朋友话题一直是托福常考的话题,
托福例题 去年12月考过的: Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? Letting a friend make a mistake is better than saying or doing something that would destroy the friendship. 语料学习
一. 总观点
交友的重要性;没有朋友的坏处
二. 朋友的好处
拥有强大的社会关系会缓解财务上的匮乏。亲朋好友可以借钱、分担风险、帮忙照看孩 子,还能带来职位空缺的信息。孟加拉的一群妇女在接受商业培 训并领取免费分发的牲畜之后,不仅自己的收入上升了,其友人的境况也有所改善。 Having strong social bonds eases financial deprivation. Friends and relatives can lend money, pool risk, mind children and bring news of job openings. When a group of Bangladeshi women were given business training and free livestock, not only did they move up the income ladder, but their friends' lot improved too.
5. social bonds. n. 社会关系
the bonds of friendship/affection 友情[感情]的纽带
6. ease financial deprivation
--deprivation. n. 剥夺;贫困
eg: widespread deprivation caused by unemployment 由失业造成的普遍贫困现象.
--ease. n. 安逸,无忧虑;v. 消除..
eg: Talking eased his anxiety. 那一番谈话打消了他的顾虑.
7. pool risk. 分担风险
--pool. v. 集中
eg:If we pool our ideas, we may find a solution. 我们集思广益就能找到解决办法.
carpool. n. 拼车
之前一档非常火的邀请明星边乘车边唱歌的节目
就叫<Carpool Karaoke>拼车卡拉OK
8. mind children 照看宝贝
mind. v. 照顾 =look after
9. move up the income ladder
--ladder : series of stages by which a person may advance in his career, etc (事业等发迹、进身、晋升等的)阶梯, 途径, 门路
*climbing the ladder of success 攀登成功的阶梯*He is still on the bottom rung of the political ladder. 他尚处于政治阶梯的*一级.10. lot. n. 生活状况 eg: be happy with one's lot 乐天安命
三. 交友少的问题
不利的一面是,没有合适的朋友可能会加剧苦况。贫困越集中,社会网络的帮助往往越小。各国较贫穷人群中,有30%的人遭遇困难时求助无门,而与之相比,在较富有的人口中,这一比例是16%. 此外,穷人往往正是因为贫穷而被社会排斥,这更是雪上加霜。贫穷是引起歧视的更主要原因。 The downside is that not having the right friends can cement hardship. The more concentrated the poverty, the less helpful social networks tend to be. 30% of people in the poorest population had nobody to rely on in times of need, compared to 16% of the richest. It is doubly unfortunate, then, that poor people are often socially excluded precisely because they are poor.
11. cement hardship:加剧苦况
--cement. v. 练习巩固
cement a friendship 加深友谊
四. 可以采取的措施
几个国家已经试行了将孤寡老人与贫困青年对接的方案。例如,德国已建成社区中心,在那里老年人可以获得青少年给的计算机辅导。幸运的话,这些关系将有所帮助。或许德国的社区中心将同时带来收入和陪伴。 (此段的内容可以用于托福话题:“大学生参加社区活动的好处”) Several countries have experimented with schemes that connect lonely old people and deprived youth. Germany, for instance, has built community centres where older visitors get computer coaching from teenagers. With luck, these connections will help. Perhaps Germany's centres will furnish income as well as company.
12. deprived. adj.贫困的,贫苦的
13. computer coaching. 计算机辅导
14. connections. n. 人际关系;熟人
eg: have connections in the building trade在建筑业有往来客户
15. furnish: v. 为..配备家居;给
16. company. n. 交往,陪伴.