iPrepare

Greek philosopher Aristotle recognized friendship as an essential element of a happy and flourishing life.“Without friends， ”he said， “no one would choose to live， though he had all other goods.”In Chinese， we also have proverbs honoring friendship. For example， “When at home， one depends on one's parents and when away from home， one needs the support of friends”； or “A bosom friend(知己) afar brings distant land near.” Seeking friendship has become an important task throughout our life.What makes a good friend? How important is friendship to our life? What does friendship involve? Read the texts and you will have a better understanding of friendship.

Scenario

Your college has established a website for overseas students， which contains a column highlighting the outlook of Chinese young people on various issues. The theme of this month is“Friendship is____________.” You are going to contribute a report to this column about your classmates' views on friendship.How do you describe their views? How can you present the reasons behind their views? You wil be able to complete the task after studying this unit.

Learning objectives

Upon completion of this unit， you will be able to：

• talk about friendship using new vocabulary

• identify the rhetorical devices of simile and metaphor

• explain some unspoken rules and different views about friendship

• clarify the reasons and ways to buildup a win-win friendship

• write a report on your classmates'views about friendship