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 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！

   We all know that the friendship is a good thing. But do you know that friends have a great influence on your happiness and quality of life？Good friends provide comfort and joy，and even improve your health. 【小题1】 Many of us struggle to meet new friends and develop good connections. Even when we're willing to put in time and effort，we don't always know how to go about it.

Why are friends important？

Our society often places stress on romantic relationships. We think that if we can just find that right person，we'll be happy. But research shows that friends are more important to psychological（心理的）well-being than our love and family relationships. 【小题2】 Studies show that a lack of social connections can be as damaging as smoking，or as drinking too much. The quality of our friendships is even tied to longevity（长寿）.

【小题3】

Technology has changed the meaning of friendships in recent years. With the click of a button，we can add a friend or make a new connection. 【小题4】

Technology can provide social opportunities by helping you reconnect with old friends，start new relationships with people around the world who share similar interests，and keep relationships with friends who don't live nearby. However，online friends can't hug you when you're upset，or celebrate a happy event with you after work.

【小题5】 So make it the most important thing to stay in touch in the real world，not just online. You'll get a lot more out of an in-person conversation than you will over text.

I've learned that you’re having much trouble with your life and study, which seriously affected your happiness. I'm worried about that, but I'm writing to share some of my ideas with you.

First of all, it is good to have heart-to-heart talks with your parents regular, telling them you won't fail us. Meanwhile, you had better tell them not to pushing you too hard, which will lead too much anxiety.Beside, it is advisable to spare some time to take some exercises to keep healthy. That is the most important is that we should always keep optimistic and confident.

Please take my advice into the consideration.

Yours,

Li Hua

Signs of Healthy Friendships

Once in a while it's helpful to see if your friendship is as healthy as it can be. You might get used to a friendship over time to the point where you don't see the room for improvement. And since great friendships are priceless, you should always surround yourself with the kind of people who will lift your spirits, make you laugh, and remind（提醒）you that you are loved. 【小题1】 Here are characteristics that strong friendships share.

【小题2】

Friends make you feel comfortable with yourself, so you don't need to act like someone you're not. Your friends know your shortcomings and love you anyway. You are perhaps the "best version" of yourself when you're with your friends.

A healthy friendship includes plenty of gentle honesty. True friends won't pretend（假装）just to avoid an argument. 【小题3】As a result, you'll know where you stand with your friends and won't be afraid to share your true opinions.

They argue in a healthy way.

One of the biggest misunderstandings about good friends is that they never fight. But let's face it：everyone fights. 【小题4】 In fact, voicing your opinions freely will cause you to disagree from time to time and that's okay.

Healthy friendships mean you can be friends with someone else, too.

【小题5】 That's why great friends will improve your relationship yet still encourage you to meet people and try new things without them. A healthy friendship means that sometimes the two of you spend time apart, and that's okay.