[originaltext] Moderator: Hello, ladies and gentlemen. It gives me great

Moderator:
    Hello, ladies and gentlemen. It gives me great honor to introduce our speaker for today’s lecture, Dr. Amanda Smith. Dr. Smith, professor of sociology at Yale University, has written numerous articles and books on the issues about making friends, which has been a classic topic, focused on by a wide range of people, from young children to elderly people.
    Dr. Smith:
    Thank you for that introduction. I feel happy to meet you here. Many people encounter difficulties when trying to make friends. I also faced this problem when I was a teenager. I wasn’t the popular girl in high school and then in college, and I couldn’t believe that there could be someone who could be my friend. If you have the same problem, don’t worry because there are a few tips to help you make friends easily wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Take a look at these easy ways and you’ll be able to make friends in school, university or even at work without any problems.
    It often happens that children and teenagers have a set classification of themselves. There are winners and losers, popular and silent, weak and strong types of people. Your possibilities depend on the type you belong to and so if you’re not popular, you can’t make friends. Get rid of this way of thinking and don’t stick to those classifications. Then you’ll have no prejudices about your personal abilities.
    Making friends is all about talking to as many people as possible. You never know for sure whether you like a person or not until you talk to them and that’s a fact. Most of my friends are just random people that I met and talking about something leads to our long-term friendship. Don’t be afraid to talk to someone you find interesting because the more people you talk to, the more chances you have to make a lot of friends.
    You can use social media to find people who have the same interests and hobbies as you have. It’s so much easier to make friends online because you can instantly see what a person wants from life. There are lots of people in your area who’d like to share your world view and who’re ready to become your friends thus let them know that you exist and make as many friends as you wish.
    Not being the " popular" type doesn’t always mean having no friends at all. You may have a few great friends but still want to have more because others say it’s not enough. Don’t listen to such nonsenses. Only you can decide how many friends you should have！ It’s actually better to have one or two true friends than a hundred fake people around you.
    That’s the end and thanks for coming!
    Questions 16 to 19 are based on the recording you have just heard.
    16. What does the introduction say about Dr. Smith’s books and articles?
    17. How does the speaker make friends according to the talk?
    18. Why is it much easier to make friends online?
    19. What does the speaker suggest people do at the end of the talk?