I was never very neat, while my roommate Kate was extremely organized. Each of her objects had its place, but mine always hid somewhere. She even labeled (贴标签) everything. I always looked for everything. Over time, Kate got neater and I got messier. She would push my dirty clothing over, and I would lay my books on her tidy desk. We both got tired of each other.

War broke out one evening. Kate came into the room. Soon, I heard her screaming, “Take your shoes away! Why under my bed!” Deafened, I saw my shoes flying at me. I jumped to my feet and started yelling. She yelled back louder.

The room was filled with anger. We could not have stayed together for a single minute but for a phone call. Kate answered it. From her end of the conversation, I could tell right away her grandma was seriously ill. When she hung up, she quickly crawled under her covers, sobbing. Obviously, that was something she should not go through phone. All of a sudden, a warm feeling of sympathy rose up in my heart.

Slowly, I collected the pencils, took back the books, made my bed, cleaned the socks and swept the floor, even on her side. I got so into my work that I even didn't notice Kate had sat up. She was watching, her tears dried and her expression one of disbelief. Then, she reached out her hands to grasp mine. I looked up into her eyes. She smiled at me, “Thanks.”

Kate and I stayed roommates for the rest of the year. We didn't always agree, but we learned the key to living together: giving in, cleaning up and holding on.

   After the age of 25， the number of friendships we maintain begins to fall. 【小题1】

Learn to identify opportunities.

“We let chances to make friends pass us by every day，” says Kate Leaver in her book The Friendship Cure.  【小题2】“Instead of forcing a little small talk with your kind neighbours，” she says， “ask them in for a cuppa and get to know them. ” 

 【小题3】

Joining a group， club or class is an effective way to meet people. “Teaming up for a shared activity，project or goal is an experience that can promote bonding and closer connections，” says therapist Miriam Kirmayer. Pursue a challenge or skill you are interested in， because then you will have a good time and feel more at ease in starting a conversation.

Allow yourself to be vulnerable（脆弱的）.

 【小题4】 What if your offers are rejected? Leaver and Kirmayer say that a degree of vulnerability is needed in trying to start friendships. Keeping to yourself isn’t going to help you. Sharing recommendations or letting others in on plans， says Kirmayer， is a simple way to share， which will help build closeness and trust.

Don't put too much pressure on it.

As we age， our friendships change. According to a 2016 study， we hit our peak number of friendships at the age of 25. 【小题5】 clinical psychologist Linda Blair advises not putting too much pressure on any new connections and not expecting too much from one person.

I’m awfully sorry to hear horrible and serious earthquake unexpectedly hit your hometown. Faced with such a terrible disaster, you remained so calm and strong-willed that we are all moved to tear. A friend in need is a friend indeed. Think about your present situation, we cannot wait for a minute to make every bit of our effort to help you. I, as chairman of the Students’ Union, on behalf of (代表) all your schoolmates, express our most sincerely pity and care for you. Beside, we have collected 120,000 yuan to you, expecting that it can help you go through the difficulty and that a better hometown can be rebuilding. Remember we won’t be far away since you need any help!

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

   I am a social worker. I wanted to tell everyone about my very dear friend who passed away a few months ago. I met him many years ago while doing my internship（实习期的工作）in the county prison. He was _____ a program he had designed to help prisoners with drug and alcohol problems. He was always _____ new ways to bring hope and help to these men and their _____. One of his favorite _____ was the Toy Drive he would run every Christmas for the children of the prisoners. He did this for twenty years _____ his sudden death. As the Christmas _____ ，I decided that this tradition had to be _____，for the children as well as in _____ of my friend.

But the file where he kept the names of the people who had helped him over the years had gone _____. I had to start anew（重新）and with very little ______ ！I started making phone calls，explaining the project and my ____ . I prayed every night that the event would，______，be worthy of my friend. To my great ______，individuals，organizations and businesses began to come on board and，______，I had enough toys to give to all the children of the prisoners with some left over for the local community ______！

When Christmas Eve finally arrived，I felt very happy，thinking I had done all I could do and reflecting（认真思考）on what a（n）______ it had been for me. I was bagging up the remaining toys ______ if there was anyone left who might like them. Then my phone rang.

It was my daughter. She ______ to explain about a woman she knew in Kentucky who had five children，one seriously ill，no husband，no heating in the home，no toys！Ohh—how could we not help her？

My daughter and I drove all night，from New York to Kentucky，and those children woke up in a nice warm house with plenty of ______！My friend's ______ of kindness lived on that year，reaching all the way to Kentucky！