人生新階段：祝福和挑戰

In ancient China， girls came of age at 15. They would have a hair-pinning ceremony（笄禮）to mark it. On that day， They would wash and comb（梳）their hair and put a pin in it.

在中國古代，女孩15歲就成年了。她們將舉行一個笄禮來作紀念。那一天，女孩們會洗頭、梳頭，并在頭發上插笄。

The coming of age ceremony for boys took place at the age of 20. Its called the capping ceremony （冠禮）. They covered their hair with a hat to show that they are adults （成人）.

男孩的成年儀式是在20歲時舉行，叫做冠禮。男孩們會在頭發上蓋上一頂帽子，以表明他們是成年人。

Now in China， a person aged 18 or over is an adult. Legally （法律上）， they are fully responsible （負責的） for themselves.

如今在中國，18歲或18歲以上的是成年人。在法律上，成年人要對自己負全部責任。

Becoming an adult is an important stage in anyones life. It means that youre not a child anymore. You have to start to act like a grown-up. You need to make decisions and take care of problems on your own. But you also have a bigger say （發言權） about your life.

成為成年人是每個人生活中的一個重要階段，這意味著你不再是個孩子了。你得表現得像一個成年人。你需要自己做決定和處理問題，但你對自己的生活也有了更大的發言權。

Because of its importance， almost every culture in the world has a coming-of-age ceremony. It introduces young boys and girls to a new stage of life. Here are some of these ceremonies. Lets take a look.

由于成人禮的重要性，世界上幾乎每一種文化都有一個成年儀式。成人禮的舉行標志著年輕的男孩和女孩進入了一個新的生活階段。下面是一些國家的成人儀式，我們一起來看一看。

美國

In the United States， turning 16 is a big event. Most teenagers get their drivers license （駕照） at 16. Some parents may buy a second-hand car for them as a gift.

在美國，走進16歲是一件大事。大多數青少年在16歲時就獲得駕照了。一些父母都會買一輛二手車作為禮物送給孩子。

Girls have“sweet 16”parties for their 16th birthday. These parties let them celebrate their coming of age. They will dress in beautiful gowns （禮服） and have a special dance with their father.

女孩們16歲生日有“甜蜜16”的聚會。聚會是她們用來慶祝自己成年的。在聚會上女孩們將穿著漂亮的禮服，并與父親有一個特殊的舞蹈。

德國

The coming-of-age ceremony in Germany is called Jugendfeier-“youth celebration”. During this ceremony， a teacher gives a speech to young people. The speech is about values （價值觀） such as respecting others and taking on new responsibilities （責任）. After all， part of growing up means having to take care of yourself.

在德國舉行的成年典禮被稱為“青年慶典”（Jugendfeier）。在這個儀式上，一位老師向年輕人發表演講。演講內容是關于價值觀的，比如尊重他人和承擔新的責任。畢竟，成長的一部分意味著必須照顧好自己。

拉丁美洲

In most Latin American countries， there is a ceremony for girls when they turn 15. Its called quinceanera. During this ceremony， the girl gives candles to the 15 most important women in her life. The candles stand for her past. She gets ready to leave the past behind as she becomes a woman.

在大多數拉丁美洲國家，女孩15歲時有一個儀式叫“quinceanera”。在這個儀式上，女孩給在她生命中最重要的15個女人送蠟燭。蠟燭代表著她的過去。當她成人時，她就準備把過去拋在身后了。

Age mattera

Adulthood is more than just a number. But there are some things that you can only do once you reach a certain age. Here are some examples.

成年不僅僅是一個數字。但有些事情只有在你到了一定年齡時才能做，請看右圖。