第三篇 Are Online Friends Real Friends?

Modern computer technology has made a new kind of human relationship possible: online friendship. ____(1)____. Are online friendships as beneficial as face-to-face friendships? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having virtual friends? Can people form strong bonds online? Today these questions are the subject of lively debate1.

Some people believe that the Internet is the best way to make new friends. It’s convenient, it’s fast, and it allows to make contact with different kinds of people from all over the world. When you use social networking websites and chat rooms, you can easily find people with interests and hobbies similar to yours2. Information updates and photos add to the experience. Making friends on the Internet is especially good for shy people who feel uncomfortable in social situations. It’s often easier to share thoughts and feelings online. ____(2)____. They can make people feel less lonely and help them solve problems.

Although the Internet can encourage friendship, it has a major disadvantage. ____(3)____. Online friends only tell you what they want you to know. They sometimes exaggerate their good qualities and hide the less positive ones, so you can’t be sure of what they really like3. That is why you should not give personal information to anyone online unless you’re totally sure of who that person is.

Can online friendship be as meaningful as face-to-face ones? There are different points of view. Researchers at the University of Southern California surveyed 2,000 households in the United States. The results showed that more than 40 percent of participants feel “as strongly about their online buddies”as they do about their “offline”friends. ____(4)____. In contrast, there are many people who believe that it’s not possible to have deep relationships with online friends. A young Indian software engineer, Lalitha Lakshmipathy，says，“it’s good to feel connected with many people, but all my e-buddies are not necessarily my close friends. ”____(5)____. They say that it’s hard to develop feelings of trust and connection when you don’t share experiences in person4.

People continue to express different opinions about online friendship. However, most of them would agree that virtual friendships must not replace face-to-face friendships. As one life coach says, “a social networking site should only be the ‘a(chǎn)dd on’ in any relationship.”

詞匯：

acquaint / ??kweint / v.使熟悉

lively / ?laivli / adj.熱烈的

deceive / di?si:v/ vt.欺騙

exaggerate / ig?z?d??reit / v.夸大

beneficial / ?beni?fi??l / adj. 有益的

update / ??p'de?t / vt. 更新

buddy / ?b?di] / n. 朋友

add on 補充

注釋：

1.Today these questions are the subject of lively debate.：現(xiàn)今這些問題成了人們熱議的話題。

2.When you use social networking websites and chat rooms, you can easily find people with interests and hobbies similar to yours.：當你瀏覽社交網(wǎng)站和進人聊天室聊天時，你會很容易找到志趣相投的人。

3.They sometimes exaggerate their good qualities and hide the less positive ones, so you can’t be sure of what they really like.：他們有時會夸大自己的優(yōu)點而掩蓋缺點，讓你看不清他們的廬山真面目。

4.They say that it’s hard to develop feelings of trust and connection when you don’t share experiences in person.：他們認為，由于缺乏共同的經(jīng)歷，與網(wǎng)友發(fā)展信任和聯(lián)系很困難。

練習：

A.In addition, virtual friends can offer emotional support.

B.When you’re not face to face, it’s much easier to deceive people.

C.Many people would agree.

D.Researchers also found that it’s not unusual for online friends to become face-to-face friends.

E.Online friends may be of help in many ways.

F.Online friends，or virtual friends，are people who have become acquainted with each other through the Internet.

答案與題解：

1.F開頭第一句講了現(xiàn)代計算機技術給人類帶來了一種新型的人際關系，即網(wǎng)友。而這一句是對網(wǎng)友的定義，即人們通過網(wǎng)絡認識的朋友。第二句的開頭online friends與第一句的結尾online friendship承上啟下，是文章寫作的要素。?

2.A本段講的是網(wǎng)上交友的有利因素：方便快捷;分享真情實感比社交場合容易得多。本句的開頭in addition (另外)引出對以上有利因素的補充。

3.B本段講的是網(wǎng)上交友的不利因素。本段第一句是一個總括句：網(wǎng)上交友有一大不利。本句說明這一不利是什么，即沒有而對而的接觸，人們很容易受騙，緊接著下一句講怎樣被騙：網(wǎng)友只會告訴你他們想讓你知道的信息。

4.D該句的前一句講的是：調(diào)查結果顯示，超過40%的受訪者認為“網(wǎng)上的友誼”同“線下的友誼”一樣牢固。而這一句是對上一句的進一步解釋：調(diào)查還顯示，網(wǎng)友轉(zhuǎn)變成現(xiàn)實中的朋友也不是不尋常的。also —詞也表明了該句和前一句的關系。

5.C該句的前一句和后一句都講的是網(wǎng)絡可以使人們多聯(lián)系，但耍使人們成為親密的朋友比較難。所以，該句(很多人也認同這一點)恰當?shù)匕阉鼈冞B接起來。

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（責任編輯：vstara）

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