These days having a best friend seems so important to girls. However I have learned that having one best friend is not the way to go. It's so much better to have many great friends.

As I was coming into middle school, I was really excited because my friend Jennifer was going to be in the same middle school! At first things were great, she introduced me to her friend Amy and we had lots of fun together. Then things started to change. Jennifer was very controlling: I couldn't make new friends, and pretty soon being Jennifer's friend was a struggle.

Jennifer wanted to be the "leader" of our little group. Amy and I were never partners with each other in class projects or gym; it was always, "Who gets the privilege (特权) of being Jennifer's partner?" Amy and I both wanted to be Jennifer's number one.

I always waited for Jennifer and Amy after class. They chatted by Jennifer's desk as Jennifer packed her books up and I waited by the door. Sometimes when they left, they'd walk right past me. No "Thanks for waiting." No "Sorry we took so long." It was as if they couldn't even see me.

After months of living through school this way, I had really changed. I was moody, depressed, lonely. I spent lots of days trying not to cry, I felt so left out.

Finally, near the very end of the school year, I was so incredibly sick of having to battle for friendship. I stopped sitting with Jennifer at lunch and stopped waiting for her after class.

It was tough at first, but now, I have tons of friends. We have fun and happy times together and I love them all to bits. It amazes me how easy our friendship is. There's no struggling to be on top. I wish Jennifer could understand. Maybe one day she'll look back at what happened and she'll change, but even though I lost a friend, I am a happier person

When you choose a friend, you should be very careful. A good friend can help you study. You can have fun together and make each other happy. Sometimes you will meet fair­weather friends. They will be with you as long as you have money or luck, but when you are down, they will run away. How do I know when I have found a good friend? I look for certain qualities of character, especially understanding, honesty and reliability (可靠).

Above all else, I look for understanding in a friend. A good friend tries to understand how another person is feeling. He is not quick to judge. Instead, he tries to learn from others. He puts himself in the other person's place, and he tries to think of ways to be helpful. He is also a good listener.

At the same time, however, a good friend is honest. He does not look for faults (过错) in others. He notices their good points. In short, good friends will be honest to each other and accept each other.

Another quality of a friend is reliability. I can always depend on a good friend. If he tells me he will meet me somewhere at a certain time, I can be sure that he will be there. If I need a favor, he will do his best to help me. If I am in trouble, he will not run away from me.

There is a fourth quality that makes a friend special. A special friend is someone with whom we can have fun. We should enjoy our lives, and we would enjoy our friendship. That is why I especially like friends who are fun to be with. A good friend likes the same things I like. We share experience and learn from each other. A good friend has a good sense of humor, too. He likes to laugh with me. That is how we share in the joy of being friends. And I know that he is looking for the same quality in me.

When I meet someone who is reliable, honest, and understanding, I know I've found a friend!

Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son. Suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. "The door to his room is always shut，" Joanna noted.

Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14­year­old daughter. "She used to cuddle up (依偎) against me on the sofa and talk," said Mark. "Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is understanding which time is which."

Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what's on their mind. "In fact, parents are first on the list," said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. "This completely changes during the teen years，" Riera explained. "They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last."

Parents who know what's going on in their teenagers' lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental (思想的) break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.

Do you jump out of bed early, wide awake and ready to start your day? If so, you would be called an "early bird". Perhaps, you hate the sound of your alarm clock (闹钟) each morning and have little energy until afternoon. If so, you're probably a "night owl".

Most people can be divided into such two groups, but what makes us this way? And is one better than the other? There are different opinions.

Usually, early risers are praised as hard­working while those who prefer to get up late are considered lazy. Most people believe the early bird catches the worm.

Yet some scientists now believe "night owls" can really focus longer and produce more than early risers.

Research has found that the early bird does not always get the worm. In a Belgian study, both "morning people" and "evening people" were watched during their normal waking hours. After 10 hours of being awake, the "evening people" became more alert (机敏的). However, the "morning people" became sleepy and less focused. Researchers believe the reason for this difference is that "night owls" receive a last­minute increase from their brains. This added energy allows them to stay alert for longer periods of time.

Environment, lifestyle, activities and childhood routines all may have an effect on sleeping habits, yet genetics (遗传学) may play the biggest role.

It is possible to change your sleeping habits through regular bedtime, morning exercise and avoiding midnight snacks. But whether you're happy to rise early or to stay up late, you're probably doing what works best for your own personal body clock.

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 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. Here are characteristics (特征) that strong friendships share.

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 just to avoid an argument (争论). 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. 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.

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.

A. Arguing isn't unhealthy.

B. Is your friendship as healthy as it can be?

C. Good friends dine out together from time to time.

D. Good friends are real and honest with each other.

E. With an unhealthy friendship, you know clearly that something is "off".

F. Even if you have the best friend, it doesn't hurt to expand your social circle.

G. In a positive friendship, your friends won't lie to you, and they won't hurt your feelings either.

For me, becoming an Olympian was not developing a gift of natural athletic ability, but an act of will.

In the summer of 1979, I started 1 for the Olympic trials (选拔赛) to be held the next year. I felt happy as I made progress towards my big 2. But then in November, an 3 situation appeared. I injured my back and couldn't move. I had to leave the 4. Everyone felt 5 for me. Everyone but me.

I never believed this would 6 me. However, my 7 was slow. With only a few months remaining, I knew I would never make it 8 I did something. So, I started training in the only way I could in my mind.

I bought films of the world­ record holders in pentathlon (五项全能运动). Sitting in a chair, I 9 them over and over. I lay on the bed and imagined the experience of 10 at the trials. Some people thought I was crazy, but I wasn't ready to 11 yet. I trained as hard as I could without moving a muscle (肌肉). I 12 this practice with all my heart.

By the time the trials actually began, I had been 13 enough to compete. 14, as I walked across the field, I heard a voice on the loudspeaker announcing my name. I could hardly hold back my 15 as the announcer said, "Second place, 1980 Olympic Pentathlon: Marilyn King."

Friends play a very important part in everyone's life. Friendship (usual) develops during childhood. New friends are made when you progress through school. The friends you make as a student last long, A familiar opinion is "You can tell a lot about a person by (know) who his friends are". Friendship (base) on common interests. If you like sports, most of your friends (be) likely to be active. If you enjoy reading and shopping, most of your friends will do same.

Some people call you their friends for the wrong reasons. These people are not really friends. True friends are there whether you are rich or poor. is easy to have many so ­called "friends" if you are rich. So you should be able to recognize your friends as the real or the "phoney" ones. True friends are most special. Sometimes they might not be easy (find), so you can consider yourself very (fortune) if you have one true friend. This friend is eager to help you whenever necessary. A true friend is someone you can talk to about any subject or problem. True friends support you, give you a great deal of (encourage), take your side, and build up your confidence.

注意：

1）词数80左右；

2）可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

3）参考词汇：dubbing contest配音比赛；requirement要求

In 1878, when Margaret Wolfe Hungerford wrote "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder", she was stating that there was no consistent (never changing) view on beauty. Standards of beauty change across time and cultural groups.

Traditions and fashions, like society itself, change and adapt with time. So it is reasonable that our ideas of beauty change as well. In 19th­century Europe, women used to wear corsets (紧身内衣) to achieve a body shape that is no longer considered healthy. Men would wear woolen shawls across their shoulders. It is hard to imagine that they would be seen as attractive in the 21st century. Nowadays, in the western world, one in every ten people has a tattoos or a form of body art. In the past, some cultures used tattoos as an addition to costumes, to show family associations or to mark criminals so that they could easily be recognized.

In contemporary society, culture remains a major part in determining our ideas of beauty. In some countries, young women follow slimming diets to lose extra kilos in preparation for their wedding day. In other cultures, looking thin for a husband­to­be is not what a woman desires at all—rather, looking a little overweight is considered more attractive.

With the influence of history, society and culture, there are no precise criteria (标准) which can be used to judge what is beautiful. Life long commitment and, indeed, the survival of society itself rely on people seeing beauty in difference and depth. The human race would soon die out if we could only see beauty within a set of limited criteria.

Physical beauty must also be accompanied by an attraction to something deeper within a person. This particular kind of attraction is found in a wide range of personal qualities, e. g. kindness, warmth, a healthy conscience (良知), etc. Judging the appeal of a person's inner beauty is much more subjective. It takes more than a casual glance to appreciate and it is much more important than physical beauty.

Beauty, therefore, has more than one dimension. We are influenced by our culture, our biology and our time in history to notice physical beauty quickly and easily, but it is inner beauty that requires us to truly see. Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder.