结交网友现在已经毫不新鲜，但真的能通过网络找到心灵契合的朋友还真不容易。《电子情书》可以算是最早表现网恋的电影之一了。汤姆汉克斯和梅格瑞恩在影片中分别饰演开连锁图书超市的大老板和经营街角书店的小店主。小书店对面出现了图书巨头，日子一定不好过。生意上的竞争关系让二人见面便冷嘲热讽也就不奇怪了。电影的轻喜剧风格让人从头至尾都沉浸在轻松愉悦的氛围当中。 今天我们首先来听听他们发给彼此的一封电子邮件。
(From Joe)
Welcome. You've got mail. 欢迎。你有新邮件。
Brinkley is my dog. He loves New York streets as much as I do. 布克林是我的狗。他和我一样都喜欢纽约的街道。
Although he likes to eat pizza and bagel off the sidewalk...and I prefer to buy them. Brinkley is a great catcher who was offered a tryout on the Mets farm team, but he chose to stay with me so he could spend 18 hours a day...sleeping on a large green pillow the size of an inner tube. Don't you love New York in the fall? Makes me want to buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils...if I knew your name and address. On the other hand, this not knowing has its charms.只是他会去人行道上捡pizza和百吉饼，而我宁愿去买。布克林很会接棒球，网队曾经请他去面试。但是他宁愿和我在一起，这样他就可以一天18个小时都躺在和内胎般大的绿枕头上。你喜不喜欢纽约的秋天？这让我有冲动去买学校用品。如果我知道你的名字和地址，我会送给你一盒新削好的铅笔。换个角度想，不知道也可以制造些神秘感。
……
(from Kathleen)
Dear friend: I like to start my notes to you...as if we're already in the middle of a conversation. I pretend that we're the oldest and dearest friends as opposed to what we actually are: People who don't know each other's names...and met in a chat room where we both claimed we'd never been before. "What will NY152 say today?" I wonder. I turn on my computer. I wait impatiently as it connects. I go online...and my breath catches in my chest until I hear three little words: "You've got mail. " I hear nothing, not even a sound on the streets of New York. Just the beat of my own heart. I have mail... from you. 亲爱的朋友，我喜欢刚开始给你写信息的时候，假装我们已经谈到一半。我喜欢假装我们是老朋友了，虽然事实不然。我们连对方的名字都不知道，在这个我们都没有来过的聊天室遇到彼此。我在想“纽约152”今天会说什么。我打开电脑，很不耐烦的等上线。上线后，我摒住呼吸直到听到那三个字“有邮件”。我听不到任何声音，甚至纽约街头的声音。我只听到我的心跳声。我收到你的来信。

在网络上结交朋友比较吸引人的一点，就如Joe 邮件中所说this not knowing has its charms. 动名词作了句子的主语，句子表示“（彼此）不了解有它的魅力在。”充满想象，充满期待。
而Kathleen在等待邮件的时候，也是my breath catches in my chest，这一短语表示“摒住呼吸”，也可用breath catches in the throat, 表达相同意思。
同居一座城市，也许两个人原本就常常相见，只是不知道彼此是谁而已。终于有一天，他们还是认识，并成为了彼此的敌人。Joe家族的图书连锁超市让街角书店举步维艰，两个人也水火难容。
他们是如何发现对方就是自己的网友呢？一起听下期内容吧。