佚名/Anonymous
Why do we, as teenagers, feel so compelled to give in to what others believe or do? The answer is simple—peer pressure—but the solution isn't quite as easy. Everyone knows what peer pressure is by now and that morally we shouldn't give in to it. Yet, there are still kids getting drunk and doing drugs, merely because they want to fit in. Fit in with the "popular" people, who don't know when to quit. More often than not, they are the ones who end up in drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers. Is this what is considered popular now? I hope with all my heart that these aren't the standards we use today.
Sure, in the past few years, a high percentage of teens have smartened up and gotten their lives on the right track before it was too late. But I also hear friends talk about "getting trashed" and I feel pity for them because they don't notice how much of their life they're wasting. These activities are said to be a part of growing up, but I want to be sure I get a chance to grow up.
It has to be by far the most uncomfortable situation when we're asked to choose between what's "right" and what's "in". No one wants to make the decision, but the easier of the two is to give in to peer pressure and be like everyone else. Adults say we're educated about this, but, unfortunately, knowing the facts isn't enough. The whole problem is a lack of self-assurance. We need to have the feeling that the only person we have to please is ourselves. It takes someone with an incredible amount of courage and self-confidence to defy the accepted answer. Once we have trust and faith in ourselves, overcoming peer pressure will come naturally.
This new outlook won't be easy to achieve, or easy for others to deal with, but in order to beat the odds and avoid becoming just another statistic, it must be accomplished. Our actions should reflect our moral values if we want to fulfill our expectations and dreams. I hope that with time everyone will be able to say they live according entirely to what they believe. Not many people can truthfully say they do.
作為青少年，我們為什麽會感到被別人逼迫，非要依照別人的想法或做法？回答很簡單——同齡人的壓力——但是解決辦法卻不容易。現在，每個人都知道同齡人的壓力，從道德上講，我們不該對它讓步。然而，仍然有許多孩子酗酒、吸毒，僅僅是因為他們想要適應，適應“流行”的人，不知道何時該放棄的人。通常，他們最終會被送到戒毒和酒精康複中心。這就是大家所尊崇的流行嗎？我真心希望這不是我們今天所使用的生活標準。
當然，在過去的幾年中，大部分年輕人都非常瀟灑，要及時把他們拉回正軌。但是我也聽朋友們討論過“變成廢物的人”，我為他們感到很惋惜，因為他們沒有注意到他們是怎樣浪費生命的。這些行為都被稱為是成長的一部分，但是我想確定我有一個成長的機會。
到目前為止，當我們被問及在“正確”與“時髦”間做選擇時，是最不安的情況了。沒有人想要做出選擇，但是比較容易的是我對同齡人的壓力的屈從，就像其他人一樣。成年人說，我們在這方麵受過教育。但是，不幸的是，知道事實還遠遠不夠。全部的問題在於自信心的缺乏。我們需要有一種我們僅僅需要自己高興的感覺，一些人帶著難以置信的勇氣和信心來反抗已被接受的答案。一旦我們相信自己，就會很自然地戰勝同齡人的壓力了。
這種新觀點並不容易實現，或是對於他人不容易處理，但是為了戰勝困難，避免成為另一個例子，就一定要成功。如果我們想要實現期望和夢想，我們的行為就應該反映我們的道德觀。我希望，隨著時間的流逝，每個人都能說他們完全在按照自己的想法生活。很少有人能真誠地說自己做到了。
If winter comes, can spring be far behind?
—Shelley
冬天來了，春天還會遠嗎？
——雪萊
morally[?m?r?li]adv.道德上；德性上；有道德地
The club feels that it has done nothing morally wrong.
俱樂部認為自己沒做任何不道德的事情。
rehabilitation[?ri:??bili?tei??n]n.複原平反；再教育
After a month in rehabilitation, Bob the tortoise is home again.
一個月的修養之後，海龜鮑勃又回到了家中。
incredible[in?kred?bl]adj.難以置信的
I think it's incredible.
我認為這是難以置信的。
statistic[st??tistik]n.統計數值
The statistics were given in parenthesis.
統計數字在括號裏。
現在，每個人都知道同齡人的壓力，從道德上講，我們不該對它讓步。
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我們需要有一種我們僅僅需要自己高興的感覺，一些人帶著難以置信的勇氣和信心來反抗已被接受的答案。
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如果我們想要實現期望和夢想，我們的行為就應該反映我們的道德觀。
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Sure, in the past few years, a high percentage of teens have smartened up and gotten their lives on the right track before it was too late.
smarten up：（使）變得漂亮（或整潔、時髦等）
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I hope that with time everyone will be able to say they live according entirely to what they believe.
according to：按照；根據
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