The expression, "everybody's doing it," is very much at the center of the concept of peer pressure. It is a social influence applied on an individual in order to get that person to act or believe in a(n)
People are social creatures by nature, and so it is hardly
For certain individuals, seeking social acceptance is so important that it becomes a(n)
However, peer pressure is not always negative. A student whose friends are good at
Although peer pressure is sometimes quite obvious, it can also be so
| A．traditional | B．similar | C．peculiar | D．opposite |
| A．understandable | B．believable | C．acceptable | D．surprising |
| A．disapproval | B．failure | C．absence | D．independence |
| A．uncertain | B．practical | C．impossible | D．vague |
| A．promotes | B．prevents | C．simplifies | D．increases |
| A．challenge | B．inspiration | C．promise | D．addiction |
| A．recognize | B．abandon | C．decrease | D．define |
| A．avoid | B．encourage | C．decline | D．punish |
| A．pressured | B．respected | C．delighted | D．regretted |
| A．catch sight of | B．stay away from | C．make fun of | D．keep up with |
| A．competitions | B．interaction | C．academics | D．adaptation |
| A．knowledge | B．interest | C．assistance | D．influence |
| A．abstract | B．ridiculous | C．subtle | D．reasonable |
| A．consciousness | B．motivation | C．instinct | D．encouragement |
| A．motivation | B．danger | C．support | D．achievement |
It was April 5th, a lovely spring morning. The air was fresh. The trees were green and the birds were singing happily. Police officer Tidwell left the station just after 8 a.m. on such a beautiful morning. He had spent a boring night on duty and was looking forward to his day of rest. By habit he took a short-cut down the path behind Dugby Hall road. It was quiet at this time of a day. Tidwell walked slowly, enjoying the fresh morning air. But after a minute or two he saw a man climbing down a drainpipe (雨水管) from an open bedroom window of Number 29. In silence, Tidwell crept into the garden. Tidwell watched for a while and waited for the man to climb down slowly off the wall. The man reached the ground and was dusting himself down when he felt his arm caught.
“It’s 8:15 on a Sunday morning,” said the officer, “and this sort of thing seems an unlikely adventure at such a time. Would you mind explaining?” Tidwell spoke with a serious voice of a police officer, holding the man tightly at the same time.
The man was obviously scared. He struggled for a while and then said, “I know what you are thinking, officer, but it isn’t true. This is a funny mistake.”
Tidwell did not believe his words at all but he said to the man, “It’s part of my job to take an interest in unusual events. I think you’ve just left this house in a manner other than the customary one. That may be quite innocent, but I’d like to make sure.” Tidwell took out his notebook and a pen. “Name, address and occupation and then, please, tell me your story...”
“Charlie Crane, lorry driver, from Nottingham, 51 Breton Street. My story…”
“Yes. What were you doing like a fly on that wall, Mr. Crane?”
The man explained that he had a breakdown yesterday and had to stay the night here.
“Mr. Crane, what are you doing here?” A woman’s voice came behind them suddenly.
Jean’s dream was to be a great chef, so when she was 20, she travelled to France, which has the most famous cuisine in the world, to learn to cook. After twelve years, she was among the best.
Her father, Bob, was getting old, and she wanted to be near him. Jean accepted an offer from one of Washington’s top restaurants. The manager offered her a handsome salary, and 30% ownership of the restaurant. The next day, Jean went to sign the contract. As she got out of the car, she caught sight of a green sunshade. Instead of going to meet the manager, she crossed the street towards the old restaurant, Fargonetti’s. She pushed open the door and the memories came flooding back.
Jean’s mum died when she was just 11, and her father lost his job and was forced to freelance (从事自由职业). Money was very short. When Jean turned thirteen, Bob had made a reservation at Fargonetti’s, the capital’s best restaurant.
“I’m not hungry, baby girl. I had a huge breakfast,” Bob said. “This is all for you!” “Oh,” Jean cried. “Daddy was so silly! He’s been saving to come here for lunch for MONTHS and now he ruined his appetite with breakfast!” The waiter, Carl Bader, immediately realised what was going on and went to Mr Fargonetti, the restaurant owner, and told him about Jean and Bob.
An hour later, surprisingly, the waiter brought wonderful dishes and set them before the father and daughter. “Lunch is on the house with Mr Fargoneti’s compliments (致意),” Carl said. For Bob and Jean, it was a free but magical meal. They were on cloud nine when they walked out. “Jean,“ said Bob happily. “I feel our luck has changed!” And it did! The next day, one of Bob’s old friends called and offered him a job at a new magazine, and Jean believed Fargonetti’s had made it all happen. That was when she decided to become a chef!
Twenty years later, the old restaurant looked run-down and sad, but Jean recognised the waiter immediately. “Carl?” she asked delightedly.
The man looked surprised.
Jean was staring at Carl and a brilliant idea was taking shape in her mind.
In the fog of uncertainty about how new technology will change the way we work, policymakers around the world have flocked to the same idea. No matter what the future brings, they say confidently, we will need to upskill the workforce in order to cope.
The view sounds reassuringly sensible. If computers are growing smarter, humans will need to learn to use them to humans’ advantage. Otherwise, they may run the risk of being replaced by computers.
Research published by the Social Mobility Commission shows that workers with degrees are over three times more likely to participate in training as adults than workers with no qualifications. That creates a virtuous circle for those who did well at school, and vicious circle for those who did not. If the robots are coming for both the accountants and the taxi drivers, you can bet the bean counters will be more able to retrain themselves out of danger.
It is no good criticizing employers for directing investments at their highly skilled workers. They are simply aiming for the highest return they can get. And, for some types of lower-paid work, it is not always true that technological progress requires more skills. The UK’s latest Employment and Skills Survey, which is performed every five years, suggests the use of literacy and numeracy skills at work has fallen since 2012, even as the use of computers has increased. The trouble is, when the computer makes your job easier one day, it might make it unnecessary the next. Many of those affected by automation will need to switch occupations, or even industries.
It is time to revisit older ideas. The UK once had an energetic culture of night schools, for adults to attend after their day jobs. These institutions have been disappearing due to funding cuts. But a revival of night schools could be exactly what the 21st century needs.
It is still not clear whether the impact of new technology on the labour market will come in a trickle or aflood. But in an already unequal world, continuing to reserve all the lifeboats for the better-off would be a dangerous mistake.
| A．Employers also invest more in better educated workers by launching employer-sponsored cmployee education programs. |
| B．According to an Oxford University study, nowadays employers are more likely to hire the first-year apprentices. |
| C．Rather than just “upskilling” in a narrow way, people could choose to learn an entirely new skill or trade. |
| D．But the truth is, the people who are being “upskilled” in today’s economy are the ones who need it the least. |
| E．People can effectively train or upskill themselves to meet their specific professional needs. |
| F．But a retailer or warehouse company is not going to retrain its staff to help them move to a different sector. |
I feel so sorry to hear that you are feeling bad these days.
Yours sincerely,
Mary
It was a rather crowded day at the subway station. Seeing the busy passers-by stopped by his performance, Eric, a music lover who just graduated from college, wore a big smile on his face. With deep passion for music, he showed up in the station in his spare time, singing and playing the guitar to people travelling to and from the subway station.
With the melodious (悦耳的) song coming to an end, hearty applause burst out. As usual, Eric expressed his gratitude, nodding his head with a smile. “Man, awesome! An outstanding performance!” Approached a man, holding the hand of a little girl in a ponytail (马尾辫), aged about four.
“Park, a producer of a record company.” The man introduced himself, holding out his hand. “Would you like to give it a try in my company?” Out of politeness, Eric shook hands with him in amazement.
“I haven’t seen somebody this good in a long time! You are a beautiful scenery of this city, with such a beautiful voice!” Park admired. Suddenly, a phone call interrupted their conversation. Park briefly invited Eric to meet later in the same place and walked away to answer the call. Seeing Park off, Eric did realize what had happened, with warm current flowing from his head to toes. It was the first time that he had earned such kind of recognition, which was totally out of his expectation.
“A beautiful scenery of the city, with a beautiful voice!” Eric repeated the words, cleaning his guitar and preparing for the next performance. At that time, he caught sight of a little girl in a ponytail standing in a corner, weeping and looking around. Carrying his guitar, Eric approached her and squatted (蹲) down, “What’s wrong with you, honey?”
“I can’t find my daddy.” The girl burst out crying.
The girl calmed down in Eric’s song when a man rushed into the office of the subway station.
| A．Would she leave | B．If she leaves |
| C．Were she to leave | D．If she had left |
| A．That | B．When |
| C．Where | D．What |
| A．hurt | B．injured |
| C．destroyed | D．wounded |
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