那些振奋人心的毕业致辞究竟保质期有多久_BEC初级作文

那些振奋人心的毕业致辞究竟保质期有多久

How times change. At this time of year, hundreds of universities and other educational institutions across America are holding their own commencement rituals. And, as in Marshall's time, these are solemn, high-stakes events. Little surprise: in modern America, commencement ceremonies have almost become akin to “coming of age” ceremonies. As an anthropologist might say, they are a liminal ritual that marks a changing social state, and thus forces people to reflect on the values they want to inculcate in the next generation.

如今时代是多么不同啊。在一年中的这个时候，美国各地的数百所大学以及其他教育机构正在举行自己的毕业典礼。和马歇尔时代一样，这些也都是都是庄严而重要的活动。意料之中的是，在当代的美国社会，毕业典礼已近乎成为一种类似“成年礼”的仪式。人类学家或许会说，毕业典礼是一种标志社会状态变化的过渡性仪式，因此也迫使人们思考他们希望传递给下一代怎样的价值观。

But if Marshall could have heard this year's crop of commencement speeches - or secular “sermons” - he might have been shocked. Never mind the fact that modern etiquette demands that today's commencement speeches are very short, usually lasting a mere 12-15 minutes; and ignore the fact that the speeches are now deliberately directed at students, not society as a whole. What is really striking is that the ranks of civic notables who are delivering these sermons are no longer limited to senior politicians or even judges and religious leaders.