B1 Preliminary (PET) Practice Paper 35

alice: I've just moved to this city and I'm finding it hard to meet people outside of work. Any suggestions? george: I had the same problem when I first moved here. Joining a class or club really helped me. alice: What kind of class did you join? george: I joined a pottery class that meets every Thursday evening at the community centre. alice: That sounds interesting. Did you make friends quickly there? george: Not immediately, but after a few weeks of seeing the same people, conversations started naturally. alice: That's reassuring. Are there other options you'd recommend? george: Definitely — sports clubs, language exchange groups, or volunteering are all good options too. alice: I think I might try a language exchange group, actually. Do you know how to find one? george: There are usually apps and websites dedicated to that, or you could check noticeboards at local cafes.

When Tomás first moved to a new city for work, he found the process of making adult friendships surprisingly difficult, despite having no trouble forming friendships throughout school and university. Unlike those earlier stages of life, where friendships often formed naturally through shared daily proximity, Tomás discovered that adult social life required considerably more deliberate effort. After several months of feeling isolated despite being surrounded by colleagues at work, Tomás decided to join a local recreational football league specifically designed for adults wanting to meet people outside their usual social circles. The structured, weekly commitment provided exactly the consistent social contact that had been missing from his new life, without requiring the awkwardness of directly asking acquaintances to socialise. Within a few months, casual teammates gradually became genuine friends, as regular interaction naturally led to conversations extending beyond football itself. Tomás noticed that having a shared activity removed much of the pressure surrounding adult friendship formation, since conversations arose naturally from the game rather than requiring deliberately engineered small talk. Reflecting on the experience, Tomás now actively recommends similar structured social activities to other people struggling with adult loneliness, particularly those who have recently relocated. He argues that waiting passively for friendships to develop, as often happened effortlessly during school years, rarely works for adults, who generally need to create deliberate opportunities for the kind of repeated interaction that genuine friendship requires.

Making friends as an adult ___1___ notably more challenging than many people expect, particularly after moving to an unfamiliar city. When my colleague, Daniela, ___2___ to a new country for work last year, she initially struggled to build any social connections outside the office. She ___3___ that simply attending work events was not enough to form genuine friendships. Eventually, Daniela ___4___ a local hiking group that organised weekend walks for newcomers to the area. The regular structure of these outings ___5___ her opportunities to have natural conversations without feeling awkward or forced. Within several months, she ___6___ close friendships with people she initially barely knew. Daniela ___7___ that shared activities create friendship far more effectively than simply hoping to meet people randomly. She now ___8___ anyone moving somewhere new to seek out a similar structured group as quickly as possible.