Part 2. Thomas

Ex. 1 Read the text and pick up the terms referring to the topic.

Friends, those that you choose to spend your time with and that you love, are one of the most important things in life. Friendship is something that cannot be bought or sold. It’s just something that happens naturally between people that have something in common, who feel similar to each other in a certain way, or who just like being close to each other, being together. Friends can, of course, be of any age, of either sex, and of any nationality. It’s even possible, although difficult, to make friends with people with whom you don't have a common language. There are many more or less important factors in friendship, each of which make a difference to the quality and nature of the friendship, the depth of the friendship, how long it will last, and how important it is to those in it.

One of them of course is keeping up communication: how often you can see the friend, whether you are prepared to give your time and to put yourself out in order to be with the friend or change your own plans and the things that are important to you to help your friend when he's in trouble. It’s possible, of course, to have friends that you don't meet so often. Sometimes when you can’t meet very often, for instance, if the friend lives in another country, the only way to keep contact may be by telephoning occasionally or writing to each other.

For many, friendships become weaker when there is a large distance between the two people, but I don’t find this. As I’ve spent a lot of my time travelling over the last few years, I'm really used to not seeing my friends for a long period of time, even though I still feel a deep connection with some of them through the time that we spent together and the experiences that we have in com­mon and there are many of my friends who I don’t know when I will see them, but I’m sure that I will see them as we have similar ways of life, and there are similar places that we visit.

Every summer I attend a large gathering, a large international gathering of friends, called a “Rainbow gathering”, which takes place in a different country every year. I’m sure to see many of my friends there each year as many of us feel it is important to meet each year. When I think of the good times that we’ve spent together, I still have feelings of love and warmth towards my friends. I’m so happy when I do see them.

Just recently, four of my friends, who are on their way to India overland, came to stay for a few days, and it was like a breath of fresh air to see them. It was like light coming in through the darkness. It reminded me of so many parts of myself. It was really such a gift that they came to see me. We had two or three days together, a really fun-filled and exciting time. They’d never been to Budapest before, so I could show them my favorite places here. We went for a thermal bath together and a swim and we did a little bit of walking in the hills close to the city, and the last night before they left, three of us stayed up until 4 or 5 in the morning, just talking about old times, about our plans, and about how we feel about what we're doing now. It was really, really wonderful. Also, Maria got on very well with them as well. It’s so nice for me when different friends of mine become friends themselves. This is a very good feeling. It’s like some kind of family starts to form.

Many people feel that in order to keep a friendship strong it’s important to be there, to live in close vicinity to each other and to be able to meet regularly. If there are people who you see very often and you feel that you can share yourself with, very deep friendships can develop. Of course I think that the ultimate in this is if you are somebody’s partner, when you can really learn to love and know all the parts of each other.

It’s possible for best friends to be relatives. Sisters and brothers can often be really very good friends. Anybody can be friends, but relatives, of course, you can’t choose. Often real friends, who you feel very close to, are long-standing friends who you know from childhood. For some reason, childhood impressions of friendship are very strong and these often last into adulthood, and there seems to be a different connection between old friends and new friends.

There’s something about old friends, maybe that over a long time trust builds up. Even if the person does something wrong or selfish or has a bad mood, you're able to be understanding and patient with them and to forgive them because you know that person, you have a deep trust or love of that person which took a long time to build up. You can feel that anything the person does couldn’t affect the friendship in the slightest.

Forgiveness and tolerance are also important for long-standing friendships. Of course, we’re all human and we all make mistakes, and it’s very important to realize this about other people as well as about ourselves.

Maria’s still in touch with many friends from her early childhood. And even if they're abroad, they really try to keep in contact by writ­ing and telephoning each other. It’s not always the case that if you get old, you have to get lonely, because if you are able to keep good friends and to keep in contact with good friends, to keep caring about each other and keep trying to do things together, it's possible to have friends for many years. For example, Maria’s grandparents have friends that they’ve known for many many years, from before the war began even. So friendships can really pass into old age, in a very active way.

I have a couple of friends that I’ve known since the primary school whenever I’m back in England, I visit them. Occasionally, I write a letter to them. Funnily enough, these are the people that I felt similar to when I was at school. I felt that something in us was the same. Now, even though we’ve gone in com­pletely different directions in our lives, because of these strong shared experi­ences and many good times growing up together, I still feel very close to them.

From my experience, friends are often people you feel something special about, instantly, from the first moment that you meet. All of the very strong friendships which have developed in my life started very quickly. There seems to be an understanding when you meet people you feel very similar to, or who you feel very affected by, that you’ll become friends and the first conversation with the per­son can become very deep, very quickly, and can really set a foundation for the friendship. I've really experienced this. Friends are often people who you feel are similar to you in some way and just by being near to them; you experience feelings of warmth and well-being.

I really don’t know why, but I find it very difficult to make friends with some people, even if we have common interests. Even if I don't know the reason why, I feel some communication blocks with some people, while there are others with whom I feel I can be completely myself with and can completely express myself in any way that I feel. It’s important never to betray friendships. If somebody tells you something as a friend, it’s important for that friendship never to go away and to tell the secret to other people. It’s also important to try to keep your word with your friends, so that if you promise to do something or if you say that you will try to make some time to do things together, you try to keep your word and be true to your commitments.

If a friend is ill or if a friend is in trouble, it's also important to put yourself out for that person to help to ease their suffering or their predicament.

I think that another factor that's incredi­bly important in a friendship is that you perceive the other person to be equal to yourself, not something way above your head, some unattainably wonderful person who you could never be as good as, nor as somebody who is of a lower level in any way than yourself. You must really be able to see that person as equal and similar to you. There is a saying that communication, real communication, can only occur between equals, and I really believe this to be so.

It’s not important how old people are as to whether or not they can be friends, although people mostly find friends of around their own age group. I have one friend in Glastonbury, in England, who I love very dearly. His name is Stanley; he's over 80 now, and I still feel that I can relate to him as another human being, as an equal as a friend, we can talk about our feelings, our prob­lems, our hopes and ideas, we can share our insights and help to ease each other's confusion about life.

I have another friend who is 11 years old now, although the last time I saw her she was 9, and her name is Anna. She is the daughter of another friend of mine and is another soul who I feel very is close to myself. She would always come to me if she had a problem with something, and talk about it.

I really feel that a fantastic foundation for achieving or creating anything is a strong friendship. You can work together a lot better in making something, in manifesting ideas and dreams, if you work together with others who have the same motivations and between whom there are good strong, positive feelings of goodwill and friendship. I feel that friendship is the answer to many of the world’s problems. If only we could all make friends and respect each other’s lives, ways of thinking, and ideals, respect the things that are important to each other, basically respect each other’s lives, there would be no more war, there'd be no more starvation, and a lot less suffering.

There’s no limit to the number of friends that you can have. Very friendly people can be friends with anyone that they meet. It only takes a warm heart and a degree of trust. Everybody can be friends. I don’t believe there’s anybody on this planet, if I had enough love in me, that I couldn't be friends with.

Sometimes it only takes a small gesture to show feelings of goodwill and friend­ship, and these small gestures can go a long way. For example, at Christmas time, we decid­ed, just to follow the Christmas spirit, to give small gifts to the neighbors who live on our floor, next to our flat, and since then they have greeted us with warm eyes and smiling faces whenever we encounter them. By simply expressing gratitude to somebody who serves you in a shop or people that you work with, by showing small acts of kindness, you can make the world a better place. I believe in the saying “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you're with.”, but often it is more easily said than done.

Even though I generally find it quite easy to make friends and I have friends in many places, and feel that I have a deep connection with.

Being a musician helps to make friends I find that between musicians there’s often a common understanding from the start and, even if you disagree about many things, music is such a fascinating, interesting and diverse subject to have as a common interest. There’s always something you can talk about and do together − playing music.

Ex. 2 Suggest the Russian equivalents to the English ones: to put oneself out, to become weaker, to be used to not seeing, exciting time, to do a little bit of walking, to stay up, to feel a deep connection, through the time, to know all the parts of each other, to do something wrong, vicinity, to keep one’s word, commitments, to be true to commitments, to be in touch with somebody, to keep in contact with somebody, to pass into old age, to relate to somebody, to be equal and similar, human beings, acts of kindness, degree of trust, to manifest ideas and dreams, to ease each other's confusion about life, some unattainably wonderful person, to perceive the other person to be equal to yourself, ways of thinking, communication blocks.

Ex. 3 Suggest the English equivalents to the Russian ones: поддерживать отношения, сухопутный, встреча, нескучный, термальная ванна, давнишние друзья, зрелость, ни на йоту, терпимость, формировать, группа людей одного возраста, искренность, смущение, голодание, достигать, творить, страдание, неожиданно встретиться, благодарность, различный, воспринимать, благополучие.

Ex. 4 Fill in the gaps in the sentences.

1. Friendship is just something that …, who feel …, or who just…

2. Every summer Thomas attends …, which takes place…

3. It's so nice for Thomas when different friends of his become friends themselves.

4. Even if the person does something wrong or selfish, you…

5. … also important for long-standing friendships.

6. Real communication can only occur…

7. Thomas thinks that a fantastic foundation … is a strong friendship.

8. Sometimes it only takes a small gesture to …, and these small gestures can go a long way.

9. It’s not important how old people are … , although people find…

10. If there are people … and you feel …, very deep friendships can develop.

Ex. 5 Complete the sentences.

1. Friendship is something that…

2. It's even possible to make friends with people with whom…

3. If the friend lives in another country, the only way to keep contact…

4. Thomas still has feelings of …

5. Often real friends, who you feel very close to, are…

6. In order to keep a friendship strong it’s important to…

7. People mostly find friends of…

8. Being a musician helps…

9. You can make the world a better place by…

10. You can work together a lot better if…

11. If only we could all make friends, there would be…

Ex. 6 Are these statements true or false?

1. Thomas thinks friendship becomes weaker when there is large distance between people.

2. Four of Thomas’s friends came to see him, it was tiring and boring for him.

3. Many people feel that if you don’t keep in touch regularly with your friends friendship will be strong.

4. Thomas thinks real friends are those who can help you.

5. Thomas is very impatient and those friends who are very selfish. Bad behavior can affect the friendship.

6. Maria’s broken relationship with her friends from her early childhood.

7. Thomas thinks only the young people can keep friendship.

8. He and his friends from primary school have different interests as they have nothing in common and he doesn’t communicate with them.

9. From Thomas’s experience friends are people who attract each other by appearance and it’s a long-standing process.

10. Thomas is very sociable and makes friends easily with all people.

11. Age is very important for friendship.

12. Thomas feels friendship means nothing in the life.

13. The number of friends should be limited.

Ex. 7 Answer the questions.

1. What is friendship in Thomas’s opinion?

2. Can you make friends with people went to other countries?

3. Is it very important to keep up communication with your friends and why?

4. What is the only way to keep contact with friend living in another country?

5. Does Thomas see his friends often? Is it obstruction for their friendship?

6. What is a “Rainbow gathering”?

7. Was Thomas glad to see his friends, who stopped for three days at Budapest?

8. How did they spend time?

9. What is like some kind of family starts to form?

10. When do very deep friendships develop?

11. Who is usually considered to be a long-standing friend and why?

12. What does Thomas speak about old friends?

13. Why isn’t it always the case that if you get old, you have to get lonely?

14. Does Thomas keep in contact with primary school friends? How?

15. How should you perceive the other person?

16. Why is Stanley unusual Thomas’s friend?

17. Is a strong friendship a foundation for achieving or creating anything and why?

18. Can people be friends with anyone that they meet?

19. How can you make the world a better place in Thomas’s opinion?

20. What does he speak about friendship between musicians?

Ex. 8 Translate the sentences into English.

1. У нас с подругой много общего.

2. Дружбу необходимо сохранять.

3. Ребенка отдали на попечение кормилицы.

4. Мы общаемся только по телефону.

5. Это место напоминает мне о моем детстве.

6. Каникулы были заполнены радостью и интересными событиями.

7. Мои друзья живут недалеко друг от друга.

8. Иметь машину − это предел желаний моего брата.

9. Мы давние друзья.

10. Если у него плохое настроение, он ведет себя эгоистично.

11. Меня тронула его снисходительность и терпимость.

12. Благосостояние моего сокурсника возросло за последние годы.

13. Он предал своих друзей.

14.Тим всегда держит свое слово.

15. Фирма выполнила свои обязательства.

16. Джек оказался в затруднительном положении.

17. Я скоро осознал свою ошибку.

18. Его желание было недостижимым.

19. Когда это произошло?

20. Она трудно сходится с сокурсниками.

21. Из-за смущения он не смог ничего сказать.

22. Его доброжелательность привлекала к нему людей.

23. Это была неожиданная встреча.

24. Его благодарность была безгранична.

Ex. 9 Give a summary of the text.

Ex. 10 Compose a topic about friendship using the expressions from the texts.