2007年高考考试英语北京卷的阅读理解D篇文章的标题是：
The Best of Friends
我纳闷的是，这里为何不需要 The Best Friends 呢？它们之间有什么不同？
the best friends 是大伙比较熟知的使用方法，从字面意思也可以看出，它表示“最好的朋友”。至于 the best of friends，它的使用方法稍有不同。依据《柯林斯COBUILD高阶英汉双解学习词典，the best of friends 的讲解是：If two people are the best of friends, they are close friends, especially when they have had a disagreement or fight in the past.依据该讲解，该短语的意思是：假如两个是the best of friends，那们就是亲密的朋友，特别是当他们过去有过不认可见分歧或吵架。由此可以看出，the best of friends 既可指一般意义的“亲密朋友”“挚友”，也可指（且特别指）冰释前嫌后的亲密朋友。例句如：
We became the best of friends and he influenced me deeply. 大家成了最好的朋友,他深深地影响了我。
In spite of their quarrel, they remain the best of friends. 尽管有过争吵，他们仍是最好的朋友。
Despite their different personalities, they became the best of friends. 尽管个性不同，他们还是成了最好的朋友。
They may have been the best of friends when they were younger but there’s no love lost between them now. 他们在年轻时过去是最好的朋友，但目前却彼此厌恶。
