【答案解析】几乎所有人都知道珍视友谊的重要性。几年前一个公众观点研究公司访问了2000多人，让他们确认一两样对自己最重要的事。与家庭、工作、服装、汽车相比，朋友的重要性遥遥领先。然而我们很少有人真正懂得深厚而又牢固的友谊的真谛。这里有几个专家的建议可帮助你建立起更可靠的友谊。第一个建议是避免过于自傲，更多地为你的朋友考虑；第二，如果你有了错误，那就道歉，哪怕你自己多少也有点被冤枉了；第三，从你朋友的角度来考虑问题。最后一点，我们必须接受这一事实，友谊同样会经历起起伏伏，变化本身也是友谊的自然组成部分。 [听力原文] Almost everybody knows the importance of cherishing friendship. Some years ago a public-opinion research firm interviewed more than 2,000 people to identify one or two things that matter most to them. Friends far outranked homes, jobs, clothes, and cars. Yet very few of us understand the secrets of a well-established friendship. Here are some suggestions from experts for a more reliable friendship. The first tip is to avoid excessive pride and be more considerate for your friends. Second, apologize when you are wrong, even if you've also been wronged. Third, see things from the friend's point of view. Last, we should also accept the fact that friendship may also witness ups and downs, and change itself is also a natural part of friendship.

【答案解析】一大批美国的老年人很自然地开始等待着享受退休后的生活，但退休安排中的最新趋势却使这种享受越来越难以得到。一些人不得不推迟他们的退休，想再工作几年以挣得更多的收入，而那些已经辞去工作的人要找到另一份工作则是难上加难。根据本国最大的信用咨询机构统计，婴儿潮的一代将是第一代退休前还没有偿清相当数量信用卡债务的退休者。 65岁以上的美国人，其信用卡平衡情况自1989至2001年平均上升149%。年龄在55～64岁之间的人有着相同数量的债务。 [听力原文] Naturally, a large number of senior citizens in America are looking forward to enjoying their retirement, but the recent trend in retirement has made it harder and harder. Some people have to delay their retirement by a few years and keep working to earn extra income, and those who have already quit their job have a very tough time finding another one. According to the nation's largest credit-counseling agency, the baby boomer generation is the first generation that is going into retirement carrying substantial credit-card debt. The average credit-card balance among Americans over the age of 65 climbed 149 percent between 1989 and 2001. Those between the ages of 55 and 64 carried a similar amount of debt.