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  3. Some people think that financial disparity affects friendship. What do you t

Some people think that financial disparity affects friendship. What do you t

游客2024-11-16  0
问题     Some people think that financial disparity affects friendship. What do you think? The following article is discussing this issue.
    Write an article of NO LESS THAN 300 words, in which you should:
    1. summarize briefly the main opinion of the article;
    2. give your comment.
    How Income Disparities Affect Your Friendships
    When people with money are friends with people of modest means the disparities don’t typically end with the bank accounts. One person in the friendship often feels less comfortable than the other, and it tends to be the one with less money—the friend who can’t afford to join the group at the restaurant or go on the weekend trip, the one whose share may be paid for by the others.
    "It doesn’t disturb the rich ones to pay," says Horst Heidbrink, a psychology lecturer at the distance-learning University of Hagen. "The rich person thinks they’re being caring. But the poorer person feels under pressure to be particularly nice." But a lack of balance puts pressure on many friendships. Aristotelian ethics would suggest dealing with the imbalance with increased devotion by the friend with less. Friendship expert Horst Heidbrink says he wouldn’t recommend this, but his research has shown him that the give and take between friends has to be balanced.
    Friendships between rich and poor people are not as unusual as one might think. In a recent study by the Bremen-based Allensbach Institute, 1,624 people of different ages were asked about their friendships. Forty-four percent of respondents said they had friends who were considerably better off than they were. And 41% said they were friends with people who were considerably less well off than they were. And yet that old saying to the effect that money issues can put an end to friendship still holds for many.
    According to the study, friends helped each other out with moving house and renovation work, offered an ear when needed and doled out advice. But only 10% ever accepted significant loans from their richer friends. "Many people believe that borrowing money would weigh the friendship down," Heidbrink says. "Most people would rather go to their parents because family relationships don’t depend on symmetry as much as friendships do." Nevertheless, he says, "A good friendship can also withstand a credit."
    Although friendships between men and women are vulnerable because they are defined by different activities. With their male friends, men play sports, for example, while women and their girlfriends often just talk when they get together. "That’s where it gets harder to leave out financial situations, and there’s more comparing," says Heidbrink. On the other hand, when two guys play soccer together, it’s not an issue if one returns to a villa and the other to a low-rent apartment
    "What counts is trust," Heidbrink says. When trust isn’t justified—when a friend refuses to help or betrays confidences—then friendships fall apart. They don’t fall apart because one person has a lot of money in the bank and the other doesn’t. If the less well-off don’t suffer from jealousy or envy, and the better-off don’t take it too much to heart if their best friend can’t join them on that spa trip, there’s a good chance of a successful friendship.
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答案             Money Don’t Make True Friends Go
    Money makes the mare go, and money also makes friends come and go. According to the passage above, financial disparity, to a certain extent, affects friendship, as the less rich person would feel pressured. However, as mentioned by the friendship expert Heidbrink in the passage, firmness of a friendship depends crucially on trust, rather than financial equality.
    I share the same idea with Heidbrink that a successful friendship goes along with multi-trust and understanding. It is not incomprehensible at all to say that there can be a sense of insecurity and worthlessness if you associate with someone making more money, and consequently the friendship between the two will be unavoidably undermined, but friendship involves compromise, patience, and support. If the friendship is really worth it to them, people should be willing to make the necessary compromises to keep it alive. When differences in wealth spur tension in a friendship, it’s important for both parties to examine their feelings about money, success, and the root of any negative sentiments. For example, if one is overcome with jealousy over a friend’s wealth, it’s important to get real with oneself. Jealousy should be turned into something positive, which can help one see what one wants for oneself. As for the newly affluent people, they should not feel guilty about the changes in their station in life.
    Back in ancient times, Aristotle defined three kinds of friendship. The first two are utility and pleasure. But it is the third—based on friends sincerely wanting what’s best for each other—that stands the best chance of longevity. Besides financial disparity, there are many personal circumstances can affect a friendship—death, divorce, business failure, legal trouble—and solid relationships, like friendship, should withstand all the changes and disparities.
解析     材料主要针对经济差距对友谊的影响进行论述。大致为三部分内容。
    前三段通过研究数据说明经济差距的确会影响友谊，指出在朋友之间的交往中，经济条件较差的一方会感到有压力(under pressure)。在最近一项研究中，很多受访者认为钱的问题可以导致友谊的终结。
    第四、五段具体分析金钱对友谊的影响。第四段说明人们往往会通过聆听(offered all ear)和提建议(doled out advice)帮助朋友，而避免钱财往来，因为很多人相信借钱会影响友谊(weigh the friendship down)。第五段说明男性之间和女性之间的友谊受到金钱的影响也不同。男性朋友之间的活动一般是体育运动(play sports)，较少涉及到双方的经济水平。而女性聚在一起时往往会闲聊，而经济情况则是不可避免的话题(harder to leave out financial situations)。友谊就更容易受到经济条件差距的影响。
    最后一段明确指出“信任”(trust)才是友谊得以稳固的关键。
    开篇：总结材料提到的经济差距和友谊的关系，点出话题——经济差距会影响友谊，但“信任”才是友谊的关键。
    主体：亮出自己的观点：同意文章的论点，并就此展开论述。指出友谊需要包容、妥协、相互支持，如果是真正的友谊，即使经济差距造成双方关系紧张，也能够克服。
    结尾：总结全文，引用名言作支撑，并重申尽管经济差距会影响友谊，但是真正的友谊可以超越这样的差距。
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