-
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
surrender to the so-called
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,
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,
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:
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,
is
the
entrance
to the Eastern
Suburbs?
He
seemed
taken
aback,
thought
you
Chinese
have
walls
for
everything.
His remark set
off a heated debate. At one point, he likened our
walled
cities to
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,
this book, you are not a student
here.
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。
< br>1999
年保送北京外国语大学英语系
学习，其间获“2
1
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,
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,
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.
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