如何巧答托福口试的 “朋友话题”

 　　考生都会发现托福的口语考试话题经常是围绕我们身边的事情展开。朋友话题就是最近十分热门的一个口试考点。提到朋友，每个人都会有很多观点和看法，但是如何适当运用句型和比喻，准确阐述自己的想法，这就需要多多准备和练习了。 首先，建议考生从平时多积累三类知识：相关的短语，词汇和句型，这是答好口语话题的三大基础法宝。

　　我在下面提供了一些做为参考： ‘朋友话题’
　　* 常用短语：    a shoulder to cry on,  an easy-going person,  ask for help,  be an understanding person,  be friendly with,  be on intimate terms with sb., be well-acquainted with, broad-minded,  cheer sb. up,  for the sake of friendship, have a bosom 1 friend,  have a large circle of acquaintances, help sb. out,  keep friendly relations,  keep/lose contact with,  make friends with,  reach an understanding,  seek common ground while reserving differences, t urn 2 to one’s friend when in difficulty, understand each other, warm-hearted, etc.
　　常用词汇： acquaintance, affectionate, amicable 3, caring, considerate, emotional,  enthusiastic,  expressive,  favorite, frank, friendly,  generous,  gentle,  helpful,  honest,  humorous,  ideal,  intimate,  kind, patient, reunion, sociable 4,  sympathetic,  talkative,  thoughtful,  trustworthy, etc.
　　* 常用句型：   1. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
　　2. What does friendship mean to you?
　　3. What kind of people do you make friend with?
　　4. Why do you think friendship important to you?
　　5. What is the basis of friendship?
　　6. There is the difference between friendship and love.
　　7. Are you very good at keeping in touch with friends?
　　8. I like to make friends with people who are …
　　9. What do you have in common with your friends?
　　10. How well do you communicate with your friends?
　　真正的考试给你准备的时间很短，有些东西要做到脱口而出，就看你平时功夫做得如何了。专门找个练习本现在就开始做积累吧。像新东方，太傻，秦苏珊英语网站上都有很丰富的词汇和材料储备库，考生不妨多利用网络搜集有用信息。 面我举一个具体的话题，建议考生先按照规定的时间内想想自己有什么思路，试着整理一下语言，然后再看后面的参考答案：
　　Narrator:
　　What do you think a true friend should be? How important do you think is friendship to your life?You may begin to prepare your response after the beep.
　　[2 seconds beep]Preparation time: 15 seconds
　　Response time:         45 seconds
　　Narrator:
　　Please begin speaking after the beep.
　　[2 seconds beep]
　　Suggested Answer:As the saying goes “A friend in need is a friend indeed.”, which is partly true, but a real friend should also be able to share your happy moments --- without feeling jealous. A good friendship is one where you accept and forgive faults, understand moods, and don’t feel hurt if a friend doesn’t feel like seeing you. Of course, honesty is an essential part of any relationship. We should learn to accept our friends for what they are. Anyway, I consider friendship to be one of the most important things in life.
　　词汇与解析（WORDS AND EXPRESSIONS）：
　　1. essential    adj.     本质的，实质的
　　2. forgive      v.       原谅，饶恕
　　3. jealous      adj.     妒忌的，嫉妒的
　　4. mood         n  心情，情绪
　　答案解析：    考生开门见山地谈了他对“友情”的理解，常言道：“ A friend in need is a friend indeed.” 患难朋友才是真正的朋友。当然，这在一定意义上是对的，副词“partly” 的使用为下一步的陈述埋下了伏笔，考生顺理成章地从不同角度阐明他对“友谊”的看法。真正的朋友会与你分享快乐时光，而没有任何嫉妒。真正的友谊意味着你能容忍和原谅朋友的错误，理解对方的情绪；如果你的朋友不太想见你，你也不会感到受了伤害 (A good friendship is one where you accept and forgive faults, understand moods, and don’t feel hurt if a friend doesn’t feel like seeing you.)。    特别值得一提的是在答案的结尾有一个至关重要的句子 “… honesty is an essential part of any relationship.”，它高屋建瓴地概括了各种关系的内涵，它告诫我们只有以诚相待，才能建立真正的友谊。
　　不同的人交友的标准不同。我们交友时，通常会愿意选择性格类似，而不是性格迥异的人，期望朋友间对待工作、学习和生活的态度有共同之处。真正的朋友能在你最困难的时候向你伸出援助之手，你愿意向他倾诉衷肠，他会给你提供宝贵的忠告和建议，他的心中时刻装着你。    简而言之，回答“友谊”这类问题时，可以充分发表我们平时对“友谊”的看法，有条理地分层叙述。