Who do you count as your friends? From our BFF to a workmate, it’s good to have someone to chew the fat with or offer comfort and support. But the recent lockdown we have endured has made of us question our friendships. We’ve fallen out of touch with friends and acquaintances. But do we actually have to restart every relationship we once had? It might be time to take stock and think about who you kept in touch with, who you missed talking to, and who you didn’t. In short, maybe it’s time to reset your list of real mates.

There’s no obligation to stay friends. Bryan Lufkin says, “While people have known for years that friendships are unquestionably good for your health, experts say it’s only natural for acquaintances and even friends to fall by the wayside as time goes on.”

Of course, it can be hard to choose who’s in your friendship circle. This is what Suzanne Degges-White, professor of counselling at Northern Illinois University, calls our “friendscape”. She says. “In life, as we go through certain stages and ages, our attention shifts, and we want to be around people who are like us.”

So, changing friends is normal, but we still need those special pals who have known us long term. These are friendships we invest time in. These are your inner circle of friends—your “shoulders to cry on”—and you have to see them at least once a week to keep them in that circle. The friends that do drift are mostly “friendships of convenience”. But the advice for maintaining a good friendship is to share how you feel with someone you trust—this can help strengthen your friendship as well as giving you both a chance to support each other.

【小题1】What could we do about friendships in the recent lockdown?

A．Recover our friendships.	B．Reflect on our friendships.
C．Develop new friendships.	D．Put an end to our friendships.

【小题2】What do Bryan Lufkin’s words mean?

A．Some friendships will not necessarily stay for life.

B．Some friendships might not be good for our health.

C．True friendships will surely survive the long years.

D．True friendships develop naturally as time goes by.

【小题3】Who would most probably stay in our friendship circle?

A．Friends at the same life stages.	B．Friends with the same interests.
C．Friends always staying around.	D．Friends living in neighboring areas.

【小题4】What does the author suggest we do in the last paragraph?

A．Cry on our friends’ shoulders.	B．Change inner circle friends.
C．Devote time to true friendships.	D．Suit our friends’ conveniences.