Friends are important to children．Research shows that children who have no friends can suffer from difficulties later in life．Friendship provides children with more than just fun．In making friends，children learn how to get in touch with others and solve problems．Having friends even does good to children for they can help each other during class.

If the parents are concerned about whether their children make many friends，what matters is that the child is comfortable and happy with his friends．Parents need to understand the steps children take in building friendships．First of all，be a friend to your child．Good friendships start at home．Children begin to develop the necessary ability to go out and meet others through getting along with their parents. Greet the child warmly and let him know you are glad to see him．Children learn a lot from how their parents stay with them and other people.

Teach children how to solve conflicts(争端)．Being able to work out conflicts is an important skill in getting along with others．If parents know the children have a conflict，let them work it out on their own．Only step in if it is really necessary，for example，an argument is getting physical.

Give children chances to practice staying together．Have children play games that require cooperation. For example，races are fun and provide plenty of practice in teamwork．“In what ways didn’t you work well together? What might you do differently next time?” For these ideas，see books such as Games Book by Telly Orlick and Team—Building by Alanna Jones.

Encourage children to show thanks to others．The parents can encourage children to do this by setting the example for them．

56．According to the article，if one child has no friend，he will________.

A．have some trouble in the future           B．worry about everything in the future

C. not know the importance of making friends   D．not find anybody to help him

57．Friendship can be helpful to the children EXCEPT_________.

A．providing a lot of fun      B．getting in touch with others

C. solving the problems        D．helping to cheat in the exams

58．When the children disagree with each other，the parents should_______.

A．1et them fight with each other until they find who is the winner

B．do nothing to the children and believe in their abilities

C．1et them work it out by themselves and help if necessary

D. talk with them and try to find good ways to stay together

59．From the text．we can know a good friend should know how to________.

A．fall in love with each other      B．show thanks to others

C. exchange their presents          D．ignore their differences