2008年ESL之日常生活 10 A Graduation Ceremony

10 A Graduation Ceremony

GLOSSARY

Pomp and Circumstance – a song played at graduation ceremonies; thegraduation song* “Pomp and Circumstance” played while the graduates entered the gym andtook their seats.

graduates – students who are receiving a degree; students who have finishedtheir studies and who have earned a degree* The graduates threw their caps up in the air when the graduation ceremony was over.

to file in – to enter a place in a single row; to enter a place with one personwalking behind the other, looking in the same direction* The students filed into the lunchroom one by one.

cap and gown – typical clothing worn at graduation ceremonies that consists ofa hat with a flat top and a thin coat with wide sleeves; the attire all students in agraduating class must wear * Since the school’s colors were orange and black, the graduating seniors had towear black gowns and orange caps at the graduation.

dean – the head of a school; the director of a certain division of studies at acollege or university* The Dean of Fine arts is in charge of the art, theatre, and music departments.

commencement speaker – the important guest who gives the speech at agraduation ceremony; a well-known person who delivers a speech to students during the graduation ceremony* The former mayor of New York City was the commencement speaker at this year’s graduation.

valedictorian – the student with the highest grade point average in his or herclass who gives a speech at the graduation ceremony; the highest rankingacademic student in a graduating class* Because I received “A’s” in all my classes in high school, I was thevaledictorian.

cum laude – graduating with honors; a special award given to students whograduate with grades above the average* Jamie is graduating cum laude because of his excellent academic record.

honors – reward for what students achieved during their time as a student;special recognition for a student who received excellent grades * Because he spent so much time studying in college, he is graduating withhonors.

dignified – honorable; respectful; having a feeling or image of respect andseriousness* We all have to behave in a dignified manner when your mother’s boss comes over to our house for dinner.

shenanigans – secret or dishonest actions; a trick; a prank; a playful act* You kids better stop your shenanigans in the swimming pool before somebody gets hurt.

rowdy – wild; out of control; loud and noisy * The crowd got rowdy when the two hockey players began to fight.

offensive – insulting; angering; annoying* As a lawyer, do you find this cartoon about a dishonest lawyer offensive?

diploma – a certificate which shows that a student has completed a level ofschooling; a document a student receives when he or she has finished highschool or college * She hung her medical school diploma on her office wall so that her patients could see it.

beach ball – a ball of many colors filled with air which floats on water; a ball filledwith air used by children for games at a beach or a swimming pool* The kids threw the beach ball into the water and then swam to it as it floatedaway.

tassel – a bundle of loose threads that hangs down from a graduation cap; anornament made of strings that is connected to the top of a graduation cap* The tassel was half red and half white to match the school’s colors.

shame on them – a phrase used to show one’s displeasure at the actions ofothers who have done something one does not like* Shame on them for throwing eggs at their teacher’s house.  They know betterthan that.

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS1.  What shenanigans are the students performing at the graduation?

a)  They are blowing whistles.

b)  They are throwing a beach ball around.

c)  They are standing on top of their seats.

2.  How does Rafael think April feels about her daughter being valedictorian? a)  She must be proud of her daughter.

b)  She must be upset with her daughter.

c)  She must be ashamed of her daughter.

______________WHAT ELSE DOES IT MEAN?

to file inThe expression “to file in,” in this podcast, means to enter a place in single filerows or to enter a place in one long line: “All of the customers filed into the movietheatre.”  The expression “to file in” can also mean to put in or to store in, usually papers or other office-related items: “She filed all of her bills in a desk drawer.” “To file” means to arrange in order, often according to size or the alphabet (fromA to Z): “The banker filed the checks from the highest amount check to the lowestamount check.”  Finally, “a file” is a small tool used to make fingernails shorter:

“Her fingernails were getting long so she used her file to shorten them.”

honors In this podcast, the word “honors” means special recognition for a student whoreceived excellent grades in a subject or a reward for what a student has achieved during their time as a student: “You must be very proud that both ofyour daughters graduated with high honors.”  “Honors” can also be used todescribe an advanced class that only excellent students are allowed to take:

“She was invited to sign up for honors math because of her superior test scores.” The word “honor” means honesty or integrity: “He is a true man of honor and wecan trust him to make important decisions affecting all of us.”  Finally, “honor” is atitle of respect for judges used when speaking directly to the judge: “Your honor,may I make a statement to the court?”

CULTURE NOTEGraduation from high school is one of the most important days in a teenager’s lifein the United States.  When “seniors” (students in their fourth and final year ofhigh school) graduate, many parents will have a party for them.  Parents and thegraduates invite family, friends, and teachers.  The parents of the student usually “serve” (offer; give) food, drinks, and cake.

The family, friends, and teachers who attend the party bring the student a gift thatwill help the student in the future.  Most students receive money as a gift, butother gifts are intended to help the student as he or she “strikes out on their own”

(become independent).  Some students get jobs and move out of their parents home, while others prepare to go to college, often in another city or state.  Forthese students, gifts can include such things as computers, televisions,microwaves, dishes, bedding, or “mini-refrigerators“ (a refrigerator about onequarter the size of a regular refrigerator and will fit in a small space). After graduating, many students will take a graduation trip.  Students plan thegraduation trip with their friends from their “graduating class“ (students graduating together in the same year).  Students like to go to places that arewarm such as California and Florida. Since the legal drinking age in the U.S. is 21 in most states and most high schoolgraduates are around 18 years old, some students like to travel to othercountries, such as Mexico, where the minimum “drinking age” (age at which it is legal to drink alcohol) is 18 or there is no drinking age “restrictions” (limitations) atall.  In these countries, graduates can “legally” (allowed by law) be servedalcohol.

______________Comprehension Questions Correct Answers:  1 – b; 2 – a

COMPLETE TRANSCRIPTWelcome to English as a Second Language Podcast number 374: A GraduationCeremony.

This is English as a Second Language Podcast episode 374.  I’m your host, Dr.

Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development inbeautiful Los Angeles, California.

You can visit our website at eslpod.com to download a Learning Guide for this episode.  The Learning Guide is an 8 to 10 page guide that gives you all of thevocabulary, definitions, new sample sentences using all of the vocabulary we goover here on the podcast, comprehension questions, additional explanations ofvocabulary, cultural notes, and a complete transcript of this episode.

This episode is called “A Graduation Ceremony.”  It’s a dialogue between Rafaeland April talking about a typical American graduation from a high school orcollege.  Let’s get started.

[start of dialogue]

Rafael:  They’re playing Pomp and Circumstance and the graduates are filing in. Do you see your daughter?  I don’t see my son.

April:  No, we’re too far from the field and everybody is wearing a cap and gown. It’s hard to see who’s who. Rafael:  Oh, there’s the dean and I think that’s the commencement speakerbehind her.  You must be really proud of your daughter.  I know I would be if my son were valedictorian.

April:  I’m very proud of her, but your son is graduating cum laude, with honors. Those are great accomplishments.

Rafael:  It’s a proud day for both of us.  I just hope that the graduates will keepthis a dignified ceremony.  I don’t want to see any shenanigans.

April:  What do you mean? Rafael:  Last year when my other son graduated, a group of rowdy students started singing an offensive song as the graduates went up to get their diplomas.  

April:  Hey, what’s that over there? Rafael:  Where?  Oh, that’s a beach ball!  How dare they throw a beach ballaround while the dean is speaking!

April:  Don’t look now.  Those students are doing something strange with theirtassels.

Rafael:  Shame on them!  Shame on every one of them!

[end of dialogue]

Rafael begins our dialogue by saying, “They’re playing Pomp and Circumstanceand the graduates are filing in.”  Rafael and April are actually at a graduationceremony.  “Graduation” comes from the verb “to graduate,” which means toreceive your degree or receive your certificate at the end of studying at a collegeor a high school or any other school.  The noun is “graduate,” and that would bethe person who is graduating, so when Rafael refers to the “graduates,” he’s talking about the students, the boys and girls or men and women, who aregraduating.  “Pomp and Circumstance” is a traditional song that is played atAmerican graduation ceremonies.  It was composed by the British composerEdward Elgar in the late 19th, early 20thcenturies.  “Pomp” (pomp) refers to apublic ceremony, often a very beautiful or grand ceremony, and that’s what agraduation ceremony is, at least for the people who are graduating.  “To file in”

means to enter a place, usually in a single row; that is, one person after theother, looking in the same direction, walking in the same direction in a line.  The“circumstances,” here, are that the graduates are filing in; they are walking intothe auditorium or stadium, wherever the graduation ceremony is being held.

Rafael says to April, “Do you see your daughter?  I don’t see my son.”  Aprilsays, “No, we’re too far from the field and everybody is wearing a cap and gown.” Graduation ceremonies are often held in sports stadiums, so the graduates areactually down on the field where, for example, the soccer and football players might normally play.  You need a big place to hold all of the graduates and theirfamilies, who want to go to this ceremony.  Graduation ceremonies are very important to most families in the United States, both high school and, to a lesserextent, college.  A “cap and gown” is the traditional clothing that is worn at agraduation ceremony.  The cap goes on your head; the gown is like a long dress that you wear.  The colors of the cap and gown often depend on the school. Most cap and gowns are black, but sometimes they are different colors torepresent the school colors.

April says, “It’s hard to see who’s who.”  It’s hard to tell who is who on the field. Rafael says, “Oh, there’s the dean and I think that’s the commencement speakerbehind her.”  The “dean” is, in this case, the head of the school – the director ofthe school.  Sometimes the dean is just the director of a certain division withinthe school.  So, the University of Southern California has a school of education, ithas a school of medicine, it has a school of law, and each of those schools has their own dean – their own leader.  “Commencement” is another word forgraduation.  It means to begin, and in this case, the graduates are beginning theirnew life after school.  It’s traditional in many schools to have one famous or wellknown person – sometimes a graduate of the school from many years ago,sometimes not – who “addresses,” or who gives a speech to everyone. Presidents, senators, actors and actresses, other famous people are often invitedby the university or school to come and give the commencement address – thecommencement speech, and that person would be the commencement speaker.

Rafael says, “You must be really proud of your daughter.  I know I would be if my son were valedictorian.”  April’s son is – or rather her daughter is valedictorian. The “valedictorian” is the person – the student – who has the highest gradeaverage, what we would call their “grade point average,” or “GPA.”  Often, thevaledictorian gives a speech at the graduation ceremony.  So, it’s the highestachieving student in a graduating class.  The second highest is called the“salutatorian,” but the valedictorian is the very best student.  I was never thevaledictorian of any of my graduating classes!

April says, “I’m very proud of her (of her daughter), but your son is graduatingcum laude, with honors.”  “Cum laude” is a Latin expression which means,literally, with praise or with honor.  To graduate cum laude means that you wereone of the best students.  In many universities, there are three levels of honors. Cum laude is the lowest level, magna cum laude is the second highest level, andthe highest level is summa cum laude; that’s someone who graduates withhighest honors.  So you have with honors, with great honors, and with highesthonors.  Some universities don’t use that system; they just say that yougraduated with honors, with distinction.  It’s a way of saying that you were one ofthe best students.  The word “honor” has a couple of different meanings; take alook at our Learning Guide for some additional explanations.

April says, “Those are great accomplishments.”  “Accomplishments” are whenyou do something that is very good; it’s a high level of achievement.  Rafaelresponds by saying, “It’s a proud day for both of us.”  They spend all their timehere complimenting each other’s child – it’s getting a little annoying!  Rafael says,“I just hope that the graduates will keep this a dignified ceremony.”  “To bedignified” means to be respectful, to be honorable, to be serious.  It’s often the case at American graduations where the students like to get, well, a little toohappy; they start to do things that are not necessarily very dignified.  Rafael says,“I don’t want to see any shenanigans.”  “Shenanigans” are tricks or jokes, oftensecret or dishonest actions.  Another word for shenanigan would be a “prank”

(prank), where somebody does something that’s supposed to be funny, often inpublic.

April says, “What do you mean?”  Rafael says, “Last year when my other songraduated, a group of rowdy students started singing an offensive song as thegraduates went up to get their diplomas.”  “Rowdy” (rowdy) means wild, out ofcontrol, very loud and noisy.  American college students are often rowdy,especially if they have been drinking!  Rafael says that last year they sang anoffensive song.  Something that is “offensive,” here, means insulting, somethingthat would make other people angry.  These students sang an offensive songwhen the graduates went up to get, or receive, their “diplomas,” or certificates that show that they have completed their schooling.  The typical ceremony has the students go up and receive a certificate from the president of the university orthe principal of the school.

April says, “Hey, what’s that over there?”  Rafael says, “Where?  Oh, that’s abeach ball!”  A “beach ball” is a large plastic ball filled with air that is often usedby children in a pool – in a swimming pool, or at the beach to play with.  Forsome reason, it’s popular at some American graduation ceremonies for thestudents to try to have fun, and so they have a beach ball that they hit up in theair like a volleyball, and it goes around the stadium.  This happens all the time. When I was a professor and I would be forced to go to the graduationceremonies of the students, this would happen very frequently. Rafael says, “How dare they throw a beach ball around when the dean is speaking!”  April says, “Don’t look now.  Those students are doing somethingstrange with their tassels.”  The expression “don’t look now” means, in fact, “look now.”  It’s usually used to indicate that something bad is about to happen or is happening.  The “students are doing something strange,” April says, “with theirtassels.”  A “tassel” (tassel) is a group or bundle of loose threads or strings thathang down from the top of your graduation cap.  Usually they’re made of acertain color that represents your school, and when you graduate the tradition is that you move them from one side of your cap to the other to indicate that youhave graduated.

Rafael says, “Shame on them!”  He’s saying to the students who are making funthat he is not happy with them.  “Shame on you” or “shame on them” is a way to show that you disapprove of – you dislike what someone else is doing.  It’s a very strong expression of disapproval.

Now let’s listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.

[start of dialogue]

Rafael:  They’re playing Pomp and Circumstance and the graduates are filing in. Do you see your daughter?  I don’t see my son.

April:  No, we’re too far from the field and everybody is wearing a cap and gown. It’s hard to see who’s who. Rafael:  Oh, there’s the dean and I think that’s the commencement speakerbehind her.  You must be really proud of your daughter.  I know I would be if my son were valedictorian.

April:  I’m very proud of her, but your son is graduating cum laude, with honors. Those are great accomplishments.

Rafael:  It’s a proud day for both of us.  I just hope that the graduates will keepthis a dignified ceremony.  I don’t want to see any shenanigans.

April:  What do you mean? Rafael:  Last year when my other son graduated, a group of rowdy students started singing an offensive song as the graduates went up to get their diplomas. April:  Hey, what’s that over there? Rafael:  Where?  Oh, that’s a beach ball!  How dare they throw a beach ballaround when the dean is speaking!

April:  Don’t look now.  Those students are doing something strange with theirtassels.

Rafael:  Shame on them!  Shame on every one of them!

[end of dialogue]

The script for this episode was written by Dr. Lucy Tse, who graduated withhonors from college!  

From Los Angeles, California, I’m Jeff McQuillan.  Thanks for listening.  We’ll seeyou next time on ESL Podcast.

English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Tse,hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan.  This podcast is copyright 2008.