Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- What qualities do you look for in a friend?
- Could you tell me about your best friend?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- tend /tend/
- intimacy /IN-tuh-muh-see/
- evolutionary /ev-uh-LOO-shuh-ner-ee/
- variation /vair-ee-EY-shuhn/
- baboon /ba-BOON/
[verb] – to be likely to behave in a particular way or have a particular characteristic
In this section of the country, we tend to have cold winters and hot, dry summers.
[noun] – close familiarity or friendship; closeness
The opposite of loneliness is intimacy, not togetherness.
[adjective] – relating to the way in which living things develop over millions of years
Some scientists have rejected evolutionary theory.
[noun] – change in quality, amount, or level
The survey found a wide variation in the prices charged for canteen food.
[noun] – a type of large monkey, found in Africa and Asia, with a long, pointed face like a dog and large teeth
The baboon’s face resembles that of a dog.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
“With best friendship there tends to be intimacy, a feeling that the other person is there for you, that they have your back,” says Rebecca Graber, a psychology lecturer at the University of Sussex, in the UK. “It’s about perceived support rather than actually showing up.” However, are we pre-programmed to have best friends?
According to research, developing such close social bonds with others has significant evolutionary benefits. On the other hand, the nature of such bonds can vary widely, and understanding this variation can bring a lot of comfort and hope to persons looking for a best friend but having trouble finding one. Dolphins, like humans, form bonds with one another based on shared interests. In a 2019 study, male dolphins who “sponge” for food in the deep seas primarily interact with other male spongers. These profound links, according to Manuela Bizzozzero, a researcher at the University of Zurich and the study’s lead author, can last for decades and are critical to each male’s mating success.
A 2003 study led by Princeton University primatologist Jeanne Altmann states that friendships among female adult baboons increased their children’s chances of survival. Female baboons with strong social ties are less stressed, according to another study, and when a close partner is killed by predators, females strive to create new associations.
According to research, developing such close social bonds with others has significant evolutionary benefits. On the other hand, the nature of such bonds can vary widely, and understanding this variation can bring a lot of comfort and hope to persons looking for a best friend but having trouble finding one. Dolphins, like humans, form bonds with one another based on shared interests. In a 2019 study, male dolphins who “sponge” for food in the deep seas primarily interact with other male spongers. These profound links, according to Manuela Bizzozzero, a researcher at the University of Zurich and the study’s lead author, can last for decades and are critical to each male’s mating success.
A 2003 study led by Princeton University primatologist Jeanne Altmann states that friendships among female adult baboons increased their children’s chances of survival. Female baboons with strong social ties are less stressed, according to another study, and when a close partner is killed by predators, females strive to create new associations.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- Who is Rebecca Graber?
- According to Rebecca Graber, what can you get from developing close social bonds?
- How do dolphins form bonds with one another?
- What does Manuela Bizzozzero do?
- Why are female baboons with strong social ties less stressed?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- How do you choose your friends?
- Do you consider them good friends? Why do you say so?
- If you could change how you met your friends before, would you? Why or why not?
- Do you agree with Rebecca Graber statement?
- Do you think you can be close with someone who has different interests than you? Why or why not?