In the summer I turned 16, my father gave me his Chevy Malibu car as a gift. To my joy, Hank and I could _______ around Tucson with the top down. Hank was my best friend, a year younger but much _______ than me. My mother always said, “Hank’s _______ .” And sure enough, that summer he_______with a modeling agency. He was_______taking the catwalk for the fashion show.

One day on the way home from the cinema, we _______ at the McDonald’s drive-through (免下车餐馆), putting the_______ on the seat between us to share. Then we rode around for a while. _______ too fast, I went through a mud wall and drove into a full-grown tree. The front wheels came to _______ halfway on the tree trunk. Fries spread on the floor and ________ covered Hank’s face.

In the emergency room, my parents said ________, “Even the best surgeon in the city...End of his ________ dream.” I’d damaged my cheekbone on the wheel; Hank’s ________had split wide open on the dash. When his mother, Sharon, came into my hospital room, I started to________, preparing myself for her anger. ________ to expectations, she comforted me, took my hand and said, “I ________ you. Hank will too.”

Sharon’s forgiveness ________ Hank and me to get back in the car together that summer and to stay ________ until now. There are still scars below his hairline, but it left no ________on our friendship. Every time I want to hate someone for his wrong, I   ________ her gift of forgiveness.

I can still remember when I met my best friend. She had just moved into the neighborhood and her grandmother brought her down to ___me. I hid behind my mother and she hid behind her grandmother,____to look at each other. Soon we lost the____and started playing with each other.

In the 7^th grade, I first lost touch with her. She was___ family problems and I deserted her to be with the____people. None of my new friends liked her as much as I did because they knew she had____. However, every summer we____always sit at each other’s house, watch soap operas, and talk about all the boys we liked.

It was last year when I noticed the problem. I guess I was____devoted in high school to ___she needed someone there. Anyway, she made a new best friend and so did I. Then I didn’t know why, ___she started cutting herself!

She then was diagnosed with clinical depression(抑郁症). At first, I was very ___, but we still stayed in_____I wanted to be there with her since her new best friend basically ___her and people were calling her_____

Yesterday she came to me and said, “I never knew what a best friend was ___you, the only person, would stop me cutting. I ___your help so much, and you didn’t even know you were ___me.”

We both cried. And I guess a kind of____from my life is never to give up on your friends. Even if they aren’t as cool as others, or people think they are crazy, they need____there. ___you desert them, you will only be guilty yourself.

I met him first on a summer day in 1989. I ______ into his ugly small shop to have my shoes repaired. It wasn’t much of a job，so I _____ while he did it. He greeted me with a ______ smile，“You are ______ in this place，aren’t you？”

I said I was. I had ______ into this street only a week before.

“This is a fine place，” he said. I ______ there with my shoes off，______ around as he got ready to make repairs. He looked ______ at the leather. It was worn through because I had ______ to have the repair job done. I grew ______ impatient，for I was eager to meet a friend，and I had to get there without delay.“Please hurry，” I begged.

He looked at me ______ his glasses，“We won’t be long. I must do a good job. You see，I have a tradition to live up to.”

A tradition？In this ugly small shop that wasn’t ______ from so many other shops on the streets of New York.

He must have felt my ______ for he smiled as he ______，“Yes，my father is a good shoemaker.” He always told me，“Son，do the best job on every shoe that ______ the shop，and be proud of your own work. Do that always，and you’ll have both happiness and money enough to live on.”

As he ______ me the finished shoes，he said，“These will last a long time.” I left ______，my friend would be waiting for me ______.

That evening I ______ the shop. There he was. When he saw me，he waved and smiled. This was the beginning of our _____ that came to mean more and more to me as time passed.