3 . When I first met George, I was in my early 30s. My children were just entering school life, enabling me to escape from endless housework. At 65, George had recently retired and was seeking a rewarding hobby for his golden years. We met at a local painting class. Thus began a friendship that was to last for 25 years — until the day he died.

George was an energetic man who lived life to the full. He loved his family and his friends. As the only male in a painting class full of women, George looked after every woman with the same attention. George took to painting with an inspiring level of passion, even changing the spare bedroom of his home into a studio. George housed many of painting items in a tool box — a red metal tool box. For about six years George and I studied together until the completion of the course.

One day, he rang me and I went to visit him. He was very ill. “Betty!” he said, “I’ve always been hoping to leave my box to you. I’m afraid I can’t paint anymore, and you have the best talent and are most likely to use it.” With tears in my eyes, I accepted the gift with the proviso (附带条件) that he could take it back at any time. He never did. He died two days later.

I still use much of his equipment today. As I paint, I often remember George, his big personality, generosity and unfailing encouragement. The most treasured item is the red tool box, still in good shape. The original shop sticker is still firmly in place although the price has worn off. But that’s all right because to my mind some things, like friendship, are beyond price.

There is a popular saying — All good things must come to     1     end. This, however, might not always be true. For the six friends in Friends, the “good things”— the friendships between them have never really ended. 

Perhaps you haven't seen Friends. The TV series (连续剧) tells the story of six ordinary young people    2     came to New York City to make their fortune and find love. Each of them had a different     3    (personal). However, they were able to put their differences aside and became good friends. 

Such a long time     4    (pass) since the last episode (一集) of Friends was on. Fans have been looking forward to     5    (see) the six friends' reunion on the screen. That wish finally came true. A special episode, Friends: The Reunion,     6    (broadcast) online on May 27,2021. 

Your English teacher once probably advised you to watch Friends. For sure, watching the series will help you learn English. But you can learn a little     7    (much) from Friends than the others. One thing it can teach us all is how     8     (gain) lasting friendships. As Rachel once said, “     9    (obvious), there were no cellphones back in the 1990s. It was just friends sitting around     10    chatting together.” If you want to have lifelong friends, don’t just chat online. Make sure to always be there — for your friends!

The Most Precious Gift

In the sixth grade, our teacher assigned “secret friends” for the coming week. The purpose of this assignment was to do nice things for your friend without letting them know who was doing it. We could leave encouraging notes on their desk or mysteriously leave a card in their backpack or book. Our teacher wrote each kid’s name on a piece of paper and threw them into a bucket, then we each closed our eyes and drew the name of the classmate who we were to secretly make friends with and support over the next five school days.

However, by the middle of the week, everyone, including me, had turned this assignment into a contest to see whose secret friend could leave the best gift. Instead of encouraging notes, we left stationery sets (文具) on our friend’s desk. Instead of giving compliments, we were giving snacks, candies and even money. It seemed that everyone was getting cool presents from their friends, except me.

My friend followed our teacher’s directions without a fault. I received handmade cards, notes with nice thoughts and countless smiley-face pictures claiming that I was one of the nicest girls in the class. My friend seemed to think highly of me from the notes that were left, but the lack of gifts made me wonder what was up with whoever had pulled my name.

On the last morning of our assignment, I walked into my classroom and noticed that there was a package on my desk. I eagerly unwrapped it and stared down at my desk. There sat a hand-made rabbit, wearing blue dark clothes with messy ears. Beside it was a note, saying “Your favorite rabbit. Hope you will like it.” The girls sitting near me made fun of the “odd and ugly” gift I had received and laughed at me. I felt my face turn red, angrily threw it into the desk and dashed out of the classroom. The moment I was out, someone called my name. She was Mary, a girl who was shy and always sat at the corner of the classroom.

“I’m your secret friend,” she wept.

Knowing that she had stayed up late to make the rabbit, I was ashamed.

8 . I first met Paul Newman in 1968, when George Roy Hill, the director of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, introduced us in New York City. When the ________ didn’t want me for the film — it wanted somebody as well known as ________ — he stood up for me. I don’t know how many people would have done that; they would have listened to their agents or the studio powers.

The ________ that grew out of the experience of ________ that film and The Sting four years later had its root in the fact that although there was a/an ________ difference, we both came from a tradition of theater and live TV. We were respectful of craft (技艺) and focused on digging into the characters we were going to ________. Both of us had the qualities and virtues that are ________ of American actors: humorous, aggressive, and ________ each other — but always with an underlying affection. Those were also at the core (核心) of our friendship off the screen.

We ________ the belief that if you’re ________ enough to have success, you should put something back — he with his Newman’s Own food and his Hole in the Wall camps for kids who are seriously ill, and me with Sundance and the institute and the festival. Paul and I didn’t see each other all that ________, but sharing that ________ brought us together. We ________ each other financially and by showing up at events. I ________ saw him a few months ago. He’d been ________ and out of the hospital. He and I both knew what the deal was, and we didn’t talk about it. Ours was a friendship that didn’t need a lot of words.

9 . If your friendships are going to last a long time, you simply have to accept that things will always change. But never fear.    1     Here is a little of their advice.

Start with the friendship triangle.

Shasta Nelson is a friendship expert who gives a concept called the “friendship triangle”.    2     Anyway, the base is positivity, and two sides of the triangle are consistency (一致性) and vulnerability (脆弱性). If your friendship has something wrong, it’s much easier to see what is off balance and adjust in time.

Figure out what you value.

Another helpful tool comes from Rachel Wilkerson Miller. Wilkerson Miller recommends looking at friendships through your TME — time, money and energy. “Those are your most valuable resources,” she says, “Think about where your TME is going, how you’re spending it and who you’re giving it to.”     3    

Don’t be afraid to ask for things.

    4     Being direct can feel awkward, but if you get in the habit of stating your needs, you can avoid a pile of hate much later on. “Ask for exactly what you need,” Havrilesky, a famous writer, says, “sometimes it can work like medicine. So ask!”

    5    During long life, you go through a lot of different versions of yourself. That can mean that sometimes, a friend is only present for a certain chapter—and that is OK.

10 . My friend Jennifer was going to be at my school. I believed that we would be best friends. She introduced me to her friend Amy and we had lots of ______ together. But things started to ______. Jennifer wanted to be the “______” of our little group. She was controlling, and I couldn’t make new friends. If I made new______, she would decide that I was “mad at her”. Pretty soon being Jennifer’s friend was a ______.

I always waited for Jennifer and Amy after class, but sometimes when they left, they’d walk right past me ______ they couldn’t see me.

Gradually I changed — I became moody, depressed, and ______. I felt so left out.

Finally, I was tired of having to battle for ______. I stopped sitting with Jennifer at lunch and waiting for her after ______. Our friendship fell to pieces.

It was ______ at first. ______, I found many girls whom Jennifer had viewed as “moody” or “mean” to be the sweetest, friendliest people in the world.

Now, I have tons of friends. They ______ me when I am sad, and I back them too. We get along very well. It amazes me how ______our friendship is. There is no struggling to be on top — we are all ______. It doesn’t matter to me if two of them walk away. It doesn’t ______ my feelings or make me feel alone.