Friendship #3-Dec 22

Picking one best friend is not always seen as the ideal model – in some cultures, people choose to spend time with a wider group, made up of family and peers, instead of just one other person. In many small, rural societies around the world, children attend school with their cousins, see them as their close friends, and don't differentiate between friends and extended family, says Evan Killick, an anthropology lecturer. Killick has studied the social relationships of the Ashaninka society in the Amazon rainforest. In this community, relationships with family members generally trump friendships, says Killick. "In Western urban societies, that idea of having a close friend is important because you don't have those wider kinship networks." Ashaninka children only start forming friendships outside their extended family when they hit puberty and seek trading relationships and marriage partners. In the beginning, they are transactional relationships, focused on pragmatic outcomes, but they can evolve into strong emotional bonds over time, says Killick.
A recent study explored the different ways in which Russians and Canadians regard friendship. It found that Russians view friendship as a more intimate bond, rooted in trust and closeness, compared to Canadians. "The Russian model is one of fewer friends, but very deep, intense relationships," says Marina Doucerain, an associate professor at the University of Quebec in Montreal. The Canadian model places greater emphasis on respecting people's independence and fewer expectations on close friends. "There's not the idea that you will be there for your friend in adversity, no matter what," says Doucerain.
There are striking linguistic differences in the way Russian and English speakers refer to friendship, according to Doucerain. Russians only use the term 'friend' (droog) for people they are very close to and refer to people they enjoy spending time with as 'pal' (druzhishe and koresh), she says. In English, on the other hand, the word 'friend' can describe "a wide range of relationships." There could be a historical explanation for these different attitudes to friendship, says Doucerain. "In the Soviet Union, it was extremely risky to have close relationships, even among families," she says. "The solution was to have a few individuals that you could trust entirely. This notion of trust is very central to Russian friendships."
Whether it's a playground friend, an Ashaninka-style close cousin, or a Russian-style droog, having a friend and ally in life can clearly make a huge difference. For some, that bond starts in childhood. For others, it may take more time. But as Denworth points out, it's worth persisting – because it's never too late to find a best friend. 

(6) Restate the word by a word/phrase　

trump; surpass, outperform, beat, top
pragmatic; practical, realistic, reasonable
evolve into; develop, progress, advance, expand, transform
adversity; trouble, difficulty, hardship, suffering, difficult/unpleasant situation
persisting->persist; continue, carry on, keep, keep going, hold on

(7) Write the differences in friendship between Russia and Canada in one sentence. While …

While friends in Russia mean that they are entirely trusted and counted in difficult times, friends in Canada respect each other’s individuality and do not rely on them too much.
(8) What is friendship for you? What does it mean to you? 

      Speak your response in 3-4 sentences.