英语演讲稿

ThirtycollegestudentsacrossthecountryattendedtheTenth21stCenturyCupNationalEnglishSpeakingContestinBeijingonApril10.Eventually,XiaPeng,fromNanjingUniversitywasnamedthechampion.ThesecondandthirdplaceswenttoZhangJing,asophomorefromChinaForeignAffairsUniversity,andZhangAXu,fromHongKongPolytechnicUniversity,respectively.Morethan1000collegestudentsinBeijingareluckybirdstolistentothespeechesonthespotinFriendshipHotel.

Justmaketoitthefinals,theyhadtogetpast60othersspeakingon“TheimpactofglobalizationontraditionalChinesevalues”.Thatwasatthesemi-finalonApril8-9.WhatwillChinesecollegestudentsthinkabouttheimpact?Eachcontestanthadhisowntakeonthesubject.Xiasummedupglobalizationbysaying:“It’sjustcontroversialandhardtosaywhetheritisgoodorbad.”Xiatooktheoldwallofhiscity,Nanjing,asametaphor.Hespokeabouttheconflictoverwhethertoprotecttheoldwallsortearthemdowntorepresenttheconflictofideas.Hesuggestedthatpeopleprotectthewallasavaluablerelicwhiletearingdownthe“intangiblewalls”oftheirmindsthatpreventcommunication.Whilesomeotherstudentsaremorefocusingontheimpactofglobalizationonfamilyrelations,attitudestowardslove,andjob-hunting.

Overthepast10years,thenationalEnglishspeakingcompetitionhasgivencontestantsachancetospeakonavarietyoftopicscloselyrelatedtotheirlives.Chinesestudentsbecomemoreopen-mindedandreceivevariousideasandthinkingoverthedecade.Diversitybecomesmoreobviousoncampus,studentshavemoreopportunitiestoexpressandshowthemselves.It’snotaneasytaskforthecontestantstowinthroughthefiercecompetition.Owningtotheirpassion,hardworkandpersistence,theyfinallysucceededinthecontest.

LiuXin,thefirstchampionofthenationalcontest,isnowananchorpersonofCCTV-9.Recallingthepassionofstudyoncampus,shesaid:“Whenyouwanttoexpressyourideabyaforeignlanguagewithoutfindingarightway,you’rereallyupset.Thenyouhavetoencourageyourself,andafteralongtermofbitterness,suddenlyyoufindyougettherightwaywithjoy.”Withthechampiontitlein21stCenturyCup,LiuattendedtheInternationalPublicSpeakingcompetitioninLondoninMay1996afterwardandgotthefirstprizehistorically.

Thewinnerin2003surprisedtheaudience,sinceshecamefromaccountingmajorinsteadofEnglishmajor.GuQiubei,then22yearsold,wasaseniorinShanghaiForeignStudiesUniversity.WhilebeingaskedwhethershehadsomegoodmethodstolearnEnglish,shesaid:“LearnEnglishwithpassionandenthusiasm.”AttractedbythegreatnessofEnglishlanguage,GuevenchangedhermajorfromaccountingtoEnglishinherpostgraduatestudy.ThemostimportantissueinEnglishlearningprocessshepointedoutispersonalinterests.OnlypeopleinterestedinEnglishbenefitalotfromthelearningmethodsandthosewithpassionwillfinallyachievetheirdreams.

WhenchiefofglobalmediagiantViacomSumnerRedstonegaveaspeechinTsinghuaUniversityonhisautobiographyAPassiontoWin,hewasaskedwhatmadehimtorestarthiscareerattheageof60,the81-year-oldmediatycoonsaid:“Firstly,there’saself-drivingforceinmydeepheart,whichkeepsmypassiontosucceedandsurpassothers;secondly,Idon’tthinkI’mtoooldtoleavework,actuallyIlovemyworkverymuch.”

SomeofthecontestantshaveachievedtheirdreamsasRedstone;stillothersareonthewaytotheirdream.Withapassiontowin,youwillovercomeobstaclesandsucceedattheend.

I’mstudyinginacitythat’sfamousforitswalls.Peoplewhovisitmycityareamazedattheimposingsightofitswalls,especiallywhensilhouettedagainstthesettingsunwithgold,shiningstreaks.Theold,crackedbricksarecoveredwithlichensandthewallsareweather-beatenguardsstandingstillforcenturies.

Ourancestorslikedtobuildwalls.TheybuiltwallsinBeijing,Xi’an,Nanjingandmanyothercities,andtheybuilttheGreatWall,whichsnakesacrosshalfourcountry.Theybuiltwallstoprotectagainstenemiesandevilspirits.Thistraditionhassurvivedtothisday:westillhavemanyparksandschoolswalledofffromthepublic.

Foralongtime,wallswereoneofthemostnaturalthingsintheworldtome.

Myperceptions,however,changedafterImadeahikingtriptotheeasternsuburbsofmycity.MyclassmatesandIwerewalkingwithsomeforeignstudents.Aswewalkedoutofthecity,wefoundourselvesflankedbytalltrees,whichformedawidecanopyaboveourheads.Suddenlyoneforeignstudentaskedme,“Whereistheentrancetotheeasternsuburbs?”

“We’realreadyintheeasternsuburbs,”Ireplied.Heseemedtakenaback,“IthoughtyouChinesehadwallsforeverything.”Hisremarksetoffaheateddebate.Atonepoint,helikenedourwalledcitiesto“jails”,whileIinsistedthattheeasternsuburbswereoneofthemanyplacesinChinathathadnowalls.

Thatdebatehadnowinners,butIdidlearnalotfromthisstudent.Forinstance,hetoldmethatsomemajoruniversitieslikeOxfordandCambridgewerenotsurroundedbywalls.IhavetoadmitthatwedohavemanywallsinChina,andaswedevelopourcountry,wemustlookcarefullyatthemanddecidewhethertheyarephysicalorintangible.Wewillkeepsomewallsbutteardownthosethatimpedeourdevelopment.

Letmegiveanotherexample.

Ayearago,whenIwasworkingonatermpaper,Ineededabookonbusinesslawandfoundacopyinthelawschoollibrary.However,thelibrariancoldlyrejectedmyrequesttoborrowit,saying,“Youcan’tborrowthisbook,you’renotastudenthere.”Intheend,Ihadtospend200yuantobuyacopy.Meanwhile,thecopyinthelawschoolgathereddustontheshelf.

Atthebeginningofthissemester,Iheardthatmyuniversityhadstartedtothinkofunifyingitslibrariesandlinkingthemtolibrariesatotheruniversities,somyexperiencewouldn’tberepeated.Barrierswouldbereplacedbybridges.Aninter-libraryloansystemwouldgiveusaccesstobooksfromanylibrary.WithglobalizationandChinaintegratedintotheworld,Ibelievemanyoftheseintangiblewallswillbeknockeddown.

Iknowthatglobalizationisacontroversialissue,anditishardtosaywhetheritisgoodorbad.Butonethingisforsure:itdrawsourattentiontoChina’stangibleandintangiblewallsandforcesustoexaminetheirroleinthemodernworld.

Andhowabouttheancientwallsofmineandothercities?Shouldwetearthemdown?Definitelynot.Mycity,likeBeijingandothercities,isactuallymakingagreatefforttopreservethewalls.Thesewallsattracthistorians,archaeologists,andmanyschoolchildrenwhoaretryingtostudyourhistoryandculturalheritage.Wallshavebecomebridgestoourpastandtotherestoftheworld.Iftheancientbuildersofthesewallswerestillalivetoday,theywouldbeproudtoseesuchgreatchangesintheroleoftheirwalls.TheyarenowbridgesthatlinkEastandWest,SouthandNorth,andallcountriesoftheworld.Ourculturalheritagewillsurviveglobalization.