by Jennifer Craft
It is April in the United States ,the time of year whenmost of our public schools (k-12)h ave their Spring Breaks （注：Spring Breaks 春假）. Spring Break is a week's vacationduring
the second semester（注：semester
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n.（主美）学期）15～18星期））of each school year.Studentslook forward to it as it is seen a s a time of fun, a timefor hanging out （注：hang out［俚］闲荡）with your friendsor tak ing a road trip.This is especially true for those whosetime in school is nearing an end ,that i s ,the seniors. AfterSpring Break,they will only have a month and a half or so ofclasses left
before they finish this level of education andmove onto the rest of their lives, be it colle ge or family orcareer.This is an exciting and bittersweet（注：bittersweet
附图{图}adj.又苦又甜的，又苦又乐的） time for these people.SpringBreak is also the beginni ng of saying good-bye to childhoodand childhood friends, though few seniors would st illconsider themselves children.
Many seniors take a road trip for their last Spring Break.This means that they hop（注：hop
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vi. ［口］跳上（汽车）， 得到（搭乘）） in a car withsome friends and driver somewh ere, often somewhere warm ifthey live in the north where it's been cold and snowy forsome m onths.Florida is a popular destination（注：destination
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n.目标，目的（地））. During this time,they will hang outwith their friends, go to parties ,and meet new people.It's aperiod of relaxation（注：relaxation
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n. 放松， 松驰） before the final push to finish their basic education. Then again, fo r some seniors,it marks theserious onset（注：onset
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n.开始）of something that teachers call "senioritis ."Thisis not a real disease（注：disease
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n. 疾病）, but it is a word that describes（注：describe[dis｀kraib]vt.描写，描述） a group
of problems seen in many seniors in their last days in school. The main issue isa lack
of desire to do anything other than have fun.Schoolwork becomes less and less importan t.After Spring Break, there are a couple of other activities that occur forseniors only.A t the high school I attended, we had a seniorbreakfast. This was a gathering of all the seniors in theschool for a breakfast. Some teachers came,too.At this event,we gave out awards on which the senior class had voted.These awards included "Best Smile "and "Most Likely to S ucceed,"among others.Each school has its own set of special awards.Another event for seniors
only is called "Senior Skip Day." In some schools, this is an official event, one which t heschool administration OKs.In others,it is not .This is a daywhen all the seniors skip（注： skip[skip]n.［口］ 有意缺席）school . " To skip school" means not to come to school , to be abse nt. I think it is fairly obvious why some schooladministrations might not OK this activ ity. There is anotheractivity that,in some schools, is for seniors only, but inothers it may be for seniors and juniors or for all students.This is called Prom（注：prom
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n.［美］班级舞会）.It is a formal dance generally preceded（注：precede
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vt.先于）by a dinner. The dinner may be held directlyin conjunction with（注：in conju nction with 连同）the danceso that all the people attending the dance eat together in ahall,o r often,the couples go to dinner at a restaurant oftheir choice before the dance.The you ng men who attend promusually rent a tuxedo（注：tuxedo
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n.［美］（男子的）无尾礼服）for the event.The young womenbuy or rent a formal or semi-
formal dress.It's a magicalevening of dinner, dancing ,music,and friendship,and one morestep o n the path of good-bye.The last event for seniors onlyis graduation. Most schools seem to try to hold this eventoutside, usually at the football stadium. Depending on theschool, this
may happen early or late in June,so the weatheris often quite nice. If it rains,though,i t must be heldinside, usually in the high school gymnasium（注：gymnasium
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n.体操馆，体育馆）or theater .When the audience of family members, teachers,and friends is all seated,the seniors marchin to the sound of the high school band playing "Pomp andCircum stance" in their caps and gowns.They sit and listen tospeeches from the principal of t he school and the superintendent （注：superintendent
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n. 监管人）of the school system. The valedictorian（注：valedictorian
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n] n. ［美］致告别辞的毕业生代表）and salutatorian（注：salutatorian
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n. ［美］致开幕词的学生） and class president also give speeches. Then, as the name of
each senior is called, theywalk across the stage and receive their diploma. It's a proud
moment. After the graduation ceremony,there is often a party for seniors only,too.
During the month of June and sometimes into July, collegeopen-houses（注：open-house n. ［ 美］（学校等的）接待日）willbe held.Families who have a graduating senior will have a bigparty so that friends and family can gather to congratulatethe senior and give him or her presents to get started on thenext phase（注：phase[feiz]n.阶段，时期）of life.Then at theend of the s ummer,it's off to college or career or family, theculmination（注：culmination
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n.完成， 结果）of a long good-bye.
现在正值4月，是美国大部分公立学校放春假的时候。 春假有一个星期，安排在每个学年的第二学期。学 生们都向往春假，这对他们意味着快乐，意味着可以和朋友一起出去玩或去旅行。这对要告别学生时代的高中 毕业班学生来说尤其是如此。春假之后，只剩下一个半月左右的上课时间。此后他们这一阶段的教育便告结束 ，然后他们将踏上人生之旅的下一段行程——或上大学，或成家，或就业。所以，对这部分人来说，这是一段 令人激动、既甜蜜又苦涩的日子。春假也是开始告别童年和童年朋友的时候，尽管极少高中毕业班学生仍把自 己看成是孩子。