Old friends They finish your sentences, and they tell you the truth when you've had a bad haircut. ____ mostly, they are always there for you-whether it's in person or late-night phone calls-in good times and _____. But as the years pass, it becomes increasingly _____ to see each other, to make new memories. ___, my high school friends and I promised to have reunions.

A few months ago, we met up for a two-day _____ in the American Southwest. We grew up together in Maine and have said for years that we should have a（n）_____ event, yet it was often put off or _____ due to schedule conflicts（冲突）. Not this year.

The weekend _____ long talks by the pool, wonderful meals, and a hike that brought the entire group to _____. Not tears of sadness or anger, but a close tie with such physical ______ between us. It's heartbreaking that we can't spend our days together in the same neighborhood. But that's ______. Grown-up life.

The most ______ is the group's adaptability to one another. The time we ______ apart is non-existent. No need to get reacquainted, we jump back in the saddle（车座）and it's as comfortable as ever. Old friends—friends with an ever-present ______ of support and sisterhood, friends that know each other-are hard to come by and yet we ______ today as we were years ago, laughing in the back row of Mr. McKechnie's 9th grade math class.

Life today,______, has no math class. Our world is full of ______, full of fear. Yet it ______ me— now, more than ever—how important it is that we stay ______. We may have questions about our future, but we have true faith in our past, and though this reunion of friends has come to a close, we are already ______ our plans for the next one.

   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.

   Once again, Myra sat alone on the bus. Even after two weeks at her _______ school, Myra had not made any friends. A t the break time between classes, she played alone. In her _______ class, she drew alone. In the lunchroom, she ate _______.And on the bus ride home, she sat alone.

Myra could not _______why no one wanted to be her friend. Other kids joked and laughed with each other._______. none of them joked and laughed with her. Just thinking about it made her _______ hurt.

One day, _______Myra sat alone on the way to school, she looked at the seat _______her. She saw a girl sitting all by herself. The girl looked _______, too.

Myra wondered if she should say ________. But what if the girl didn't want to be her friend？Maybe she already had a lot of friends. What if the girl ________her？What if she laughed at her？Myra stared at the floor of the bus. Finally, she took a deep ________and smiled at the girl. The girl smiled ________.Myra said, "Hi, I'm Myra. Do you want to sit next to me？"

The girl's smile ________ "I'm Nadia. Yes, 'd like to sit next to you." At the next stop, Nadia ________ into the seat next to Myra. They joked and laughed the whole way to school. At ________Myra and Nadia played together. In the lunchroom, they ate together.

And on the ________ride home, they sat together.

When it was time for Myra to get off the bus, she ________ to her new friend, "Bye, Nadia！I'll see you tomorrow！"Nadia smiled, "Goodbye, Myra. I'll ________ a seat for you."

A big smile spread across Myra's face. She had made a friend. A friend who was going to save her a seat tomorrow. She could ________wait.

Yours，

Li Hua