In many ways, friendship     1     (natural) comes to kids. However, it is also a skill to learn and manage, particularly as kids get older.

It is important for teens to choose friends wisely. They might choose friends with shared interests or look for people     2     have different backgrounds. The most important things are whether or not the person will be a good friend and whether they enjoy     3     (spend) time with each other. If it’s a yes on both counts, then that person is likely     4     (play) the role of a friend.

It can take time to make a good friend, but it is often worth the effort. Doing things together, whether it’s homework or kicking a soccer ball,     5     (build) closeness. Considering the other person’s     6     (feeling) in different situations is also important. It’s true that you should stand by good friends in the hard times, but you don’t want to give and give without anything     7     return. Healthy friendships are     8     two-way street.

    9     (honest) and trust are important in friendships. Teens need to learn about the importance of being frank (坦率的) with their friends. Friends sometimes hurt each other, but they can always apologize (道歉) and forgive each other. Good relationships are worth the work to repair the damage     10     (cause) by any miscommunications.

You may have many friends, so do I. I have many friends, who     1    (be) from China and some other countries. Now, I’d like to introduce my foreign friends to you. Cherry is my best friend from America, and she is    2    girl. She is very smart and beautiful. She likes     3    (sing), dancing and shopping. She is good at maths, English and Chinese. She often helps me do my homework     4       (patience), so I have made great progress in my lessons. Tom is also my foreign friend. He is from Canada, and he is very active. He likes playing football, and always enjoy     5    (they) with his football friends. Besides, he is so generous     6    he gives all his pocket money to the Hope Project last month. Jenny is my     7    (three) foreign friend from England. She is very warmhearted and polite. She likes to help the person who is     8    trouble. In addition, she is    9    (interest) in painting. Do you want to know my friends more? Oh, I would like to introduce more     10    (inform) about them to you next time.

It’s true that as you get older, you care less what people think about you, but some of us still have those moments sometimes. My friend, Tiffany, however,     1     (actual) never cares what people think and I love her for it. All you can do is watch her be herself and be very    2     (confidence) because what you see     3     (be) what you get. I’ve learned from Tiffany,     4     is not afraid of holding anything back,     5     (accept) my loud and talkative self rather than hiding it     6     some people because I’m afraid of being annoying (烦人的) or too much.

She makes me laugh — well okay, if you know me, you’d know that anyone and anything can make me laugh in two     7     (second), but this girl can get me crying so fast because she can fall into a laugh attack ( 突然大笑) just as easily     8     me. She doesn’t judge me for saying or doing stupid things. She’ll also be the one     9     (sit) next to me on the couch ( 长沙发) to make sure I’m okay. She and I have had some pretty deep talks and that’s something about our friendship that I value. We accept each other for who we are and she has helped me become much     10     (comfortable) to be myself.

Ben, 17, is a member of their school basketball team. He is crazy     1    basketball and pretty good at it, but they     2    (lose) their last match. In Ben’s opinion, their point guard was     3    (blame).     4    (disappoint) by his behaviour, Ben told this to his best friend. However, his best friend told everyone else     5    he’d said. Ben didn’t know what to do, so he asked Agony Aunt for help.

As far as Agony Aunt    6    (concern), it is mainly his friend’s loose lips that make the situation worse. But it’s     7    (part) Ben’s fault. She suggests that Ben should apologise to his teammate. Secondly, Ben should talk to his friend that he is angry with him for     8    (repeat) what he said and making the situation worse,     9    that he wants to move on. Thirdly, Ben should think about his own behaviour and always remember:think first, speak later. If he feels one of his teammates isn’t pulling their    10    (weigh), then raise his concerns in a professional way with his team coach.

Tony became ill and had to spend all day in bed. Because other     1     (child) could not come near him, he felt sad and lonely.

There wasn’t much to do, so he just looked out of the window. One day, he     2     (see) something strange outside the window. It was a penguin (企鹅)     3     (eat) a sandwich. The penguin said “good afternoon”     4     Tony and then left.

Tony was very     5     (surprise). He tried to find out what was going on. Suddenly, he saw a monkey playing with a balloon (气球) outside his window. As he saw more and more strange animals, Tony couldn’t help laughing     6     found it hard to stop.

Before long, his health improved and he went back to school, where his friends Tom, Jack and Mark were all waiting for him. He told     7     (he) friends about all the strange things outside his window. While he was talking, he saw something in Mark’s schoolbag. Tony asked what it     8     (be) and Mark showed him.

Inside the bag were a lot of clothes     9     looked like animals. His friends wore them to cheer Tony up while he was ill!

From that day on, Tony always tried his best     10     (make) sure his friends never felt sad or lonely.

My best friend and I have been close for eight years. When I was a primary school student, she was the popular girl     1     was willing to make friends with me. Since then, a close friendship     2     (grow) between us. But last Saturday, she     3     (break) my heart, and I’m still picking up the pieces.

Our     4     (origin) plan was to see a film at the cinema that afternoon. But in the morning, my friend posted a message on social media     5     (say) she had a cold. When I called her, she said she might not be able to make     6     to the cinema. “Don’t worry,” I said. “Get some rest. We can wait till you get better.”

Today, however, I received a horrible surprise. A classmate told me she had seen my friend     7     (chat) with another girl in a café on Saturday afternoon. How stupid I was! My     8     (friend) “illness” was a complete lie! Instead of recovering at home, she was out having fun     9     someone else.

I was so angry that I avoided her during school all day, and I still don’t feel like responding to any of her online messages. The stress of this situation is killing me, and I’m at a loss     10     to do next.

Many people have experienced negative consequences as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions. This includes small business owners     1     were forced to close. However, there has also been a chance for some people to show kindness and shine a ray of hope.

One of my friends     2     (own) a bakery. Because of the lockdowns (封城), he ran into a     3     (finance) crisis. He had to shut his shop for months,     4     (cause) his debts to increase.

My friend had     5     (previous) rented his apartment to a tailor, but this man also struggled to earn a living due to the impact of COVID. Even after the restrictions were removed, his business was not doing any     6     (well). Somehow the tailor managed to arrange for the rent to     7     (pay) to my friend after months. However, my friend refused to take the money. He discovered that the tailor     8     (sell) one of his machines to pay it. He advised the tailor to buy back his machine     9     not to worry until the situation had improved.

My friend is now out of debt as the bakery is allowed to do some business through online sales. Though there are some restrictions, he is able to manage his     10     (earn).   

I feel his kindness gives us all a ray of hope and helps him to clear his debts.

Friendship is a mutual connection between people who make time to offer each other honest advice and support. Frankly, it’s funny to think that friends     1    (make) online aren’t able to fulfill that duty!

Our generation grows up online, and digital communication     2     (be) the norm. Despite seeing some friends in person during school, we get most of the     3     (update) on their lives the same way we do with friends     4     live three states away—by viewing what     5     (post) on social media.

The     6    (real) is that friends can’t physically be with you all the time, which prevents the possibility of receiving their guidance at the exact moment when you need     7     most. In fact, texts and even likes and shares give us     8     ability to bring our support system with us wherever we go, providing convenient ways for friends to maintain friendships and cheer each other on. However, if we continue to depend so     9     (heavy) on social media for support, we will lose important interpersonal skills. Being able to speak confidently, make eye contact and reply to people with different personalities on the spot is what will open the doors to    10    (deep) friendships and better career opportunities in the future.

Jim was a boy. He was afraid of talking to    1    (strange). As a result, he didn’t have any friends after he entered high school.

One day, when Jim    2    (walk) on his way back home from school, it suddenly began to rain    3    (heavy). He saw a boy walking in front of him. The road was so wet that     4    boy slipped(滑倒) and fell on the ground. Jim quickly ran to the boy and helped    5     (he) get up.

The boy was wet all over. Jim    6    (think) the boy must feel cold, so he asked the boy where he lived. When Jim    7    (tell) about the address, he found it was a bit far from there. Jim lived nearby,    8    he invited the boy to his home. After they arrived, Jim gave him some clean clothes and asked him to get changed.

The boy was so grateful    9    Jim that he thanked Jim again and again. The following day, the boy saw Jim at school. He thanked Jim again for    10    (help) him out. From then on, they often spent time together and became best friends.

Amy’s friendship was on the rocks, so she wrote a post on a forum exchange for advice about it. Since primary school, Amy, who was an awkward student then, and her friend Jenny, a popular and     1    (friend) girl, have been good friends for eight years. Whether they are walking to school, doing homework or just hanging out at the weekend, they are hardly     2    of each other’s sight. However, Jenny broke Amy’s heart.

They originally planned to watch a film last Saturday afternoon. But unfortunately, Jenny had a cold so that they didn’t make it. Today, Amy received a horrible surprise that Jenny had been seen     3     (chat) with another girl in a café on Saturday afternoon. When     4     (hear) this, Amy was     5    (terrible) angry and at a loss, not knowing what to do next.

On the forum, Amy got two     6    (reply), one of     7     says that this friendship is worth     8    (save), for her friend Jenny perhaps wants to make    9    apology for her behaviour and give Amy an     10    (explain). However, in the other reply, it is suggested that Amy should rethink this friendship and move on if this friendship is not equally valued.