Lies have become an accepted part of British life, poll reveals

The average Briton tells more than 10 lies a week, with two fifths claiming fibs are ''sometimes necessary'', research has found. Almost all Britons (91%) have told a lie at some point in their lives, with a quarter (25%) saying they will ''happily'' tell a fib if they think it will not hurt anyone, the survey for confused.com found. Just 5% believe it is never acceptable, 55% ''sometimes stretch the truth'' and 27% say white lies are acceptable.

The most common subject for lies is vices, with 41% admitting to dishonesty about the price of an item they have bought, 25% lying about how much they drink and 23% fibbing about their eating habits. Almost a third (32%) say they have lied about the reason for missing a call and 31% have made up a reason for why they were late. Some 16% have been untruthful about a past relationship, the survey found, 15% about where they went the previous night and 14% about who they were with the night before. Some 7% say they have lied on sites such as Facebook and Twitter to make themselves seem more interesting, with this figure rising to 19% among 18 to 24-year-olds.

The survey found 67% of women are likely to tell white lies compared with 58% of men, with women most likely to lie about how much something cost and men most likely to fib about how much they drink. More than half the population (54%) admitted they lie to their parents. Nearly one in seven (13%) admitted to lying when they took out an insurance policy, with 44% doing so to save money.

Matt Lloyd, head of life insurance at Confused.com, said: ''It's not surprising to see that the majority of Britons (91%) have told a lie at some point – little white lies are part and parcel of daily life; whether it's about what a person had for lunch or how much something cost. However, it's alarming to see that nearly one in seven have lied on their insurance application. If lies are told whilst applying for life insurance it could have very serious consequences. If insurers prove a claimant has lied or withheld information on their application, they could reject a claim or only pay a percentage of it.''

Question 1 (2 points) Indicate whether the following statements are true or false and write down which part of the text justifies your answer.

a. More than half of the people asked said lying is never acceptable.

b. Most people are honest about their former partners.

c. Very few women lie about their shopping expenses.

d. Some people lie in order to avoid paying high sums of money.

Question 2 (2 points) Answer the following questions in your own words.

a. What kind of people lie in social networks and why?

b. What is the risk of lying on an insurance application?

Question 3 (1.5 points) Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions given.

a. harm (par.1)                          b. invent  (par.2)                           c. lie (par.3)

d. request (par.4)                      e. keep (par.4)

Question 4 (1.5 points) Complete the following sentences without changing the meaning.

a.      Although she lied to me, she never hurt my feelings.

            Despite …………………………………………………………….

b.      He lied on his insurance application so the company rejected his claim.

If …………………………………………………………………….       

c.      ''It's not surprising to see that the majority of Britons (91%) have told a lie at some point”, Matt Lloyd said.

Matt Lloyd said that ……………………………………………

           

Question 5 (3 points) Write a short essay (120-150 words) on the following topic:

                There are times when lying is acceptable. Do you agree?