曹丰
Our Future: A Battle between Dreams and Reality
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen:
When I was in the primary school, I have a dream. I want to invent a device which could bring you from one place to another in no time at all. When I was in the secondary school, my dream was to study in my ideal university. And when eventually I got into the university, my dream was to graduate.
How pathetic! When we grow up, we dream less and become more realistic. Why? Why do we have to change our dreams, so, so in order to let it be "fulfilled"? Why do we have to surrender to the so-called "reality"? What IS the reality actually?
Ladies and gentlemen, the reality is not real. It is a barrier keeping us from all the possible fantasies. Flying, for example, had been a dream to mankind for thousands of years. A hundred years ago, "man could not fly" was still regarded as the "reality". Now if that was really the reality, what did the Wright brothers do? How did some of you get to Macau? Only when we believe that the reality is not real can we soar with our dreams.
People say that our future is a battle between the reality and our dreams. And if, unfortunately, Mr. Reality wins this war, then I see no future of mankind at all. AIDS will never be curable as this IS the reality; People living in the undeveloped countries will suffer from starvation forever as this IS the reality; 4)Disputes among different countries would never be settled as this misunderstandings and intolerance IS the reality.
Ladies and gentlemen, how many of you have a dream of being able to make a lot of money? Please raise your hands. Oh, quite a number of you! Actually, ladies and gentlemen, this is not a dream, but a task. Every one of us has to make a living, right? Anyway I hope your task will be accomplished. How many of you think that you have already fulfilled your dream and that you don't dream anymore? Dear 5)adjudicators, what do you think? C.S. Lewis once said, "You are never too old to dream a new dream." So for our future, please dream and be unrealistic.
Now that I am a university student, my goal is to graduate with excellences. But at the same time, I have a dream deeply rooted in our future. One day, people living in the areas now 6)sweltering with the horror of wars will be able to sit with their families and enjoy their every moment. One day, people from the rich countries are willing to share what they have with those from the poor countries and those from the poor countries will eventually be able to make their own happy living themselves. One day, different cultures in this age of globalization will coexist with tolerance and the unfriendly confrontations among them will be 7)eliminated. One day, the globe will share the dream with me and we will all contribute to making our dream come true. One day, our dream will defeat the reality! Thank you very much.
第十届“21世纪杯”全国英语演讲比赛季军——张阿旭
Two-Way Traffic
Seven centuries ago, Marco Polo, after staying in our country for almost twenty years, brought the secrets of spaghetti and ice-cream with him back to Italy. More than seven hundred years later, with the prevalence of globalization, our people, our food, our products and many other items, have traveled to many other places beyond Italy. No matter where these Chinese people, Chinese food, Chinese products and many other Chinese items are, they carry with them qualities that are unique to our very own Chinese culture - our traditional values.
In the whole process of globalization that the world is integrating politically, economically and culturally, into one, we do witness in our country a great influx of western culture and values - McDonald's, KFCs, soccer players and NBA players. And we are even having this prestigious national speaking competition in a language that does not belong to us. In the midst of western products pouring in China as a result of globalization, sometimes we do wonder, where does our own culture belong? When we see our younger generations going away from traditional values such as contextual and role-based ethics, ideal of community, hierarchy, paternalism and non-litigious nature of society, we may even think our traditional values are challenged and even threatened. But, are we really losing our values?
Ladies and gentlemen, we must remember, the traffic of globalization is two-way. Yes, films from Hollywood, soccer from the United Kingdom and restaurants from America, do have an impact on our values. But, if we see globalization in China a synonymous term with western economic cultural hegemony, we are underestimating the impact of not only globalization but also our values.
Have a look at languages. Yes, it is the desire and dream of every single Chinese to speak fluent English, including every single one of us here. But, have you ever wondered how many non-Chinese are learning Chinese? Let me tell you, by the end of 2002, nearly 30 million people from 85 countries and regions were learning standard Chinese, Putonghua. And who knows about the number of people learning regional dialects such as Shanghainese and Cantonese. In these two years, I am sure none of us here will be surprised that the number is skyrocketing.
Have a look at Feng Shui, within 0.21 seconds Google brings you 1,270,000 websites about Feng Shui, not in Chinese, not from all over the world, but in English, just within the United States. And I guess some of you still remember, when the previous American president, Bill Clinton, first became president. He actually had the furniture of his office rearranged according to feng shui ideas.
Have a look at traditional Chinese medicine. Four years ago, in 2001, there were already more than 120 000 traditional Chinese medicine practitioners, researchers and related business trading companies in Europe, just Europe. Our holistic approach of taking care of a person's health has been proven popular in the world.
Our values, language, our Feng Shui, our traditional medicine and also Kung Fu that I have not really talked about, are all parts and messengers of our culture and values. What does their success in the west tell us? Their popularity tells us that, alongside cheap consumer products, we are exporting to the west, Chinese beliefs and, values.
Ladies and gentlemen, globalization, yes it has its impacts on our values. It is sending our values overseas and bringing in new ones. Let's not see the bringing in of new ones a threat to our own culture. As a matter of fact, the bringing in is a very good opportunity and time to rethink and reflect who we are and what we want to be. It is upon us whether globalization has a positive or negative impact on our traditional values. Ladies and gentlemen, I see this positively, I know even if our traditional values are changing or to change, the change is for better, not for worse.
Thank you very much.
第十届“21世纪杯”全国英语演讲比赛亚军——张京
The Impact of Globalization on Traditional Chinese Values
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen:
Before western and Chinese civilization came into close contact, Chinese people had always longed for a life depicted in traditional Chinese paintings. Those paintings present a harmonious coexistence of people and other life forms. Regarded as the essence of ancient Chinese philosophies, harmony has been deeply-rooted in the minds of the Chinese people. On the one hand, it has contributed to the unique continuity of Chinese civilization. On the other, Chinese people became too much contented with their achievements to desire any further changes. As globalization deepens, it is bound to affect our ideal of harmony.
First, globalization urges China to speed up its modernization, which threatens our regard for the harmony between Man and Nature. For instance, many dams and hydropower stations are being built for economic benefits at the expense of the well-preserved natural habitats. However, ecological malpractice of such kind goes against the notion of harmonious coexistence in ancient Chinese philosophies. More than 2,000 years ago, long before the concept of environmental protection came into being, DuJiang Weir, a great irrigation project was built in southwestern China's Sichuan province. It succeeded both in controlling floods and in facilitating the agriculture without posing a threat to the environment.
Moreover, globalization has brought with it intense competition. Traditionally, moderation is a golden principle, presiding over inter-personal relations in China. Today, however, motivated to come to the top, some people become so self-centered that they choose to sacrifice love, friendship and even family ties.
Last but not least, diverse cultures have met in China as a consequence of globalization. Therefore, a clash of cultures becomes inevitable. Unfortunately, the past decades have witnessed a huge loss of cultural heritage in China. In cities like Beijing and Xi'an, hundreds of century-old Chinese-style houses are being demolished to make room for skyscrapers, shopping malls and eight-lane expressways.
From these examples, we see the disharmony brought about by globalization. Yet it is not globalization that is to blame. As long as we approach globalization with harmony in mind, its benefit will outweigh its cost. Take my hometown, Hangzhou, for example, thanks to the strenuous efforts made by the municipal government in achieving eco-development, various water birds have returned to the West Lake, calling it home again after years of migration elsewhere. From the lake bank, we see skateboarders and trick cyclists showing off together with people flying kites and kicking shuttlecocks on the plaza nearby. Although they compose a picture quite distinct from traditional Chinese paintings, this picture conveys a modern sense of harmony in this era of globalization.
Ladies and gentlemen, to conclude, I would like to quote from British philosopher Bertrand Russell. In contrasting Chinese and Western civilizations, he observed: "The distinctive merit of western civilization is the scientific method; the distinctive merit of the Chinese is a just conception of the ends of life. It is these two that one must hope to see gradually uniting." As we see the tremendous progress China has been making drawing on experience abroad, we may also expect the Chinese traditional value of harmony to enrich the world. I look forward to the time when Russell's prophecy comes true.
Thank you very much.
第十届“21世纪杯”全国英语演讲比赛冠军——夏鹏From Walls to Bridges
I'm studying in a city famous for its walls. All visitors to my city are amazed by the imposing sight of the city walls, silhouetted by the setting sun with gold and shining lines. With old, cracked bricks patched with lichen, the walls are weather-beaten guards, standing still for centuries in protecting the city.
Our ancestors liked to build walls. They built walls in Beijing, Xi'an, Nanjing and many other cities, and they built the Great Wall, which snakes through half of our country. They built walls to ward off enemies and evil spirits. This tradition has been maintained to this day as we still have many parks and schools walled off from the public. I grew up at the foot of the city walls, and I've loved them since my childhood. For a long time, walls were one of the most natural things in the world.
My perception, however, changed after a hiking trip to the Eastern Suburbs, a scenic area of my city. My classmates and I were walking with some international students. As we walked out of the city, we found ourselves flanked by taller and taller trees, which formed a huge canopy above our heads. Suddenly an international student asked me, "Where is the entrance to the Eastern Suburbs?"
"We're already in the Eastern Suburbs," I replied.
He seemed taken aback, "I thought you Chinese have walls for everything." His remark set off a heated debate. At one point, he likened our walled cities to "jails," while I insisted that the Eastern Suburbs were one of the many places in China that had no walls.
That debate had no winners, but I did learn a lot from this international student. For instance, he told me that universities like Oxford and Cambridge were not surrounded by walls; the campuses were just part of the cities. I have to admit that we do have many walls in China, and as we are developing our country, we must carefully examine them, whether they are physical or intangible. We will keep some walls but tear down those that impede China's development.
Let me give you an example.
A year ago, when I was working on a term paper, I needed a book on business law and found a copy in the law school library. However, the librarian turned down my request with a cold shoulder, saying, "You can't borrow this book, you are not a student here." In the end, I had to spend 200 yuan buying a copy; meanwhile, the copy in law school was gathering dust on the shelf.
At the beginning of this semester, I heard that my university has started not only to unify its libraries but also link them up with libraries of other universities, so my experience will not be repeated. Barriers will be replaced by bridges. Through an inter-library loan system, we will have access to books from any library. With globalization, with China integrated into the world, I believe many of these intangible walls will be knocked down.
I know globalization is a controversial issue, and it is hard to say whether it is good or bad. But one thing is for sure: it draws our attention to China's tangible and intangible walls and forces us to examine their roles in the modern world.
And how about the ancient walls in my city and other cities? Should we tear them down? Just the opposite. My city, like Beijing and other cities, is actually making a great effort to preserve the walls. These walls attract not only historians and archeologists but also many schoolchildren trying to study our history and cultural heritage. Walls have turned into bridges to our past and to the rest of the world. If the ancient builders of these walls were still alive today, they would be proud to see such great change in the role of their walls. They are now bridges that link East and West, South and North, and all countries of the world. Our cultural heritage will survive
第七届“21世纪杯”全国英语演讲比赛冠军——孙宁
孙宁
北京外国语大学
1981年生于南京。1993年考取南京外国语学校，其间获全国中学生英语能力竞赛和中澳国际英语能力竞赛高中组特等奖。1999年保送北京外国语大学英语系学习，其间获“21世纪·爱立信杯”第七届全国英语演讲比赛冠军并出版译作三本。2003年8月入外交部翻译室工作，次年9月公派赴英国留学。
Globalization: Challenges and Opportunities for China's Younger Generation
Good morning, Ladies and Gentlemen:
Today I'm very happy to be here to share with you some of my thoughts on the topic of Globalization. And first of all, I would like to mention an event in our recent history.
Thirty years ago, American President Richard Nixon made an epoch-making visit to China, a country still isolated at that time. Premier Zhou Enlai said to him, "Your handshake came over the vastest ocean in the world - twenty-five years of no communication." Ever since then, China and America have exchanged many handshakes of various kinds. The fundamental implication of this example is that the need and desire to communicate across differences in culture and ideology is not only felt by the two countries but by many other nations as well.
As we can see today, environmentalists from different countries are making joint efforts to address the issue of global warming, economists are seeking solutions to financial crises that rage in a particular region but nonetheless cripple the world's economy, and diplomats and politicians are getting together to discuss the issue of combating terrorism. Peace and prosperity has become a common goal that we are striving for all over the world. Underlying this mighty trend of globalization is the echo of E. M. Forster's words, "Only connect!"
With the IT revolution taking place, traditional boundaries of human society fall away. Our culture, politics, society and commerce are being sloshed into a large melting pot of humanity. In this interlinked world, there are no outsiders, for a disturbance in one place is likely to impact other parts of the globe. We have begun to realize that a world divided cannot endure.
China is now actively integrating into the world. Our recent entry to the WTO is a good example. For decades, we have taken pride in being self-reliant, but now we realize the importance of participating in and contributing to a broader economic order. From the precarious role in the world arena to our present WTO membership, we have come a long way.
But what does the way ahead look like? In some parts of the world people are demonstrating against globalization. Are they justified then, in criticizing the globalizing world? Instead of narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, they say, globalization enables developed nations to swallow the developing nations' wealth in debts and interest. Globalization, they argue, should be about an earnest interest in every other nation's economic health.
We are reminded by Karl Marx that capital goes beyond national borders and eludes control from any other entity. This has become a reality. Multinational corporations are seeking the lowest cost, the largest market, and the most favorable policy. They are often powerful lobbyists in government decision-making, ruthless expansionists in the global market place and a devastating presence to local businesses.
For China, still more challenges exist. How are we going to ensure a smooth transition from the planned economy to a market-based one? How to construct a legal system that is sound enough and broad enough to respond to the needs of a dynamic society? How to maintain our cultural identity in an increasingly homogeneous world? And how to define greatness in our rise as a peace-loving nation? Globalization entails questions that concern us all.
Like many young people my age in China, I want to see my country get prosperous and enjoying respect in the international community. But it seems to me that mere patriotism is not just enough. It is vitally important that we young people do more serious thinking and broaden our mind to bigger issues. And, there might never be easy answers to those issues such as globalization, but to take them on and give them honest thinking is the first step to be prepared for both opportunities and challenges coming our way. And this is also one of the thoughts that came to me while preparing this speech. Thank you.
英语演讲稿范文：Crossing the Sea 穿越海洋[双
专家点评:引用文学大师的诗句作为开场白，与结束语首尾呼应，颇有感染力。东西方文化的融合表现得十分鲜明，意味深长，是篇优秀的演讲。
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. The title of my speech today is "Crossing the Sea" . An English poet by the name of Rudyard Kipling once wrote in this poem "We and They" :
All the people like us are We
and everyone else is They
We live over the sea
While They live over the way
We eat pork and beef with cow horn-handled knives
They who gobble their rice off a leaf
Are horrified out of their lives.
When these lines first caught my eyes, I was shocked--how could two people remain so isolated and ignorant of each other in the past? Today's society, of course, is an entirely different picture. Those people who used to eat with gobble their rice might be as well have taken to fish and chips.
Indeed, just take China as example; Our modern life has been influenced by Western style of living in so many ways that it's no longer surprising to see teenagers going crazy about rock-and-roll, whole families dining out at McDonald's and even rather elderly people dressed in Apple Jeans.
However, these are only some expressions of the cultural changes taking place in our society today. What is really going on is a subtle but significant restructuring of the nation's mentality. Just look around.
How many college graduates are ready to compete aggressively for every job opportunity, whereas not long ago they were asked just to sit idle and wait for whatever was to be assigned to them by the government?
How many young people are now eager to seek for an independent life whereas only two decades ago they would rely totally on their parents to arrange for their future? Ask anyone who participates in today's speech contest. Who has not come with a will to fight and who has not come determined to achieve self-fulfillment in winning the game? And I'm quite certain that if Confucius had lived to see today's China, he would have been horrified to see young lovers kissing each other in public places in an unreserved expression of their passion.
It is therefore evident that we as descendants of an ancient Eastern civilization are already living under strong influence of the Western culture. But it is not only in China that we find the incorporation of the two cultures.
Take the United States as an example: During the 1980s, in face of the overwhelming competition from Japan, many American companies such as the Ford began to adopt a teamwork management from their rivals, the essence of which, lay at the very core of Eastern culture.
Take the Chinese acupuncture as another example: This traditional treatment of diseases is finally finding its way to the West and hence the underlying notion that illness is resulted from the imbalance between yin and yang within the body--an idea which would strike any Westerner as incredible in the past!
Ladies and Gentlemen, we live in a great epoch when the global integration of economy and the information revolution have brought cultures of the world closer than ever before. We live in a particular era when countries, East and West, find themselves in need of readjusting their traditional values. We live, at the same time, at a critical juncture of our evolution because such problems as ethnic conflicts and regional unrest are increasingly posing a threat to the peace and happiness of the whole human race.To cope with such an era and to embrace an even brighter future, we need to learn to live more harmoniously in a world community which is becoming smaller and smaller. My dear fellow students, our command of the English language render sit possible for us to gain an insight into Western culture while retaining our own cultural identity.
Therefore, it is our sacred responsibility to promote the cultural exchanges and hence the mutual understanding between China and the rest of the world.
It is my happiest dream that new generation of Chinese will not only grow up drinking Coca cola and watching Hollywood, but also be blessed with the far-reaching benefits of multiple cultures; benefits that our forefathers had never, ever dreamed of.
To end my speech, I would like to quote Rudyard Kipling again:
All the people like us are We
And everyone else is They
But once you cross over the sea
You will end by looking on We
As only a sort of They.
Thank you.
译文:穿越海洋
女士们、先生们，晚上好。今天，我演讲的题目是:《穿越海洋》。
英国诗人罗得雅德·吉卜林曾写过一首诗，名叫《我们与他们》，其中写道:
像我们的人是我们
其余的人是他们
我们生活在海这边
他们生活在路那边
我们用牛角柄的刀叉吃猪牛肉
吞吃粽叶包饭的他们
吓得要死。
第一次读到这首诗，我很震惊——过去两个民族何以如此疏离、彼此陌生?当然今日的社会呈现出完全不同的情景
:那些过去吃米饭的人们也开始喜欢吃鱼和薯条。
的确如此，就拿中国来说，西方的生活方式已经广泛地影响了我们的现代生活，以致对于年轻人对摇滚乐着
迷，全家去吃麦当劳，老年人穿苹果牌牛仔裤，大家都已习以为常。
然而，这不过是我们当今社会中所发生的文化变迁的表面现象而已，真正发生的却是我们的民族心理开始了微妙
而又有重大意义的重建，大家只要看看周围就会清楚。
不久以前，大学生还只是束手空坐，等待政府给他们分配工作;如今，又有多少大学生正在做充分准备，为争取任
何工作机会而激烈角逐?
20年前年轻人还完全依靠父母为他们安排未来，今天又有多少年轻人在急切地寻求一种独立的生活?试问今天参加
演讲比赛的诸位，谁不是带着志在一搏的心情来到这里?谁不是铁下心来赢得这场比赛以实现自我?如今年轻人毫无顾
忌地宣泄情感当众亲吻，我确信，倘若孔子在世，他必被吓坏。
很明显，我们这些东方古老文明的后裔们早已生活在西方文化的强烈影响之下，然而出现这种异质文化合流的
现象不止是在中国。
以美国为例，20世纪80年代，面对来自日本的强大竞争压力，许多美国公司如福特公司开始采用对手的集体合作
管理方式，而这种方式正是东方文化核心之精华。
再以中华针灸为例，这种传统的医疗方法以及这种疗法的依据——即人体阴阳失调导致疾病最终得到西方社会的
承认，而在过去，西方人还认为这是无稽之谈。
女士们，先生们，我们恰逢一个伟大的时代:全球经济一体化、信息革命使得世界各种文化联系比以往更加紧密;
我们恰逢一个特殊的年代:无论是东方国家还是西方国家都意识到自身急需调整传统价值。与此同时，我们正生活在发
展的关键时刻:种族冲突，地区动荡正越来越威胁着整个人类的和平与幸福。如何对待这一时代，拥抱更加灿烂的未来
，我们需要学会在越来越小的世界大家庭中更加和睦地生活。
亲爱的同学们，我们掌握英语，得以了解西方文化，与此同时，又不失本民族的文化特征。
因此，促进中国与世界的文化交流与相互理解是我们神圣的责任。
我有一个美好的梦想，我梦想中国的年轻一代不仅仅在喝可口可乐、看好莱坞影片中成长，而且还受益于我们的
《21世纪杯”全国英语演讲比赛演讲稿》相关文档：
我与学校共成长演讲稿3篇09-01
我与学校共成长演讲稿范文5篇09-01
小学生爱学校演讲稿8篇09-01
【精华】我与学校共成长演讲稿4篇09-01
校园演讲稿集合15篇09-01
小学生感恩学校的优秀演讲稿8篇09-01
我与学校演讲稿范文8篇09-01
爱我校园演讲稿模板集合8篇09-01
我与学校共成长的演讲稿(精选5篇)09-01
