Brothers and Sisters

C2 Proficiency · Open Cloze · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits each gap. Use only one word in each gap. There is an example at the beginning.

Few relationships last as long (0) ___ the one between brothers and sisters. Our parents usually die before us, and our partners tend to arrive later in life, but siblings are there almost (1) ___ the very beginning. It is hardly surprising, then, that these bonds are among the most complicated we ever form. Rivalry between siblings is common, and is often rooted (2) ___ competition for parental attention. Even adults who are on the best of (3) ___ with one another may find themselves reverting (4) ___ childhood roles the moment the family gathers: the eldest organising everyone, the youngest being teased. Yet siblings can also be an extraordinary source of support. They are the only people with (5) ___ we share the memories of childhood, and they know us in a way that no friend, (6) ___ close, ever quite can. Many find that, as they grow older, old quarrels matter less and shared history matters (7) ___ the more. The rivalry of childhood often gives (8) ___ , in the end, to a quieter and more enduring loyalty.

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