Text 1 Friendship, like love affairs, can run out of steam. As we grow up, sometimes we grow apart. Recently, a good friend and I parted company. There was no blow-up, no crashing dishes, no dramatic pie-in-the-face. Just a gradual loss of faith, com-pounded by geographical distance and the demands of our ca-reers. Women are often more prepared for the end of a love affair than for the demise of a friendship. We have endless advice books on how to recover when your lover's left you, but little seems to be said about friends who break each other's hearts. Maybe it's because we never think of our relationships with other women as being passionate or intense. But a wornan can be as emotionally dependent on a friend as she is on a lover, and when the relation ship ends, abruptly or not, it can leave both women hurt and angry, wondering what went wrong. I've learned from experience that good friendships are based on a delicate balance. When friends are on a par, professionally and personally, it's easier for them to root for one another. It's taken me a long time to realize that not all my "friends" wish me well. Someone who wants what you have may not be able to handle your good fortune: if you find yourself apologizing for your hard-earned rise or soft-pedalling your long-awaited pro-motion, it's a sure sign that the friendship is off balance. Real friends are secure enough in their own lives to share each other's successes not begrudge them. On the other hand, that balance may be upset when two friends do become equals. A woman I know valued her friend-ship with an older mentor who saw her only in that subservi ent role. When my friend became increasingly successful, and ultimately reached the level of her mentor, the older woman abruptly ended the relationship. It was clear that she was not needed in the same capacity and could not make the adjustment Friend-shedding is a rite of passage and should be seen as a positive sign of growth. Certain life events tend to accelerate this process say, the sudden appearance of a good-looking boy-friend or maybe even an engagement ring. It's not uncommon for friends to try unconsciously to sabo-tege these new relationships if they feel threatened by them. But if that happens frequently, it may be time to reevaluste your friendship. A frank discussion can work wonders in this situation in my case, I found out that my friend and I were not as close as we'd once been. My life had taken a different direction since we'd first met, and I'd expected her to follow with the same speed and enthusiasm. We finally agreed that we are not as alike as we had once thought, nor should we be. We decided that it was time to take a leave of absence from each other Putting each other "on hold" indefinitely is hard, but some-times it's the wisest thing to do. It never hurts to put some dis-tance between friends if the relationship is strained, and it may even prevent a final, irrevocable break. Sometimes, friendships can be renewed on their own: unlike love affairs, which demand a certain degree of commitment to stay alive, a little healthy neglect can be good for a friendship and may even lead to a reconciliation that might not otherwise have taken place. And if that happens, you'll likely find yourself in a more honest, and certainly more balanced, relationship. Laying a friendship out on the table like that isn't easy, but in the long run, it pays off. After all, knowing who isn't your friend is just as important as knowing who is. Exercises Ex. 1. Find in the text a) synonyms to: often, sincere, to comprehend, equilibrium (poise), suddenly, ever more, lately, to consent, belief, to menace, handsome, des tiny, finally, indication, to envy, to discover, to speed, to require, to resume, determination, putting up with; b) antonyms to: vague, different, to slow the process, a leading roje, a failure, conscious, absence, hard. Ex. 2. Choose the proper word: a) affair business master CONCERN 3. The Manderiey hall was generally an annual 4. He was