Read the passage and fill in the blank a suitable word.

PEER PRESSURE

One of the strongest influences on children today (1) ______ that of their peers. What their classmates think, how they dress and how they act in class and out of it (2) ________ the behavior of nearly every child at school. In their efforts not to be different, some children go so far as to hide their intelligence and ability in case they are made ( 3)_________ of. Generally, children do not want to stand (4) _______ from the crowd. They want to fit in, to be accepted. In psychological terms, the importance of (5)_________ pressure cannot be over emphasized. There is a lot of evidence that it has great bearing on all aspects of children's lives, (6) ________ the clothes they wear, the music they listen to and their attitude to study to their ambitions in life, their relationships and their sense. (7) _________, as children grow up into adolescents, individuality becomes more acceptable, desirable even, and in their search for their (8) _______ personal style, the teenager and young adult will begin to experiment and be more willing to run the (9) _______ of rejection by the group. Concern about intellectual prowess and achieving good exam results can dominate as the atmosphere of competition develops and worries (10) ______ the future override any fears of appearing too brainy.

One of the strongest influences on children today (1) ______ that of their peers.