We all long for friendship, but how to make a friend? “The best time to make a friend is before you need one.” Joy Steven said. The following are some tips for you.

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    Friends usually begin with strangers. Getting in touch with other people is the first step to make a friend. Friends can't be made in empty air. Best friends take time to make.

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    Friends understand each other when talking. Many unpleasant personal quarrels can be avoided if you will take the time to understand others' feelings and points of view.

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    Touching is a warm form of communication between friends. When you see best friends communicating, you will notice them stand close together, touch each other comfortably and listen to each other. Sometimes a friendly touch is more powerful than words.

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Praise is a powerful tool to make a friend. Honest praise can affect your friends' lives. So try to praise your friends, including your general ones.

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Trust and loyalty go hand in hand for friends. Friends can share secrets with you, because good friends never break confidence and are loyal forever.

    Last summer， Mark became a middle school student．He took an English test in the first month． Mark was a good student and he worked hard．He finished the questions easily until he read the last one：“Everyone sees our school's gatekeeper every day．What's his first name?”

    Of course，this question is a little special．Mark saw the man some times．He was tall and had a square face．But Mark didn't talk with him and didn't know his first name．The test was over．Then one student asked the teacher，“Is the last question very important in this test?”，“Yes，”said the teacher．“In our life，we will meet many people．Everyone is important．You should care about them．You may only smile at them or say 'hello' to them．”

    Mark never forgot that question．He also learned that man's first name．It was William．

Dear Linda,

    My best friend Lily always hangs out with a girl who used to bully(欺凌) her. And she doesn't seem to want to be around me any more.

Lisa

Dear Lisa,

    It's normal for friendships to change, and it's possible that the girl has changed over time. Instead of worrying about that, pay more attention to how your own friendship is changing. Hanging out with your friend mifht help to improve your friendship.

Dear Linda,

    I often argue with my mom about my after-school hobbies. Sometimes she starts it. Sometimes I do. Anyway, I feel unhappy after arguing. What should I do?

Mike

Dear Mike,

    Find a right time to talk to your mom. Tell her that you're unhappy after arguing with her and that you'd like to work out a way to avoid arguments.

Dear Linda,

    I always dream dream of becoming a writer. But when I go back to reading a story I've written, it sounds boring and I don't want to finish it. Should I keep trying to write?

Nick

Dear Nick,

    Every writer has been where you are--a place where nothing he writes sounds right. However, you should go on writing as much as you can. The more you practice, the better you'll get. Also, keep reading can help you learn a lot about writing.

Information Card

    TapeMeasure Murder is a short story by Agatha Christie. In the story, Miss Politt, the dressmaker, finds that Mrs. Spenlow is dead in her house in a small village called St Mary Mead. Everybody, including the police, thinks that Mr. Spenlow is the murderer(凶手) because he is so calm and quiet after discovering his wife's death. But after the police talk to Miss Marple, she finds out the real murderer.

    The best part of the story is when Miss Marple explains how she solves the mystery(疑案) by noticing a tiny pin(别针) on a policeman's uniform. Her explanation is very clear and clever. Miss Marple is my favorite character in the story. I think she is very special because she is just an old lady but she is even smarter than the policemen. I never thought that an old lady could be the main character of a detective story!

    Can you guess who the murderer is? Read the book to find out! You will enjoy the story very much because the ending is so surprising.

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    Samuel Langhorne Clemens was born in 1835,in the state of Missouri. When he was four, his family moved to the town ofHannibal, Missouri. Hannibal was a port on the Missippi River, and Clemensloved to watch the big steamboats going up and down the river. He said that allthe boys in his school had one ambition in life: to work on a steamboat!

    His father died when he was just 12 yearsold, and Clemens then went to work for a printer to help support his family. Hetravelled around, and worked in many different cities. But when he was 22, heachieved his ambition—he got a job working on a steamboat. He sailed up anddown the wide Missippi River until the American Civil War began.

    He then moved around America, and triedseveral jobs. He was a soldier, and a silver miner. Then he started working asa writer for a newspaper. It was at that time that he decided to use a pen namefor his stories, and he chose the name "Mark Twain".

    The name is interesting. It comes from hisdays on the steamboats. He used to throw a piece of rope into the river. Therewas a heavy weight on the end of the rope, and the rope had some marks on it.He used the rope to find how deep the river was. Then he shouted out, "MarkOne" or "Mark Twain", meaning "Mark Two". Each markwas about two metres, so when he shouted "Mark Twain", it meant thatthe river was deep enough for the big boat.

    In 1865 Clemens wrote a story about ajumping frog. The story and the writer became famous. In 1867 he toured Europe.He married when he returned, and lived for most of the rest of his in Harfort,Connecticut. He wrote many books, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, whichhe wrote in 1876. He also gave many lectures, and became a very famous andpopular man.

    Once two of his friends decided to write tohim, but they had lost his address. So on the envelope they just wrote "MarkTwain, God knows where". Several weeks later, they received a replay fromthe writer. It just said, "He does!"

    Samuel Clemens died in 1910. He isconsidered to be one of America's most important writers.