A relationship is defined as a state of connectedness between people. Although in today’s society with its crazy rhythm of everyday life, when people tend to live in thickly populated cities, spending most of their time in the office and hardly knowing their neighbor’s name, we still find ourselves in some kinds of relationships-with friends, family, or colleagues.

Family relationships are the first relationships people enter. Parents and relatives influence our emotional development by creating a model that we are sometimes bound to follow all our lives, often subconsciously （潜意识地）. In day-care, at school, then in the office we spend a lot of time among fellow students and co-workers. We learn to keep business relationships, to work in a team environment, then form smaller groups of like-minded people and finally select some of them as our friends.

What is a true friendship? How does it start? Are we destined to become friends with certain people or can we actually plan whom to be friends with？

“Everybody‘s friend is nobody’s.” said Arthur Schopenhauer. Unlike a companionship based on belonging to the same team or group, friendship is a very personal and selective type of relationship. It calls for trust, sincerity, and emotional bonds.

Sociologists believe that most people are looking for similarities in views, social status, and interests when choosing friends. No wonder that our friends are often people of the same age, sex, and education. Another important factor is joint activity and solidarity. This is the reason why many of us befriend our colleagues and other people who work in the same field.

Most people would agree that a friend is someone who always listens and understands. Understanding in this context implies a lot of meanings-compassion, sympathy, and emotional closeness. It’s a process in which your friend reads your emotional state, shares your feelings, identifies himself or herself with you.

小题1:What is the best title of this passage？_______

A．Family and Relationships

B．How to Make Friends with Colleagues

C．What is a True Friendship

D．People and Relationship小题2:According to the passage, which of the following affects us most when choosing friends？

A．Kindergarten.

B．Family.

C．School.

D．Office.小题3: Why are our friends usually of the same age，sex，and education？

A．Because they are clever and well-behaved.

B．Because most of us are looking for similarities in views，social status, and interests when choosing friends.

C．Because they help us with our work and share our happiness and sorrow.

D．Because they cooperate with us well.小题4:Which of the following statements is NOT true？

A．A companionship is based on belonging to the same team or group.

B．Friendship needs trust, sincerity, and emotional bonds.

C．Relationships are friendships between people.

D．Understanding is a process in which the friend reads our emotional state, shares our feelings, identifies himself / herself with us.