When you choose a friend, you should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair-weather friends (酒肉朋友). They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person’s place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, good friends will be honest to each other and accept each other.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I’ve found a friend!

In 1987, a small company named Huawei was started in Shenzhen. After more than 30 years of development, the company has now beaten Apple and become the world’s second-largest maker of smartphones behind Korea’s Samsung. It has also become the world’s largest supplier (供应商) of 5G.

But recently, Huawei faced some difficulties. The U. S. government ordered a ban (禁令) on its sales in America. American officials said Huawei gave information that it collected to the Chinese government. At the same time, the U. S. government planned to stop selling parts and services to Huawei, which was believed that Huawei’s business would be hurt.

“We have never received such a request from the Chinese government and we have never tried to get into other systems to collect information.” Ren Zhengfei, Huawei’s founder and president said. “This ban from the U. S. would have little effect on our company. Huawei has enough ability to deal with the problems.” Ren added.

In an interview several years ago, Ren Zhengfei said, “I started Huawei with only £4, 000 at the beginning, but now it has become a $100 billion company. The experience was not as romantic (浪漫的) as you imagine.”

Facing the ban of the U.S., Huawei is growing. Huawei’s smartphone sales around the world rose 50 percent compared to a year earlier in the first three months of 2019. At the same time, sales from both Samsung and Apple fell. So far, Huawei has grown into the world’s largest telecommunications equipment (电信设备) supplier, selling in 170 countries! It may beat Samsung as the largest smartphone maker in the near future.

Five Rules to Have a Healthy Life

Thanks to better health care, many people are living healthier, longer lives. Someone who is born today can expect to live 25 years longer than someone who was born in the 19th century. It’s even thought that in the future more and more people will celebrate their hundredth birthday.     21    

Get off the sofa

Sure, it’s comfortable to sit on the sofa and watch TV. But experts say you should get off the sofa.     22     In the past, people’s jobs required more physical effort. When farmers were working in the fields, they were keeping fit at the same time. Think about it: do you get the same amount of exercise today as they did in the past?

Eat healthy food

It’s important to eat food that is fresh and natural, for example, fruit and vegetables.     23     You should only have it once in a while. Eating too much of the wrong food will harm your health. The bad diet means you’ll put on weight, one of the fastest ways to an unhealthy life.

Rest while you can

When we were babies, we slept for much of the day. Teenagers don’t need as much sleep as babies,     24     On weekends, you’ve got more time, so use it not just for your friends, but for rest, too.

Don’t worry. Be happy

Many people believe that happiness is important for our general health. Sometimes it is not easy to be a teenager because of the difficulties of school, exams or friendships. If you are worried about something, talk to your parents or teachers.

Say “no” to smoking

Yes, you knew I was going to say this! But it’s so important.     25     It’s dangerous. It harms nearly every part of your body. Think about how your family and friends will feel, and think about what it will do to your health.

Nowadays, lots of foreigners are learning Chinese. Like many of them, I _______ knew two words of Chinese (“Ni Hao and Xie Xie) when I first came to Beijing, China 2009. As you can guess, my life was ______ for a while after I arrived. Simple tasks like ordering food or taking a taxi were quite stressful.

I knew I had to learn more Chinese, so I _______ a Chinese class. My teacher was _______, although I didn’t learn enough to have a real conversation. Later I studied on my own as well, but my progress was still slow. So I decided to ________.

Around this time, I started paying in a band with a Chinese man who became one of my best friends in Beijing. He taught me a lot of _______ about music, such as “melody” (旋律). He learned a lot of English from me in return, so it was a good way to _______ language and culture.

I have learned enough Chinese to ________ many problems like booking train tickets. These days, there are more foreigners who are studying Chinese. I can _______ why it’s an amazing language. Finally, I found that the best way to learn a _______ is to make friends with native speakers and spend time with them.