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WHAT can help you make a fortune in the future? Graduating from a top university might not be enough.
A new study from the University of Essex in Britain has shown that the more friends you have in school, the
more money you'll earn later.
The idea that popularity could have a serious influence on one's earning potential shouldn't come as too
much of a surprise. The researchers noted that if you want to get ahead in life, social skills and networking
are easily as powerful as talent and hard work.
"If a person has lots of friends, it means that he or she has the Ability to get along with others in all kinds
of different situations," said Xu Yanchun, 17, from Nantou High School in Shenzhen, who totally agreed with
the recent finding. "Also, friends always help each other. They not only create wider social circles for you but
lift your mood when you are occasionally in low spirits." said Xu. She believed that all this helps you "earn a
higher salary".
Maybe that's why some people think the younger generations are in the age of Friendaholism (交友狂症)?
A woman even complained that the networking website Facebook's 5, 000-friend limit was too low for her
large reserve of social contacts.
But what does a friend mean? Should friends be regarded as a form of currency?
"Call me uncool, but I think of a friend as an actual person with whom I have an actual history and whom
I enjoy actually seeing. It seems, however, that this is no longer the definition of a friend," said Meghan Daum,
who works with the Los Angeles Times in the US.
Daum dislikes the idea that quantitytrumpsquality in the age of Friendaholism. She thought the idea of
friendship, at least among the growing population of Internet social networkers, was to get as many of not-
really-friends as possible. For example, a friend might be someone you might know personally but who could
just as easily be the friend of a friend of some other Facebook friend you don't actually know. Although she
agreed that social ties grease (润滑) the wheels of life, she also wamed, "Too bad one thing money can't buy
is a real friend."
1. What can friends do in the eyes of Xu Yanchun?
A. They can help you with your schoolwork.
B. They teach you how to make more money.
C. They help you to get rid of sadness and cheer up.
D. They introduce their friends to you.
2. What will be needed if you are to achieve success according to the researchers?
A. Social skills, friends, good mood and fortune.
B. Social skills, networking, talent and hard work.
C. Social skills, networking, potential and fortune.
D. Social skills, talent, hard work and Facebook.
3. We learn that Meghan Daum's attitude towards friends is somewhat _____.
A. up-to-date
B. optimistic
C. confused
D. traditional
4. What does the word "trumps" in the last paragraph mean?
A. is better than
B. is equal to
C. is worse than
D. is similar to

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