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.

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『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.