Speaking about friendship on an Internet forum

Brian, 14, York
On the one hand, friends are fantastic – most of the time. They’re there for us whenever we need them – just like in the proverb (1) ... . Friends share things with us, and let us share with them. Generally, friends
are easy to deal with. On the other hand, friendship can be difficult – because often people aren’t as honest and open as they should be. Sometimes, people end up unhappy. They quarrel with each other and then they can’t find the way to make up. I personally believe that honesty (честность) is the best quality in friendship. A dishonest friend is not a true friend. And as we know, (2) ... .
 

Andrew, 15, Edinburgh
Most problems with friendships come up because people are just too selfish to care about the things their friends need. They care about their own needs much more, which makes it hard for friendship to work. Being selfish is a part of human nature. My own opinion is that people should take care of themselves and their own needs, and only then take care of the needs of other people. However, I try to lend my friends a helping hand, whenever I can. They say, (3) ... .
 

Mary, 13, Melbourne
The best thing to remember when you are a friend to anyone is that you should treat your friends the same way that you’d like to be treated. Moreover, (4) ... . This is wonderful advice for a person who wants to make friends. And I want to stress that it’s really the only way to make sure that you are giving your friends everything you would want to get in friendship.
 

Sylvia, 14, Ottawa
There are misunderstandings that come up from time to time in each friendship, and it is important to understand how to deal with them so that you can build a stronger and healthier relationship. What is more, moments when your friends get boyfriends or girlfriends and don’t spend enough time with you, or even find new friends and leave you behind, happen in each friendship and can be hard. That’s why it’s important to know how to deal with these changes so that you can keep your friends and make new ones. I’m absolutely sure that we should (5) ... .