Hi Wei-Ting,
Do you still remember the noisy gang that sat at the back of Room 302? Five of us have kept in touch, and we have finally set a date. Our class will meet on Saturday, 12 October, at the Blue Door Cafe beside the old school gate.
Bring nothing but yourself. If you still have photos from our graduation trip, send them to me first and I will print them for the wall.
Ming-Ju cannot fly home this year, but she will join us by video call at eight.
Please reply before 30 September so that I can book the right number of seats.
Your old pal,
Hsiao-Chen
嗨，惟婷：
你還記得坐在三○二教室後排那群吵鬧的死黨嗎？我們有五個人一直保持聯絡，而且終於把日子訂下來了。我們這班會在十月十二日星期六，在舊校門旁的藍門咖啡館聚會。
什麼都不用帶，人來就好。如果你還留著畢業旅行的照片，先傳給我，我會印出來貼在牆上。
明如今年沒辦法飛回來，但她八點會用視訊加入我們。
請在九月三十日前回覆，我才能訂到剛好的位子數。
你的老友
曉真
New in town? Come and meet people.
The first month is free. After that, members pay 200 dollars a season. Each room holds only 25 people, so please book online. Anyone under twelve must come with an adult.
Our helpers speak Chinese, English and Thai, and nobody will ever be asked to speak in front of the whole group.
剛搬來這裡嗎？來認識新朋友吧。
第一個月免費。之後會員每季繳兩百元。每間教室只容納二十五人，所以請線上預約。未滿十二歲者必須由成人陪同。
我們的志工會說中文、英文和泰文，而且絕不會要求任何人在全體面前發言。
How long does it take to make a friend? A study followed 400 adults who had just moved to a new city. It found that about fifty hours of shared time turned a stranger into a casual friend, while a close bond needed more than two hundred.
What mattered most was not the number of hours but what people did with them. Talking about ordinary daily life built trust far faster than sitting side by side in a cinema.
The researchers also warn that a relationship left alone will weaken. Even a short message every few weeks, they say, keeps the connection alive.
交一個朋友要花多久時間？一項研究追蹤了四百位剛搬到新城市的成年人。研究發現，大約五十小時的共處時間可以把陌生人變成點頭之交，而深厚的情誼則需要超過兩百小時。
最重要的不是時數，而是人們在這些時間裡做了什麼。聊日常生活瑣事所建立的信任，遠比並肩坐在電影院裡來得快。
研究人員也提醒，一段放著不管的關係會變淡。他們說，即使只是每隔幾週傳一則簡短的訊息，也能維繫這份連結。
A magazine asked 500 readers how they usually keep in touch with close friends.
| Way of contact | Aged 18-29 | Aged 50 and over |
|---|---|---|
| Text message | 56% | 20% |
| Phone call | 12% | 42% |
| Meeting in person | 24% | 33% |
| Letter or card | 8% | 5% |
Each reader chose one answer only. The survey ran for two weeks in May.
某雜誌詢問五百位讀者，他們通常如何與好友保持聯絡。
| 聯絡方式 | 18-29 歲 | 50 歲以上 |
|---|---|---|
| 傳訊息 | 56% | 20% |
| 打電話 | 12% | 42% |
| 當面見面 | 24% | 33% |
| 寫信或卡片 | 8% | 5% |
每位讀者只能選一個答案。這項調查在五月進行了兩週。