Having good old friends is a good thing, but making new ones can be even better. No matter what age we are, all of us ___ 1 __the support and help which friends give us. The help may be for only a small thing, or it may be for something that could save our life. The size of the help or support is not really the most important thing, __ 2 ___ the fact of having friends is very important. I've just made a new friend, Joan. She's not just ___ 3 ___ person I can talk with or wave to as we pass one another on the street, but a good friend. She is someone who will go out with me for lunch, or___ 4 ___ my home for a cup of tea. She is someone who will listen and make me feel ___ 5 ____the next time I may feel sad or worried for no____ 6 ____ reason. This is no small matter for me. I ____ 7 ____have enough time or energy to keep up with my old friends, let alone make new ones. But, as I grow older -- and I am now 35 years old -- it is important to me to have a safety net of friends. Holes keep opening up in the net as old friends move ____ 8 ____. I've got to spend the energy now to include new friends. Making friends is a lot like dating after a terrible breakup. You hesitate and _____ 9 ____your feet because you can't believe you have to start over again. But when you do, it's not half as hard as you thought it would be, and it's twice as rewarding as you____ 10 ____