【推荐1】Everyone needs friends. We all like to feel close to someone. It is nice to have a friend to talk, laugh and do things with. Surely, there are times when we need to be alone. We don’t always want people around. But we would feel lonely if we never had a friend.

No two people are the same. Sometimes friends don’t get along well, which doesn’t mean that they no longer like each other. Most of the time they will go on being friends. Sometimes friends move away, then we feel very sad. We miss them much, but we can call them and write to them. Maybe we would never see them again, and we can make new friends. It is surprising to find out how much we like new people when we get to know them. Families sometimes name their children after a close friend. Many places are named after men and women, if they are friendly to people in a town. Some libraries are named this way. So are some schools. We think of these people when we go to these places.

There’s more good news for people who have friends. They live longer than those people who don’t. Why? It could be that they are happier. Being happy helps you stay well. Or it could be just knowing that someone cares. If someone cares about you, you take better care of yourself.

【推荐2】Feeling left out?

A reader wrote that she was feeling lonely at break because her best friend wasn't around．Here's our advice to her—and to all kids who feel lonely sometimes．

It's hard when a best friend isn't around—maybe because she moved to a different school or a different class. You may feel lonely at break or lunchtime. You want to have new friends, but how do you make them? Maybe it seems like everybody else already has their friends. But remember, there's always room for more friends.

Start by looking around your classroom-think about which kids you’d like to play with at break．Look for chances to say hi to them，smile，and be friendly．Offer to share something or express your appreciation (欣赏)to them. Invite someone to play with you or say “Do you want to sit here?” in the lunchroom. When you're at break, walk over to kids you want to play with, act friendly, and say “Hi, can I play, too?” or just join in．

If you have trouble doing this or if you're feeling shy, ask your teacher to help you make new friends. Teachers are usually pretty good at matching up friends. The best way to make friends is to be a friend. Be kind, be friendly, share, say nice things, offer to help-and pretty soon, you'll have one, or two, or even more new friends. You might still miss that special best friend. But when you see each other, you can share something you didn't have before she left: You can introduce her to your new friends!

【推荐3】Many teenagers feel that the most important people in their lives are their friends. They believe that their family members don't know them as well as their friends do. In large families, it is quite often for brothers and sisters to fight with each other and then they can only go to their friends for some ideas.

It is very important for teenagers to have one good friend or a group of friends. Even when they are not with their friends, they usually spend a lot of time talking among themselves on the phone. This communication is very important in children's growing up, because friends can discuss something. These things are difficult to tell their family members.

However, parents often try to choose their children's friends for them. Some parents may even stop their children from meeting their good friends. Have you ever thought of the following questions?

1.Who chooses your friends?

2.Do you choose your friends or your friends choose you?

3.Have you got a good friend your parents don't like?

Your answers are welcome.

【推荐1】It's not easy to grow up. Actually, it's far from easy. Growing up can be a real "pain" for some of us. We are always doing things that someone else makes us do and aren't allowed to do all the things we like. Sometimes we feel trapped, sometimes we are fearful, and sometimes we just don't understand why we can't stay young forever. When we look back on all the hardships in life with a positive attitude, we realize that all of our growing pains actually turn into growing gains!

Throughout our lives we are going to face many challenges and pains, but we should never let these obstacles（障碍）keep us from following our dreams. We must overcome every obstacle one small step at a time.

As a young girl my parents forced me to do so many things that I never liked. They made me learn to play the violin and then the piano. At that time I hated music, just because it was what they wanted me to do. But looking back now, I am so glad that my parents encouraged me to take music lessons. Music has enriched my life in so many ways. I realize that my parents and teachers were always pushing me along, not because they wanted me to suffer but because they wanted me to succeed in life. They've always wanted me to have better life than they did themselves.

Every moment of our lives we are either living or dying, so live life to its fullest! We are all going to experience growing pains, but they are just small pains in life. They might seem so huge at the time but we must be strong. Think about how we would feel if we had no fear and live life like that.

The future is ours! A little hard work and sweat never hurt anyone! If we realize that these pains are just small bumps（凸块）on our road to success we will realize that our growing pains are actually growing gains!

【推荐3】I believe that one of the best ways to connect with people and build quality relationships is through making conversation. Although most people can hold a conversation, only a few are smooth when they talk. I have discovered five simple and effective ways to be a smooth talker. Here they are:

Talk slowly

Generally, good talkers don’t rush into a conversation.     1    They act as if they have all the time in the world. This makes them come off as centered and collected. Model this way of talking and you will create the same effect.

Hold more eye contact

Most people keep eye contact about 2/3 of the time or less when they talk.     2     This will convey confidence and interest in interacting with them.

    3    

People with good conversation skills tend to notice the kind of things that the average person doesn’t notice, and to bring such details into the conversation. They may notice and point out an interesting ring on the other person’s hand, a certain foreign accent, or a certain voice tone they use when saying a name. Thus, such individuals impress people in a very elegant manner.

Express Your emotions

    4     Express your feelings about those facts. Keep in mind that it is at the emotional level that people connect best.

Use the best words

The ability to talk smoothly has a lot to do with choosing the precise words to convey your precise feelings or thoughts.     5     It will help you develop a way with words and allow you to express yourself more easily.

Conversational skills don’t improve just like that. It takes time, practice and the ability to learn at a rapid rate from your own experiences.

【推荐2】There was one farmer who had a fine olive orchard. He was very hard-working and the garden always did well under his care. But he knew that his three sons looked down on the farm work, and were only interested in getting rich quickly.

When the farmer was old and felt that he would die, he called his three sons to him and said, “My sons, there is a pot of gold hidden in the olive orchard. Dig for it, if you wish it.” The sons tried to get him to tell them the exact place where the gold was hidden, but he said nothing more.

After the farmer was dead, the sons went to work to find the gold. Since they did not know where the hiding-place was, they agreed to begin in a line, at one end of the orchard, and to dig until one of them should find the gold.

They dug until they had turned up the soil from one end of the orchard to the other, round the tree roots and between them. But no gold was to be found. It seemed as if someone must have stolen it, or as if the farmer had been wandering in his intelligence. The three sons were quite disappointed to have all their work for nothing.

The next olive season, the olive trees in the orchard bore more fruit than they had ever given. When it was sold, it gave the sons a whole pot of gold.

And when they saw how much money had come from the orchard, they suddenly understood what the wise father had meat when he said, "There is a lot of gold hidden in the orchard. Dig for it, if you wish it.”