Long long ago, there was a farmer. His brother was a gardener and had a wonderful garden. One day the farmer went to _________ his brother, and was _________ the beautiful garden. His brother _________ to give him the best apple tree as a gift. The farmer took the tree home and started to think _________ to plant it.

“If I plant it on the hill,” he said to himself, “the wind might _________ the fruit. If I plant it on the road, people will see it and take off its _________.”

Finally he planted the tree behind his barn (谷仓), “The _________ would never think to look for it here.”

_________, the tree didn’t have flowers or fruits in two years. The farmer went to his brother and said _______, “You have given me a __________ tree. Look! This is the third year and it still grows ________ but leaves!”

When the farmer’s brother saw where the tree was, the gardener __________ and said, “You planted the tree where it is exposed (暴露的) to cold winds, and didn’t get warmth or ________. How could you __________ flowers and fruits? You planted the tree with a greedy (贪婪) and suspicious (多疑的) heart, so how can you want a __________ harvest?”

What do you learn from the story?

Everyone needs friends. Friends bring us happiness and hope in our lives. But the ability to make friends changes from person to person. To some people, making friends is easy, and to others it’s very difficult.   

Making friends is a skill, and the first thing is to know how to get on with others. If you have trouble in making friends, maybe I can tell you how to do it.

▲Realize your own good points. You have skills and talents (才能) that others will like.

▲Be sure that you are a good person and have something nice to share with others.

▲Be humorous. Learn to laugh at yourself and your weakness. Remember to smile at others.

▲Respect (尊敬) others. Everyone has his own idea. Learn how to listen to others’ ideas without trying to make them accept yours.

▲Be kind. If you are kind to others, they will usually be kind to you. There are hundreds of little things you can do to show your kindness. Open the door for someone. Wave to a friend and so on.

▲Don’t complain (抱怨). Learn to accept what you can’t change, and try to change what you can. No one is willing to hear your complaints all the time.

▲Never give up. Try to find someone who will understand you.