柯灵思英语-英语听力高手4

Number 1 Friendship

Friends play an important part in our lives, and although we may take friendship for granted, we often don’t clearly understand how we make friends. When we get on well with a number of people, we are usually friends with only a very few. As we get to know people we take into account things like age, race, economic condition, social position, and intelligence. Although these factors are not of prime importance, it is more difficult to get on with people when there is a mark difference in age and background.

Some friendly relationships can be kept on argument and discussion, but it is usual for close friends to have similar ideas and beliefs, to have attitudes and interests in common—they often talk about “being on the same wavelength”. It generally takes time to reach this point. And the more intimately involved people become, the more they rely on one another.

In contrast with marriage, there are no friendship ceremonies to strengthen the association between two people. But the supporting and understanding of each other that result from shared experiences and emotions does seem to create a powerful bond, which can overcome differences in background, and break down barriers of age, class or race.