Friends should always be honest with you, right? So when they lie, it can be really hard to take. You want to trust your friends and that means knowing that they'll tell it to you straight no matter what it is. But a friend who lies isn't always trying to hurt you. Why does this happen?
Protect your feelings
One of the biggest reasons friends lie is simply to avoid hurting your feelings.
Some people don't understand the difference between being gently honest with a friend and being so straightforward（直接了当的）that they leave a verbal wound. They choose to avoid these two extremes in the form of a lie.
What you can do: Encourage your friends to be straight with you. No matter what their answer is, let them know you are grateful for it.
They feel embarrassed
Sometimes friends will lie about things in their life because they are too embarrassed to admit the truth. Maybe they are going through a rough time and they just don't want you to know about it.
What you can do: Avoid trying to badger（纠缠）your friend into telling you what's wrong. Instead, make it clear that you are there for them when and if they are ready to talk.
Avoid an argument with you
Perhaps your friend knows that if they tell you the truth, you'll get angry with them. Avoiding conflict is not always healthy for a friendship because it allows problems to grow over time. If you have a bad temper（脾气）, your friend might try and avoid getting into an argument with you and instead just tell you what you want to hear.
What you can do: Make sure that if a friend tells you something unpleasant, you don't overreact. Consider what's being said and why your friend is telling you this. If you do end up arguing, do it in a respectable way.
Exclude you
Lying isn't always a sign that friends are trying to protect you, however. Sometimes they lie because they want to exclude you from their plans.
What you can do：When you find out with certainty that your friend is lying to you, try and face it. Be forewarned, however, that if a friend lies to begin with, he or she may lie when asked a direct question about his or her dishonesty. Go with your guts on this. If you feel your friend is lying because he or she doesn't want to be around you, that's your wake-up call to move on.
【小题1】According to the passage, friends sometimes lie _____________.
| A．out of respect |
| B．in a straight way |
| C．under social influences |
| D．because the truth hurts |
【小题2】When you find a friend lying, you are advised to _____________ .
| A．let it go |
| B．take it personally |
| C．handle it respectably |
| D．break up with him or her . |
【小题3】What is the implied meaning of the underlined part?
| A．Have the courage to handle the situation. |
| B．Accept the truth that you are being lied to. |
| C．Go to have a fight with whoever lies to you. |
| D．Base your judgment on your understanding. |
【小题4】What's the passage mainly about?
| A．Ways to avoid telling lies. |
| B．Ways to promote friendship. |
| C．Reasons for making friends. |
| D．Reasons for lies and solutions. |
