在系列电影《暮光》里，好多主要的情节似乎都与prom有关。其他不少青春美剧里也时常会出现大家穿着正装参加prom的情节。这个prom到底是什么样的一个活动呢？

　　In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal (black tie) dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. High school juniors attending the prom may call it Junior Prom while high school seniors may call it Senior Prom. In practice this may be a combined junior/senior dance.

　　在美国和加拿大，prom（promenade的简写形式）指为中学生举办的正式舞会或聚会，通常在高中学年即将结束时举行，（所以很多地方都译作“毕业舞会”）。有初中生参加的叫Junior Prom，高中生的则叫Senior Prom。不过在具体组织的时候，这种舞会通常既有初中生也有高中生。

　　At prom, a Prom Queen and Prom King may be revealed. These are honorary titles awarded to students chosen in a school-wide vote prior to the prom, and are usually given to seniors. Juniors may also be honored, but would be called "Prom Prince" or "Prom Princess".

　　在毕业舞会上，还会揭晓Prom Queen（舞会王后）和Prom King（舞会之王）的获选者。这两个荣誉称号的获得者是在毕业舞会之前在全校范围内投票选出的，获选者多是高中学生。初中学生也有获选的机会，不过称号会改为Prom Prince（舞会王子）或Prom Princess（舞会公主）。

　　The British synonym for the North American event would be Leavers' Ball, Leavers' Dinner, Formal or, informally, Leavers' Do.

　　在英国英语(论坛)中，一般会用Leavers' Ball、Leavers' Dinner、Formal或者更口语化的Leavers' Do来表示prom，即“毕业舞会”。