What is peer pressure（压力）? People who are the same age as you, like your classmates, are called peers. When they try to influence（影响）you to act, or to make you do something, it’s called peer pressure. Everyone has to deal with（处理） it, even the older people.

The influence of peer pressure

Peers can have a good influence on each other. You might  admire （羡慕）a friend who is always good at sports and try to be more like him or her. Maybe you want to make others excited about your new favorite book, and now everyone’s reading it.

Sometimes peers influence（影响） each other in bad ways. For example, a few kids in school might try to get you to cut class with them when you should study at school or a kid in the neighborhood might want you to shoplift （在商店行窃） with him.

Why do people give in（屈服） to peer pressure?

Some kids give in to peer pressure because they want to be liked, or because they worry that other kids may laugh at them if they don’t go along with the group. Others may go along because they want to try something new. The idea that “everyone has to do it ” may influence some kids to leave their common sense （常识） behind.

How to walk away from peer pressure

Choose your friends wisely. If you choose friends who don’t smoke cigarettes, or lie （说谎）, then maybe you won’t do these things either.

Even if you have peer pressure while you’re alone, there are still things you can do. You can be away from peers who pressure you to do something wrong. You can say “no” to them and walk away.

    At last, if you go on to have peer pressure and you’re finding it difficult to deal with, talk to someone you depend on.

1．Does everyone have to deal with peer pressure?

2．What does “cut class” mean in Chinese?

3．Why do kids have to give in to peer pressure?

4．How many ways are talked about to be away from peer pressure?

5．What does this passage mainly talk about?