Grace，my dearest friend，is cheerful①and kind．

She is a twelve-year-old Korean，whose black，shiny hair is usually held in place by hairpins¹② ．Her sharp eyes show through her glasses，and her friendly smile，as lovely as the spring sunshine，shows two sweet dimples．

At school，we are not only good friends ，but also competitive² intellectual equals③，often solving problems and having great times together．

What really brings me close to her is her understanding，loving，and supportive character． She's always there when needed，and never lets you down④．

One Christmas，as I remember，I received just the gift I was hoping for from Grace：a
female hamster．I was thrilled⑤．However，who would have guessed that a few days later my pet was to die？I cried over the loss，and immediately phoned Grace to share the sorrow ．I felt better after having shared the horrible news with her．

A while after the phone call，I heard a knock on the door．As I opened the door，there
appeared Grace smiling at me and holding a tiny hamster．Wow ，a tiny little hamster！They
appeared as if from above，a gift from God，rendering me overjoyed⑥．

From that event，I deeply sensed⑦true friendship between us．

Grace，what a great，caring friend！

Comments（文章评析）

英语里有一句谚语：A friend in need is a friend indeed．这句话的意思是“在你最需要的时候帮助你的朋友是真正的朋友”。这篇文章生动地描述了一个这样的朋友。作者用词精练、准确，描述生动，情感真挚。

Word study（词语学习）

在英语里有一些关于“高兴”的词语。它们的用法有一些区别。

happy：pleased快乐的，愉快的；感到满足的；幸福的

thrilled：extremely pleased非常兴奋的，非常激动的

overjoyed：extremely pleased ＝delighted万分高兴的，大喜过望的

Writing practice（写作练习）

你有没有像格蕾丝（Grace）那样的朋友？写一写这样一个朋友。

Glossary³（词汇表）

1．cheerful活泼的
    2．hairpin发卡
    3．competitive intellectual equals学习上相互促进的伙伴
    4．to let sb．down让人失望
    5．thrilled惊喜万分
    6．to render sb．overjoyed使……非常高兴
    7．to sense体验到