, and to them, I