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.

3 . 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.

4 . 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.

5 . My best friends travelled to stay with my family last weekend. When she arrived, she went straight to the kitchen and, without asking, ate some dried fruit. She wasn’t being rude. I knew she would do this. We’ve known each other for almost 20 years. She can eat anything she wants from my kitchen. Indeed, I bought her favorite fruits and snacks that morning.

Our long weekend together was simple. I was recovering from surgery and couldn’t go to shopping malls. We passed the time running errands (做杂事), but there was never a quiet moment. We’ve lived in different cities for almost a decade. Reunions demand conversation.   

Our personalities are matched, to be sure, and a shared history is indescribably (难以形容地) valuable. We were competitors at high school before bonding. Then we discovered many interests that we had in common. Our friendship developed itself quickly. We stayed companions and supported each other through law school and through our first jobs. Ours is a friendship for the ages.

There is something special about friends who know everything about you. They are rare. They have seen your bright lights of achievements, the depths of desperation and the boring routine of the in-between. It’s special to unpack feelings without wasting time filling in the blanks. As my long weekend shows, with such friends we don’t have to “do”, but we simply have to “be”. We drop the act, the performance, the public version of ourselves. The special friendships are those which never fail to delight us, whose continuation is worth the extra effort, despite distance and difference in our separate lives. I had the very great joy of this reminder last weekend. I’m lucky to have found this friend, and to see a future where her companionship remains. Being together is perfection.

Friendship is a precious bond that enriches our lives in     1     (count) ways. True friends are like shining gems, offering support, love, and understanding. They are the ones with     2     we go through thick and thin, providing a sense of     3    (belong) and comfort. Friendship is a source of laughter, shared memories, and endless     4    (adventure).     5     it’s late-night conversations or impromptu (即兴的) trips, every moment     6     (spend) with a friend becomes a cherished memory. I remember     7     time when my friend and I decided to go on a road trip.    8     no specific destination in mind, we set off on an unforgettable adventure, fueled by excitement and curiosity. Along the way, we     9     (strike) by breathtaking landscapes, tried new cuisines, and embraced the freedom of being on the open road. The laughter-filled conversations, and shared experiences made this journey a treasured memory that will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

In a world that often feels chaotic and uncertain, true friendship is a beam of light,     10     (remind) us that we are never alone. It is a precious gift that should be nurtured and treasured, for it is through friendship that we find solace, support, and everlasting joy.

It was a pleasant Tuesday afternoon. 78-year-old Rose was brimming with excitement as she entered the nursing home with her favorite tulips (郁金香), her lips endlessly calling out to just one name—Emily!

“Emily! Where are you? I got flowers…” Rose spoke aloud when she didn’t see her best friend, 79-year-old Emily, waiting for her on the usual spot, a wooden bench on the main gate.

Whenever Rose returned from the local hospital after getting her blood tests done, Emily would run toward her with fresh hand-picked flowers. But that afternoon, Emily was not there, and the bench was empty. Emily was nowhere to be found in any of her favorite spots, which unsettled Rose even more. Just then a doctor said to Rose, “Emily’s family came hours ago while you were at the hospital... They took Emily with them. She’s not going to come back.”

The ground seemed to shake beneath Rose’s feet when she heard that. Rose went back to her room. Every step started feeling heavy, and every corner reminded her of her best friend and their laughter. Nothing but loneliness and silence surrounded Rose from all sides, and she felt her heart crack.

The scent of freshly picked flowers Emily had last left in the vase lingered (继续存留) in the still air. And beside the vase was an old recorder that endlessly played Just the Two of   Us, their favorite music they listened to every day.

When approaching the table, she noticed a note with a message in messy handwriting, “Dear Rose, please write to me at this address: Maple Ridge Ave, Springfield, VA,7…”

“Oh dear... The rest of her address is becoming blurred (模糊不清的).” Rose grew unsettled. In spite of that, Rose knew she could not just let Emily go like that. After a deep thought, she decided to reunite with her best friend.

Packing the recorder in her luggage, Rose got on the bus to start her journey to the unfamiliar city, Springfield.

Not knowing the exact house number of Emily, an idea suddenly struck Rose.

10 . “This Friday we’ll have the yearly Egg Drop Challenge,” said our science teacher, Mr. Baker.

“You can work alone or with a partner.”

My friend. Cassie, and I smiled at each other. We always worked on projects _________.

The goal of the Challenge was simple -- to build a protective container to keep an egg from breaking when _________ the stadium wall.

I made my sandwich that afternoon while waiting for Cassie. _________ the butter-cream gave me an idea.

“I have a brilliant design for our egg container!” I said when Cassie arrived. “We can _________ the egg with some butter cream.

Why not put the egg in a basket with a parachute (降落伞) _________?” Cassie rolled her eyes. “The parachute is better than that stupid idea.”

I couldn’t believe it. Of course we’d had our little _________ in the past, but she’d never called any of my ideas “stupid” before.

“Then I’ll build mine and you build yours!”

Since words had been out, our friendship was _________.

When Friday finally arrived, I had to _________ Cassie’s Egg Force One looked pretty good.

Anyway, my Egg-cellent Egg Cream didn’t look quite scientific. We kids carried our containers up three stadium steps and dropped them over the side wall. Those whose eggs broke were out; those whose egg _________ walked up three more steps and dropped them again. This would go on till the last egg broke. After four __________, only Cassie and I were left. I let go of my box. I heard someone say “ew” after seconds. Had my egg broken? I raced down the __________. The sidewalk was __________ with egg shell (蛋壳) from those failed drops. Finally I found my little Egg-cellent Egg Cream.

“That looks like egg drop soup, Laura,” Cassie said. She was holding her Egg Force One. My heart __________. Had she won? I looked at her basket. __________.

“My egg bounced out,” she explained, pointing to a broken shell.

“A tie.” Mr Baker said.

Cassie looked at me, and her glare __________. I laughed. She smiled…