Reading practice 4. 4EOI. With the key.

PASS THE SICK BAG

It’s a rare thing even to see them apart. She admits they do 200 sit-ups together every night before they go to bed, and that they both love  Friends and agree Chandler is the funniest character. They even wear matching outfits, right down to their shoes. Okay, the outfits are by Gucci, but as hip as they may try to be, Posh and Becks are sadly what’s known as “Yuckies”. The Spice Girl and Manchester United’s golden boy are no different to those smug-looking pairs that you see strolling hand in hand around suburban shopping centres wearing identical fleeces – or worse, matching shell suits or jumpers with animals on.

Why do so many interesting, independent people suddenly turn into unselfconscious, embarrassing clones of one another the moment they find a relationship? Rita Lewis, a 36-year-old fashion public relations from West London, looks back on her “Yuckie” three-year relationship with James, a 38-year-old doctor, with bemusement. “I was having a ball being single when I met James five years ago,” she says. “I had a job that took me to the hippest destinations in the world. I was well paid, had a sizeable expense account and got fantastic discounts on designer clothes. The only small cloud on the horizon was I couldn’t find “Mr Right”. I was introduced to James by my brother. He was gorgeous and very different to the kind of people I was mixing with in the fashion world. He seemed so down to earth and straightforward. The minute we met, we both knew it was going to be serious.”

Sounds idyllic, but it wasn’t long before Rita’s friends noticed a worrying cosiness creeping into her life. “I stopped going out and stopped seeing many of my friends,” she admits. “James was really into bird-watching, and because I couldn’t bear to be out of his orbit, I started going ‘twitching’ (the enthusiast’s term for the hobby) with him. It was as if I’d had a complete personality change. I ‘forgot’ how much I hate getting cold and wet. I bought walking boots and waterproofs and started reading bird books so I could sound more knowledgeable. I also ‘forgot’ that my idea of a brilliant Saturday was getting up late and going for lunch and a shopping spree in Harvey Nichols.

The couples counsellor Alix Needham, of Lifestyle Management in London says Yuckiness is a seductive but dangerous trap to fall into. “When a relationship starts, it is not unnatural for you both to want to show each other how similar you are,” she explains. “Mirroring each other’s behaviour, tastes and even clothing can initially bring you closer –but if you try it for too long you run the eventual risk of boring each other. Couples need to have separate interests and friends so that you consistently have something new and interesting to bring to the partnership.”

Similarly, you need to keep a little mystique, adds Needham, if you want to maintain your partner’s curiosity. “Sharing intimate bathroom habits and every little thought and thing about yourself is not always a good idea. If your partner feels he or she knows everything about you, he or she is much more likely to be fascinated by someone new.”

Since splitting up with James, Rita Lewis keeps a horrible wooden mug with a woodpecker-shaped handle on her desk. “I often wonder if James and I had approached the relationship differently whether it might have had a chance, “ she says now. “The mug, which is one of a pair, is to remind me not to forget who I am the next time I get involved with a man. I wonder what James has done with his?”

( The Sunday Times. STYLE )

I. TRUE OR FALSE?

1.      The fact that Posh and Becks can afford expensive clothes does not make them any different from other couples.

2.      Many independent people are embarrassed when dealing with new people.

3.      Rita was completely satisfied with the kind of life she was leading before meeting James.

4.      James prevented Rita from going out with her friends.

5.      Rita took up birdwatching mainly because she enjoyed the topic.

6.      The more you share with your partner, the less interested he might become in you.

7.      Rita is convinced her relationship with James could have never worked out.

II. VOCABULARY:  Match these three words from the text with their suitable meaning.

	A.Growing
	B. Interest
	C. Conceited
8.Bemusement	D. Confusion
9.Creeping	E. Leading
10.Knowledgeable	F. Well-informed
	G. Hurrying
	H. Talkative

KEY:

1.TRUE              2. FALSE           3. FALSE           4. FALSE

5. FALSE           6. TRUE             7. FALSE

8. CONFUSION                  

9. GROWING                      

10. WELL-INFORMED