A few days ago, I got a letter from a student. In his letter, he told me, “I have this friend at school. She’s one of my good friends but lately she has been ___36__ strange. When I talked to her the other day, she said coldly, ‘Do I look like I care?’ She was being all strange to me. She told me __37___ she thought I was a bad friend, but she still thinks I am her best friend. I am so confused.”

In my letter in reply, I gave him my advice:

After reading your question, I can understand why you’re confused. It sounds like your relationship with your friend is a little shaky. There could be several reasons for her __38__. For example, maybe she has a lot on her mind and is __39__ a few challenges of her own. She may not feel comfortable talking to anyone about them __40__ and may just need a little time to sort through her own feelings. Or, on the day you talked to her, she could have been having a bad day and didn’t realize she was very cold to you. I could list a few more __41__for you, but you know, __42__, the only person who knows why your friend reacted that way is your friend. My__43__ to you is to tell her how you feel. Let her know she hurt your feelings and ask why on some days she’s nice to you, and on other days she isn’t __44__ nice. It could be that your friend is making some other new friends at school and is having difficulty __45___ her old relationships. Whatever her reasons are, you should let her know that you are a unique, caring person who certainly deserves a good friendship at school, _46__ you wouldn’t have taken the time to write me. If your __47__ with this person fades a bit, it’s OK, because you will develop may other friendships.

36. A. proving                  B. thinking                C. showing             D. acting      

37. A. before                 B. if                     C. until                D. in case

38. A. background              B. feelings               C. reaction           D. appearance

39. A. getting alone           B. going through           C. blaming for        D. standing up

40. A. already                 B. too                  C. yet               D. afterwards

41. A. choices                 B. questions             C. opportunities       D. excuse

42. A. last but not least         B. to conclude         C. to be honest        D. as a result

43. A. letter                 B. focus             C. recommendation       D. advice

44. A. too                    B. as                   C. also                  D. such

45. A. refusing                 B. finding                C. remembering         D. balancing

46. A. and                    B. otherwise            C. because           D. so

47. A. attitude               B. progress             C. hesitation            D. closeness