Topic 111

111. Some people prefer to spend time with one or two close friends. Others choose to spend time with a large number of friends. Compare the advantages of each choice. Which of these two ways of spending time do you prefer? Use specific reasons to support your answer.

HOW TO SPEND TIME DEPENDS ON SPECIFIC SITUATIONS

When we have spare time, we tend to spend it with our friends. Some people prefer to stay with one or two intimate friends; however, still other people tend to share leisure time with a great number of friends -- such as to join a party, to go on vacation, etc. Generally speaking, both of those two choices have specific advantages.

With respect to folks who are prone to stay with only a few intimate friends, tranquility may be their pursuit. One or two friends don't mean noise, indeed. For instance, if someone encounters certain tough stickler, spending time with one single, close friend will help him or her work out that problem. Under this circumstance, pairs can spend enough time in communicating with each other, discussing possible solutions, and so forth; as a result, this small group of friends can feel relaxed, confident and even aggressive. This advantage that provides persons with deep insight usually can not be attained in environment of much more people present.

When it comes to talking about benefits of being together with a group of friends, there are several advantages which cannot gain from one single friend, either. As a common sense, taking part in activities in which a lot of people engage may have particular experiences that can make a person vent his or her vigor, or suppressed feelings. Consider, for example, a friend's birthday party -- an activity myriad of classmates and friends join in. In this situation, people often try their best to sing aloud and no one else cares how well you perform. Moreover, one might get to know other persons who are not familiar with him or her, and they find a lot of common topics. Therefore, people make new friends during public engagements, which is impossible in small talk between close friends.

In my opinion, there in no silver bullet to the question: which of the two ways of spending time do I prefer? In some cases, I would like to talk to one sole intimate friend. For example, if I have to choose a major from a broad range, parents or my roommates would be my preference, because such a thing needs to be solved only by personal experiences. In some other cases, I think I will turn to a league. For instance, a journey of exploring a cave will definitely encourage me to stay with as many friends as possible, in respect that it's a risky activity. Thus, under different kinds of situations, I may choose different choices.

In summary, both spending time with one or two close friends and joining in a group of friends have special benefits respectively. Whether to select the former one or the latter one depends on particular conditions I may encounter.