Being accepted by peers is an important part of adolescence (青春期). Peers often     1     (对青少年行为有很大的影响)，choices,and actions. Too often, we tend to associate peer pressure with something negative. But there are plenty of positive ways peers influence their teen counterparts.

First, inspire positive choices. For example, if a group of friends     2     (参加志愿者项目), it may inspire others to join in. Second,     3     (养成健康的习惯). Friends who make healthy choices for themselves may encourage your teen to do the same. Whether it’s joining the school track club or choosing a healthy option instead of junk food, peers often     4     (充当积极的榜样)！Third, offering moral support.     5     (怀着…的目的)struggling through hardships and celebrating successes together, teenagers support one another through ups and downs.

In a word, peer pressure is not all bad.

We live in a connected world where     1     (与……交流信息) people is made easier through technology, specifically through     2     (社交媒体). With the use of Facebook, Twitter, or Linked-In, you can talk to a celebrity or someone in another country as easily as you might talk to someone at your work or school. Whether your goal is business or personal relationships, you can access a multitude of people     3     (不费什么力气地).

It has been said that there are only     4     (六度分隔) between any two people in the world. This means that any person can be connected to any other person in the world by 6 or fewer steps. Some have said that in our modern era of technology, we may even be separated by only 4 or fewer steps because the Internet we rely on is actually     5     (紧密团结的社区).

Are you a “glass-half-empty” or a “glass-half-full” type of person? A study showed that optimists (乐观主义者) are more likely to live longer than those who have a(n)     1     (愁眉苦脸) in life. The theory goes that optimists may find it easier to control their emotions. Here are some people’s opinions about how to stay positive.

Vicki Siska has been through some stressful times but has managed to remain optimistic. “Music    2     (使我高兴起来), a sense of humour keeps me seeing the bright side of things, and I have good friends who love and care for me,” she said.

Humour also helped Pippa Kennedy stay positive. She watched a TV show named Dad’s Army to help her get through a bad     3     (心情). “I also think being grateful for what you have and lots of chocolate help,” she added.

Sue Oakley Dunn says she remains positive and healthy because she does “what makes my soul sing”. She has plenty of hobbies to do for     4     (娱乐). “It works for me,” says Sue.

As well as the benefits of friendship and laughter, Robyn Black, who does yoga and has better access to    5     (医疗保健), recommends that staying fit and healthy is quite     6     (必不可少的).

Sports like American football and ice hockey get most of the attention when it comes to concussions (脑震荡) and other forms of brain injury. But soccer is a(n)     1     (激烈的) sport for which the head can be as important as the foot.

Heading the ball is a key soccer skill. But a new study finds that players who head the ball frequently are more likely to suffer     2     (长久的) brain injury and damage their memory than players who are less likely to use their heads.

“For many people, it’s beyond belief that a slight injury could be a problem,” said Dr. Michael Lipton, an expert of neuroradiology (神经放射学) in New York City.

Lipton and his team interviewed 37 adult soccer players from New York City and took high-tech scans (扫描) to     3     (检查) their brains. They also asked the players how often they played soccer and how often they headed the ball, and they gave the players some neurocognitive tests.

The     4     (结果) was that the researchers found no link between small amounts of heading and players’ attention, ability to control their       5     (速度) when they move, or ability to manage complex thinking tasks. However, Lipton warned players not to ignore the possible risks of heading the ball too many times. Players could safely head the ball 885 to 1,550 times a year. It took almost 1,800 times a year for players to have trouble with their memory.

Bing Dwen Dwen, the mascot (吉祥物) of the Beijing Winter Olympics, is a cute panda whose     1     (外形) is full-body “shell” made out of ice. It has     2     (使留下深刻印象) people with its wonderfully     3     (生动的) appearance and become popular in China.

Have you ever wondered why it is called Bing Dwen Dwen? In Mandarin (普通话) bing has several meanings, though the most common is “ice”. The character also symbolizes purity (纯洁) and strength, while dwen dwen means “strong and lively”.

Do you know why the mascot wasn’t named Bing Dundun in English? To read Bing Dundun correctly, you would have to be familiar with the pinyin system, which is       4     (难懂的) for foreigners, or the resulting pronunciation would be       5     (与……大不相同) the Chinese pronunciation. Moreover, “dun” is a word in English meaning “to ask someone to pay what they owe you again and again”. It also means “a dull greyish-brown color”. Both meanings don’t show goodwill. So, the Chinese Olympic Committee decided to change the name in an entirely new way.

There are some immediate advantages. The biggest is that the tone has been mixed into the spelling of each syllable (音节). The transliteration (音译) of Bing Dwen Dwen this time does work and is     6     (值得做的). It     7     (确保) foreign athletes and fans call Dwen Dwen “d-when d-when”, which is as close to the original “doon-doon” as an average English speaker can get.

The Pursuit of Happyness is a 2006 American film. It tells how an African-American single parent and his five-year-old son struggle to survive and fulfill the American dream in San Francisco. The screenplay is based on the best-selling     1     (经典作品) — the 2006 book of the same name written by Chris Gardner and Quincy Troupe.

The Pursuit of Happyness is based on the true story of Chris Gardner. In the film, Chris Gardner is trying to make a living by selling medical equipment. His wife Linda is working two jobs to help pay his    2     (债务). Their five-year-old son, Christopher, goes to a daycare center. On the outside of the building, the term “the pursuit of happiness” is misspelled. The father has a(n)     3     (观念) that little details like this make all the difference in life. The pressure is too much for Linda to handle so she decides to take a job in New York and leaves Christopher and Chris.

Chris’s persistence     4     (取得成功) when he is chosen for an internship (实习) program. The     5     (雇主) does not pay any salary and only one of the 20 interns will eventually be hired. Meanwhile, a few of his machines are stolen, and he and his son are not allowed to live in their apartment anymore. Chris makes a brave move to land a new account by visiting a CEO at home.     6     (不过), the CEO tells him that he won’t allow him to handle his account because he is so new to the business. But the CEO’s       7     (拒绝) doesn’t destroy the intern’s hope and Chris achieves his dream at last.

The film does score some emotional points in its portrait of an African-American male who turns out to be a(n)     8     (非凡的) single parent. He takes care of his son with       9     (和蔼) and love, which is     10     (值得……) respect.