爱情和友情的界限是什么呢？当然，强烈的爱慕，震憾心弦的感情很容易区别出来。然而，淡淡的，细水长流的爱情与推心置腹、无所不谈的友情往往只差一线。那么怎样来区分呢？

      Both are so much related to each other. And both are so dissimilar! What are the differences between friendship and love? Is platonic friendship possible between persons of opposite sex? Let us try and understand.

      两者联系是如此密切，两者却又那么截然不同。友情和爱情有什么区别？异性朋友间的理想化的友谊真的存在吗？我们来试着理解下。

      What is friendship? Why do we call a person our friend? When do we call someone a very good friend? If we care for a person, if we are always ready to help that person and if we share most of our thoughts with a person, they are our good friends. We can always count upon our good friends in an emergency. We are always sure that our friend will understand why we acted in a certain way. We need not explain anything to our very good friends. The friendship is so deep and the relationship is so intimate, that most of the things are automatically understood by our friends.

      什么是友情？为什么我们管一个人叫"朋友"？什么时候我们管一个人叫作"好朋友"？如果我们关心一个人，我们总是准备帮助那个人；如果我们和某个人分享大部分的想法，那个人一定是我们的好朋友。在紧急情况下我们总是依靠好朋友。我们总是确定好友会理解我们行事的方式。我们不需要向亲密的朋友解释什么。友情如此深，关系如此牢，以致于朋友间的事双方都会很自然地理解。

      What about love? In a relationship of deep love, all the sharing that we discussed above are taken for granted. But love transcends all this. During love, we are attached with a particular person, while in friendship, one may have many friends. A lovingrelationship makes one so much attached to the other, that one gets pained if his/her beloved is hurt! Love also involves a physical element. Friendship does not have that. This is a vital difference. Nature gives us love so that the specie can go forward. Nature does not give us friendship.

      什么是爱情？在深爱中，上面我们讨论的事情都是理所当然的。但是爱情远远超过这些。恋爱中，我们总是和某个人关系密切。但是在友情中，一个人可能有很多朋友。恋爱的两个人联系得如此紧密，如果他/她受到了伤害，另一个人也会心痛。爱情总会有身体上的接触。友情却没有。这是至关重要的区别。上苍给予了我们爱情，以使种族延续。但是上苍却没有给我们友情。

      Your heart beats will never increase in anticipation of meeting your friend. You will not lie awake at night thinking about your friend. You will not feel totally lost, if you don't meet your friend for a few days. You will not have dreams in your eyes thinking about your friend. But in love, you will do all this and much more. Indeed, there is no comparison between love and friendship.

      在盼朋友出现时，你的心跳不会增加；你不会夜不能寐地想着你的朋友；如果几天没见到朋友，你也不会完全迷失；想到朋友时，你的眼中不会有梦想。但是在恋爱中，这一切你都会做而且程度会更深。确实，爱情和友情没有可比性。

• intimate [´intimit]   a.亲密的 n.知己   (初中英语单词)
• beloved [bi´lʌvd]   a.为....所爱的 n.爱人   (初中英语单词)
• physical [´fizikəl]   a.物质的；有形的   (初中英语单词)
• comparison [kəm´pærisən]   n.比较；对照；比喻   (初中英语单词)
• related [ri´leitid]   a.叙述的；有联系的   (高中英语单词)
• emergency [i´mə:dʒənsi]   n.事变；紧急关头   (高中英语单词)
• relationship [ri´leiʃənʃip]   n.关系；联系；亲属关系   (高中英语单词)
• loving [´lʌviŋ]   a.爱的，有爱情的   (高中英语单词)
• automatically [ɔ:tə´mætikli]   ad.自动地；无意识地   (英语四级单词)
• anticipation [æn,tisi´peiʃən]   n.预期；预料；期望   (英语四级单词)
• totally [´təutəli]   ad.统统，完全   (英语四级单词)