Sevencenturiesago,MarcoPolo,afterstayinginourcountryforalmosttwentyyears,broughtthesecretsofspaghettiandice-creamwithhimbacktoItaly.Morethansevenhundredyearslater,withtheprevalenceofglobalization,ourpeople,ourfood,ourproductsandmanyotheritems,havetraveledtomanyotherplacesbeyondItaly.NomatterwheretheseChinesepeople,Chinesefood,ChineseproductsandmanyotherChineseitemsare,theycarrywiththemqualitiesthatareuniquetoourveryownChineseculture-ourtraditionalvalues.
Inthewholeprocessofglobalizationthattheworldisintegratingpolitically,economicallyandculturally,intoone,wedowitnessinourcountryagreatinfluxofwesterncultureandvalues-McDonald's,KFCs,soccerplayersandNBAplayers.Andweareevenhavingthisprestigiousnationalspeakingcompetitioninalanguagethatdoesnotbelongtous.InthemidstofwesternproductspouringinChinaasaresultofglobalization,sometimeswedowonder,wheredoesourownculturebelong?Whenweseeouryoungergenerationsgoingawayfromtraditionalvaluessuchascontextualandrole-basedethics,idealofcommunity,hierarchy,paternalismandnon-litigiousnatureofsociety,wemayeventhinkourtraditionalvaluesarechallengedandeventhreatened.But,arewereallylosingourvalues?
Ladiesandgentlemen,wemustremember,thetrafficofglobalizationistwo-way.Yes,filmsfromHollywood,soccerfromtheUnitedKingdomandrestaurantsfromAmerica,dohaveanimpactonourvalues.But,ifweseeglobalizationinChinaasynonymoustermwithwesterneconomicculturalhegemony,weareunderestimatingtheimpactofnotonlyglobalizationbutalsoourvalues.
Havealookatlanguages.Yes,itisthedesireanddreamofeverysingleChinesetospeakfluentEnglish,includingeverysingleoneofushere.But,haveyoueverwonderedhowmanynon-ChinesearelearningChinese?Letmetellyou,bytheendof20xx,nearly30millionpeoplefrom85countriesandregionswerelearningstandardChinese,Putonghua.AndwhoknowsaboutthenumberofpeoplelearningregionaldialectssuchasShanghaineseandCantonese.Inthesetwoyears,Iamsurenoneofusherewillbesurprisedthatthenumberisskyrocketing.
HavealookatFengShui,within0.21secondsGooglebringsyou1,270,000websitesaboutFengShui,notinChinese,notfromallovertheworld,butinEnglish,justwithintheUnitedStates.AndIguesssomeofyoustillremember,whenthepreviousAmericanpresident,BillClinton,firstbecamepresident.Heactuallyhadthefurnitureofhisofficerearrangedaccordingtofengshuiideas.
HavealookattraditionalChinesemedicine.Fouryearsago,in20xx,therewerealreadymorethan120000traditionalChinesemedicinepractitioners,researchersandrelatedbusinesstradingcompaniesinEurope,justEurope.Ourholisticapproachoftakingcareofaperson'shealthhasbeenprovenpopularintheworld.
Ourvalues,language,ourFengShui,ourtraditionalmedicineandalsoKungFuthatIhavenotreallytalkedabout,areallpartsandmessengersofourcultureandvalues.Whatdoestheirsuccessinthewesttellus?Theirpopularitytellsusthat,alongsidecheapconsumerproducts,weareexportingtothewest,Chinesebeliefsand,values.
Ladiesandgentlemen,globalization,yesithasitsimpactsonourvalues.Itissendingourvaluesoverseasandbringinginnewones.Let'snotseethebringinginofnewonesathreattoourownculture.Asamatteroffact,thebringinginisaverygoodopportunityandtimetorethinkandreflectwhoweareandwhatwewanttobe.Itisuponuswhetherglobalizationhasapositiveornegativeimpactonourtraditionalvalues.Ladiesandgentlemen,Iseethispositively,Iknowevenifourtraditionalvaluesarechangingortochange,thechangeisforbetter,notforworse.
Thankyouverymuch.
Ihaveafriendwhojuststartedhiscareerasateacherinaprimaryschool.Weeksago,heaskedmetoraiseatopicforhismid-termcompositiontest.Iwascuriouswhyhechosemetogiveatopic,becauseheisateacherhimself.Hesaidthathewantedsomethingthestudentscanreallyshowtheirdifferentideas.Withoutthinking,ItoldhimtolethisstudentswriteaboutwhattheywoulddoiftheyweregivenonemillionUSdollars.Myfriendleftwithsatisfaction,andIfellintomyoldmemories.
Itremindedmeofmyolddaysinprimaryschool.Wewerelearningtodonarrationinthefifthgrade'sChineseclass.Ourteacherrequiredustowriteacompositionwiththetopic"MyMostUnforgettableDay"withourrealexperience.
Whenpaperscameback,halfofthestudentswroteaboutthefirstdaytheycametoschool.Therestofthecompositionswereallaboutpickingmoneyonthestreetsandgivingittopolicemen,orhelpingablindmancrossthestreet.OfcourseIwasamongthem.ButIrememberveryclearly,thatonestudent,onlyonestudentgavesomethingdifferent.Hewroteaboutthedaythathefirstkissedagirl.Ireadhiscomposition.Afteralltheseyears,Ican'treciteeveryword,butIdaretosay,thatevenShakespeare,maynotbeabletowriteasequallygoodwhenhewas11yearsold.Thecompositionwaswrittenoutofrealexperienceandgenuineemotions.Contrarytothosefakestories,itsoundsrealandnatural.Butthekidwasscoredzero.Ourteacherthoughtthecontentwasunhealthy,I'msureyouknowthemeaningofthisChinglishword"unhealthy".
Thatwas15yearsago.Whenyoureadthosecompositions,andyoufeelthathalfofourpopulationisblind,soallthosekidscouldhaveachancetohelpablindmancrossthestreet,andeveryoneofushasaholeinourpocket,soallthosekidscouldhaveachancetopickupthelostmoneyandgiveittopolicemen.
Afewdaysago,myfriendsentmeane-mailofallthecopiesofhisstudents'compositions.Ihavetosay,Iwassadlydisillusioned.
Amongthosepapers40%saidthattheywantedtodonatethemoneytopeopleinpoverty,sotheirchildrencangotoschool.Therestcompositionsaremuchmorealike.Somewantedtosupportthepandaprotectionproject,somewantedtobuybookstoenlargetheirknowledge.OnestudentevensaidthathewouldliketospendhisonemilliondollarsontheefforttocureAIDS.Iwasmoreastonishedtofindthataten-year-oldchildknewwhatAIDSreallyis.
Weallhavebeenkids,andweknewwhatwehadoncewanted.But,therewasnocompositionaboutspendingthemoneyonvideogames,niceclothes,chocolates,ice-creamsandexpensivetoys.Like15yearsago,studentswon'ttellthetruthoftheirhearts.
Ithasalwaysbeenourdreamtoopenourchildren'shearts.Weencouragethemtodescribetheirdreams,andactedasifwearereadytoaccepttheirthoughts.Butthefactisthat,childrenarescaredbythezeromarkedontheirpapers.Theyaretrainedtosaywhatwewanttohear.
Peoplecomparechildrentoflowersoftomorrow.Andparentsdreamaboutthescenerythatroses,tulips,daffodilsflourishinthefuture.Butdowntheroadwearegoingon,inthefuture,orthefutureoffuture,onlyonekindofflowercanbefound.Andthat'stheflowerwelikemost.
I'mstudyinginacityfamousforitswalls.Allvisitorstomycityareamazedbytheimposingsightofthecitywalls,silhouettedbythesettingsunwithgoldandshininglines.Withold,crackedbrickspatchedwithlichen,thewallsareweather-beatenguards,standingstillforcenturiesinprotectingthecity.
Ourancestorslikedtobuildwalls.TheybuiltwallsinBeijing,Xi'an,Nanjingandmanyothercities,andtheybuilttheGreatWall,whichsnakesthroughhalfofourcountry.Theybuiltwallstowardoffenemiesandevilspirits.Thistraditionhasbeenmaintainedtothisdayaswestillhavemanyparksandschoolswalledofffromthepublic.Igrewupatthefootofthecitywalls,andI'velovedthemsincemychildhood.Foralongtime,wallswereoneofthemostnaturalthingsintheworld.
Myperception,however,changedafterahikingtriptotheEasternSuburbs,ascenicareaofmycity.MyclassmatesandIwerewalkingwithsomeinternationalstudents.Aswewalkedoutofthecity,wefoundourselvesflankedbytallerandtallertrees,whichformedahugecanopyaboveourheads.Suddenlyaninternationalstudentaskedme,"WhereistheentrancetotheEasternSuburbs?"
"We'realreadyintheEasternSuburbs,"Ireplied.
Heseemedtakenaback,"IthoughtyouChinesehavewallsforeverything."Hisremarksetoffaheateddebate.Atonepoint,helikenedourwalledcitiesto"jails,"whileIinsistedthattheEasternSuburbswereoneofthemanyplacesinChinathathadnowalls.
Thatdebatehadnowinners,butIdidlearnalotfromthisinternationalstudent.Forinstance,hetoldmethatuniversitieslikeOxfordandCambridgewerenotsurroundedbywalls;thecampuseswerejustpartofthecities.IhavetoadmitthatwedohavemanywallsinChina,andaswearedevelopingourcountry,wemustcarefullyexaminethem,whethertheyarephysicalorintangible.WewillkeepsomewallsbutteardownthosethatimpedeChina'sdevelopment.
Letmegiveyouanexample.
Ayearago,whenIwasworkingonatermpaper,Ineededabookonbusinesslawandfoundacopyinthelawschoollibrary.However,thelibrarianturneddownmyrequestwithacoldshoulder,saying,"Youcan'tborrowthisbook,youarenotastudenthere."Intheend,Ihadtospend200yuanbuyingacopy;meanwhile,thecopyinlawschoolwasgatheringdustontheshelf.
Atthebeginningofthissemester,Iheardthatmyuniversityhasstartednotonlytounifyitslibrariesbutalsolinkthemupwithlibrariesofotheruniversities,somyexperiencewillnotberepeated.Barrierswillbereplacedbybridges.Throughaninter-libraryloansystem,wewillhaveaccesstobooksfromanylibrary.Withglobalization,withChinaintegratedintotheworld,Ibelievemanyoftheseintangiblewallswillbeknockeddown.
Iknowglobalizationisacontroversialissue,anditishardtosaywhetheritisgoodorbad.Butonethingisforsure:itdrawsourattentiontoChina'stangibleandintangiblewallsandforcesustoexaminetheirrolesinthemodernworld.
Andhowabouttheancientwallsinmycityandothercities?Shouldwetearthemdown?Justtheopposite.Mycity,likeBeijingandothercities,isactuallymakingagreatefforttopreservethewalls.Thesewallsattractnotonlyhistoriansandarcheologistsbutalsomanyschoolchildrentryingtostudyourhistoryandculturalheritage.Wallshaveturnedintobridgestoourpastandtotherestoftheworld.Iftheancientbuildersofthesewallswerestillalivetoday,theywouldbeproudtoseesuchgreatchangeintheroleoftheirwalls.TheyarenowbridgesthatlinkEastandWest,SouthandNorth,andallcountriesoftheworld.Ourculturalheritagewillsurviveglobalization.
MyfavoriteAnimal-BlackFacedSpoonbill
Goodafternoon,dearjudges.Todaymyspeechis“Iloveblack-facedspoonbill.
Onabeautifulwinterday,Ihappenedtomeetthelovelyspirit----
BlackFacedSpoonbill,atypeofmigratorybird,whichspendswinteratHong-Shu-Lininmycityeveryyear.Coveredwithsnow-whitefeathers,ithasblacklegsandablackbeak.Besidestheblacksandwhites,anamazingsplashofyellowisunderitsneck.SoelegantthatIcouldn’thelplovingitatfirstsight.
Withabigandspoon-shapedbeak,itcanclaspfisheseasily,whichmakesitapowerfulhunterinbirds.
However,withhumanexpansionandpollution,onlyaround20xxonesarelivingallovertheworld.
LiketheelevenswanprincesinAndersen’sFairyTale,theBlackFacedSpoonbillshavealwaysbeenstrugglingtofindatinyrockwhichcanofferthemamomentarytranquility.Fortunately,theyhavefoundoneinmybelovedhome.Iwouldalwaysholdthemdearlytomyheartandwishtheywouldreturnwithflocksofchicksinthefollowingyears,andsinging…
Oh,Ihaveahome,suchabeautifulhome,whereIplayandresthappily.
Oh,givethemahome,suchawonderfulhome,wherethespoonbillsplayallday.
Goodmorning,ladiesandgentlemen:
BeforewesternandChinesecivilizationcameintoclosecontact,ChinesepeoplehadalwayslongedforalifedepictedintraditionalChinesepaintings.Thosepaintingspresentaharmoniouscoexistenceofpeopleandotherlifeforms.RegardedastheessenceofancientChinesephilosophies,harmonyhasbeendeeply-rootedinthemindsoftheChinesepeople.Ontheonehand,ithascontributedtotheuniquecontinuityofChinesecivilization.Ontheother,Chinesepeoplebecametoomuchcontentedwiththeirachievementstodesireanyfurtherchanges.Asglobalizationdeepens,itisboundtoaffectouridealofharmony.
First,globalizationurgesChinatospeedupitsmodernization,whichthreatensourregardfortheharmonybetweenManandNature.Forinstance,manydamsandhydropowerstationsarebeingbuiltforeconomicbenefitsattheexpenseofthewell-preservednaturalhabitats.However,ecologicalmalpracticeofsuchkindgoesagainstthenotionofharmoniouscoexistenceinancientChinesephilosophies.Morethan2,000yearsago,longbeforetheconceptofenvironmentalprotectioncameintobeing,DuJiangWeir,agreatirrigationprojectwasbuiltinsouthwesternChina'sSichuanprovince.Itsucceededbothincontrollingfloodsandinfacilitatingtheagriculturewithoutposingathreattotheenvironment.
Moreover,globalizationhasbroughtwithitintensecompetition.Traditionally,moderationisagoldenprinciple,presidingoverinter-personalrelationsinChina.Today,however,motivatedtocometothetop,somepeoplebecomesoself-centeredthattheychoosetosacrificelove,friendshipandevenfamilyties.
Lastbutnotleast,diversecultureshavemetinChinaasaconsequenceofglobalization.Therefore,aclashofculturesbecomesinevitable.Unfortunately,thepastdecadeshavewitnessedahugelossofculturalheritageinChina.IncitieslikeBeijingandXi'an,hundredsofcentury-oldChinese-stylehousesarebeingdemolishedtomakeroomforskyscrapers,shoppingmallsandeight-laneexpressways.
Fromtheseexamples,weseethedisharmonybroughtaboutbyglobalization.Yetitisnotglobalizationthatistoblame.Aslongasweapproachglobalizationwithharmonyinmind,itsbenefitwilloutweighitscost.Takemyhometown,Hangzhou,forexample,thankstothestrenuouseffortsmadebythemunicipalgovernmentinachievingeco-development,variouswaterbirdshavereturnedtotheWestLake,callingithomeagainafteryearsofmigrationelsewhere.Fromthelakebank,weseeskateboardersandtrickcyclistsshowingofftogetherwithpeopleflyingkitesandkickingshuttlecocksontheplazanearby.AlthoughtheycomposeapicturequitedistinctfromtraditionalChinesepaintings,thispictureconveysamodernsenseofharmonyinthiseraofglobalization.
Ladiesandgentlemen,toconclude,IwouldliketoquotefromBritishphilosopherBertrandRussell.IncontrastingChineseandWesterncivilizations,heobserved:"Thedistinctivemeritofwesterncivilizationisthescientificmethod;thedistinctivemeritoftheChineseisajustconceptionoftheendsoflife.Itisthesetwothatonemusthopetoseegraduallyuniting."AsweseethetremendousprogressChinahasbeenmakingdrawingonexperienceabroad,wemayalsoexpecttheChinesetraditionalvalueofharmonytoenrichtheworld.IlookforwardtothetimewhenRussell'sprophecycomestrue.
Thankyouverymuch.
Goodafternoon,ladiesandgentlemen:
WhenIwasintheprimaryschool,Ihaveadream.Iwanttoinventadevicewhichcouldbringyoufromoneplacetoanotherinnotimeatall.WhenIwasinthesecondaryschool,mydreamwastostudyinmyidealuniversity.AndwheneventuallyIgotintotheuniversity,mydreamwastograduate.
Howpathetic!Whenwegrowup,wedreamlessandbecomemorerealistic.Why?Whydowehavetochangeourdreams,so,soinordertoletitbe"fulfilled"?Whydowehavetosurrendertotheso-called"reality"?WhatIStherealityactually?
Ladiesandgentlemen,therealityisnotreal.Itisabarrierkeepingusfromallthepossiblefantasies.Flying,forexample,hadbeenadreamtomankindforthousandsofyears.Ahundredyearsago,"mancouldnotfly"wasstillregardedasthe"reality".Nowifthatwasreallythereality,whatdidtheWrightbrothersdo?Howdidsomeofyougettomacau?Onlywhenwebelievethattherealityisnotrealcanwesoarwithourdreams.
Peoplesaythatourfutureisabattlebetweentherealityandourdreams.Andif,unfortunately,Mr.Realitywinsthiswar,thenIseenofutureofmankindatall.AIDSwillneverbecurableasthisISthereality;PeoplelivingintheundevelopedcountrieswillsufferfromstarvationforeverasthisISthereality;4)DisputesamongdifferentcountrieswouldneverbesettledasthismisunderstandingsandintoleranceISthereality.
Ladiesandgentlemen,howmanyofyouhaveadreamofbeingabletomakealotofmoney?Pleaseraiseyourhands.Oh,quiteanumberofyou!Actually,ladiesandgentlemen,thisisnotadream,butatask.Everyoneofushastomakealiving,right?AnywayIhopeyourtaskwillbeaccomplished.Howmanyofyouthinkthatyouhavealreadyfulfilledyourdreamandthatyoudon'tdreamanymore?Dear5)adjudicators,whatdoyouthink?C.S.Lewisoncesaid,"Youarenevertoooldtodreamanewdream."Soforourfuture,pleasedreamandbeunrealistic.
NowthatIamauniversitystudent,mygoalistograduatewithexcellences.Butatthesametime,Ihaveadreamdeeplyrootedinourfuture.Oneday,peoplelivingintheareasnow6)swelteringwiththehorrorofwarswillbeabletositwiththeirfamiliesandenjoytheireverymoment.Oneday,peoplefromtherichcountriesarewillingtosharewhattheyhavewiththosefromthepoorcountriesandthosefromthepoorcountrieswilleventuallybeabletomaketheirownhappylivingthemselves.Oneday,differentculturesinthisageofglobalizationwillcoexistwithtoleranceandtheunfriendlyconfrontationsamongthemwillbe7)eliminated.Oneday,theglobewillsharethedreamwithmeandwewillallcontributetomakingourdreamcometrue.Oneday,ourdreamwilldefeatthereality!Thankyouverymuch.
尊敬的各位老师、同学们：
大家早上好！
我的名字叫xxx，今年12岁了。这一次，我获得了“全国中小学生英语口语大赛”一等奖，感到非常辛运，在这里，我要感谢我的父母，是他们给我创造了安静的环境让我更好的练习口语；感谢我所在的三义里小学，是这所学校给我了这次参赛的机会；感谢我的班主任程老师，是她精心指导我怎样说英语；感谢我们办的全班同学，是他们一直在支持我，鼓励我。谢谢你们！
我从英语是全班最差的同学，变成了一个获得过“全国中小学生英语口语大赛”一等奖的英语小天才，我无数次的不想再坚持练下去，我用自己与同学们玩的时间，在练字。我是多么希望像别的同学一样，快活的玩着。我就像一个还没有完全学会走路的小孩，一路走的磕磕绊绊，可是，我用自己的毅力克服了自己，慢慢的我去认真地走好每一步，最终我是成功的，我是快乐的！
此时此刻我捧着手中的奖，心里感慨万千。虽然并不多，但我想这每一个奖的背后都是各位同学日夜苦战，用自己的勤奋努力和老师家长们的付出换来的。我不想说我们累，更不想说我们苦。因为我们是青春、潇洒的.90后，风雨过后我们依然会展露笑容，今日的累是为了我们明日的辉煌，为了我们肩上那不可推卸的历史重任。我相信我们会做的更好。
不过，获得了奖并不意味着就达到了我们的目标而可以停滞不前。在人生旅途中，获奖只是一种助推器，而不是最根本的动力器。我们要如何前进？答案就掌握在我们自己的手中。所以，奖并不是我们最终的目标，而是我们前进路途中的一股动力。我们应正确看待这种奖励和荣誉。不能因为一时取得好的成绩而骄傲，也不能因为成绩一时不理想而气馁。学习就如逆水行舟，不进则退。只有不断地努力，不骄不躁，认真对待学习，不轻言放弃，看淡得失。以一颗平常心，踏实勤奋。才能取得更优异的成绩，才能创造更美好的未来。当然，没有获得奖的同学更不能放弃。要努力起来，哪怕最终没有成功，最起码自己努力了，也无愧于心。
作为一名学生，面对获奖，我除了些许的紧张和好奇，更多的是一份坦然，我们相信努力就会成功。在此，我也想送上我衷心的祝福，希望你们能放飞自己的理想，创出更美的辉煌。谢谢大家！
谢谢大家！