摘要：Good afternoon. I'm sure you've heard the old saying "A close neighbor is better than a distant relative". It means that our neigh

【2分钟英语演讲】A close neighbor is better than a distant relative

Dear professor and classmates:

Good afternoon. I'm sure you've heard the old saying "A close neighbor is better than a distant relative". It means that our neighbors are more likely to help us in times of emergency than our distant relatives. The same expression is often used to describe the harmony of a neighborhood. Because neighbors interact more with each other, even more than distant relatives do. I think the saying made sense in the past. But in today's "fast-paced" society, many things have changed.

First of all, with the development of communication technology, we can keep in touch with distant relatives at any time without becoming estranged because of the distance.

In addition, with the improvement of various service organizations, people can get all kinds of services from the society at any time, and their dependence on people is weakened. There is less need for neighbors to help each other.

More importantly, we can feel that the pace of people's life is getting faster and faster now. People often live a two-line life, even if they have time to relax, they are more willing to go out with their family or friends. They do not have the time and conditions to communicate with neighbors.

Of course, we can't deny that there are also very harmonious neighborhood today. But we also have to admit that the desalination of neighborhood relations is a common phenomenon in modern society. The saying "A close neighbor is better than a distant relative" no longer applies to most people today.

No matter to what extent the society develops, it is always in need of human society to build friendly and harmonious neighborhood relations. But that kind of traditional "courtyard style" neighborhood communication way, has been far unable to adapt to the development of modern society and requirements. So, even though “A distant relative is better than a close neighbor” now, we don’t have to be too negative.

Thank you for your attention.

来源：学外语谈教育