62. What do you appreciate most in a friend?
What do you want most in a friend — someone who is intelligent, or someone who has a sense of
humor, or someone who is reliable? Which one of these characteristics is most important to you? Use
reasons and specific examples to explain your choice.
参见：[15]
『范文』
I appreciate all three qualities in my friends. It is important to me that my friends are intelligent, because I
value intellectually stimulating conversation on meaningful topics. On the other hand, a friend with a good sense
of humor can entertain and understands how to ease my sorrows by making me laugh in difficult times. However,
only the reliable friend, by virtue of his dependability and loyalty, is guaranteed to stand by me in difficult times,
and thus reliability is the most important characteristic I look for in a friend.
In my last year of senior school my three friends and I decided that we would study together for the college
entrance exam, but my smartest friend hardly ever showed. She was extremely intelligent and everybody,
including our teachers, was certain that she would be admitted to one of the best universities in the country. As a
result, she did not bother to study much. At our study sessions she would appear occasionally, but more often than
not her visits would distract us rather than help us. We would end up talking about metaphysical concepts like the
existence of god instead of studying our lessons.
My humorous friend attended most of our meetings, but usually he was unprepared and we had to spend a lot
of time getting him up to speed. He made us laugh, and he joked about how much better we were learning now that
we had to teach him. Maybe he was right, but his constant lack of preparation became a steady source of frustration
to the other two of us.
However, my third friend and I were able to rely on each other. We overcame our common frustrations and
fears by completing the tasks we set out to do. During those long evenings when the work seemed unbearable we
cheered each other up and kept working hard. Meanwhile our intelligent friend was minding her own business
and our humorous friend was making somebody else laugh.
