《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit78:高中生舞会:成年仪式

　　Unit 78
The Senior Prom -- Adulthood¹ Ceremony
As the school year winds down, many senior students of school across the nation will not just be starting another summer of holidays to provide a break during semesters. Many will be leaving their safe havens² of senior public school and taking their first step into the world of adulthood, attending fast-paced, crowded universities, taking up part-time or full-time³ employment. Many may even move from family homes in their pursuit of educational fulfillment or the "perfect" job opportunity. Many young people are preparing to move on to new lives in the world, with new responsibilities, new environments, new peers and new dreams.
One ritual that has become part of coming of age has been the senior prom. Just before the graduation ceremonies of many high schools, or following closely behind graduation events, the senior prom is an opportunity for youth to celebrate the entrance into the world of adulthood with color and formality. However, there is far more behind the social event than ever noticed.
What is formal? Formal means to present one's self to others in a way which is "with form", with shape, polite, inoffensive and dignified⁴. We see the example of a formal letter, it uses proper grammar and sentence structure in order to be respectful, while at the same time serving a purpose or getting an important message across.
In our society, what is formal? Very little. On average, clothing, language, behavior -- all is very informal. Individuals who are formal (polite, inoffensive, organized) in their daily dealings with people are often looked upon as boring. Yet in certain situations, individuals play with the concept of formality not truly to achieve respectfulness and order but because it becomes fashionable to do so. While a prom may seem, on the surface, like a fun opportunity to behave formally, it is actually a flowery version of Halloween.
On the occasion of the spring prom, we see flowering youth taking on the formalities of "adult". Fine dress (most of the students who attend the senior prom rent expensive tuxedoes) or purchase high quality suits or gowns for the occasion), careful makeup⁵ (spending hours in front of a mirror or at a hair salon⁶ in order to look just right), fancy toys (limousines line the streets outside of dance halls on the night of the prom) all become part of being an adult. In many ways, adults in society should examine their own behavior for wrongly displaying these types of objects as being "adult" to younger people.
In our society we have a wrong idea of what adulthood actually is. It has always been my understanding that adulthood and maturity⁷ are not based upon one's ability to hold a cigarette in a certain way or tie a bow tie. Adulthood comes with understanding of one's place in the universe; it comes with the knowledge of how to interact with our fellow human beings; it comes with the ability to take responsibility for one's own actions -- whether good or bad.

1 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。

2 havens   

n.港口，安全地方( haven的名词复数 )v.港口，安全地方( haven的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Your twenty havens would back out at the last minute anyhow. 你那二十个避难所到了最后一分钟也要不认帐。 来自辞典例句
• Using offshore havens to avoid taxes and investor protections. 使用海面的港口避免税和投资者保护。 来自互联网

3 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

4 dignified   

a.可敬的，高贵的

参考例句：

• Throughout his trial he maintained a dignified silence. 在整个审讯过程中，他始终沉默以保持尊严。
• He always strikes such a dignified pose before his girlfriend. 他总是在女友面前摆出这种庄严的姿态。

5 makeup   

n.组织；性格；化装品

参考例句：

• Those who failed the exam take a makeup exam.这次考试不及格的人必须参加补考。
• Do you think her beauty could makeup for her stupidity?你认为她的美丽能弥补她的愚蠢吗？

6 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

7 maturity   

n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期

参考例句：

• These plants ought to reach maturity after five years.这些植物五年后就该长成了。
• This is the period at which the body attains maturity.这是身体发育成熟的时期。