Holly Cooke wasn’t a fan of weekends. Whenever Friday rolled around, it was a reminder that she had no one to spend her spare time with.
“I was super lonely,” said Cooke, who relocated from Stoke-on-Trent — a city in central England — to London when she was 22. “I moved here knowing absolutely no one.” She had high hopes of going to restaurants, bars and the theater as she had done before, but she didn’t want to do those activities alone. “I was desiring community; people who wanted to hang out and have fun,” said Cooke, now 26.
She grew so desperate for company, she said, that she eventually found herself Googling: “How to make friends in London.” The search proved mostly futile, though she found a few other women who were also lonely in London on some social media apps.
Cooke decided to create a Facebook group called “The London Lonely Girls Club,” and invited the people she connected with on the apps to join. She then asked everyone to meet for brunch(早午餐). “It was so difficult,” she said, adding that she asked a friend from out of town to come in for the brunch, in case no one else showed up. “Saying that you’re lonely and you don’t have people around, admitting to that was really scary.“
Cooke was pleasantly surprised when five women showed up and they all got along well. This proved to Cooke that she was not alone in her loneliness, and that she could help others in the same situation. She decided to start planning meetups every few weeks, and word slowly spread about the Facebook group. Now, five years later, the London Lonely Girls Club has more than 35,000 members.
The London Lonely Girls Club organizes various types of gatherings, including park picnics, art lessons, dinners and yoga. For some events, attendees are charged a small fee of about $3 to cover deposits and other charges associated with renting a venue(场地).
Cooke said she lost count of how many women have made lasting friendships through her group. ”It’s beautiful and it’s worthwhile, and it’s the reason I’ve carried on,” she said. “As long as there is a need, we will be here.”
8. What can we learn about Holly Cooke?
A.She was addicted to social media apps. |
B.She got used to being alone on weekends. |
C.She had very little time to make friends in London. |
D.She used to meet friends on weekends when in Stoke-on-Trent. |
9. What does the underlined word “futile” in paragraph 3 mean?
A.Unsuccessful. | B.Unstoppable. | C.Fruitful. | D.Powerful. |
10. Why did Holly Cooke ask a friend from out of town to come to the brunch?
A.She wanted to have a backup plan in case the brunch didn’t go well. |
B.She wanted to introduce her friend to the other women in the group. |
C.She needed someone to help organize the meetup. |
D.She was afraid that no one else would come. |
11. What do we know about the London Lonely Girls Club?
A.It is well received. | B.It makes a lot of money. |
C.It needs to be more creative. | D.It takes ages to see the results. |