#166. What events make a person an adult?
People have many different ways expressing, celebrating and legislating our passage from childhood into adulthood. I believe that there is no single moment that defines when a child becomes an adult . Becoming an adult is based on a variety of events, namely, when one's body changes, when one's mind expands, and when one accumulates experiences.
Small children are usually referred to as cherub like. They are all beautiful with rosy cheeks, bright eyes, and tender skin. As a child grows into an adolescent, they grow taller, but their frames remain quite small. Once a youth grows from an adolescent to an adult, frames develop substantially. Their shoulders broaden and they are able to form defined muscles. This physical change is the most obvious sign of a child becoming an adult.
The second modification that occurs is the expansion of one's mind. When one is an adult, they are able to comprehend much more advanced thought processes. They start to be able to think for themselves, and make decisions that are best for them. Children are not capable of making complex decisions regarding their lives or their future. They do not have a mind capable of carefully weighing all of the options and deducing the right choice.
This expansion of the mind is a result of the numerous experience a person has on his/her way to becoming an adult. As one moves through the world, they gather important information about how the world works. This information becomes one's personal database of knowledge: such a database is absolutely necessary if one is to grow past childhood. The experiences of which I speak are the happenings in our day-to-day lives. We are constantly placed in situations where we must choose one path or another. Of course, one will make mistakes along the way. These mistakes are an important learning tool, which help us become wise adults.
In conclusion, children become adults when they have sufficiently matured. Their bodies, their minds, and the number of experiences they have had must grow. Once this process is complete, they can rightfully claim to be adults.
166. 什么事标志一个人成为成年人？
人们有很多不同方式来表达、庆祝或通过法律界定我们从孩童时期到成人期的过渡。我认为没有哪个孤立的时期能被定义为一个儿童变为成年人的时间。成为一个成年人是建立在许多事件之上的，也就是：一个人的身体什么时候发生变化，他的思想什么时候发展成熟，什么时候开始积累经验。
小孩子们通常会被认为和天使一样。他们都非常美丽，有着玫瑰色的脸颊，明亮的眼睛和柔软的皮肤。当儿童成长为青少年的时候，他们会长高但是体格仍然相当单薄。当青少年成长为成年人的时候，他们的体格会得到充分的发展。他们的肩膀会变宽，而且会长出明显的肌肉。这种身体上的变化是一个儿童成为成年人最显而易见的标志。
发生的第二种改变是一个人思想的扩展。当儿童成为成年人的时候，他们有能力理解更为复杂的思维过程。他们开始能够为自己着想，并且做出对自己最为有利的各种决定。儿童没有能力做出与他们的生活以及未来相关的复杂决定。他们的头脑还没有能力仔细权衡各种选择，并由此推断出正确的选择。
这种心灵的发展是一个人在成长为成年人的过程中众多经验积累的结果。一个人生活在世界上，就会收集关于这个世界如何运转的重要信息。这些信息会成为个人学识的资料库：这一资料库对一个人从孩童到成年的转变是极为重要的。我所说的经验就是在我们日常生活中发生的事情，我们经常处在必须做出选择的情况下。当然，在这个过程中每个人都会犯错误，这些错误也是一种帮助我们成为聪明的成年人的重要学习工具。
总而言之，孩子们在他们充分成熟的时候才会成为成年人。他们的身体、他们的思想和他们所拥有经验都必须成长。当这一过程完成之后，他们就真正成为成年人了。
- ceremony ［ˈserəˌməuni］ n. 典礼；仪式
- expansion ［ikˈspænʃən］ n. 扩展
- legislate ［ˈledʒisˌleit］ v. 通过立法
- comprehend ［ˌka:mpriˈhend］ v. 领会；理解
- a variety of 许多
- accumulate ［əˈkju:mjəˌleit］ v. 积累
- weigh ［wei］ v. 权衡
- cherub ［ˈtʃerəb］ n. 小天使
- deduce ［diˈdu:s］ v. 推论；演绎出
- adolescent ［ˌædlˈesənt］ n. 青少年
- sufficiently ［səˈfiʃəntli］ adv. 十分地；充分地
- frame ［freim］ n. 体格
- substantially ［səbˈstænʃəli］ adv. 充分地
- mature ［məˈtjuə］ v. 使成熟
- modification ［ˌma:dəfiˈkeiʃən］n. 更改；改变