Have you ever heard the saying “If you want a friend, be one”? Here is how anew teacher made friends with the girls and boys in her class on the first day of school. As the bell rang, the teacher smiled at each girl and boy. Then she said in a quiet voice, “Good morning. How nice it is to have all of you in my class this year. I’d like to know each of you. I am sure we will enjoy working together.” Everyone felt that she meant what she said because of her sweet voice and her friendly look.

She told the girls and boys her name and wrote it on the black- board. Then she told them some of the things she liked to do and she was hoping to do with them during the year.

Then she said to the class, “Now you know my name and the things I like and I want to know your names and the things you like. Then I will feel that I know you.”

Could you make friends by doing the same as this teacher did? One way of getting to know girls and boys in your class is to find out more about them. It is often easy to be friends with those people who have the same hobbies with you. You play the same games and go on journeys together.

You may find that some newcomers in your class miss their old friends and feel strange and lonely. You can invite them to take a walk or to ride bikes with you. You will find many things in common to talk about. Just talking together in a friendly manner is one good way to make friends.

Jim found himself exhausted during a trip. When he came home, he went to see a doctor. “The reason why I was fatigued (精疲力竭),” Jim says, “was that my kidneys were gone.”

Jim, 69, a former Air Force pilot, immediately started dialysis (透析) three times a week. A person of his age on dialysis usually lives only about four years. Transplants are a long-shot alternative. The National Kidney Foundation estimates that 13 people die every day while waiting for a donor with the right blood and tissue types.

Jim’s wife, nephew and four family friends offered but weren’t a match. Jim was so discouraged that he was even considering not attending a reunion of some Air Force buddies (铁哥们). But his wife encouraged him to reunite with his old friends, among whom was one he hadn’t seen for nearly 50 years: Doug Coffman. The two had met. When they both were learning Vietnamese before they went overseas.

Doug, then 70, felt a strong bond with his band of brothers, even though he hadn’t seen some of them for decades. Their connection went beyond the battlefield in ways most, soldiers never experience.

Doug had received help from his friends when he was in trouble, so he felt like it was a time that he could pay that ahead by donating a kidney to Jim. Fortunately, series of testing revealed not only that Doug’s tissue type matched Jim^’s but also that he had the kidneys of a 35-year-old.

The transplant was a success. “It’s pretty miraculous to be able to take an organ out of one person’s body—a living organ—put it in another person’s body, and have it work.” Doug says. “And there’s nothing finer than knowing I’ve helped another person live a better life.”

Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships don’t last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous; be understanding.

Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you don’t tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest, you may lose your friend’s trust. Good friends always count on one another to speak and act honestly.

Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You don’t have to give your lunch money or your clothes, or enjoy, like our hobbies and your interests. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be very valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them you help your friend know you better.

Sooner or later everyone needs understanding and help with a problem. Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.

No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friendships, you must practice honesty. Generosity and understanding.