Everyone needs friends.There is an old saying: Friends are God’s way of taking care of us. But how do you find real friendship and______it?

The Care and Keeping of Friends by American author Sally Seamans tells young students some ______ways to find friends.

Sally says finding friendship is just like a tree______. You plant the seed and take care of it to _____it grow. First, you should ______a friend. What makes a good friend? It is not ______a person has money or good looks. A good friend should be ______and patient. For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should ______your complaints (埋怨) and do their______to help. To make a friend, you cannot be too shy. You should make each other happy and ______your lives.

But things cannot always be ______. Even the best friends have fights. What should you do when you have a______with your friend? You have to talk to them. When there is no one around, have an honest talk.

If he or she doesn’t want to______, you could write a letter. Sally says there are three steps to being______again: Tell him or her how you are______; say what your friend has done wrong, and ______why you did this or that.

The______also has advice on some small but important things like celebrating your friends’ ______.______you haven’t had a real friend before, you will start to think of having one if you______ this book. Because the book tells that friendship is the most important thing in your life.

When Stephanie, my best friend, told me she wanted to run a marathon, I ________ to talk her out of it. “You hate running and the training is ________.” I argued.

I couldn't change her mind, so 1 told her she should at least do it ________: choose a right race and I'd run with her. Finally, we chose the Honolulu Marathon, one of the ten ________ marathons in the world with ________ 22,000 finishers each year. But more importantly, 35 percent of them are first timers. The race seemed perfect for ________ runners like Stephanie.

Although I had run many races, I was surprised by the ________ I felt in this one. Being in charge of your own race is one thing. Being the ________ of someone else is another. It was my job to encourage her when she wanted to ________ . I felt strongly that her ________ of running across the finish line was in my hand.

That day ________ to be hot and sunny. After running for hours, Stephanie was showing ________ of heat exhaustion (中暑). I told her to ________ until I was sure it was safe for her to keep running again. Soon, the finish line was ________ and as we crossed the line, we hugged, and tears flowed. I knew why Stephanie was crying. It's amazing when you complete something you never thought ________.

You will never have friends like those you had when you were a child. I know it sounds _______ but when you think about it you realize it's true. The friendships during childhood and the _______ with those special people never seem to fade away (消失). Unfortunately, sometimes you don't realize the _______ of a friend until he or she is no longer a presence in your life. This is the case with Shawn. Shawn was my first true friend. As the years flew by, _______, we changed in our ways and our friendship _______ at a fork in the road. We each followed new directions in our lives and _______ to regain our companionship.

Years went by without us saying a word to each other. Then, _______ on a cold December morning, I was told that Shawn's mother had _______ a battle to cancer. Memories of her making us lunch and _______ us in her car flashed across my mind. ________ could she now be gone?

The ________ of Shawn's mom filled my mind in the days that followed. Not sure how to react to the ________, I debated whether to go to the funeral (葬礼). Finally I gathered enough courage to ________. Perhaps this is one of the ________ decisions I have ever made. Standing in line to wait for my turn at the funeral, I ________ anxiously what to say. When I made my way up to Shawn, you could tell he was ________ to see me and he asked why I chose to come after all these years of no ________. I responded, "Because this is what ________ do."

Never forget your old friends. ________ them in your heart and in your mind. Friendship may come and go, but the ________ will always be there.