Graduations
毕业典礼

High school and college graduations are taken very seriously in some communities of America. A high school graduation is a good reason for the parents to give their child a party. Invitations or announcements may be sent for either high school or college graduations. One sends these only to close personal friends and relatives. Many educational institutions have nice ones already printed or engraved, which they distribute to the students in a limited number. The student has only to fill in his or her name or enclose a visiting card and mail them. The recipient is not obliged to send a gift to the graduate. However, if he is particularly close to the person or his family, he probably will. One will give the college-bound high school graduate something useful to take to college, for instance, a dictionary or a clock-radio. Students will send thank-you notes promptly for these gifts.
在美国的一些地方，中学毕业典礼和大学毕业典礼都非常隆重。中学毕业是父母为孩子举行庆祝会的一个很充分的理由。中学毕业和大学毕业典礼都可事先发出请帖或通知，但仅仅邀请亲朋好友。许多教育机构都有印刷好的或印有图案的请帖，分发到学生手里，但数量一般有限。学生只要填上自己的姓名或附上一张名片就可以寄出去了。收到请帖的人不一定要赠送礼物，但倘若与该学生或其家庭关系特别亲密，他可能会这样做。比如，可以给即将上大学的中学毕业生送上一件上大学时会用到的东西，比如字典或闹钟收音机。收到礼物后，学生会马上写信致谢。

College graduations are often held the same weekend as Alumni Day. Since the campus is so crowded, the student will reserve rooms for his family well ahead of time. Graduation weekend is a signal for a very full schedule of activities on many campuses; family visitors should therefore ask exactly what the schedule will be, so they can properly pack for anything from a dance requiring evening clothes to a father-daughter tennis tournament or a baseball game.
大学毕业典礼通常是在毕业生节那周的周末举行。由于校园里人满为患，学生们总是早早地为家人预订好房间。在许多校园里，毕业周末意味着日程安排得满满的众多活动。因此，来访者应仔细询问日程安排，这样他们就可带好所需的一切，从参加舞会需要的晚礼服，到参加父女网球赛或棒球赛的必需品。