As a saying goes, "If you have a good friend, your joys are doubled and your sadness is halved". Friends are a helping hand, a comforting shoulder, a patient ear to listen to you. Man is a social animal by nature. We all need friends, so it is necessary for you to know how to make friends.

The first step is to open yourself up. If you want to make good friends, you should be able to share your thoughts and feelings with other people. When you are in a conversation, you’d better express your own thoughts and feelings. If a conversation is one-sided, the person doing all the talking may think the other person is not interested in what he is saying.

One of the most important keys to building a strong friendship with other people is to listen to them-really listen. When your friends tell you something that happened to them or complain about a situation, they are usually not looking for agreement but just want to be heard. So don’t try to change their mind or solve their problems, just let them know that you are listening to them.

Respecting your friends is also important to keep your relationships healthy and strong. Looking at your friends while they are talking to you is one way to show your respect, as they will feel that what they are saying is important to you.

Unconditional support and encouragement is one of the things which friends have. True friendship means offering a shoulder when they need it, crying with them when they are sad, and laughing with them when they are happy. Only in this way, can the tree of friendship last for a long time.

I remember being happy for my friend Mareya when she got the marathon championship* we’d both taken part in. But I’m embarrassed to admit I was also pretty envious*! When my friend Avery and I tried out for Alice in Wonderland, though, things went the opposite way.

“Tina, I really hope I get picked to be Alice.” said Avery.

“You’d make a great Alice!” I said. “I don’t care what part I get as long as I’m in it.”

Some days later, Avery and I raced to the theater office to see the cast* list.

“Wow!” said Avery. “You got the part of Alice and I got the part of the March Hare.”

“That can’t be right,” I said. “There must be some mistake!”

But I really and truly was given the part of Alice. I’m pretty sure the reason I’d done well is because I hadn’t been nervous during the audition*. And the reason I hadn’t been nervous is because it hadn’t even occurred to me that I could get the major role.

Later that day, when I asked Avery to practice our lines, she refused and said she would be busy forever.

That night, after my parents congratulated me for getting the lead role, I told them what happened between Avery and me.

“Hmm,” said my dad. “Tina, don’t you think this might be an opportunity for you to be an extra-good friend? Sometimes when our friends do well, we feel envious and don’t know how to act. Try giving her a little time and understanding. I bet she’ll come around.”

I decided to try.

Over the next week, I did my best to give Avery some space. And at rehearsal one day, I went up to her.

“I just want to say, I know you didn’t exactly love the idea of being the March Hare, but you’re such a talented actor, and the way you say your lines and move your ears is so funny and amazing.” I smiled.

“Thanks,” said Avery. “The March Hare doesn’t have that many lines. But besides talking, I’m working out all the ways that my character can express himself.”

“Well,” I said, “I’m still puzzled about a few things about my character. I’d love your help if you have any free time this week.”

She smiled. “I think I might be free on Thursday.”

Our play ended up going great. We had so much fun, and the audience loved the show. Even though things were difficult and unpleasant for a little while with Avery and me, they’re better than ever! She even apologized for the way she’d been acting at first.

Jim Green is an American boy. He’s in China with his parents now. Jim’s mother doesn’t work. She is at home. His father works in China. His father is a teacher. He teaches English in a middle school. Jim studies in another (另一个) middle school. He has some Chinese friends: Li Lei, Lin Tao and Meimei.

Li Lei’s father is a shop assistant. He works in a store. His mother is a Chinese teacher. She works in a middle school. Li Lei and his mother are in the same school. Tao’s father is a driver. He has a truck. His mother is a doctor. Meimei’s father is a soldier. Her mother is a worker. She works in a factory. Their parents all work hard. They like their children.