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