作者：北美考试教学中心 托福写作组 杜薇

Although a majority of people agree that competition is inevitable in any sphere of life, their opinions are split over whether competition is conducive or detrimental. Among all the situations, competition among friends is the trickiest topic. Some people believe that rivalry harms friendship in the end, while others contend that friendship is enhanced in light of competition. As for me, I agree with the statement that a relationship is strengthened when friends experience a competition together. 

First and foremost, competition between friends acts as a motivational force to make them work harder, thus helping improve their academic performance. As an old saying goes that birds of a feather flock together, friends are more likely to share the same vision about study or work. For students, two friends have a similar ranking in the class. For workers, they are in the same position. When competition comes about, no one wants to lag behind, in which case both sides strive to display their potential. In this case, all the participants, especially friends, make big strides in the competition. For example, when my best friend and I prepared for a public speaking competition together, we helped and motivated each other. After I finished my draft, my friend gave me some advice and listened to my rehearsal carefully. Not only did she point out my drawbacks in the content, but she also told me how to pace my voice. Using my advantages in writing, I also gave her some suggestions. Both of us got rewards in the competition. Even though our competition was very intense, we never ended up fighting with each other afterward. In retrospect, we both appreciate the competition because it makes us become better ones.

On top of that, a competition helps people identify their real friends. It is not uncommon to hear that it is fairly enough for one to own one or two bosom friends in the whole life. This saying implies that making sincere friends is not that easy as we imagine. Many people may have an obscure understanding between acquaintance and friend. Only when we are with our friends do we share our real thoughts, feelings, and emotions without any hesitation. Imagine that after you tell your secrete to a so-called friend, this disloyal one just reveals your privacy to others. Can this one be called a real friend? The answer is definitely negative. In this case, competition plays a vital role in distinguishing the ones who deserve to devote the time and effort. For instance, if you win the competition, your friend envies your achievement and even tarnishes your reputation by fabricating rumors. Will you continue making friends with this person? From this perspective, competition avoids people spending their precious time on meaningless ones and things. This is especially true in the workplace where close colleagues can become strangers even enemies because of a daunting task. 

Taking into account all the reasons I have mentioned above, I strongly support that competition among friends does not always have a negative impact on friendship.