In this unit
we will talk about our families and friends When we were young we might be tired of listening to our parents
and try to get away from them We often fail to realize that family is the group that has made them so strong to face the world without any help Our families are always there to support us love us and care for each other
Our families provide us a sense of belonging and security Honestly all the good in us is due to our family
It is not inborn We have learnt it from our families Our families also made us strong enough to face the world
Family relationships can be tricky to learn especially if you are discussing somebody who has a large family
It starts off simply with your immediate family Your immediate family includes your parents brothers and sisters, spouse, and children So if you have one brother and you are married with no children
your immediate family would be your mother, father, brother, and husband Family relationships can get a little complicated after that In today's world people are living longer than ever before
This might mean your grandparents’ parents are still alive They would be your great grandparents
If your grandparents had brothers and sisters they would be your great aunts and great uncles
The good thing to know is that if people are close enough to you and have spent enough time with you
or experienced a lot with you they can become like family
If your parents' best friend has known you throughout your life and been a big part of your life
you might call them your uncle or aunt If your family members have good relationships with each other
they would say they are very close or a close family However, sometimes family members for various reasons drift apart However, at the end of the day family is family They may be close or they may keep a distance
they still remain to be your family Considering all these aspects, we can say the family system works like a chain Younger people learn from elders while elders depend on their kids for a lot of things
When kids grow up get married and have their own children the whole cycle is repeated again Family members always support you in different ways in time of difficulty You can share your problems with your family and you always find a better solution to your problem after a discussion in the house
You family always accepts you with all your mistakes and weaknesses and still loves you No one in the world would do that After all there is never a substitute for the love of a mother, father, wife, child or your brothers and sisters
There are six members in my family All of us have gone to the same university
My father went to North Georgia University as a history major and was part of the Golden Eagle Band
My mother was an art major and became an art teacher after college My older brother went to study music
And I went to study Chinese though I also have a music minor My little sister is coming up to study
foreign languages too though she wants to go on to foreign affairs And my little brother wants to come up to learn Russian Both of my grandparents also went to North Georgia University and studied there
This is where both my grandparents and my parents met each other Now at home in south Georgia
I have four dogs named Darla Pig Lily and Romy I have seven cats which is too many to name And I have a fish pond of my own which I dug out of the ground My family consists of my father my boyfriend my cat and my friends My father is a 65-year-old man who used to work as a newspaper
He used to review movies for a living But now he's retired and very involved in his community
We have a very good relationship I live with my boyfriend and my cat My cat is an all-black cat named Darkness My boyfriend is an occupational therapist My friends are also very important to me
and I consider them family They are closer to me than any brother or sister could be and I know they would do anything for me as I would do anything for them I feel very lucky to have so many people in my life
I have six people in my immediate family I have my two parents who are in their fifties
My father is named John and he is an accountant at a big firm in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania
I have my mother She is an assistant to a doctor And then I have an older brother
who is in the US Air Force He is 27 years old And then I have an older sister Her name is Sarah
She is married with two small boys aged 6 months and two years And then I have a younger brother who is starting at the college that I am attending My family also has a dog Her name is Jasmine
And she is a black toy poodle After family friends are the ones who care for us
We all need friends who will laugh with us in the happy times and provide us with a shoulder when we feel like crying and go out of the way to make things alright for us We need friends who accept us as we are
A real friend will never lie to you and they do not need to please us Whether we need any advice or help we can count on our friends We can share our secrets with our friends without being worried they will be jealous of our success for they really care for us We won't feel lonely if we have friends
and they stay with us throughout our lives and they never expect anything in return So everyone needs good friends Next we will listen to Christine and Katherine they will talk about their friendship
We've been friends since childhood Our mothers were friends And we were even born in the same month
We can't remember a time when we weren't part of each other's lives In fact we're like family
I'm the only child in my family So you're like the sister I never had We've spent so much time together that even our personality and our habits are similar Everyday we spent together we became more and more alike
We're really more like soul-mates than friends We have no secrets from each other
We tell each other everything In fact we even finish each other's Sentences In this dialogue soul-mate refers to someone usually your partner who you have a special relationship with and who you know and love very much A soul-mate is a person with whom you have an immediate connection so strong
that it has a sense of peace and happiness while he is around As this connection develops over time
you experience a love so deep so strong and complex
Your soul-mate understands and connects with you in every way and on every level
You are also all that much aware of the beauty in life because you have been given a great gift
and will be always thankful Hi Michael
Hi Stanley
Hi Kirk
How are you guys
We are fine
Can I join you guys
Yes of course
How often do you guys play basketball
I play
I often play basketball
I'm just a beginner
so I'm not good at it
That's why I come to him
Oh very cool
What do you guys like most about basketball
I like it because it is very fun and relaxing
It is good for our health
I like it because it can make me stronger and taller
Yeah that's true
How about you
I don't know
I really like playing sports a lot but I don't get to play basketball very often
And I think that basketball is really great way to spend time with friends you know
Yeah
Let's play a game
Sure Let's go
2In this dialogue Kirk must think playing basketball is cool
But be careful the intonation is very very important If we say “Oh very cool"
It could also means something is actually incredibly uncool This makes the subject feel cool
yet everyone knows that the subject is
being made fun of
Another expression is you guys It is mainly used in the United States to call a group of people
It can be used both for male or female for example Come on you guys let's go
What are you doing I'm reading this book by Han Han Do you like his books
I do
He's one of my favorite authors
I've liked his books since I read his first one Do you like David Beckham
I used to until he left England
and joined the Real Madrid team in Spain I admire him very much
so much that I became a member of his fan club I had no idea that you were so star-struck
Yes I've admired him since I was a kid
Would you like to see my autograph book Sure Do you have a lot of autographs Yes I have quite a few
I hope to have a nice collection of his photos one day Are you also interested in celebrity gossip
Not really I prefer doing math In this dialogue
Christine mentioned an expression star-struck It means you feel great
or completely overwhelmed
or speechless when you meet someone you are fond of
like a celebrity or movie star
For example
Han Han made a surprise appearance
at the party last night We all screamed
Everybody was soooo starstruck!
Here a celebrity is someone who is famous especially in fields such as
films, music, writing or sports Another word gossip is informal It can often be used to talk about
people’s private affairs
