Online friendships are quite easy, but in the real world things are much more difficult. There are no rules about friendship. There are no guidelines about how to make friends, how to keep friendships going, and how to finish friendships if we want to move on.

People also have very different opinions about friendship: some people would die for their friends and value them more than family. Others feel that friends are temporary. If people with such different views become friends, this can lead to problems.

Because of these different definitions of friendship, it is easy to be unhappy about our friends. We may want our relationship with them to be deeper or closer, or we may want to have more friends in our lives. Sometimes we simply do not have the time to develop our friendships. 

(Get ready for IELTS)

Interviewer: Hello everybody! It’s Teenagers Round the World Channel. Our guest today is a teenager from Russia and we are going to discuss smartphones. We’d like to know our guest’s point of view on this issue. Please answer five questions. So, let’s get started.

Interviewer: Do you have a smartphone? What do you use it for?

Student: Yes, I have a smartphone. I use it for social media, texting, taking photos, and listening to music.

Interviewer: What apps do you use the most frequently? Why?

Student: I use Telegram to keep in touch with my friends and family. I also use VK for school stuff.

Interviewer: Should smartphones be banned in schools? Why or why not?

Student: I don’t think smartphones should be banned in schools. I think so because they can be useful for studying and in emergency situations.

Interviewer: What are the negative effects of smartphones?

Student: Smartphones can have negative effects like addiction, sleep problems, eye strain, and isolation. They can harm our health and daily routines.

Interviewer: What would your life be like without your smartphone?

Student: My life without my smartphone would be quite different. I would have to use other devices to stay in touch with friends and family, take photos, and listen to music. It could also be a good opportunity to disconnect and spend more time on other activities.

Interviewer: Thank you very much for your interview.

• explain the choice of the illustrations for the project by briefly describing them and noting the differences;
• mention the advantages (1–2) of the two types of pets;
• mention the disadvantages (1–2) of the two types of pets;
• express your opinion on the subject of the project – which of the pets presented in the pictures you’d prefer and why.

Из методических материалов для председателей и членов предметных комиссий субъектов Российской Федерации по проверке выполнения заданий с развёрнутым ответом экзаменационных работ ЕГЭ 2023 года (раздел «Говорение»): «Обращаем внимание экспертов на то, что план задания 4 в 2023 г. несколько изменился, хотя его суть и требования к его выполнению остались теми же. В 2023 г. первые два пункта плана (описание фото и различия, связанные с темой проекта) были объединены и стали единым пунктом, а пункт 3 (преимущества и недостатки) был поделён на два отдельных пункта. Однако если участник объединяет в одном пункте преимущества и недостатки, например, говоря: «Электронная книга – лёгкая, но быстро разряжается. Бумажная книга приятна на ощупь, но занимает много места», то это не будет считаться отступлением от плана и причиной снижать балл по критерию «Организация текста». Важно, чтобы были отражены преимущества и недостатки двух сравниваемых объектов/ситуаций». (стр. 33-34)

Hi Alex! I’ve just wanted to send you a couple of photos I’ve found for our project on pets in our lives, but I’m having difficulty doing it. I’ll give you the lowdown on these photos and the reasons behind my choice in this voice message, ok?

The first photo shows a child feeding a large parrot with seeds or nuts. The second photo is of a young man walking his pet dog in a park. Together, these two photos make an excellent choice for our project because they illustrate different kinds of pets people can keep: one is an example of an exotic pet, while the other depicts a more common pet.

In terms of advantages and disadvantages, which we could discuss in our project, parrots are intelligent and social pets, and their talking abilities are just amazing! But they can be quite noisy and messy, which can be a problem.

On the other hand, dogs are great companions that offer protection, but they are quite costly pets to care for.

Personally, I’d prefer a dog as a pet because it would encourage me to stay active and live a healthy lifestyle.

Well, that’s all for now. What do you think about my choice of the photos? Let’s discuss later!