The importance of friendship

THE IMPORTANCE OF FRIENDSHIP

Read the text once and say which statements are true according to the text.

1. If you want to have a true friend, you must be one yourself. 2. All friendships last forever. 3. Let your friend behave according to his character. 4. Friends aren’t important for our success in life. 5. Friends are with us in moments of great happiness and unhappiness.

True False

READING

Friendship is a simple word that is very commonly used. Yet the depth and meaning of friendship certainly goes beyond the simple and the common. How can we define friendship? Is it devotion? A willingness to listen, understand and sympathize? A readiness to help? It includes all these qualities, and many more. A true friend is someone who understands you, who supports you in all you do, with whom you dare to be yourself, who knows all about you and likes you even so. If you want a true friend, you must learn how to be one yourself. Friendships are easily broken and that’s why you need to take good care of them. One great secret to having good relationships with other people is to understand that everyone has their faults; you should not look for a friend without faults – if we did, we would have none. Friendship is a two-way thing and if one person has lost interest in the friendship, then it is important to realize that either he/she needs some space and a little time, or that not all friendships are destined to work out. But don’t give up on someone easily. If it’s not fun for you anymore, try to find out why. As the proverbs go, “Be slow in choosing a friend, but slower in changing him” and “To find a friend one must close one eye - to keep him, two.” Whether they are casual friends, close friends or best friends, they are all important for our emotional and physical well-being and for our success at school, at work or in life generally. Why are friends so important? Because friends make us laugh when we feel like crying over a bad mistake; they make us feel loved when our boyfriends or girlfriends have broken up with us; and they give us the courage to do things and dream great dreams.

Glossary

beyond – on the other side or outside a place devotion – great love, admiration for somebody or something destined – it will happen in the future

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132 COMPREHENSION

1 Find in the text

1. which qualities are used to define friendship. 2. the definition of a true friend. 3. why we shouldn’t look for a friend without faults. 4. the proverbs and explain their meanings. 5. why friends are so important.

2 Find a synonym/explanation for the highlighted words in the text. 1. mistakes 2. look after somebody/something 3. help/encourage somebody to do something 4. ordinary; usual 5. not serious

VOCABULARY

a cb

1 Prepositional phrases with AT A This is a list of some expressions with AT.

at once at last at present at war/ peace at work/ at sea at first sight at all costs at any rate at short notice /at a moment’s notice

B Now use an expression with AT instead of the part in italics. 1. I didn’t like him from the moment I saw him. 2. We were waiting for her when she arrived finally. 3. I don’t like being disturbed while working in my office. 4. Firemen are always ready to set off the moment they are called. 5. Their two countries were constantly fighting. 6. Her brother is a sailor and he spends a lot of time sailing. 7. You must find that document whatever it may cost us. 8. Well, anyhow, let me thank you for all you did.

2 Expressions with TAKE

Rewrite these sentences using the expressions with TAKE in the box instead of the words/phrases in italics.

take care of take part take place take by surprise take advantage of

1. We will participate in the school play tomorrow evening. 2. I looked after the baby while my friend was in hospital. 3. I didn’t expect rain. 4. The story of the film happens in Pearl Harbour during the Japanese attack. 5. He used his friend’s mistakes and won the game.

WORD FORMATION

1 Complete the sentences using the word in capital letters in the correct form.

1. Mary has become very ____________________ lately. 2. Her _________________ with John ended suddenly. 3. You didn’t show any_____________ to help me when I was in trouble. 4. His __________________ to come was obvious. EMOTION

5. Her ________________ made him very unhappy.

6. Look at her dress! She’s a _________________ model. RELATION READY WILLING ILL PROFESSION

2 Study the words in box A and use them to complete the sentences in box B.

A

Adjective Noun deep depth long length high height wide width

B

1. The sea is 50 m ______________ here. What is the ______________ of the ocean? 2. What is the ________________ of this railway? It is one thousand kilometres ____________. 3. How _________________ is this mountain? The peak you can see has a ____________ of 1346m. 4. My garage is 3m _____________. What is the ____________ of yours?

PHRASAL VERBS with LOOK

1 Study the meanings of the phrasal verbs with look. look for – try to find look after – take care of look out – be careful, mind look down (on) – have a poor opinion of someone look up (to) – respect someone look like – resemble look up (a word, name, phone number, etc.) – look for in a book look into – investigate

2 Complete the sentences using the phrasal verbs from the box in the correct form.

1. _________________! There’s a car coming. 2. While her sister is in hospital, Helen is __________________ her daughter. 3. ‘What does ‘enormous’ mean?’ ‘ ________it _____ in a dictionary!’ 4. I’d like to ________________ Nicole Kidman when she was my age. 5. Everybody _____________to Sean Connery because of his qualities as an actor. 6. ‘What are you ______________________?’ ‘I’ve lost my car keys.’ 7. She is a terrible snob. She___________________ anyone who is poorer than her. 8. He is generous, kind and honest and everyone __________________ him. 9. The police ___________________ all kinds of crime.

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SPEAKING 

1 What do you think? • Why are friendships so important to us? • Explain the statement "To have good friends, you must be a good friend yourself.”

2 Discuss the following questions. • Do you have a different best friend every year or do you have lasting friendships? • Have you ever stopped being best friends with someone? Tell the class what happened. Did one of you change? • Suppose you were invited to a birthday party, but your best friend was deliberately left out. What would you do? Why? • Do best friends always have to do everything together? • Do best friends always have to share friends?

GRAMMAR

CONDITIONAL SENTENCES

Types 0/1/2

Type 0 Conditional is used to talk about general truths or scientific facts. If clause present simple Main clause present simple

Example: If you heat ice, it melts. Type 1 Conditional is used to express a possible situation in the present or future. If clause present tenses Main clause future simple, imperative, can/must/may/should + bare infinitive

Examples: • If it’s sunny, we’ll go on a picnic. • If you don’t work a bit harder, you won’t pass the test.

Type 2 Conditional (unreal present) is used to express an unlikely or imaginary situation in the present or future.

If clause past simple/past continuous tense Main clause would/could/might + bare infinitive

Examples: • If he didn’t enjoy his work, he wouldn’t be happy. • They would definitely win the game if Tim was playing today. • If I were you, I’d say nothing about it to anyone. Note the form ‘If I were you’ which is often used to give advice.

PRACTICE

1 Underline all the examples of conditional sentences in the text and explain why the particular type is used in each case. 2 Match the two halves of the sentences.

1. If we don’t repair it now, 2. She will not succeed 3. If you kept to your diet, 4. If you see her there, 5. If I weren’t so tired, 6. If it rains, 7. If I didn’t behave well, a. you would certainly lose weight. b. I wouldn’t get any pocket money. c. the grass gets wet. d. unless she tries hard. e. it will get worse next week. f. I would join you. g. tell her to call me tomorrow.

3 Discuss these questions with a partner. a) Which sentences in Exercise 2 talk about real situations? b) Which sentences talk about hypothetical situations?

4 Put the verbs into the correct form to make conditional sentences (Type 0, I or II).

1. I’d travel around the world if I _____________________(win) some money. 2. If I ___________________(not like) my job, I’d give it up. 3. I wouldn’t do it unless I ______________ (love) you. 4. If any of us spoke French, we ____________ (translate) the email for you. 5. He would go to the wedding if he ______________(have) a suit. 6. Wood ________________(not/burn) if there is no air.

5 Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means the same as the sentence before it. Example: It is raining and we can’t go out. If it wasn’t raining, we could go out.

1. It’s a pity that the TV is broken. We can’t watch football now! If the TV __________________________________. 2. What a shame I can’t speak English. I have to find an interpreter. If I _______________________________________. 3. You drink too much coffee; that’s why you can’t sleep. If you _____________________________________. 4. In snowy weather we don’t go to school. If ________________________________________. 5. I’ll call the police if you don’t leave me alone! Unless _____________________________________.

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QUANTIFIERS

Look at this example:

She needs some space and a little time. When we talk about quantity, we use words such as: some, any, much, many, little, few, plenty

of.

REMEMBER • We use many, a few, few (fewer) with countable plural nouns. • We use much, a little, little (less) with uncountable nouns. • We use a lot of, plenty of with both countable and uncountable nouns. I have less work now than I had this time last year. There are simply fewer jobs around that I am suitable for.

• Few/fewer, little/less have a negative implication. If we want to be positive about something, we use a little or a little bit of or a few. His family had little money to spend.

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1 Complete the sentences with (a) few, (a) little, less or fewer.

1. Mr and Mrs Harris have ___________money, but not enough to buy a new car. 2. ____________ students like the new boy. He’s very unpopular. 3. It was a better festival this year. There were __________ films I didn’t like. 4. You watch too much television. You should watch ___________. 5. She’s got ____________chance of passing the exam because she hasn’t done any work for it. 6. Make __________ noise! You will disturb the neighbours. 7. There are _____________tickets left for their show. They haven’t sold them all yet. 8. I’ve bought ___________vegetables because I don’t like them.

2 Complete these sentences so that they are true for you. Use suitable quantifiers. Example: I don’t drink much milk.

1. I eat ___________________________. That’s why my mother criticizes me. 2. I’ve got too _________________________________. 3. There are ________________________ in my house. 4. I don’t know ________________________________. 5. Will you have ______________________? They’re very good. 6. I can only speak ____________________. It’s a pity I haven’t learnt more.

REPORTED SPEECH INDIRECT COMMANDS

Look at these sentences: ‘Be slow in choosing a friend.’ My mother advised me to be slow in choosing a friend. ‘Don’t give up friendship easily.’ I told my daughter not to give up friendship easily. We report orders with tell/remind/persuade, etc. + object + infinitive. We report requests with ask + object + infinitive. We report negative commands with tell/order, etc + object + not + infinitive. We report negative requests with ask + object + not + infinitive. They asked me to come as soon as possible. / He warned us not to go to the park at night.

Report the following sentences. 1. Please don’t wait until tomorrow. Give me the present today. I asked Mary ________________. 2. Be careful when crossing the road. He told me ______________________________________. 3. Don’t forget to post the letter. She reminded me _____________________________________. 4. Will you visit us next Sunday? She invited us _______________________________________. 5. Don’t talk to strangers. Mother warned her daughter _________________________________.

LISTENING Track 38 A broken friendship

1 Listen to the text and answer the following questions. 1. How long have the two girls been friends? 5. Did the girls continue hiking? 2. What did they decide to do? 6. What favour did Sonia ask from her friend? 3. What happened to Sonia? 7. How did Tania refuse to help her friend? 4. What did the doctor decide to do with Sonia’s 8. What was Sonia’s reaction? arm?

2 Discussion Group work. The class is divided into two groups. • Group A will speak in favour of Tania. Group B will speak in favour of Sonia. • Try to come to a reasonable decision. Remember that quarrels are never one-sided.

Here are some expressions to help you express your personal opinions. In my opinion,... It seems to me that... Personally, I believe... As far as I’m concerned,... I feel very strongly that... I think that...

WRITING  1 Divide a piece of paper in half lengthways. On one side make a list for the topic ‘I like a friend who....’ On the other side, make a list for the topic ‘Things I do for my friends....’. 2 Think about a time when you and a friend had terrific fun together. Write about why it was so much fun. What do you like about your friend that made it fun to be together?

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