7月18日(2/2)托福独立写作

　　It is always said that friends in one’s prime would become the ones for whole life. This can exactly explain why teenagers always want to make more friends and expand their social circle. However, opinions are split on which age group they prefer when choosing the friends. For me, generation gap is never the obstacle in the likelihood of friendship.

　　First of all, the same aged company means a more repetitive life. Students are the ones to have a fixed lifestyle even the similar schedule in daily life in which their routine is going to school then back home. When they become friends either with classmates or those juveniles as well, the always-exiting topic is nothing but assigned homework and coming examsor sometimes family issues they worry about. None of this can bringexcitement or at least freshness; even worse they may feel being trapped in the small world consisted of extremely familiar things all the time.

　　When they have a friend between different generations, a brand new worldwould be presented. I had my English teacher who is far older than me as my friend when I was in high school. Although she was my teacher and the common topic for us was school life, she never mentioned that and always showed me the movies she preferred especially the foreign films I never heard. Through her words, I started watching those wonderful pieces of work and have appreciated many Hollywood-produced scenes. Without her, I will never get in touch with this.

　　The other reason is that peers in campus are less likely to become friends. School life is, to some extent, similar to a work-like environment in which students are easy to compete with each other especially in examination, sports competition or final assessment. Some may say that true friends would not be affected by those and stand for peer influence, but who can give an affirmative idea to the potential? We have seen many upsetting cases causing by jealousy or green-eyed monster between peers. This can be avoided in friendship formed by different aged pals, who seldom have intersection in the same field or the same situation let alone the possible conflict. Even in the same places, the different ages are usually at different levels like the senior to the freshman in university or veteran to green hand in students union job. Not only would there be no contradiction, but those older or younger would like to help each other.

　　Friends should be those who either can expand one’s horizon or truly help with each other, therefore a different aged friend should be the right pick.