In the movie Cast Away,
Tom Hanks plays a man named Chuck Noland. Chuck is a
businessman
who is always so busy that he has little time for his friends.
He is a successful manager in a company
that sends mail all over the world. One day Chuck is on a
flight across the Pacific Ocean when suddenly his plane crashes.
Chuck survives the crash and lands on a deserted island.
On the island, Chuck has to learn to survive all alone. He has
to learn how to collect water, hunt for food, and make fire.
Perhaps the most difficult challenge is how to survive without
friends. In order to survive, Chuck develops a friendship with
an unusual friend---a volleyball he calls Wilson.
Chuck learns a lot about himself that he hasn't been a very good
friend because he has always been thinking about himself. During
his five years on the island, Chuck learns how to be a good
friend to Wilson. Even though Wilson is just a volleyball, he
becomes fond of him. He talks to him and treats him as a friend.
Chuck learns that we need friends to share happiness and sorrow,
and that it is important to have someone to care about. He also
learns that he should have cared more about his friends. When he
makes friends with Wilson, he understands that friendship is
about feelings and that we must give as much as we take.
A volleyball is certainly an unusual friend. Most of our friends
are human being, but we also make friends with animals and even
things. For example, many of us have pets, and we all have
favorite objects such as a lucky pen or a diary. The lesson we
can learn from Chuck and all the others who have unusual friends
is that friends are teachers. Friendship helps us understand who
we are, why we need each other and what we can do for each
other.
(Senior English for China Student's Book 1A
Unit 1 Reading)
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