1 . I like my close friends a lot. And yet, on an almost daily basis, they shock me. I have a friend who thinks voting is a waste of time; I have another friend who never takes any arrangement to meet at a given time and place seriously.

It’s generally held that friends are people with whom we choose to develop relationships because we find their personalities agreeable, or similar to our own, and yet experience regularly contradicts this. What is a friend, really? All that one can safely say is that a friend is someone one likes and wishes to see again.

The truth is that we don’t know our friends. Numerous studies show that we tend to assume our friends agree with us more than they really do. The striking part is that the problem doesn’t appear to lessen as a friendship deepens when the researchers Michael Gill and Bill Swann questioned students sharing rooms, they found that, as time passed, people became even more confident in the accuracy of their judgments about the other, and yet, in reality, the judgments grew no more accurate. Two people might become dear friends, yet remain ignorant about vast areas of each other’s inner lives.

This seems strange, until you consider, that many of the benefits that friendship provides don’t necessarily depend on perfect familiarity; they come from something closer to reliability. Friendship may be less about being drawn to someone’s personality than about finding someone willing to keep you company, or lend an ear. A friend provides the “social-identity support” we desire. You needn’t be a close match with someone, nor deeply familiar with their mind. And once a friendship has begun, you want to like it, if only to confirm that you made the right decision. We don’t want to know everything about our friends. We don’t base friendships on what we learn about people; we decide what to learn about people, and what to ignore, based on having decided to be friends.

Perhaps there’s something moving about viewing friendship as an agreement to keep each other company, ignore each other’s faults and not probe (刨根问底) too deeply in ways that might weaken the friendship. Perhaps a true friend is someone who doesn’t ask many awkward questions.

1. Why does the author tell the stories of his two friends in the first paragraph?

A．To provide background information.	B．To introduce the topic of the passage.
C．To stress the importance of friendship.	D．To show the difference between friends.

2. It can be concluded from the passage that _________.

A．close friends usually know each other in depth

B．real friends are people you like but don’t wish to see often

C．we do not necessarily share personalities with close friends

D．the longer we stay with friends, the more accurately we judge them

3. Which statement about friends will the author probably accept?

A．Stay friends but keep a distance.

B．It takes a long time to grow an old friend.

C．Real friends will tell you when your face is dirty.

D．True friends know all about you and still like you.

2 . How to Get Along With Friends

Friendships can have a major impact on your health and happiness, but it’s not always easy to develop friendships. The following are some tips for you.

Be positive

    1    . If you’re someone who likes to discuss hopeless-sounding situations, that’s OK, but remember to talk about more cheerful topics, too. Discussing books or sharing funny stories are better for your friendships. Of course, if something bad happens, it’s OK to ask your friends for support. You’re not expected to be positive all the time.

    2    

Listening helps you learn about your friends and support them when they need it. Give your friends your full attention, and make mental notes about the important things in their lives—like the names of their loved ones, things they like and major things that have happened or are happening in their lives.     3    , don’t immediately share your experiences or advice. Instead, ask them, “How are you feeling about it?” or “What do you plan to do about that?”

Make time for each other

Spending time with your friends has a huge impact, whether it’s for a few minutes or for several hours.     4    . If you can’t easily see your friends in person, try texting each other or having video calls. It certainly doesn’t replace an in-person hangout, but it’s a good way to keep in touch.

Calmly discuss problems one-on-one

If your friends are doing something that’s bothering you, it doesn’t help to give them the silent treatment or leave them out. Instead, talk to them one-on-one about what’s bothering you, and calmly share how you feel about it. For example, if your friends have given you an embarrassing (令人尴尬的) nickname, pull them aside and say, “I know you’re trying to be funny, but when you call me that, I get really embarrassed.     5    .”

A．Listen to them

B．Please don’t call me that

C．Focusing on the upside makes you a better friend

D．If you answer telephone calls only during certain hours

E．If your friend shares something that they’re struggling with

F．Talking directly to your friend is the best way to solve an issue

G．Schedule fun activities with your friends, or just find time to talk for a while

3 . Issac Page has never met a stranger according to his mom Chelcee. He smiles big and bright, always_________the chance to meet a new friend, especially in their new neighborhood.

But, when Patrick Gullion, a garbage man, pulled up in front of the 2-year-old’s house, Patrick never _________ to make a new friend.

Issac ran outside when he heard the rumble (隆隆声) of the truck. And Issac couldn’t help but smile and wave_________to Patrick, which was enough to_________Patrick’s heart and turn his whole day around.

“I was having a bad day” Patrick said. “When I reached the neighborhood, the _________ was out there smiling and waving, and he cheered me up and _________ my day.” Patrick then stopped to_________himself and the garbage man and the 2-year-old became instant _________.

That evening when Patrick went home from _________ , he couldn’t stop thinking about Issac’s   __________ spirit. As a father himself, Patrick __________ to go to a toy store with his son to get Issac a sweet little __________!

Patrick said, “My son just happened to __________ a little garbage truck, and that was the perfect thing we wanted,”

The very next day Patrick went to meet Issac and__________him the Issac-sized garbage truck. Issac was absolutely __________ to receive such a gift. But he was even more excited to __________his new friend Patrick at his door.

The __________between the two has lasted for quite a while now. Patrick often stops by to visit his little friend and he often tells Issac, “Don’t let the chain of love __________with you.”

Actually, showing love to someone doesn’t have to be a big__________ it can be as __________ as a smile.

1.

A．abandoning

B．evaluating

C．missing

D．welcoming

2.

A．agreed

B．regretted

C．expected

D．pretended

3.

A．unwillingly

B．cautiously

C．casually

D．cheerfully

4.

A．replace

B．freeze

C．touch

D．shut

5.

A．kid

B．shopper

C．driver

D．mom

6.

A．ruined

B．made

C．wasted

D．ignored

7.

A．introduce

B．clean

C．improve

D．hide

8.

A．colleagues

B．friends

C．relatives

D．volunteers

9.

A．travel

B．study

C．recreation

D．work

10.

A．responsible

B．generous

C．enthusiastic

D．determined

11.

A．forgot

B．decided

C．declined

D．failed

12.

A．gift

B．chance

C．trick

D．recipe

13.

A．turn off

B．pick up

C．sell out

D．break down

14.

A．owed

B．bought

C．gave

D．lent

15.

A．nervous

B．embarrassed

C．thrilled

D．calm

16.

A．comfort

B．see

C．please

D．praise

17.

A．bond

B．debate

C．secret

D．negotiation

18.

A．stay

B．continue

C．expand

D．end

19.

A．gesture

B．celebration

C．wish

D．competition

20.

A．unique

B．valuable

C．temporary

D．simple

4 . Being honest may not get you a lot of friends, but it will get you the right ones. That’s true, so you should pursue authentic positivity in your friendships, the opposite of toxic (有毒的) positivity that would have you encouraging friends in all things, regardless of what you might feel or observe or know about the challenges of life.     1    

1. Ask questions.

A feature of authentic positivity is a curious mindset, a mentality where you are less locked into “telling it like it is” and more interested in wondering and exploring the possibilities together with your friend.     2     If your friendship has a history of welcome advice-giving, your question could be “Are you looking for ideas, or do you just want me to listen?”

2.     3    

“That’s so disappointing” is sometimes the most positive thing you can say to your friend when they are struggling. Resisting the urge to say “It’s all going to work out; don’t worry” shows your friend that you see them in their pain, and that you are available to support them here and now.     4     You can use “yes/and” statements like “What happened at work is so frustrating—AND I know how creative you are, so you’ll find a way to move forward.”

3. Learn to apologize —and ask for an apology.

    5     That includes you, too. Being authentic in a friendship means having the freedom to say to a friend, “I’m sorry I hurt you.” It also means being able to say, “Your words/ actions hurt me.” Friendships that stand the test of time have room for mistakes, and for repair.

A．Name hard truths.

B．Don’t disappoint your friend.

C．Every friend misses the mark sometimes.

D．Instead, friends should be authentic and positive.

E．Here are three ways to be an authentically positive friend.

F．But that doesn’t mean you need to focus on the negative all the time.

G．Positive friends ask each other questions, and listen deeply to the answers.

5 . Making new friends can be challenging for some people, but it's definitely rewarding.     1    . They are the ones who walk through life together, share our ups and downs, and pains and joys. If you take a look at the people who seem to make friends easily, you may find that their social skills were likely all picked up over time. For this same reason, you can learn to become more sociable through time and practice. Here are my personal tips to get new friends:

Realize your fear is in your head

The first step is to develop a healthy mental image of meeting new people. Some of us see meeting new people as a scary event. We are concerned about making a good impression. The more we think about it, the scarier it seems.     2    . Therefore, there is no need to worry about them.

    3    

Don’t change yourself to make new friends. That’s the worst thing you can do. Just be yourself. That way, potential new friends will know you as you, and they’ll use that to decide if they want to take the friendship a step further. It’s all about being you. The truest friendships are built with both parties accepting each other for who they are.

Be there for them

A friendship is a supportive union between two people. Be there for your friends where you can. When you help your friends, don’t do so with the expectation of being helped next time.     4    . I find that the satisfaction I get from helping others and knowing they are better off is a reward greater than anything I can get in return.

Make the effort to stay in touch

Continual effort is required to maintain the friendship. Ask your friends out every once in a while.     5    . For some of my best friends, we meet only once every few months. Yet, there’s never any doubt that we’re closely connected and we will be there for each other when needed.

A．Be yourself

B．Change yourself

C．Instead, help unconditionally

D．You can learn a lot from a good friend

E．Actually, all these fears are just in our heads

F．After all, friends form a big part of our life for most of us

G．The strength of your relationship is not measured by how frequently you meet

6 . The act of making and being a friend is as simple as it is difficult. We spoke with experts to help find ways to make new friends, as well as to take better care of the friendships you already have. Here are few of their opinions.

Accept the awkwardness (尴尬) and assume that other people need new friends, too

When you reach out to somebody you don’t know well — whether that’s sending the first text message or making small talk in the elevator — you often feel uncomfortable.     1    . Otherwise you can’t have new friends.

Remember that people will like you more than you think they will

This opinion is based on science called the “liking gap”, which says that the little voice in your head telling you that somebody didn’t like you very much is wrong.     2    . Instead, when you talk to someone else, you’re actually going to brighten their day.

Engage 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 hollow.     3    .

Doing things you are actually interested in will naturally draw people to you because you’ll be in the right place with the right people.     4    , remind yourself that you love more than one thing.

    5    

The planet is warming, our news updates are constant, and there’s so much good television out there to watch. We get it. But if you want to keep your friendships alive, you have to be present for them. Listen to and notice things about your friends.

A．Be Present

B．But it works

C．So don’t listen to it

D．if it doesn’t work out

E．Treat friends with respect

F．If you want to be a cool and smart kid

G．But you have to accept that awkwardness

7 . Attracting new friends can be scary. It’s easy to get in your head and feel like people are judging every little thing you do, but the good news is that these feelings go away over time as you keep putting yourself out there. The more practice you get at interacting with new people and trying new things, the easier it’ll be to navigate conversations naturally and find people to hang out with.     1    , you’ll find yourself attracting new friends in no time；

    2    . It’s a lot easier to connect with people if you have a common interest to talk about. If you don’t have any social hobbies, pick one that appeals to you and find ways to start attending events or gatherings to meet strangers with similar interests. There are hundreds of subcultures and communities you can work your way into just by participating in events with new people.

Take a class centered on a topic that interests you. If you, re in school, find a student organization or dub that appeals to you and reach out to see how you can join. If you aren’t in school, sign up for a fun class at your local community college, library, or nonprofit organization.    3    .

Introduce yourself to neighbors at your age the next time you see them.    4    . If you have any neighbors that are your age, introduce yourself the next time you run into them. I Strike up a series of small, friendly conversations and gradually build on these chats over time. Eventually, you may make a new friend or two.

Strike up more conversations with people you already interact with. Many people make a lot of close friends with the people they work with or go to school with.    5    , start talking to them more often. You’ll already have something to talk about since you have a shared experience.

A．Introduce yourself to neighbors

B．So long as you’re true to yourself, honest, and friendly

C．Pick up a new hobby that involves interacting with other people

D．If you have classmates or coworkers that you don’t know very well

E．Many people make a lot of close friends with the people they work with

F．You should pick a new subject to meet other people who are also interested in it

G．Friendships often develop between people just because they’re in the state of being near