Goodbye to all that

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WHEN you put down your pens at the end of the college entrance exam, 12 hard years of study will have come to an end. Forget your studies for a while. It\\'s time to enjoy yourselves!

There are many ways to celebrate this special month of graduation. You can have photos taken with your classmates and teachers, or dine out together and exchange gifts.

High school students in Western countries such as the United States and Canada usually have a prom (舞会，short for \"promenade\") to mark their graduation. It\\'s to mark the time kids turn into young men and women. After the prom, teenagers either go to college or find a job. It means they are no longer as dependent (依赖的) on their parents as they were before.

At the prom, boys usually dress in dinner jackets and bow ties, though many different types of formal (正式的) clothes are worn. Traditionally, girls give boys matching boutonnieres (a small collection of flowers they pin to their jackets). Girls traditionally wear formal dresses, or dress to shock or be noticed, in shiny or brightly colored materials.

Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning (加冠) of a prom king and queen, and just talking to friends. In some cases, high school students collect funds for their class prom through the four years of their high school.

High schools in or near large cities may rent ballrooms at expensive hotels or, to be unusual, on a pleasure cruise boat (游船).

But often costs are cut by simply using the school gym. Students make a lot of effort to decorate (装饰) the gym to make the event special. The music played at the prom will be the most popular kinds, like rock and hip-hop.

The students elect (选举) the Prom Queen. She is partnered with a Prom King who is elected similarly. These are great honors that the pair take very seriously. The two dance with each other to celebrate their election.

Sometimes teachers and parents also go to the prom. But others like to go with friends, to whom they are soon going to be saying goodbye.

If you like the idea of a prom, why don\\'t you and your classmates organize one for your graduation?