Cloze: Fill in each of the blanks with an appropriate word. The beginning letter of each has been given to you. Flat-sharing You’ve got a problem. You’re going to go to university in a different town and you need somewhere to live. Or perhaps you just don’t get on with your parents. What can you do? Have you ever thought of sharing a flat? I know all about it because I’ve been sharing flats for the past four years, since I moved to Edinburgh to study. I must admit my first experience was a 1b__ of a disaster. I saw an advert in the newspaper from a girl who had a flat and was 2l______ for a flatmate. When I met her, she seemed really nice, and I 3n_______ that she had lots of great CDs I wanted to hear and a big TV. However, I changed my 4 m___ about her a few days after I moved in. I came 5h____ from college one day and threw my books and jacket onto the living room sofa. My flatmate looked at them, looked at me and shouted: “I hope you’re · not going to leave 6t_____ there!” It was then I found 7o__ that she was absolutely obsessive about being tidy. It was obvious that we were incompatible, 8a__ I’m definitely not the world’s tidiest person. I moved out after the first month. I then decided to try sharing a house with several people. I rented a room in a big old house 9w____ I shared with four other girls (two Brazilians, a Russian, and an Italian). It was great because the house was always full of young people from 10a__ over the world and we had lots of parties. However, there were three problems. Firstly, it was impossible 11t__ do any work because the house was so noisy. Secondly, there was only one bathroom, and there was always someone in it, 12e_______ first thing in the morning when I was already 13l___ for class. But the 14b_____ arguments we had were always the day the phone bill arrived! After a year the foreign girls went home, and I decided to look for a new, 15p________ quieter flat! This 16t____ I decided to share with a friend, somebody I already knew well. We’ve been living here now for nearly a year and we get on really well — 17e_____ for her irritating habits of eating my yogurts and finishing the coffee! But it’s great having someone else to help pay the rent, to share their dinner with you when you’re too 18e________ to cook, and who, unlike your parents or your partner, doesn’t mind what time you get up or if you’ve left your bedroom in a 19m___ . And best of all, when you’ve had a bad day or you’ve 20b_____ up with your boyfriend you know there’s always someone to talk to.