A
When the telephone rings late at night，most women guess it must be one of only four or five people calling.A sister？Maybe.An emergency？Possibly.A mother？Probably not at that time of night.Much more probably it is a close female friend calling to tell you that she is heartbroken because she has split up with her boyfriend again or perhaps simply that a good movie has just started on TV.
At a time when families are spread far and wide and marriages often end in divorce，friendships are becoming more and more important.Erika，a 32yearold lawyer，is strengthened by her tenyear friendship with her married friend Jane.“I was very sick one night，so I called Jane at about 3：00 a．m.to talk about it，” she says.“She was very supportive and even came over to take me to the doctor's.”
As American TV shows like Friends have become more popular，many of us are beginning to see the value of such friendships.TV shows like this tell us that our romantic relationships may not last，but we need to keep in touch with our close friends if we want to survive.
With Erika's family 200 miles away，it is Jane who keeps a spare set of keys to Erika's apartment and waters her plants whenever she is away.“Having Jane around gives me a certain amount of freedom.It is not the kind of thing that you could ask anyone to do，but she knows I would do the same for her.”Jane，who may move to a different city soon，is worried about leaving such a support system of friends.“My friends have more to do with my life than my parents and，therefore，I don't have to spend a lot of time explaining things to them.Friends are more up to date with what is happening.”
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇议论文，文章以Erika与Jane的友谊和美剧Friends为例，讲述并论证了“友情十分重要”的观点。
1．What does the underlined phrase “split up” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A．Shown up. B．Picked up. C．Broken up. D．Taken up.
C [词义猜测题。根据画线短语所在句可推知，句意为“更有可能的是，一位亲密的女性朋友打电话告诉你她很伤心，因为她又和男友分手了……”。split up表示“分手”，故C项正确。]
2．According to the passage，which statement is TRUE about Erika?
A．She is Jane's male friend. B．She treasures Jane's friendship.
C．She has been married for 10 years. D．She lives far away from Jane.
B [推理判断题。根据全文对Erika和Jane友情的描述及Erika的话可知，Erika很珍惜和Jane的友谊，故B项正确。]
3．Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A．Friendship Counts B．Friendship Demands Freedom
C．Friendship Needs Understanding D．Friendship Strengthens Romance
A [标题归纳题。通读全文可知，本文以Erika与Jane的友谊和美剧Friends为例，讲述并论证了“友情十分重要”的观点，故A项最能体现主题，适合作文章的标题。count在此处为不及物动词，意为“重要”，相当于动词matter。]
