Question 16 is based on the recording you have just heard.

        Qualities of a relationship such as openness, compassion and mental stimulation, are of concern to most of us, regardless of sex. But, judging from the questionnaire response, they are more important to women than to men. Asked to consider the ingredients of close friendship, women rated these qualities above all others. (16)[ Men assigned a lower priority to them, in favor of “similarity in interests”, selected by 77% of men, and “responsiveness in a crisis”, chosen by 61% of male respondents.] “Mental stimulation”—ranked third in popularity by men as well as women,—was the only area of overlap. Among men, only 28% named “openness” as an important quality; “caring” was picked by just 23%.

        (17)[ It is evident by their selections that when women speak of close friendships, they are referring to emotional factors,] while men emphasized the pleasure they find in a friend’s company. That is, when a man speaks of “a friend”, he is likely to be talking about someone he does things with—a teammate, a fellow hobbyist, a drinking buddy. These activities are the fabric of the friendship. It is a “doing” relationship in which similarity in interests is the key bond. This factor was a consideration of less than 11% of women. Women opt for a warm, emotional atmosphere where communication flows freely; activity is mere background.

        Lastly, men, as we have seen, have serious questions about each other’s loyalty. Perhaps this is why they placed such strong emphasis on responsiveness in a crisis—someone I can call on for help. Women, as their testimonies indicate, are generally more secure with each other and consequently are more likely to treat this issue lightly. In follow-up interviews, this was confirmed numerous times as woman after woman indicated that being there when needed was taken for granted. (18) [As for the hazards of friendship, more than a few relationships have been shattered because of cutthroat competition and feelings of betrayal. This applies to both men and women,] but unequally. In comparison, nearly twice as many men complained about these issues as women. Further, while competition and betrayal are the main thorns to female friendship, men are plagued in almost equal amounts by two additional issues: lack of frankness and a fear of appearing unmanly. Obviously, for a man, a good friendship is hard to find.

16. What quality do men value most concerning friendship according to a questionnaire response?（根据问卷调查，关于友谊，男性最看重的品质是什么？）

解析：A。根据选项中的interests、Openness和Compassion，推测题干有可能问和品质相关的问题，听音时需注意。录音开始讲到，男性在一段关系中对之前提到的坦诚、互相理解、精神激励的重视程度较低。后面说到调查发现，77%的男性选择了“志趣相投”，随后提到了一系列占比更低的品质。由此可知，男性对于友谊最看重的是志趣相投，故正确答案为A。

错项排除：录音在提到similarity in interests前已经指出，男性重视openness、compassion 和mental stimulation的程度比女性低，他们最看重的是志趣相投，故B、C、D三项均可排除。