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BEST FRIENDS

1. Men and women share the exact same view of a best friend − a person who is always there for you. Your best friend is someone you can depend on to share your happiness, suffer through your worries, or lessen your sorrow.

2. A great variety of factors play into the birth of a best friendship − the age and circumstances under which people meet, what first attracts them, why they remain close, and how they fill each other's needs. Yet I found the dominant themes that define a best friend were remarkably similar across the broadest range of experiences.

3. Safety was a word I heard over and over. A best friend is a safe harbor, a guaranteed comfort zone. You never have to explain yourself to best friends because they really, really know who you are. With best friends, you can be who you are. You can cry too hard or laugh too loud and never worry what they'll think of you because best friends are nonjudgmental. They will give you advice if you want it and a kick in the pants if you need it, but best friends will not judge you or make you ashamed of your behavior. A best friend gives you what you expect from a parent and don't always get: unconditional love.

4. Best friends are loyal and trustworthy. A best friend is a person to whom you can tell your most embarrassing, revealing, and damaging personal secrets with the full confidence they will never be repeated. Best friends can deliver brutally honest answers in the most gentle fashion.

5. Finally, best friends are the family you choose. They love you because they want to, not because they have to. And for many people, a best friend becomes the brother or sister they'd always wanted, but never had.

From: RICHARDS, J. C. & ECKSTUT-DIDIER, S. Strategic Reading 1. CUP, 2003. (Adapted)

According to the text, select the CORRECT answer(s) for the question below.

How can a best friend be described?

01. As a place where you are not in danger.

02. Someone who is usually embarrassing.

04. A best friend follows the fashion most of the time.

08. He or she never tells you the truth.

16. As a person who is always there to judge you.

32. A best friend doesn't ask you for explanations.