Today, it is true that we see a neighbor more like a stranger next door, and obviously, that kind of friendliness which existed in grandparents' neighborhood is replaced by our ignorance, or even indifference. What might have contributed to this negative tendency could be young people's preference not to get acquainted with each other, and of course the change of living.

　　On the one hand, most young people tend to be self-centered and do not trust people living nearby. It is also possible that working people could not afford to spend time on gossiping about weather, dogs and new babies, in a similar way that traditional neighbors used to do. This absence of communication might turn out to be a dangerous thing, considering that having a friendly neighbor is important to report suspicious activities to the police who handle the crooks. One good solution for this problem is to encourage neighbors to participate in a Citizens Neighborhood Watch Program meant to make it more difficult for bandits to perpetuate a crime. By so doing will people in the same community know each other and keep intruders away.

　　On the other hand, interactive face-to-face contact among neighbors has become rare because of modern housing plans. In big cities, for instance, it seems that families are either "caged" like animals in department units of tall buildings, or are separated by walls usually two meters high. In both cases, neighbors appear to be at once so near, and yet so far away. As a result, the level of personal communication among neighbors is declining. This situation may also have something to do with the current crime wave reportedly up and rising. To cope with this situation, the least neighbors need to do is to know people next door and watch each other's back.

　　It would not be necessary for people to move away from where they live so as to avoid crimes from happening in the neighborhood. However, it is imperative that they should have a sense of community by caring for their neighbors. Now that geography makes people neighbors for a reason, people should love their neighbors, but the question remains: do they know their neighbors next door？

　　重点单词

　　tendency n. 趋势

　　rare adj. 稀罕的

　　separated adj. 分居；分开的

　　indifference n. 不重视，无兴趣，漠不关心

　　avoid vt. 避免，逃避

　　friendliness n. 亲切；友谊；亲密

　　traditional adj. 传统的

　　acquainted adj. 熟悉的，了解的 动词acquaint

　　imperative adj.必须的