【推荐1】I live in New York city and my neighbours are people I don’t know. My city, neighborhood and block are filled with people who don’t know me, don’t care to know me, and don’t talk to me. I find that it’s pretty hard to love people you don’t even know. And sometimes, we all, myself included, use that as an excuse not to try. I read Brendan’s story recently and was moved.

One day, Brendan, a young man in New York was on the way back to his Brooklyn apartment when a homeless woman called Jackie asked him for money. He said that he had no money. By the end of the week, she asked two more times, and each time he answered “No”. The woman looked sad, so Brendan said, “I am on my way to a job interview. If I get the job, I’ll take you out for lunch.”

Brendan got the job. He took Jackie out for lunch. That was when their friendship began. They built a strong friendship by supporting each other and spending their birthdays, holidays and difficult times together, over a period of eight years. When Brendan’s heater broke, Jackie made a blanket for him. Two days later when he told her that he had lost his job, she left and returned minutes later, bring him food to eat. She continued to do that during the whole winter. Even with so little, she often gave back.

Over these years, Jackie moved from the streets and subway stations into a halfway house, and is now moving into an apartment. To celebrate it, Brendan wanted to do something special for Jackie. He went with her and helped her to pick out everything she would need for her new apartment.

May Brendan’s story encourage us to find a new way to honour, serve and love the people around us.

1. What can we learn about the author from paragraph 1?

A．He often stays indoors.	B．He cares about his neighbours.
C．He is good at making friends.	D．He hardly talk to his neighbours

2. What did Brendan do when Jackie asked him for money?

A．He was angry with her.	B．He didn’t give her any.
C．He offered her some food.	D．He gave her some spare change.

3. What happened after Brendan and Jackie had lunch together?

A．They developed a new friendship.	B．They helped each other to find work.
C．They fell in love with each other.	D．They discovered they were classmates.

4. What does the underlined word “it” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Jackie’s finding work.	B．Jackie’s moving from the streets.
C．Jackie’s moving into an apartment.	D．Jackie’s moving into a halfway house.

【推荐3】The Internet Harms Friendships

While the Internet can bring people closer together, it can also harm friendships.

Firstly, talking online is no replacement for face-to-face contact — Images really cannot replace a real-life smile or hug. According to a parenting expert, Denise Daniels, communicating through a screen makes it more difficult for children to concentrate or show kindness to others. As we know, important social skills are developed through direct contact with other people.     1    .

    2     — not thinking of anyone or anything but themselves. For example, instead of having proper conversations with their friends, some people are only concerned with their online popularity — How many “likes” did I get? How many followers do I have? — though we know that the number of “likes” or followers cannot compare to having long-term and rewarding friendships.     3    , a lot of the content posted on social media is shallow or trivial. Posts about funny cat images do not necessarily help form meaningful relationships.

Thirdly, online relationships may not be what they appear to be. Friendships are built on the basis of trust, and with online communication you can never be 100 percent sure that the people you are chatting to is being honest about who they are.     4    , going online can be particularly dangerous for people who are easily influenced or too trusting.

In my opinion, friends should focus more on face-to-face communication, and less on online communication.     5    .

A．In addition

B．Because of this

C．This is the best way to maintain healthy relationships

D．Secondly, the Internet can make people self-centred

E．Secondly, the Internet has made communication more fun

F．Finally, I believe the Internet brings people closer together

G．It is these skills that enable us to develop lifelong friendships

【推荐1】The act of making and being a friend is as simple as it is difficult. Here area few tips to help you make new friends as well as to take better care of the friendships you already have.

    1    . It’s a little bit awkward to reach out to somebody you don’t know well—whether that’s sending the first text message or starting small talk in the elevator. But you have to accept it. Otherwise you can’t make any new friends.

Remember that people will like you more than you think they will.     2    . Gillian Sandstrom, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Essex in the UK, has done research on something called the “liking gap”, which says that the little voice in your head telling you that somebody doesn’t like you very much is wrong.     3    . Instead, remember that when you talk to someone else, you’re actually brightening their day.

Invest in activities that you love. Ask anyone about how to make friends and they will most likely tell you to try a new hobby. It might sound empty, but it works.     4    . Then people will be drawn to you because you’ll be in the right place.

Be present. The planet is warming, and there’s so much good television out there to watch. We get it. But if you want to keep your friendships, you have to show up for them.     5    .

A．So don’t listen to it

B．Accept the awkwardness

C．Do the things you’re enthusiastic about

D．You don’t have to be interested in just one thing

E．You have to listen and notice things about your friend

F．We have a few tips for being present and engaged with your friends

G．Actually, this advice is based on a well-known theory and some field research

【推荐3】Parent-child relationships can be very complex.    1    It's obviously easier said than done. Here’s what you need to remember on how to treat your parents.

    2    This means that you need to be honest in your interactions with your parents. You also need to remember that although your parents may not always act in a respectable manner, you have to show respect for all the things they do for you.

Be loving. It's important to show your affection to your parents. Go ahead and hug and kiss them, no matter how old you are. If you don't live with your parents anymore, then take the time to call them to let them know you care. Don t forget birthdays, holidays and some special occasions.    3    

Be appreciative. No matter what your age and whom you are dealing with, you need to show your appreciation for the things other people do for you. Of all the people in the world, it is probably your parents who will do the most for you.    4    Let parents know you appreciate them for the things they do for you.

Be forgiving. Your parents aren't perfect though you may grow up thinking that they are. Forgive them for their shortcomings.    5    Say sorry when you have disagreements with your parents.

A．Be respectful.

B．Whatever they do is good for the society.

C．Appreciation is a good manner for friends.

D．So say thank you for their acts of kindness.

E．Know that they are trying their best with whatever they have.

F．Buy Presents for your parents, so you can give something back.

G．To have a good relationship, you need to treat your parents well.