A new tool of communication called the "drift diary" is doing the rounds among young college graduates.

The "drift diary", like those ancient paper messages put into a bottle left to drift on the high seas to reach hundreds of miles away, connects lonely hearts. It was first started by a Beijing woman, who goes by the screen name Little S, in 2007.It has become the preferred tool of communication among youngsters afraid to reveal their innermost self to peers, but wanting to share their lives with others. The way it works is that the initiator（发起人）of the diary mentions it on popular Internet forums such as Tianya and Douban. Those wanting to react or otherwise add to the diary then send their real names and addresses to the initiator via e-mails or text messages.

The numbers in one group are usually restricted to between 30 and 50. The diary then is passed on to another by the express delivery or personal handover. The diary writers are mostly anonymous（匿名的）but if they wish to reveal their identity they can do so by posting their contact information at the end of their postings.

The diary writers not just add words but also decorate the plain notebooks with cartoons, drawings or even dress it up with a ribbon or a new cover. Interesting experiences, travel journals, the simple joys of everyday living or sweet recollections of childhood, all find a place in these diaries. Most often, though, the writers set down their frustrations and predicaments.

It usually takes one year for a diary to return to the initiator. The last recorder is the luckiest one, with access to all previous entries, while others can request photocopies of them from the diary's initiator.

   Robyn Lee， a 15-year-old teenage girl who studies at York Community High School， US says she has four friends. But she also has 15 to 20 other friends she considers part of her regular social circle.

“It's like a bad thing to have only one， friend ，”explained Robyn. “If you have one friend， it means only one person likes you. That’s not cool，” she said.

For many years， experts studying teen friendships have known that teenagers prefer to travel in groups. In studies conducted in 1963 and in 1995， researchers found teen friendship groups averaged six people. In 2005， when teens were asked about how many friends they kept in touch with regularly， the average answer was 20.

The change to bigger -group friendships has advantages， such as increasing more connections and improving teens' self-pride by giving them a place to belong.

However， the change also has some disadvantages，say psychologists. “The meaning of friendship is becoming much more complicated，” said Bernardo Carducci， a professor of psychology at Indiana University Southeast.

MaryRose Moss， a 17-year-old in Chicago， knows how she could get more friends. She created a Facebook page when she was 14 and within months ， she had her group of 500 friends.

Text messaging has opened the door to many new connections， she says. “I'm friends with some people that I wouldn't be as close to if it weren't for technology，” said Moss. “It's so easy to send a text to somebody even if you don't know him very well. ”

Some psychologists wonder whether social-networking technology is affecting some skills children once got from making friends in the old-fashioned way.

“In the past， you argued， discussed and reached an agreement， but if somebody disagrees with you now， you can ‘defriend’ him with the click of keys，” said Carducci.

Marianne Boe， a social studies teacher in Chicago ， sees signs of changing friendships in the hallways. Ten years ago， she could easily know groups of girls who stayed friends through all four years of high school. “Today， it's harder，” Boe said.

   With the development of modern science and technology，the functions of cellphones have changed greatly.【小题1】 The only difference may be that they fit in your pocket and you pay by the minute to use them.Some of the things a cellphone can do for you will be available this year：

Surf at speed

Cellphones that let you use the Web have been around for years.So，what’s new？ Well，faster thirdgeneration (3G) networks that let you surf at anywhere.【小题2】 Possible choices are from IJG Electronics VX 8000 and Motorola V1150.Listen as you go.

【小题3】 There is no doubt that it is about to change.Sony Ericsson’s new W8001 can hold around 150 songs in its 500 MB memory.And Samsung’s SPHV5400 even comes with a 1.5GB hard drive.Mobile phones may eventually replace mini MP3 players，especially for teens.

Camera cellphones are not new either but most of them have limitations： around 1­megapixel (百万像素).However new technology has made 2­megapixel units more common，and 3­megapixel units are showing up soon.Some 2­megapixel models，like Sony Ericsson’s K7501，offer limited zoom and focus controls.【小题4】 Portable TV.

You say you like “watching TV”？ That’s what Samsung MMA700 wants to give you.The new model lets users watch popular TV programmes for a fee.Other choices are Nokia’s 6620， Sanyo’s MM740 and NEC’s N940.【小题5】

The above are just a handful of what you’ll see in the coming months.Further down the road，your mobile phone may play a host of other roles，such as mobile credit card，position locator and so on.So what is there that a cellphone can’t do？

   Nowadays, I acknowledge that a revolution has occurred. That much has been ___ by having hand-held iPads or smart phones that allow us not only to communicate while on the _____ but also to reserve parking spaces, get weather reports, and _____ tell us where, at any given moment, we are standing on the planet Earth.

But I must acknowledge a _____. Conversation used to be surprisingly _____ to start. When I took a seat next to someone on a train, bus, or plane, the first thing I would do was _____ the person. Once the ice had been broken, the following chat _____ erupt naturally.

Time has changed, and the change has been _____. Recently, while I was _____ a long distance bus, I couldn't help but notice everyone was staring at their ______, clicking. I found an empty seat next to a middle-aged man and said "Morning" to him. He threw me a ______ and said "Morning". Then he returned to his ______. So I left him in his world.

I miss the ______ conversations with fellow travelers. One never knows what will be ______, and in fact, sometimes how ______ it will be. I was once on a ______ traveling from Iceland to Denmark. I noticed an old man looking out over the North Sea. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" I said. He turned to me,______, and we were soon chatting away. _____ I told him that I didn't know how I was going to get from the port in Denmark to my destination city. He ______,"Of course you know. I have a car and I'm going to ______ you there. "

In the last thirty years, the Internet 【小题1】 (grow) rapidly. In 1983, there were only 200 computers 【小题2】 (connect) to the Internet; now there are around 50 million and this growth is 【小题3】(clear) going to continue.

Some experts are pessimistic about the future. One worry is crime in cyberspace. Even now, young 【小题4】 (hacker) can get into the computers of banks and governments. In the future, terrorists may “attack” the world’s computers, cause chaos, 【小题5】 make planes and trains crash.

However, many people are 【小题6】 (optimism) about the future of the Internet. Already, users can buy books, find out about holiday offers, book tickets, and get all sorts 【小题7】 information from the Internet.

“In the next few years,” says Angela Rossetto of Cyberia magazine, “【小题8】 is clear that we are going to see a huge 【小题9】 (grow) in shopping on the Internet.” She also believes that, in the future, we will get entertainment from the Net and that television will probably 【小题10】 (appear). The mail service may also disappear with the increasing use of e-mail.