Building-up your vocabulary. Some have a lot of friends and some have just a few

Who is a Friend?

Some have a lot of friends and some have just a few. Some meet and talk with their friends almost every day. Others see them just once a month. There are friendships that end because a person moves away, and there are friendships that last across long distances and over many years until the end of life.

And who is your friend? Americans and Canadians have special relationship with people they consider their good friends. But they often use the simple word friend loosely. (That is why some visitors sometimes get the false impression that North Americans do not have deep friendships.) North Americans call many people their friends – even people they’ve known for a short time or people they see once in a blue moon (=very rarely, not frequently). In fact, they sometimes refer to any person they get along with ( do not fight with) as a friend.

Which of the following people would you call a friend?

1. Someone you met about five years ago. The two of you get along well. You spend time together whenever you can. You talk a lot about different things: work, studies, hopes, and problems.

2. Someone you met about three months ago. You work in the same office, and once or twice a month you play badminton (or some other sport) together. You usually talk about work and activities.

3. Someone you’ve known from childhood. You went to school together, but you rarely see each other. You send each other a card on birthdays or at Christmas. When you do see each other, you usually talk about the past.

a. acquaintances b. classmates c. co-workers

Дата добавления: 2014-12-27