V.

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Exercise 1:

1. Wallace 5. Work
2. 14 Rose Hill 6. 5.30
3. OX13 3NJ 7. Saturday May
4. 0872 344 9162

Question Tapescript

(1) A = Advisor, C = Caller

Wallace A: Good morning. International Book Fair ticket office. How can I help?
C: Oh, hello, I'd like to book some tickets for the fair, please. And I have a few
questions about the event as well, if that's OK.
A: Certainly. Well. Let’s deal with the tickets first. Er, can I just take your details
first?
C: Sure.
A: Let's start with your name and address.
C: OK, it's Wallace. Angus Wallace.
A: Could you spell your surname for me, please?
C: Of course. It's W-A-L-L-A-C-E.
A: Sorry. Was that one L or two?
C: Two, er, double L.

(2) A: Thanks, and your address?

14 Rose Hill C: OK, that's 14 Rose Hill.
A: 14, Rose Hill. Is that 'rose', like the flower?
C: That's right, and it's in Wallington.

(3) A: Oh. I know Wallington. It’s just outside Oxford, isn't it?
0X13 3NJ C: That's right. And the postcode is 0X13 3NJ.
A: 0X30, 3MJ
C: No. 0X13, and it's N for November, not M for Mike.

(4) A: Sorry. 0X13 3NJ. Thank you. Do you have a contact number?
0872 344 C: I do. It's 0872 344 9162.
 9162 A: 0872 344 9162.

(5) C: Right. That's my home number. If I'm not in, I can be contacted at work, on
0872 298 1191. I'm usually there from 9 in the morning until 5.30 in the
Work
evening.
(6)
5.30

(7) A: And how many tickets would you like?

Saturday May C: Two, please. For the Saturday.
A: Two for Saturday May 7th.
C: That's right.

Exercise 2:

1. two structures 6. low hill

2. 90,000 7. unusual shape
3. beams 8. moving
4. 423 million 9. (magical) forest
5. distance 10. coloured light

Good morning, everyone. Today, as part of our 21st century architecture series. I'm going to tell
you a bit about a remarkable structure which I'm sure you're all familiar with, the stadium that
was built for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
OK. Let’s start with a few background details. The stadium was designed by Herzog and de
Meuron, a firm of architects from Switzerland. They studied Chinese ceramics, er. Plates, cups and
bowls, to get inspiration. The stadium is actually two structures,(1) which are completely separate
from each other. In the middle there's the seating area, which was originally designed for 100.000
spectators, but this had to be reduced to 90,000.(2) Around this area is the frame, which is made of
110.000 tons of steel in horizontal beams(3)and vertical columns. The architects wanted the roof to
open and close, but they changed it because it could have been dangerous if there was an
earthquake. The big advantage of changing it was that it reduced the cost by several million
dollars. Although the building still came to an incredible $423 million.(4)
So. What makes this stadium such an amazing building? Let's start with the general impression it
creates. For this, the best place to look at it is from a distance.(5) Why from a distance? Well. That’s
where you'll really get an impression of what it looks like and how big it is. You'll also notice how it
really stands out in its surroundings. This is not just because of its size - and it is big -but also
because it stands on a low hill(6) which helps make it higher than any other buildings in the area.
Then there's its unusual shape,(7) which has helped to give it its nickname of the Bird's Nest. The
 unusual shape of the stadium also does something else. You see, if you stare at it for long enough.
You also get the impression that this structure isn't standing still, that it's moving(8) in different
directions, almost like it's a living, breathing creature. This is especially true at night, when the
stadium is lit up from inside with lights that continually change colour.
In the stadium, everything changes. There are visitor entrances all around the outside. And as you
enter. You get the impression that you're walking into a forest, and not just any forest(9) but
something magical from a children's story. As you cross towards the spectator area, coloured light
(10)
comes through the clear roof panels. Creating strange pools of light and shadow. Now you're
no longer in a forest, but on a set that's been built for a fantasy film. It really is a remarkable
experience. And it's only once you're inside the spectator area that you finally realise you're in a
sports stadium.

Exercise 3: Questions 1 – 10

1. R242 6. 84 Park Road

2. 89.99 7. B0241DJ
3. City Centre 8. April 2008
4. escaping steam 9. refund
5. Herbett Hewitt 10. once a month

CR = Customer Service, H = Mr. Hewitt

CR: Hello, and welcome to "Under Pressure Enterprises", Customer Service Department. This is
Kelly. How may I help you?
H: Yes, I'm calling about one of your rice cookers I just purchased.
CR: What seems to be the problem, sir?
H: Seems? There's no seeming about it! The blasted thing shoots hot steam all over the place,
that's what! It nearly scalded my hand when I went to open it. Why it could have killed the
cat or something. It could have exploded and killed my wife and me!
CR: Sir, sir, please calm down. As long as the steam escapes the cooker, it won't explode.
H: So you're telling me there's no problem! Are you calling me a liar?
CR: Sir, no one is calling you a liar.
H: Yes! So I demand a full refund!
CR: Under Pressure will be happy to refund your money, sir. Now I just need some basic
information.
H: OK, OK. Sorry. I do tend to get a little hot under the collar. My wife tells me to slow down...
So, what do you need to know?
CR: Sir, don't worry. I just need to ask you the model number of the cooker.
H: Hmmm... where are my glasses? Ah. here! Let's see... ah. It's R242.(1)
CR: R242. OK, and how much did you pay for the product?
H: 89.99 pounds. (2) It was on sale, I guess I should tell you.
CR: Thank you, that's honest of you. Now, where did you buy the cooker? Which store and
which branch?
H, At that big Electric Life appliance store downtown.
CR: The City Centre Branch?;(3)
H: That's the one.
CR: And you say the problem is that the steam escapes?
H Yes, it does!
CR: No problem, sir. If there's steam escaping, clearly the cooker is broken or defective. So we
have an R242 cooker with an escaping steam(4) problem. It was bought from Electric Life's
City Centre Branch for 89.99. Is that correct?
H: Yes, that is correct.
CR: Oh, I nearly forget. When did you buy the cooker?
H: Just as soon as my wife got the crazy idea she'll live longer if she stops eating good English
food: roast beef and mash. No, all she says she wants is rice and vegetables and sauces
you'd not soak your feet in!
CR: Sir, sir! When did you buy it?
H: Oh, there I go again. Let's see... we bought it just six months ago! We hardly used it either.
But six months? Is that too long? I mean for the warranty?
CR: Very well, that's well within the warranty period. Now, what's your name and address?
H: Name and address! What for?
CR: Sir, it is company policy. If you want your money, you must inform me.
H: Money you say? Oh, my name is Herbert Hewitt and my address is 84 Park Road. (5) (6)
CR: Is that here in Coventry?
H: Yes. The postal code is B0241DJ.(7) But I don't think sending things in the mail is very secure
or very efficient. I mean...
CR: Don't worry, Mr. Hewitt, don't worry. We can credit the money to your credit card. You do
have one, don't you?
H: Yes, that's how we paid for the cooker.
CR: Oh, yes. We still have the number on computer. I only need to ask your card's expiry date.
H: I'm afraid I never give that sort of information out. I mean, once you have that, anyone
 could go charging things and...
CR: Sir! I said your expiry date, not your card's password.
H: Oh, er, yes. Foolish me. Of course, you didn't say "password". Let's see. That will be April
2008.(8)
CR: April 2008. Very well, your card still has nearly two months left to go. We'll get that refund
right to you,(9)probably by five o'clock this evening.
H: You had better! If I don't get my money... wait, wait. Yes, I know I'm losing my temper
again. I really am sorry. I haven't had my medicine today.
CR: And sir, just one more question for our record. How often do you go shopping at the City
Centre Branch?
H: Oh, well it's hard to say. I suppose maybe once a month. (10) But I can tell you this, if I don't
get my refund, I'll never shop there again! (He hangs up the phone.)
CR: (sigh) I think it's time to start looking for another job!

Exercise 4.

1. 3443
2. SE1 8PB
3. 43
4. 1963/ ‘63
5. Moore

Question Tapescript

(1) 3443 Centre operator: Platinum Card Service. How may I help you?
Caller: I've got a few problems with my credit card account.
Operator: Okay. What is your credit card number?
Caller: Let's see. It's here somewhere. Ah, here it is. [Repeat]
Operator: Can I just take the card number, please?
Caller: yes, it's 6992.
Operator: 6992.
Caller: 3443.
Operator: 3443.
Caller: 1147.
 Operator: 1147.
Caller: 8921.
Operator: 8921. Right. Can i just check that? Ahm, 6992 3443 1147 8921.
Caller: That's it.

(2) SE1 8PB Operator: And your name?

Caller: Carlos da Silva.
Operator: I just need to check a few details for identification and security, if
you'll bear with me.
Caller: That's okay.
Operator: And what's your postcode?
Caller: SE1 8PB.
Operator: SE1 8PB.
Caller: That's it.

(3) 43 Operator: Vauxhall Close, London?

Caller: Yes. That's right
Operator: And the house number?
Caller: Ahm, 43.

(4) 1963/ ‘63 Operator: And can you give me your date of birth?
Caller: 13th of the 7th, '63

(5) Moore Operator: And one further check, if I may? Can you give me your mother's
maiden name?
CALLER: Yes. Its Moore.
OPERATOR: Is that M. 0. 0. R. E.?
CALLER: Yes. That's it.

Exercise 5.
1. 70 6. 40
2. September 15th/ 15th September 7. 29 33 81
3. Mandela Suite 8. tables and chairs
4. 3.30/9 9. 30/ thirty
5. PA5 7GJ 10. damage and injury

Script
Questions 1-4
Man: Hi. Good morning. My name’s Pete. How can I help you?
Woman: Hi. My name's Maria Lincoln. I understand you hire out rooms in the community centre as
venues for parties.
Man: Yes we do We have various sized accommodation; it depends on what you're looking for
really.
Woman: We're looking to hold a party, ... a children's birthday party, and we need a room that will
hold about 70 people with space for a small disco area, games, dancing, and food.
Man: Well, we have a large room and it would certainly hold at least 100 people comfortably. It is
used a lot for parties, things like that.
Woman: Mmmm. That sounds as if it might be suitable. I've tried various venues and they are
either booked up or they don't hold enough people.
Man: Can you tell me when you were thinking of holding the party?
Woman: I know it's short notice, but we wanted to hold it Saturday week, that's September 15th.
Man: Let's have a look ... Mmm yes. You're in luck. The Mandela Suite is free then.
Woman: I'll just write that down. M-A-N-D-E-L-A.
Man: And the time? When were you thinking of holding it?
Woman: In the afternoon from 3.30pm to 9pm.
Man: Yes. Okay. There is no smoking on the premises and we are only licensed to have soft drinks.
Woman: That's okay. I think I'm happy to go ahead
Questions 5-10
Man: Can you just give your postcode?
Woman: Yes. It's PA5 7GJ.
Man: Fine. And the flat and street number?
Woman: It's Flat number 40, and the street number is 35.
Man: Okay. So ... That's Flat 40, 35 Beeches Street.
Woman: Yes, that's right.
Man: And a contact number?
Woman: My landline is 22 32 79 with the code. But I'll give you my mobile number which is 07897
29 33 81.
Man: OK. ... 29 33 81.
Woman: Mhmm. Can you tell me how much it will cost?
Man: It's quite reasonable actually. It's £115 for the hire of the room, with tables and chairs, but if
you want to hire disco equipment we've got a basic system with speakers and other equipment for
£25, but there is no technician around in case anything goes wrong. And of course it's optional.
Woman: That would save us carting something from home, but maybe we should bring a spare
sound system just in case.
Man: We have never had any problem with the system but you might not want to take any
chances. What about catering?
Woman: Well, we had thought of getting everyone bringing something.
Man: We have someone who can do catering for £9 a head including the cake if required.
Woman: That's handy, but it's a lot as we have a fairly tight budget.
Man: So you want to go ahead with the booking?
Woman: Yes certainly.
Man: Okay. I need to take a deposit of £30, which is refundable. The balance needs to be paid two
days before the event at the latest.
Woman: Fine.
Man: You can cancel up to two days before, but after that you lose the deposit.
Woman: We don't intend to cancel, but is there any insurance we can take out?
Man: Yes there is a form here somewhere.
Woman: How much?
Man: It's .... let me see it's only £9 for the 24-hour period and that covers you for cancellation,
damage and injury.
Woman: Well. At least we'd better have a look at it.
Man: How would you like to pay the deposit?
Woman: Cash.
Man: I'll just give you a receipt.
Woman: There you are. 10, 20, 30.
Man: £30. Maria Lincoln.
Woman: Thank you very much. I'm really glad I've found somewhere. We have been trying to book
a place for the past two weeks. So thank you again and bye for now.
 Unit 2. Sentence completion
II. Các bước làm bài
Check-up 1

1. salary 4. shops
2. friends 5. ordering
3. famous 6. unusual

Check-up 2

Mẹo 1: Electronic goods = Electronic items = Electronic products

Advertisement = Advertising

Mẹo 2: Get new products from = Where do you buy most of these products?
For a long time = For ages
Find it hard to resist = It takes a lot of willpower

Check-up 3:

R = Researcher, J = Joe
R: Hello, Joe, good to see you again. 
J: Hi, you too.
R: So how did you get on with the devices we asked you to test for us?
J: Oh, fine. Well, mostly.
R: OK, well, well come back to those in a minute. First of all, I was wondering if I could ask you a
few questions about your attitude to new electrical products. This will help us with future
marketing. Is that OK?
J: Sure.
R: OK. First of all, how much do you spend on electronic items a month?
J: Hmm, let me see. I don’t earn a lot, so I don’t have much left after I’ve paid for things like rent,
bills, food and so on. Anything else is a luxury. So, I’d guess about 5%, maybe 10% of my monthly
salary.
R: All right, and what influences you in your choice of product? Say you wanted a new mobile
phone, how would you decide which one to buy?
 J: Well, first I look at reviews on the Internet, you know, what other customers think about them.
Then I’ll ask my friends what they think. In fact, their opinions are probably more important than
 anything.
 R: How much does advertising help you choose a product?
 J: I think that depends on how the product is advertised, and who is advertising It.
 R: For example?
 J: Wei. If it’s someone I respect, you know, I like a famous sportsman or actor, that can certainty
make a difference I know it shouldn’t really, but it does.
 R: And where do you buy most of these products? The High Street? The Internet?
 J: Most people seem to avoid shops, these days, don’t they, for things like that? They think they
can get things cheaper on the Internet
 R: Right
 J: But I find that if you say to a shop assistant that you can get a new, er, camera, for example, for
£100 on the Internet, they’ll often match the price. So, that’s where I go
 R: Any other advantages?
 J: Well, you get persona! Service and you don’t have to wait for the product to be delivered.
Ordering online means you have to wait, sometimes for ages, to get the things you’ve just bought.
I hate that. I guess I’m just very impatient.
 R: OK. One final question Do you ever see a product and think “I‘ve absolutely got to get one of
those’?
 J: Oh. All the time, especially II I’m walking past a shop and I see a new electronic item in the
window, especially if it’s unusual, you know, something I’ve never seen before. It takes a lot of
willpower...

IV. Luyện tập

Exercise 1.

1.  of the wood 4.  across the green

2.  the first floor 5. Student Union building
3.  round the lake 6. next

Question Tapescript

(1) Max: Hey, Tony. Where are you going?

of the wood Tony: I'm just going over to the Sports Centre.
Max: Oh really? I've never been there. Where is it?
Tony: Oh, It's not far. Go down the path on the left and the Sports Centre is on
 the other side of the wood.

(2) Kate: Umm ..., excuse me, Suzy. Could you help me?
the first floor Suzy: Yes, of course. What is it?
Kate: I've got a lecture in the Law School next. Could you tell me where the
lecture theatre is?
Suzy: Oh yes. That's easy. The Law lecture theatre's on the first floor.

(3) Kate: It's a lovely campus, isn't it? The lake's so pretty. What's that building on
the other side?
round the
lake Tony: Oh, that's the Business School.
Kate: So, how do you get there?
Tony: You just follow the footpath round the lake.

(4) Max: Hi, Suzy. Are you going to the theatre by any chance?
just across Suzy: Well, I'm not going there. But I can tell you where it is. Look over
the green there ... that's the theatre, just across the green.
Max: Oh, OK. Thanks a lot. See you later.

(5) Kate: Errr... Tony, I have got to go in to the city centre. Where can I get the bus?
the Student Tony: Well, the nearest bus stop is just across the road from the Student Union
Union building.
building

(6) Kate: Hey, Suzy! Can you tell me where the bank is? I want to get some cash
out. I've just realized I still owe you £10.
next door
Suzy: Oh, OK. Go along to the end of the path until you get to the shop on the
corner. Turn left and the bank's right next door.

Exercise 2.

1. ground floor 4. on campus

2. meet friends 5. four
3. fourth floor 6. play football

Question Tapescript
Tom: Hey, Sandra, how's it going? What do you think of the campus?
(1)
Sandra: I think it's all fantastic. Have you been to the coffee shop in the library
ground floor
 yet?
(2)
Tom: No, I haven't. Where is it?
meet friends
Sandra: It's on the ground floor. You know, you can have a break without
actually leaving the library. It's really great to meet your friends there.

(3) Tom: Yeah. That's an excellent idea. And it means you've got somewhere to chat
without upsetting people who want to study. I can't concentrate when other
fourth floor
people are talking. I usually go upstairs to work in the silent zone, on the fourth
floor.

(4) Sandra: Oh, do you? Is it difficult to study at home, then? Where do you live?
on campus Tom: I'm living in a hall of residence on campus

(5) Sandra: Oh, right. It must be tough trying to study in your room.
four Tom: Yeah ... It's pretty noisy, especially at the weekends. Are you living on
campus, too?
Sandra: Yes. I'm on campus, but there are only four people our house. So it
tends to be a bit quieter. It's at the end of the footpath, not far from the Sports
Centre.

(6) Tom: Oh, right. I know where you mean. I play football on the pitch next to the
Sports Centre. I spend quite a lot of time around there.
play football
Sandra: Well, next time you're in that part, let me know. You can come round for
coffee.

Exercise 3.

1. nine/9, five/5
2. come into
3. don’t have
4. On Mondays
5. come out

Question Tapescript
I started this new job a couple of weeks ago and I’m having a lot of trouble with
(1)
my work-life balance. In my last job we had fixed hours. We had to be at the
nine/9, five/5 office at 9.00 on the dot and we always finished at exactly 5.00.

(2) Any work we hadn’t finished we could just leave for the next day. But this new
job's very different. I mean, in this job, we can come into the office any time
 come into between 8.00 and 10.00 in the morning.

(3) Then we can choose whether to have a lunch break or not. Then it gets a bit
complicated ... Ummm ... If we have a lunch break we can leave between 4.00
don’t have
and 6.00. If we don’t have a lunch break, we can go home between 3.00 and
5.00.

(4) OK, well at first this system sounded really good, especially for me because I
have young children. But, the problem is that,if we haven’t finished our work, we
On Mondays
have to finish it offat home. So it's actually very difficult to draw the line
between work and home. For example, on Mondays I can leave the children at
school, go to the gym and get into the office quite late.

(5) But I can't take a lunch break, because I need to leave early to pick the children
up from school. They come out at 4 .0 0. And then I have to work from home in
come out
the evening to finish what I have to do.

Exercise 4.

1. and mental
2. private
3. flexible
4. from home
5. a year

Question Tapescript
In our company, we believe that our employees are more productive, you know,
(1)
they work better, if they’re happy. Naturally, we have to make sure the company
and mental makes a profit, but at the same time we need to think about the physical and
mental health of our employees.

(2) We do understand that they aren't just working machines ... So we have a policy
of helping them find a fair balance between their work and their private lives.
private

(3) What we call a work-life balance. We do this in several ways. Firstly, we have a
family friendly policy, so parents can look after their children when they’re very
flexible
young. For example, sometimes they need to work flexible hours, you know,
times that aren’t fixed.

(4) Other times parents have to work part time ... and quite a lot work from home.
from home
 (5) Another example of our family friendly policy is our generous maternity leave
package. In our company, we allow women who’ve had a baby to take a whole
a year
year off work after the baby’s born. And, of course, while they’re away, their
jobs are protected

Exercise 5. Listen to the news report about a robbery, and then complete the notes from the
detective’s notebook

1. Lightning 2. thunder, weapons

3. electricity and lightning 4. lightning rod

5. 2,000 million 6. storm; closed

7. under 8. windows; wires

Question Tapescript

(1) In earliest times, men considered lightning to be one of the great mysteries of
nature. Some ancient people believed that lightning and thunder were the
lightning
weapons of God.
(2)
thunder,
weapons

(3) In reality, lightning is a flow of electricity formed high above the earth. A single
flash of lightning 1.6 kilometres long has enough electricity to light one million
electricity and
light bulbs.
lightning

(4) The American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin, was the first to show
the connection between electricity and lightning in 1752. In the same year, he
lightning rod
also built the first lightning rod. This device protects buildings from damage by
lightning.

(5) Modern science has discovered that one stroke of lightning contains more than
15 million volts. A spark between a cloud and the earth may be as long as 13
2,000 million
kilometres, and travels at a speed of 30 million metres per second.
Scientists estimate that there are about 2,000 million flashes of lightning per
year. Lightning hits the Empire State Building in New York City 30 to 48 times a
year. In the United States alone, it kills an average of one person every day.
 (6) The safest place to be in case of an electrical storm is in a closed car.
storm; closed

(7) Outside, one should go to low ground and not under trees.
under

(8) Also, one should stay out of water and away from metal fences. Inside a house,
people should avoid opening doorways and windows; and not touch wires or
windows;
metal things.
wires
With lightning, it is better to be safe than sorry.

Exercise 6.

1. dust particles 2. complete

3. behavior 4. more irritably

5. instability 6. negative

7. control 8. noise pollution

Question Tapescript

(1) These days, we know a lot about contaminated air, contaminated water, and so
on. We know that smoke, chemical substances, and dust particles pollute our
dust particles
environment.

(2) We are not so familiar with the concept of pollution from noise and especially
with its psychological effects. Generally, the physical effects are not surprising:
complete
partial or complete deafness can result from excessive noises — airports, some
factories, even some discos! But did you know that it is possible to kill a person
with the right or wrong noise?

(3) Psychologists now believe that noise has a considerable effect on people's
attitudes and behavior.
behavior

(4) Experiments have proved that in noisy situations, even temporary ones, people
behave more irritably and less cooperatively; in more permanent noisy
more irritably
situations, many people cannot work hard, and they suffer from severe anxiety
(5) and instability as well as other psychological problems.
instability

(6) However, psychologists distinguish between "sound" and "noise". "Sound" is

measured physically in decibels. "Noise" cannot be measured in the same way
 negative because it refers to the psychological effect of sound, and its level of "intensity"
depends on the situation. Thus, for passengers at an airport who expect to hear
aeroplanes taking off and landing, there may be a lot of sound, but not much
noise, that is, they are not bothered by the noise. By contrast, if you are at a
concert and two people behind you are whispering, you feel they are talking
noisily even if there is not much sound. You notice the noise because it affects
you psychologically.
Both sound and noise can have negative effects, but what is important is if the
person has control over the sound.

(7) People walking down the street with stereo earphones, listening to music that
they enjoy, are receiving a lot of decibels of sound, but they are probably happy
control
hearing sounds, which they control.

(8) On the other hand, people in the street without stereo earphones must tolerate
a lot of noise which they have no control over. It is noise pollution that we need
noise
to control in order to help people live more happily.
pollution

Exercise 7.

1. body structure 4. large brains

2. hands and feet 5. make a plan
3. tails 6. the secret

Question Tapescript

(1) Man has always been interested in apes because they are at the same time so
like him and so unlike him. In their basic anatomy or body structure, they are
body
very similar, and for this reason, they are both classified as primates, the highest
structure
form of animal.

(2) They also resemble each other in having hands and feet instead of claws (like
cats) or hooves (like horses). Likewise, neither has a tail.
hands and
feet

(3) tails
(4) Both men and apes have large brains compared to their body size, and this helps
again to distinguish them from other species of animals. But, compared to the
large brains
chimpanzee, for example, man's brain is four times as large.

(5) Like man, apes can use tools. For example, an ape may pick up a stick and put it
in an ants' nest to make the ants come out. Similarly, apes have been known to
 make a plan make tools, for example, by breaking off branches to use as sticks. Man,
however, is quite different, in fact, unique among animals, because he can make
a plan, and then make a tool by following that plan.

(6) All human beings everywhere have a language, and there are thousands of
different languages in the world. All these languages are equally complex, and
the secret
they are very different from the cries of apes and other animals.
Finally, we can use fire-making to differentiate men from apes. Man has
possessed the secret of making fire for thousands of years. In contrast, neither
apes nor any other animals possess this secret.

Exercise 8.

1. accept and forgive 5. particularly important

2. understand mood 6. count on
3. hurt 7. lose your temper
4. spiritually developing 8. silent with

Mr. Brooks: I consider friendship to be one of the most important things in life — whatever your
status, married or single. I see too many lonely people around. A lot of us get so involved with
material values, family problems, "keeping up with the Joneses", etc., that we forget the real
meaning of friendship.
Interviewer: Which is what, according to you?
Mr. Brooks: They say "A friend in need is a friend indeed", which is partly true, but a real friend
should also be able to share your happy moments — without feeling jealous. A good friendship is
one where you can accept and forgive(1) him, understand mood(2), and don't fed hurt(3) if a friend
doesn't feel like seeing you. Of course, honesty is an essential part of any relationship. We should
learn to accept our friends for what they are.
Interviewer: As a married man, do you find your friendship is only with other men?
Mr. Brooks: Of course not! Both my wife and I have men and women friends — thank goodness.
Although family life is fulfilling, it isn't enough. Both my wife and I get tremendous satisfaction
from our friends, married or single, male and female —and we both have our separate friends,
too. We'd get bored with each other if we had the same friends.
Interviewer: You must have a full life.
Mr. Brooks: We certainly do! And as I say, our friendship gives us a lot of pleasure. After all,
friends should not be people with whom you kill time. Real friendship, in my opinion, is a
"spiritually developing"(4) experience.
(The interviewer turns to Mark, Jean and Robert.)
Mark: I've never had a lot of friends. I've never regarded them as particularly important.(5)
Perhaps that's because I come from a big family. Two brothers and three sisters. And lots of
cousins. And that's what's really important in my family. If you really need help, you get it from
your family, don't you? Well, at least, that's what I've always found.
Interviewer: What about you, Jean?
Jean: To me, friendship... having friends, people I know I can really count on(6)... to me, that's the
most important thing in life. It's more important even than love. If you love someone, you can
always fall out of love again, and that can lead to a lot of hurt feelings, bitterness, and so on, but a
good friend is a friend for life.
Interviewer: And what exactly do you mean by a friend?
Jean: Well, I've already said, someone you know you can count on. I suppose what I really mean
is... let's see... how am I going to put this. It's someone who will help you if you need help, who'll
listen to you when you talk about your problems... someone you can trust.
Interviewer: What do you mean by a friend, Robert?
Robert: Who likes the same things that you do, who you can argue with and not lose your
temper(7), even if you don't always agree about things. I mean someone who you don't have to
talk to all the time but can be silent with(8) perhaps. That's important, too. You can just sit
together and not say very much sometimes. Just relax. I don't like people who talk all the time.
Interviewer: Are you very good at keeping in touch with your friends if you don't see them
regularly?
Robert: No, not always. I've lived in lots of places, and, to be honest, once I move away, I often do
drift out of touch with my friends. And I'm not a very good letter writer, either. Never have been.
But I know that if I saw those friends again, if I ever moved back to the same place, or for some
other reasons, we got back into close contact again. I'm sure the friendship would be just as
strong as it was before.
Jean: Several of my friends have moved away, got married, things like that. One of my friends has
had a baby recently, and I'll admit I don't see or hear from her as much as I used to. She lives in
another neighborhood, and when I phone her, she always seems busy. But that's an exception. I
write a lot of letters to my friends, and get a lot of letters from them. I have a friend I went to
school with, and ten years ago she emigrated to Canada, but she still writes to me every month,
and I write to her just as often.