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Chosing a travel companion is at least as uncertain as choosing marriage partner. The chances of success are perhaps even less. The initial stages of both journeys are filled with enthusiasms, indulgences, and a fairly consistent closing of the eyes to that which may later become, if not unacceptable, at the very least unpalatable(味道差、不好吃).

No law of casualty exists to insist that in choosing a travel companion you will lose a friend. But it's not unlikely. The odds depend on the length and the rigorousness of the trip.

Some friendships have strength that will withstand even travel; others, based on happenstance(意外事件), are by nature short-lived and travel merely hastens their dissolution.

Perhaps I should make it clear that in discussing this matter of travel companions I am confining myself to Platonic friendships. Intimate friends may well be the best companions of all, but entirely different rules of travel prevail. Compromises and concessions, demands and entreaties to and from such companions clearly stem from a recognized emotional base that colors every issue. I'll confine myself, then, to companions, male and female, who are sharing a trip solely for company.

Why bother at all with a travel companion? Why not travel alone, in single blessedness, unencumbered and swiftly pursuing one's goal? Some of the answers are obvious: a congenial fellow traveler eases the stress and tensions, adds to the delights and rewards and pays half the bills. If the threat of loneliness is frightening, even a grumpy(脾气坏的) companion will foretell that, and quite often bring you to the point where, you devoutly wish you were alone.

Finding that suitable companion is something of an art and something of a gamble. But the choice should be determined by one cardinal rule: both travelers should be going on the trip with the same idea in mind. They should hold in common a theory of travel.

 1. According to the author, compared with choosing a marriage partner, choosing a travel companion is----------------------------------.

A. just as difficult as it

B. is possibly easier than it

C. is perhaps less certain than it

D. is perhaps less uncertain than it