These are models. Your answers will vary. See page 2 in the Introduction to see the criteria for scoring.
PART I
Describe the neighborhood where you live.
The neighborhood I live in is right outside of the city. It's almost like living in the city, except that it has houses instead of apartment buildings. The houses are small with small yards.
People in the neighborhood really like to garden, so there are a lot of flowers and nice plants.
It's very pretty. We are near a bus stop, so it's easy to get to the city. There are a few small stores that sell food and newspapers and things like that.
What do you like about living there?
What I like about my neighborhood is that it's close to the city. It's very easy to get to work.
Also, it's not very expensive. I can afford to live there and not spend all my money on rent.
What do you dislike about your neighborhood?
My neighborhood is in a boring area. If I want to do something interesting like go to a movie or a concert or ifl want to shop at good stores, I have to go to the city. It's quiet, so it's a good place to relax, but it's not a good place to have fun.
What kind of neighborhood would you like to live in?
When I start making more money, I'm going to move into the city. I would like to live in a city neighborhood that's full of activity. I'd like to live near restaurants and stores and clubs. I'd like to live in a place where I can walk out my front door and be right in the middle of everything.
Do you like walking? Why or why not?
I don't dislike walking, but I can't say that I particularly like it. I walk to the bus stop every day, and I often walk to the store because it's nearby. I walk to get places, but I never walk for fun.
I don't think it's an interesting thing to do.
Are there places you can walk near your house?
There's a nice park not far from my house. It has pretty gardens and some walking trails through the woods. A lot of my neighbors go there to take walks. It's also easy to walk around my neighborhood because there are sidewalks everywhere.
Do people in your country like walking? Why or why not?
Walking is popular in my country. A lot of people walk for their health. In fact, there are walk
ing clubs. Often, early in the mornings you can see groups of people walking around the neigh
borhood together. These are the walking clubs. They walk together every morning, I think.
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What other kinds of exercise do you enjoy?
I never walk for exercise, but I enjoy bike riding. I often ride my bike on weekends. I go wher
ever I can find bike trails. There are a lot of them near where I live. When the weather is bad, I go to the gym and use the exercise machines there. I really like doing that. I like to play soccer, too. I play it with my friends every week.
PART2
My friend's name is Bob. We've known each other most of our lives. We met in preschool when we were around four or five years old, and we've been friends ever since. We like to do a lot of things together. When we were little kids, we played a lot of different kinds of games together.
In high school, we used to study together, but we don't do that anymore because Bob isn't studying business administration like I am. He's studying law. We're both busy with school and work, but we still get together often. It's easy because we're still living in the same city. We play soccer with some other friends at least once a week, and we go to soccer games together.
When the weather's nice, we go to the beach or hang out in the park. We talk about things we're doing now, and these days we also talk a lot about the future, the things we hope to do after we finish school. Bob is an important friend because we've known each other all our lives. We grew up together. I guess you could say we know just about everything about each other. I know if I ever needed serious help or if I needed money or any kind of support, Bob would help me. And I would help him if he needed it. He's the kind of friend you can always count on. I think we'll always be friends, all our lives. I hope so.
PART3
Is it easier to make friends when we're young or when we're older? Why?
I think it's easier to make friends when we're young. Young people are more open. Also, when you're young, you're in school. You're surrounded by lots of other people who want to make friends. When you're older you have to pay more attention to taking care of your family, so you have less time to make new friends.
Where do people typically make friends?
I think people make most of their friends at school. Sometimes kids also make friends in their neighborhood. It depends on what kind of neighborhood they live in, if there are a lot of kids and if they play together or not. Adults sometimes make friends at work, or they might join some kind of club and make friends that way. Sometimes parents make friends with the par
ents of their children's friends.
Why do you think certain friendships last a lifetime?
Sometimes you really connect with another person. I think this is especially true with friends you make early on in life, when you're still a child. Then you experience growing up together and going through the important stages of life together. When you share important things like that, like graduating from school, getting your first job, getting married, all those things, then you form a deep connection with the person who saw you go through those things and supported you.
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What do friends provide that family cannot?
One thing a friend can provide is someone to share interests with. Probably not everyone in your family likes the same things you do, so then you look for friends who enjoy what you enjoy. For example, if you like to play tennis or see certain movies or anything like that, your relatives may not enjoy these things but your friends may. Friends can also share different points of view with you. They may see the world differently than people in your family do, so you can learn different ways of thinking. Friends can also help you if you have a misunder
standing with someone in your family. They can give you lots of support.
Are friends ever more important than family?
Friends can be very important if you are away from your family for any reason. If your family isn't there, your friends are. Sometimes friends can understand things about you that your family doesn't, so that's important too. But usually, I think, the people in your family are the most important people in your life. They are the ones who will always be there for you, no matter what.
Do you spend more time with your friends or with your family? Why?
At this time in my life, I spend more time with my friends. That's because I am living in a dif
ferent city away from my family. Also, I'm still young. I like to go out and enjoy myself with my friends. I think when I get older I will spend more time with my family.
What impact has technology (computers, cell phones, the Internet, etc.), had on your friendships?
I think technology has made it easier to have friends. I can post something on the Internet and all my friends instantly know about it. Communication is very easy. My friends can always know where I am and what I'm doing. IfI need to talk with someone, I can call anyone anytime on my cell phone, or send an e-mail. It's all so easy and fast.
How do friendships change as we age?
When we're younger, our friendships are about doing things together. Children play together, and teenagers and young adults like to go places together, to the movies or cafes, things like that. When people get married and start their own families, maybe their friendships are about helping each other. They help with the children, or they talk about problems and try to find solutions. So their friendships are more about talking and less about doing.