Two might be company and three a crowd, but it seems four is perfect when it comes to friends.

两个人做伴，三个人结群，但说到有几个朋友合适的问题，四个似乎最理想。

The average woman needs this number at any one time in her life, a study suggests.

一项研究显示，女性在她一生中的任何阶段都需要四个朋友。

Researchers say females are becoming far more selective and will bother forming close bonds only with those they know they can trust and share experiences.

研究人员称，如今的女性在择友方面较之以往挑剔很多，她们只会选择和那些她们认为可以信任和吐露心声的人做朋友。

Having four friends is also ideal as it makes up a group of five - which ensures no one is ever left out, the researchers say.

研究人员称，之所以说有四个朋友最为理想还在于这样可以组成一个五人的朋友圈，从而保证没有人“落单”。

If two or three women begin confiding in each other or sharing a joke there is always another person for the others to talk to.

如果其中的两个人或三个人在一起谈心或说笑话，总还有一个人能和其他人做伴。

A study of 1,000 women aged 18 to 45 found that just under half (49 per cent) believe that four is the perfect number of best friends to have.

一项对1000名年龄在18岁到45岁之间的女性开展的研究发现，近一半（49%）的女性认为拥有四个好朋友最理想。

By contrast just one in five thought having three close friendships was best.

只有五分之一的人认为拥有三个好友最理想。

This finding contradicts the famous scenario in the Sex and the City TV series and films in which Sarah Jessica Parker's character Carrie Bradshaw is content to have three close friends - Charlotte, Miranda and Samantha.

但与此不太相符的是，《欲望都市》电视剧及电影中由莎拉•杰西卡•帕克饰演的凯莉•布拉德肖与她的三个“闺蜜”--夏洛蒂、米兰达和萨曼莎倒是相处得很好。

A better example might be the five protagonists of the TV series Desperate Housewives, although Teri Hatcher's character Susan Mayer's fellow housewives Bree, Edie, Lynette and Gabrielle may not always act in the most loyal, friendly way.

而电视连续剧《绝望的主妇》中的五个主人公可能是个更好的例子，尽管泰瑞•海切尔饰演的主妇苏珊•梅尔的四个朋友--布里、伊迪、丽奈特和盖布瑞尔并不总是那么的忠诚、友好。

The poll, commissioned by the Silver Bay Point wine range, found that only one in 25 thought it preferable to have more than 50 close friendships.

这一由银湾角葡萄酒业委托开展的调查发现，25人中仅有1人认为拥有50个以上的好友最理想。

The study also found that within each group there are usually clearly defined roles such as the agony aunt, the homemaker, the career girl, the socialite and the quiet one.

研究还发现，在每个朋友圈中，通常都有明确的角色定位，比如知心大姐、家居女、职场女强人、社交名媛和乖乖女。

Females responding to the survey said that the most important factors determining friendships were being able to share confidences and experiences.

此外，受访女性认为，能互吐心声和分享经历是决定一份友谊最重要的因素。


Notes:
agony aunt: a person who gives advice to people about their personal problems 知心大姐
homemaker: a person, especially a woman, who works at home and takes care of the house and family 料理家务者；（尤指未出外工作的）主妇
socialite: a person who goes to a lot of fashionable parties and who is well known because of this 社交名流

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