Real-life Friends
Most people know the saying: A man's best friend is his dog; and that Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. However, dogs can’t offer advice or make you a cup of tea when you need one; and precious stones are cold comfort when you need a hug, and a shoulder to cry on.
What are Friends?
There are many ways to describe a friend. Friends are the family you can choose for yourself. Friends are a much better medication（医疗）than medication is, and people who spend time with friends are happier with their lives as they are less lonely.
A good friend will put you to bed when you’re lost consciousness. Ensure you’re not laid on your back, and remember to remove your shoes. You should be able to tell a true friend anything without being judged by them.
How do Friendships Begin?
This is an easy question. Find someone else who has similar interests with you. You now have another person to talk to about your shared interest but remember they like to talk too, so be prepared to shut up and listen once in a while. Hopefully they will have other friends and will introduce you to them, thereby expanding your circle.
Friendships which begin due to location, for example, next-door neighbors or school classmates, rarely survive transitions such as moving to other neighborhoods, schools, colleges, jobs, immigration, and so forth. Attend a school reunion and you’ll wonder what on earth you ever had in common with these people other than your age, although it is possible to have a friendship with someone you met at school. Mutually maintain it, and eventually become godparent or “uncle” to each others’ children.
How Friendships are Maintained
To have a friend you must also be a friend and be prepared to be there for them should they need you. Failure in this respect would label you a fair-weather friend and you would most probably be abandoned.
Boundaries
Like every other relationship you have in your life, there are boundaries you shouldn’t cross with your friends. One of those is money: Don’t lend to your friend and don’t ask for a loan yourself.
Friends are unpaid counselors（顾问）,but phoning them at 2 am because you’re awake and would like a chat is not a good idea. Neither is phoning them at 10 am if you know they’re a shift-worker. Friends are people who need some space and quiet time. Generally, it all boils down to mutual respect and understanding.
It’s not a good plan to interrupt your friend while they’re on a date/on holiday/attending an orchestral recital/at a funeral.
Trust
Trust is the most vital element in any relationship. If you’re not trustworthy then you probably don’t deserve friends, so try to remember that you promised to see that dull film with them or applaud them at their first attempt at a karaoke or an Open Mic night. If you have promised to look after their clothes while they go for a bet, then make sure you do. You might like to carry enough cash to help them out too, as you never know when that situation might be reversed.
Don’t lie to your friend: if they know you well they’ll know you’re lying or will at least be suspicious. If you find out something that you know will hurt your friend, be tactful（圆滑）. Do they need to know? Would they appreciate knowing? Can you tell their mum so she can break the news? Cowardly, yes, but mums usually have a much better way with words. Remember, if you do decide to tell them and it’s painful, they will probably need some time alone, after lashing out at（抨击）the closest thing—you. In that case, play the waiting game. Then don’t beat them up about it afterwards.
A Friend for Life
Strong friendships can last a lifetime with care and consideration. The benefits are multi-folds; you’ve got someone to share birthday cake with, and especially for single people, a pub meal or a trip to the cinema is no fun alone, is it? Plus it’s always nice to know there’s someone there for you, as you’re there for them, through the bad times as well as the good. Altogether now: Oh I get by with a little help from my friends. Mm, I get high with a little help from my friends.
【小题1】According to the passage we can learn that good friends should be ___________.

Harry Houdini was a man who astonished and attracted many people during his life. Whether he was escaping from a locked box or making things disappear and reappear, he surely was entertaining. People thought that he must truly have some supernatural powers, but in fact, what Harry really had was drive.

Harry was born in Budapest, Hungary, in 1874. His real name was Ehrich Weiss, the third of five children. His family moved to Wisconsin not long after his birth and when he was nine, he was tying ropes all over his backyard and learning amazing tricks to show his friends and neighbors. He visited the local locksmith, and when he had reached his teens he could pick almost any lock that was made. He also learned how to do card tricks. He and his brother, Theo, would often entertain at local parties and clubs for extra money.

When Ehrich was 16, he came across a book that would actually change his life: the biography of France’s greatest magician, Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin. It showed Ehrich that his hobby of magic and tricks could also be a career. Immediately, he changed his name to Harry Houdini. He and Theo headed out to make a living as magicians.

In 1893, they performed at the Chicago World’s Fair, and after that they traveled around giving magic shows for anyone willing to listen and pay. Theo grew restless, however, as the jobs became scarce, so he left. His timing was perfect since Harry had just fallen in love with a lovely woman named Bess who was just the right size for slipping in and out of the trunk they used in their magic tricks. They married immediately and then off they went, traveling with circuses and other road shows. Harry learned more and more tricks and spent much of his time reading and studying all kinds of locks, especially handcuffs. However, no matter what tricks they did or how hard they tried, Bess and Harry were not doing well. They tried to sell their shows for seven years and finally, in desperation, they went to Europe.

　　　 It was the right move. Harry’s persistence and constant practice were about to pay off. To get people’s attention, he walked into police stations and offered to be handcuffed by all the policemen. They were shocked when he was loose only seconds later. Soon, everyone in Europe was talking about Houdini’s astounding skills. He was in high demand and found himself doing more and more dangerous acts. He escaped from a straitjacket hanging upside down over the street; he escaped from locked boxes of all kinds; and, of course, he got out of any kind of handcuffs put on him.

　　　 After several years in Europe, Bess and Harry returned to the United States in victory. Harry was doing such amazing tricks that people felt he must have special powers. However, few realized how much time he spent practicing and studying. He would do special exercises to keep his body strong, and he would do tricks with his fingers to keep them flexible. He would spend large amounts of time tying and untying knots — with his toes! For his underwater tricks, he would get in the bathtub and practice holding his breath for longer and longer times. Since many of his tricks involved being deep in icy water, he would pour buckets of ice in the tub to get accustomed to working in the cold.

The reason that Harry Houdini was such a success was that he practiced and prepared for whatever might happen. When a college student punched him in the abdomen in 1926, however, he wasn’t prepared. The punch did internal damage that not even this magician could get out of. Harry died in 1926 at 52 years of age — a master of his trade and a true legend.

56. Houdini decided to become a magician after ______.

A. he read a book about a famous magician 　　　 B. he learned to pick a lock

C. he started entertaining at local parties 　　 D. he learned to do card tricks

57. The author supports the argument that Houdini was a hard worker by describing ______.

A. his famous tricks　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. his childhood　　

C. how he prepared　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. how he became popular

58. Which of the is true according to this passage?

A. His brother left him because he was doubtful of the future.　

B. He went to Europe after an argument with his brother.

C. Bess was a great help in his career before they were married.

D. He succeeded because he had special powers.

59. It can be inferred that Houdini’s death was ______.

A. a plotted murder　　　 B. another performance　　　　 C. a legend　　　　　 D. an accident

　 Friends play a very important part in everyone’s life.Friendship usually develops during childhood.New friends are made when you progress through school.Those friends that you make as a student can usually last long.Friends influence your development,maturity( 成熟 ) and sense of responsibility(责任).A familiar expression is “You can tell a lot about a person by knowing who his friends are.”.Friendship is based on common interests.If you like sports ,most of your friends are likely to be athletic(体格健壮的).If you enjoy reading and shopping,most of your friends do the same.

Some people call you their friend for the wrong reasons.These people are not really friends.They are superficial( 表面的 )only “friends”on the outside,not the inside where it counts.Superficial friends only want to be your friends if it is to their advantage.True friends are there whether you are rich or poor.It is easy to have many so-called “friends” if you are rich.By this time you should be able to separate your friends into the real or the “phoney”.

　 True friends are most special .They are also difficult to find.You can consider youself very lucky 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.You and your true friend have good understanding of each other.True friends support you ,take your side and build up your confidence.

1.The first paragraph tells us ______.

A.how to make a true friend　

B.we should make friends in our childhood

C.what is friendship based on　

D.friends play a very important part in our life

2.Which of the following is true?

A.What you value above anything is the friendship developing during childhood

B.The friendship developing during your school days will be with you for a long time.

C.Only through your friends’ influence will you take the responsibity for your task

D.If you have no music in you ,none of your friends will be a music lover.

3.”So-called” friends refer to_______.

A.fair-weather friends

B.those who want to benefit from(从---收益 ) you

C.the friends who are on the surface only

D.all of the above

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A.You should tell true friends from phoney.

B.True friendship is too difficult to find

C.You can share your joys and sorrows with a true friend

D.A true friend will stand by you whatever happens

　 Friends play a very important part in everyone's life．Friendship usually

develops during childhood. New friends are made when you progress through school. Those friends that you make as a student can usually last long. Friends influence your development, maturity（成熟）and sense of responsibility（责任）. A familiar expression is“You can tell a lot about a person by knowing who his fiends are.”Friendship is based on common interests. If you like sports, most of your friends are likely to be athletic（竞技的）. If you enjoy reading and shopping, most of your friends do the same.

　　Some people call you their friends for the wrong reasons. These people are not really friends. They are superficial（表面的）only“friends”on the outside, not the inside where it counts. Superficial friends only want to be your friends if is to their advantage. True friends are there if you are rich or poor. It is easy to have many so-called“friends”if you are rich．By this time you should be able to separate your friends into the real or the“phoney”.

　　True friends are most special. They are also difficult to find. You can consider yourself very lucky if you have one true friend. This friend is eager to help you whenever necessary. He or she knows you would do the same for them. A true friend is someone you can talk to about any subject or problem. You and your true friend have good understanding of each other. True friends support you, take your side, and build up your confidence.

(1) The first paragraph tells us__________.

[　　]

A．how to make a true friend

B．we should make friends in our childhood

C．what is friendship based on

D．friends play a very important part in our life

(2) Which of the following is TRUE?

［　　］

A．What you value above anything is the friendship developing during childhood.

B．The friendship developing during your school days will be with you for a long time.

C．Only through your friends' influence will you take the responsibility for your task.

D．If you have no music in you, none of your friends will be a music lover.

(3) “So-called”friends refer to_________.

［　　］

A．fair-weather friends

B．those who want to benefit from you

C．the friends who are on the surface only

D．all of the above

(4) Which of the following is NOT TRUE?

[　　]

A．You should tell true friends from phoneys.

B．True friendship too difficult to find.

C．You can share your joys and sorrows with a true friend.

D．A true friend will stand by you whatever happens.

(5) The proper title for this article may be“___________”.

［　　］

　 Friends play a very important part in everyone's life．Friendship usually

develops during childhood. New friends are made when you progress through school. Those friends that you make as a student can usually last long. Friends influence your development, maturity（成熟）and sense of responsibility（责任）. A familiar expression is“You can tell a lot about a person by knowing who his fiends are.”Friendship is based on common interests. If you like sports, most of your friends are likely to be athletic（竞技的）. If you enjoy reading and shopping, most of your friends do the same.

　　Some people call you their friends for the wrong reasons. These people are not really friends. They are superficial（表面的）only“friends”on the outside, not the inside where it counts. Superficial friends only want to be your friends if is to their advantage. True friends are there if you are rich or poor. It is easy to have many so-called“friends”if you are rich．By this time you should be able to separate your friends into the real or the“phoney”.

　　True friends are most special. They are also difficult to find. You can consider yourself very lucky if you have one true friend. This friend is eager to help you whenever necessary. He or she knows you would do the same for them. A true friend is someone you can talk to about any subject or problem. You and your true friend have good understanding of each other. True friends support you, take your side, and build up your confidence.

(1) The first paragraph tells us__________.

[　　]

A．how to make a true friend

B．we should make friends in our childhood

C．what is friendship based on

D．friends play a very important part in our life

(2) Which of the following is TRUE?

［　　］

A．What you value above anything is the friendship developing during childhood.

B．The friendship developing during your school days will be with you for a long time.

C．Only through your friends' influence will you take the responsibility for your task.

D．If you have no music in you, none of your friends will be a music lover.

(3) “So-called”friends refer to_________.

［　　］

A．fair-weather friends

B．those who want to benefit from you

C．the friends who are on the surface only

D．all of the above

(4) Which of the following is NOT TRUE?

[　　]

A．You should tell true friends from phoneys.

B．True friendship too difficult to find.

C．You can share your joys and sorrows with a true friend.

D．A true friend will stand by you whatever happens.

(5) The proper title for this article may be“___________”.

［　　］