英語學習點: Friendship Vocabulary 有關友誼的詞匯

On Tuesday two men enjoyed a game of table tennis against some kids at a school in London.

They seemed like best mates. Every time one of them got a point, they did a high five.

The men were the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the President of the USA, Barack Obama.

The palling around took place during Mr Obama's state visit to the UK.

There have been many examples of close working relationships between the leaders of the UK and the USA. Harold Macmillan and JFK, Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan, Tony Blair and George Bush were all examples of Brits and Americans standing shoulder to shoulder.

The closeness between Britain and America in the past has been described as "the special relationship". But there has been speculation that, for Mr Obama at least, the special relationship is... not that special.

Now both men are keen to show that on matters of policy they have plenty in common. In a shared opinion piece in the Times newspaper, they write of "coming of age" at the same time, and seeing "eye to eye".

As for the special relationship, they call it "an essential relationship". Nick Robinson, the BBC's Political Editor, says that the two men are not pretending to be bosom buddies but want to be seen as close allies. He writes:

"'The essential relationship' may lack emotion, warmth and nostalgia but it, like the president, is meant to be contemporary, practical and sincere."