One of the most powerful social desires expressed by teenagers is to be thought of as cool and popular by their peers(同龄人), which is quite natural.

Often, the terms “cool” and “popular” get used interchangeably as if they were just different labels for the same perception. On closer examination, however, it becomes clear that they are quite different and have a fairly complicated relationship with each other.

Let’s start by examining what popularity is all about. At first glance, popularity is easy to define and recognize: A popular person is an individual who is well-known, well-liked, and admired by others. However, the sources of the social power possessed by popular people can be quite different. Specifically, sociometric popularity (SP) primarily reflects “like ability” and it is linked with qualities such as being kind and trustworthy. However, peer-perceived popularity (PP) is based upon a judgment of how popular others think that person is among his or her peers. It reflects what we might call “status” and is often related with less desirable qualities such as being dominant, aggressive, or “stuck-up”.

So, popularity is a more complicated concept than it may seem. As complicated as popularity is, coolness is even more so.

Coolness is a broader category than popularity. One can be cool by having cool stuff, by doing cool stuff, or by just plain “being cool”. It is a combination of self presentation, fashion, and attitude. It’s push back against norms and authority that may label itself as not caring about traditional routes to success such as academic achievement and being “too cool for school”.

Hence, coolness and popularity represent two completely independent terms. The pursuit of being cool and popular will probably always be part of the human experience, especially among young people. In and of itself, this is neither good nor bad. But it may be useful to be aware of the differences in these qualities and be clear about exactly what it is that we are pursuing.

【小题1】What is a common understanding of coolness and popularity?

A．They contradict each other.	B．They share a complex connection.
C．They are simply the same concept.	D．They can only be owned by the young.

【小题2】Why does the author mention SP and PP in paragraph 3?

A．To make a proposal.	B．To illustrate a concept.
C．To classify popularity.	D．To list typical qualities.

【小题3】Which can be regarded as being cool?

A．Following suit.	B．Prioritizing others.
C．Observing traditions.	D．Challenging authority.

【小题4】What does the author think of the pursuit of coolness and popularity?

A．It’s unblamable.	B．It’s rewarding.
C．It’s undesirable.	D．It’s shameful.