Your peers are people your age or close to it. Besides close friends, your peers include other children you know who are the same age------like people in your grade, sports team, or neighborhood. Peers may have a positive influence on each other and play important roles in each other’s lives:

Positive examples

Peers set plenty of good examples for each other. Having peers who do well in school or do their best in a sport can influence you to work hard to realize your dream, too. Peers who are kind and helpful can influence you to build these qualities in yourself. Even peers you’ve never met can be role models(模范). For example, watching someone your age compete in the Olympics or give a piano concert might inspire you to go after a dream of your own.

Feedback(反馈) and advice

Your peers listen and give you feedback as you try out new ideas. They can help you make decisions, too: what courses to take, whether to get your hair cut or let it grow, or how to solve a problem. Peers often give each other good advice. Your peers will be quick to tell you when they think you’re making a mistake or doing something dangerous.

Socializing（交际）

Being with your peers----such as classmates or teammates----gives you a chance to learn how to make friends and deal with disagreements with people.

New experiences

Your peers might get you involved(参与) in clubs, sports, or volunteer groups. Your world would be far less rich without peers encouraging you to try some new food for the first time, or listen to a CD you have never heard before.

1.The first paragraph is mainly about     .

A．who your peers are

B．how to find peers whose interests are similar to yours

C．the negative influence of peers on each other

D．the difference between your close friends and your peers

2.The author makes  points of how peers have a positive influence on each other.

A．three            B．four              C．five              D．six

3.With which of the following may the author agree?

A．Peers you have never met cannot influence you.

B．You can ask your friends to make a decision for you.

C．You should not play with peers you don’t like.

D．Your peers may cause you to experience new things.

4.The author mentions that good role models can influence you to      .

① work hard to realize your dream

② do something dangerous

③ build good qualities in yourself

④ have fewer friends

A．①③             B．②④             C．②③             D．③④

5.From the fourth paragraph, we can learn that being with your peers gives you a chance to       .

A．influence other people

B．play an important role

C．learn how to make more friends

D．improve your English skills

What do you want to be when you grow up? A teacher? A doctor? How about an ice-cream taster?
Yes, there really is a job where you can get paid to taste ice cream. Just ask John Harrison, an “Official Taste Tester” for the past 2l years. Harrison’s job has been responsible for approving（批准）large numbers of the sweet ice cream – as well as for developing over 15 flavors（味道）.
Some people think that it would be easy to do this job; after all, you just have to like ice cream, right? No – there’s more to the job than that, says Harrison, who has a degree in chemistry. He points out that a dairy or food-science degree would be very useful to someone wanting a job in this “cool field”.
In a typical morning on the job, Harrison tastes and grades 60 ice-cream samples. He lets the ice cream warm up to about 12^oF. Harrison explains, “You get more flavor from warmer ice cream, which is why some kids like to stir it, creating ice-cream soup.”
While the ice cream warms up, Harrison looks over the samples and grades each one on its appearance. “Tasting begins with the eyes,” he explains. He checks to see if the ice cream is attractive and asks himself, “Does the product have the colour expected from that flavor?” Next it’s time to taste!
Continuing to think up new ideas, try out new flavors and test samples from so many kinds of ice cream each day keeps Harrison busy but happy – working at one cool job.
【小题1】What is John Harrison’s job?

Your peers are people your age or close to it. Besides close friends, your peers include other children you know who are the same age------like people in your grade, sports team, or neighborhood. Peers may have a positive influence on each other and play important roles in each other’s lives:
Positive examples
Peers set plenty of good examples for each other. Having peers who do well in school or do their best in a sport can influence you to work hard to realize your dream, too. Peers who are kind and helpful can influence you to build these qualities in yourself. Even peers you’ve never met can be role models(模范). For example, watching someone your age compete in the Olympics or give a piano concert might inspire you to go after a dream of your own.
Feedback(反馈) and advice
Your peers listen and give you feedback as you try out new ideas. They can help you make decisions, too: what courses to take, whether to get your hair cut or let it grow, or how to solve a problem. Peers often give each other good advice. Your peers will be quick to tell you when they think you’re making a mistake or doing something dangerous.
Socializing（交际）
Being with your peers----such as classmates or teammates----gives you a chance to learn how to make friends and deal with disagreements with people.
New experiences
Your peers might get you involved(参与) in clubs, sports, or volunteer groups. Your world would be far less rich without peers encouraging you to try some new food for the first time, or listen to a CD you have never heard before.
【小题1】The first paragraph is mainly about     .