30、I knocked into a man as he passed by．“Oh，excuse me，please．”I said．He replied，“Please excuse me．too．I didn’t notice where I was going．”

Later that day，while I was cooking，my son stood behind me quietly．When I turned around，I nearly knocked him down．“Move out of the way．”I shouted．He walked away with his little heart broken，

That night while I was lying in bed．a voice came to me，“When saying to that man，you used good manners．But to the child you love，you seemed to act in a bad way．Look at the kitchen floor，and you’ll find some flowers there by the door．Those are the flowers your son brought for you．He picked them himself．He stood quietly to give you a surprise，and you never saw the tears（眼泪）in his eyes．”   

By this time，tears began to run down my face．I took the flowers and went to his bed．I asked him，“Are these the flowers you picked for me?”

He smiled．“I found them by the tree．I picked them because they’re pretty like you．I know you’d like them．”

“Son．I’m sorry for the way I acted today．I shouldn’t have shouted at you that way．”

“Oh，Morn。that’s OK．I love you anyway．”

“Son，I love you too．And I do like the flowers．”

If we die tomorrow．the family we leave behind will feel sad for the rest of their life．Why don’t we spend more time with your family．and why aren’t we nice to them?

1．Why did the boy stand quietly behind his mother?

2．Did the writer knock her son down?

3．How did the little boy feel when his mother shouted at him?

4．What did the writer do when she knew the truth?

24、American and British people both speak English, but sometimes it doesn’t seem like the same language.

First of all, they sound very different. Often, Americans don’t say all the letters in each word, especially consonants （辅音） like “t” and “d.” For example, Americans may say “I dun no” instead of “I don’t know”. However, the British usually pronounce their consonants more carefully.

Also, some letters have different sounds. For example, Americans say the “a” in “half” like the “a” in “cat,” but the British say the “a” in “half” like the “a” in “ash.”

Sound is not the only difference between British English and American English. The two languages have different words for some things. For example, the words for clothing are different. Americans use the word “sweater,” but the British say “jumper.”

Many other words and expressions are different in the two countries. In England, if you are going to telephone a friend, you “ring her up.” In America, you “give her a call.” The British use the word “lovely” to describe something they like. Americans use the word “cool” or “great”.

There are also some differences in grammar. For example, Americans almost always use the helping verb “do” with the verb “have.” They might say “Do you have an extra pen?” The British often ask the question in a different way. They might say “Have you got an extra pen?”

These differences can be confusing（令人混淆的） if you are learning English. But there is a reason for the differences. Languages change over time. When the same language is used in different places, it changes differently in each place. This is what happened to English. It also happened to other languages, such as French. Many people in Canada speak French, but their French is different from the French spoken in France.

1．Do Americans say all the letters in each word?

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2．Who use the word “sweater”, Americans or the British?

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3．Is French the same in Canada and France?

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4．Why are there some differences in the same language?

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5．What is the main idea of the passage?

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22、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?