5分钟英语演讲范文（通用19篇）
So my dear friends, never complain that life is boring and the world is
disappointing. If don’t like the taste of your life, change the ingredients.
Three year ago, I weighed more than 100 hundred kilograms which caused
significant embarrassment and frustration in my life. Like always failing my P.E
examinations, like always being laughed at by girls, like being terrified to speak in public. It was my grandmother’s encouragement that revived from my passive
attitude to become confident in myself. She said “ My dear, if you can’t change you figure, why not treat it as your own style. So I began to cautiously employ
the new way of thinking. By choosing to change my outlook on life, I developed the confidence to make a difference and finally I found a totally new world.
So my dear friend, if faith, hope, love, endurance are added to your life, you
will find the confidence to conquer your limitation and embrace new challenges.
And hopefully with my speech included, you will have a fantastic speech contest.
改变生活的味道
这是一杯白开水，平淡无味，对吧？可是加上点糖呢，他尝起来会有甜味；如果加的是苏打水，味道就会变苦。人生同样如此——个中滋味在于我们的选择。
善待他人，你会拥有朋友；但如果充满恶意，则会多个敌人。将爱赋予一堆红砖，你会拥有一个家；用仇恨来浇铸这堆红砖，就会铸成一座集中营。
因此亲爱的朋友们，不要抱怨人生乏味，世间无望。不喜欢生活的.味道，那就换一换生活的调料吧！
三年前，我重达100多公斤，这给我带来了很多尴尬和挫折：体育课老是不及格，总被女孩们嘲笑，更不敢当众发表意见。幸而由于祖母的鼓励，我不在消极人生，而是充满自信。她曾经说过：“孩子，如果体形无法改变，为什么不把它看做自己独特的风格呢？”我开始这样来审视人生，通过改变生活的视角，我信心大增地去改变我的人生，很快就发现一个崭新的世界。
朋友们，将信念，希望，爱意和忍性溶入生命，你就会找到自信，克服缺点，迎接人生新的挑战。最后我的演讲包括在内，希望你会看到一场精彩的演讲比赛。
Firstly, I am glad to be here, let me introduce myself. My name is Li Wei, my English name is Aleevon. I am 22 years old. I come from the northwest of China, the most ancient city in China——Xi’an, the capital of Shaanxi Province. I am studying in the Foreign Language department of Minjiang University situated in Fu Zhou of Fujian Province.
I cross the whole of China to Study because I want to redefine myself; I want to stand on my own two feet. So I left my beloved home town, and started a new life in the southeast of China.
In the past 3 years, I learnt a lot about myself. I never knew that I could have a charming voice, but later I became a Broadcaster on the Campus Broadcasting Station; I never thought that I could have the courage to go on stage, but later I became the First place winner in Campus Host Competition and still do the host every now and then; I never thought that I could be an Inspiring person, but later I became the Head of College Students’ Art Ensemble; and I love to dance ever since I was a kid, I never thought I could dance professionally, but on campus, I became a cheerleader in our cheerleading squad, and we competed throughout the country, from provincial to regional, to the nationals.
I have found a new me in the past 3 years, a new me that I never knew before, and I am still surprising myself. So that’s me, an inspired young man, a cheerleader who will always smile even in the days of despair.
Make Every Moment Count
One night, I complained to my mom about the lack of time. Finally she said,＂you are short of time just because you waste precious minutes on complaints and anxiety. The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit in some thing more.＂
It is the same with filling the jar. Even if you place a dozen fist-sized rocks and a bucket of gravel into the jar, there is still space for sand and water between the rocks and gravel. The lack of time is just the excuse for my negligence of every single minute. I believe that the great dividing line between success and failure can be expressed in six words,＂I did not have enough time.＂The fact is I do have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein. The point is I have never touched upon the real meaning of life which lies in snatching, seizing and enjoying every minute of it. No idleness, no delay, no procrastination, no complaint! It is during my moments of complaining or hesitation that my destiny is shaped. Once I make full use of every moment, I believe that, my worries will be gradually cut down to nothing. Time is the most valuable of all our possessions, but the most perishable as well. As Henry David Thoreau said,＂You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.＂
Whenever I fell the lack of time in the future, I will tell myself＂Carpe diem , seize the day, make every moment count.＂
抓住每分每秒
有天晚上，我向妈妈抱怨自己事情太多，时间不够。她说道：“你抱怨没有时间就是因为你把珍贵的分分秒秒都浪费在抱怨和焦虑上。关键是，无论你的时间表排得多满，如果你真的努力尝试了，你还是总能间插地做些事情。”
这同填充广口瓶是一个道理，即使你将一小堆拳头大小的石块和一桶碎石倒进瓶里，也还能继续倒入沙子和水，使其漏进石块的间隙中去。
“没时间”无异于我为自己浪费分分秒秒找的托词罢了。我相信成功与失败的一线之差可以用六个字来形容：“我没足够时间。”然而事实上，我却与海伦.凯勒，帕斯特，杰弗逊和爱因斯坦每天所拥有的时间分秒不差。关键是我并未触及生命的真谛：抓住，享受生命的每一分钟。不要碌碌无为，不要耽搁推迟，不要牢骚抱怨！往往是在我抱怨和迟疑的时候，我的命运就被决定了。而一旦我能善用分分秒秒，我相信我的.烦恼也会被逐渐瓦解。
在我们所拥有的财富中，时间是最珍贵而又最不持久的。正如梭罗所说的那样：“你得抓住现在，把握机会，在短暂的瞬间中寻找永恒。”
如果将来我再发觉没时间的时候，我会告诫自己，“carpe diem (拉丁语)，抓住今天，抓住每分每秒。”
I believe in our future
Honorable Judges, fellow students:
Good afternoon!
Recently, ther is a heated debate in our society. The college students are the beneficiaries of a rare privilege, who receive exceptional education at extraordinary places. But will we be able to face the challenge and support ourselves against all odds? Will we be able to better the lives of others? Will we be able to accept the responsibility of building the future of our country?
The cynics say the college students are the pampered lost generation, which would cringe at the slightest discomfort. But the cynics are wrong. The college students I see are eagerly learning about how to live independently. We help each other clean the dormitory, go shopping and bargain together, and take part time jobs to supplement our pocket money.
The cynics say we care for nothing other than grades; and we neglect the need for character cultivation. But again, the cynics are wrong. We care deeply for each other, we cherish freedom, we treasure justice, and we seek truth. Last week, thousands of my fellow students had their blood type tested in order to make a contribution for the children who suffer from blood cancer.
As college students, we are adolescents at the critical turning point in our
lives. We all face a fundamental choice: cynicism or faith, each will profoundly impact our future, or even the future of our country. I believe in all my fellow classmates. Though we are still inexperienced and even a little bit childish. I believe that we have the courage and faith to meet any challenge and take on
our responsibilities. We are preparing to assume new responsibilities and
tasks, and to use the education we have received to make our world a better
place. I believe in our future.
我对未来充满信心
尊敬的评委，各位同学：
下午好！
最近，社会上有一场很激烈的争论。大学生是一种稀有特权的享有者，在很棒的地方接受高等教育。但是，我们能面对挑战而无所畏惧吗？我们能够改善他人的生活吗？我们能够承担建设祖国未来的'重任吗？
怀疑论者说大学生是被宠坏的一代，一丁点挫折都受不了。但是他们错了，我所看到的大学生正在努力的学习独立生活。我们互相帮助打扫卫生，一起上街砍价购物，一起参加兼职工作来赚零花钱。
Good morning everybody, I’m very glad to stand here and give you a short speech. We all know that Bingxin has a famous saying “we always admire the beauty of flowers but its sprout was watered by tears of struggle and rained by blood of sacrifice”. So for the majority, behind their success, are filled of sweat and tears. Eagle flying in the vast firmament, must be experienced the pain of countless times fall under the cliff, then hammered out a pair of volley wings. A shinning of pearls, inevitably suffered countless body friction and numerous waves’ shock. In this view, a real successful people, and he must experienced numerous times to stand up again and agin after failed, because without sweat and tears on the life road ,no one can casually get the beautiful flowers. Alfter a heavy fall Shi Tiesheng lost his legs, it must be a heavy blow for anyone. But he didn't lose faith in life, but use his brain and hands to show the infinite love of life;
Beethoven was blind and deaf, but he still had written the "Hero""Destiny"nd so on a large number of music works, in his unfortunately life, he doggedly gripped the "fate of the throat. They all had a fall, but they are strong enough to stand up, fight against fate and misfortune, finally they succeed. So for each of us, wrestling is not terrible, lose confidence and courage in life is the most terribe thing. In my opionion, the sweat and tears during the life’ journey are very important for us, they hone our will, and enrich our experience. As the saying goes, how can you see the rainbow without a rainy day, while you don't work hard and not struggle, how can you gain the successful flowers. All in all, the sweat and tears on the struggling road is inevitable, don’t look for shortcuts anymore, steadfast walk every step, we will succeed in the end. So belief yourself, nothing is impossile, just do it. Thank you for taking your time to listen to my speech, I hope in the near future we all can be successful.
大家早上好,我很高兴站在这里给你一个简短的演讲。我们都知道冰心的一句名言“我们总是欣赏花的美丽,但其发芽被眼泪浇灌的斗争和牺牲的血雨”。所以对于大多数人来说,他们的成功背后,是充满汗水和泪水。鹰飞翔在辽阔天空,必须经历无数次的痛苦下悬崖,然后敲定一对凌空的翅膀。闪光的珍珠,不可避免地遭受了无数身体摩擦和许多海浪的冲击。在这个视图中,一个真正成功的人,他一定经历过无数次失败后再次站起来,反对,因为没有汗水和泪水的生活道路上,没有人能随随便便获得美丽的花朵。Alfter重下降摘要史铁生失去了他的腿,它必须对任何人来说都是一个沉重的打击。但他没有对生活失去信心,而是用他的大脑和手显示生命的无限的爱;
贝多芬失明、失聪,但他仍然写了“英雄”的“命运”nd等等大量的音乐作品,在他的不幸的生活,他固执地抓住了“命运的喉咙。他们都有下降,但它们足以站起来,对抗命运和不幸,最后他们成功。所以对我们每个人来说,摔跤并不可怕,对生活失去信心和勇气是最差劲的事情。在我opionion,汗水和泪水在生命的旅程是非常重要的对我们来说,他们磨练我们的意志,并丰富我们的经验。俗话说,你怎么能看到彩虹没有雨天,你不努力,不奋斗,你怎么能获得成功的花朵。总之,汗水和眼泪苦苦挣扎的道路上是不可避免的,不再寻找捷径,坚定的走每一步,最后我们会成功的。所以相信自己,没有什么是impossile,就这样做。谢谢你带你的时间听我的演讲,我希望在不久的将来我们都能成功。
fraternal love or friendship is wide-ranged and flexible. generally speaking, everyone is our friend, just as chairman mao says “our friends are all over the world”。 but transcend age, sex, nationality, state and economic conditions. to them the most important is common benefit, common interest and understanding. friendship is formed during the course of studying, working and fighting. the battle companions who have survived many hazards usually enjoy long-lasting friendship.
however, fraternal love is not stable. being away for too a long time, losing all common benefits, friends will become estranged. once their interest has changed, they no longer understand each other, and even this would harm friendship. at all times and in all countries, many close friends and battle companions who once worked together and fought together became enemies in the end. quiet a few of the emperors in ancient china even killed those who had helped them found their dynasties. the taiping heavenly kingdom would not have failed if it hadn't been for the contending and massacring among the those who first rose in rebellion at the beginning of the uprising. what else we need to pay attention to is that some friends, after being away from each other for too long a time, have lost so much of their original characters that when meeting again, you will feel that you are still the same as you were, while they are no longer themselves. they may have the same feeling about you, so sometimes it's better not to meet each other again. as the chinese proverb goes “friendship can not last for three years and flowers can not stay in blossom for three months”.it's not so easy to maintain real friendship which needs mutual understanding, tolerance and sacrifice. any kinds of harsh treatment will damage friendship.
Dear judges:
I am very glad to make a speech here ! Today I'd like to talk something about English.
I love English. English language is now used everywhere in the world. It has become the most common language on Internet and for international trade. Learning English makes me confident and brings me great pleasure.
When I was seven, my mother sent me to an English school. At there, I played games and sang English songs with other kids . Then I discovered the beauty of the language, and began my colorful dream in the English world.
Everyday, I read English following the tapes. Sometimes, I watch English cartoons.
On the weekend, I often go to the English corner. By talking with different people there, I have made more and more friends as well as improved my oral English.
I hope I can travel around the world someday. I want to go to America to visit Washington Monument, because the president Washington is my idol. Of course, I want to go to London too, because England is where English language developed. If I can ride my bike in Cambridge university, I will be very happy.
I hope I can speak English with everyone in the world. I'll introduce China to them, such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Anshan.
Pubs are an important part of British life. Even very small villages nearly always have a pub. People especially men， will often go to the pub for a drink in the evening and at weekends. A man will usually go to the same pub， one which is closed by and which is called the local： I'm just nipping down to the local for a print. Women now go to pubs more than they used to， but usually don not like to go to a pub on their own. Children under 16 are not usually allowed into pubs， although some pubs have a children's room or a garden where children can sit.
Until 1988， pubs were only allowed to be open from 12：00 am to 2：00 pm alcoholic drink can be sold in a public place are called the licensing laws. Even though the law was changed so that alcohol can now be sold all day， many pubs still only pen at lunchtime and in the evening. When it is nearly time for the pub to close， the landlord or landlady shouts "last orders" and then "time".
Pubs often sell food or snacks as well as drinks. Food that is considered typical pub food is scampi (kind of shellfish) and chips (fried potatoes)， pie and chips， chicken and chips， and ploughman's lunch (bread with cheese)。
Pubs have names， For example: The Angel， The Black Swan， The Crown， The King's Arms， The Red Lion， The White Horse， etc. and people usually refer to the pub by its name： Turn left at the Rose and Crown. There is often a sing outside the pub showing the name with a picture.
Many pubs have two or more different bars. The public bar is usually plainly furnished and often has a pool table and dartboard. It is the bar usually used by the local people. The saloon bar is comfortable and well-furnished and is the bar that is usually used by men and woman drinking together.
The word wealth always reminds people of money and the sayings or concepts related to money. For example, “money talks”; “money makes the ghosts turn the mill”; “as birds die for food, so men die for wealth”; “the poor have no friends even though they live in the noisy downtown, while the rich have remote kinsfolk even if they live in the deep mountains”; “poverty chills ambition” “one cent short may put a hero in an awkward situation” etc, etc..
In the 1980 s, all shops were state-owned with marked prices. You couldnt buy what you wanted with even one cent short, so one cent could indeed embarrass a hero. A popular song at that time started “I picked up one cent at the roadside, and I handed it over to the policeman” But now no one cares to pick it up even if it were ten cents.
Peoples reverence for money is expressed in varied ways. The names of companies or stores are often “Beer of Wealth and Honor”, “Restaurant of Wealth and Rank” “Store of the Aristocrats” “Hotel of Fame and Prestige” etc. . At New Years time, the god of wealth is worshiped and the picture of the god is covered with signs of money. When a millionaire is walking in the street, people will show their profound respect even though they know very well that they can not get a cent from him. The English film “the Million-Pound Note” makes a most vivid revelation of this situation. With the million pound note in hand, the hero has the privilege to buy on credit, or on loan and is even presented money from others. Its an idealized end of the story that the hero is still loved by his girl friend even after he lost his million-pound note. However, without the million-pound note, they couldnt have known each other. Its very difficult for people to make friends directly with beggars.
“What would you do if you had only one day left to live?”
I asked this question to my young students when teaching English this winter. What were their answers?
“I would watch television!” the first answer. “I would play with the computer!” the second one. “I would play with computer TOO.” The girl finished her sentence perfectly with a serious smile. Indeed how cute and innocent that smile was, but how seriously my heart was hurt. I was too frightened to listen to more answers like that.
Ten years ago, at their age, I had a different answer: I would spend the last day of my life gazing at the face of my dear grandmother until I inscribed every detail of it onto my mind.
When grandmother was getting old and weak, my family bought her a telephone so I could save time and the trouble of traveling to her home by making phone calls instead. Later we bought her a television so she could watch modern dramas by herself. Then grandma must have been, we assumed, very contented and happy.
But I never really knew how grandma felt. She silently passed away without a word one night. When I heard about her death, a chilling pain pierced my empty heart. The pain grew even sharper as I tried to remember in detail exactly how grandma looked and I failed completely! How could I remember? I had not visited her for ages—it seemed like a century! My memories of her dissolved into thin air and leaked away like water.
Even though I have a telephone, can she hear me now?
Even though I might be on television, can she see me now?
Even though I have modern telecommunications, can she still communicate with me now?
With all these “tele”s, I was powerless.
Don't people just love the word of “tele”, which means far away. Indeed this is how modern technology has changed our world. But please don't forget this other word with “tele”: telepathy: which refers to human beings' inborn ability to connect to our loved ones. Our minds are supposed to read each other's minds; our hearts are supposed to feel each other's hearts — and fulfill these without any forms of tool!
But the moment I desperately struggled to remember grandmother's face, the telepathy between her and me had shut down forever. With the help of modern technology, I killed our telepathy.
This shall never happen again! The “tele”s are great inventions. But “telepathy” gives them the warmth of a human face. Let's harness the power of television to excite our kids to develop their telepathy with nature… so that they can read the secret language of flowers. Let's make the telephone lines provoke us to preserve our telepathy with each other, so we can connect in a warm and feeling way. Let technology keep our “telepathy” ALIVE! We need to wake up and make this happen.
I told my grandma's story to those young kids that day. They got very quiet. They asked me for a second chance to answer the question. They had come to a new understanding – that very moment they had made to me and to our future together, a dear promise.
Thank you very much!
I remember once my high school teacher invited the whole class to share our dreams with each other. I said, “I want to become an architect in future.” My desk mate said, “I want to be a public speaker.” Interestingly, a year later, he flew abroad to go for architecture, and I went to college majoring in English. And Look who is giving a speech right now.
What I learned from this experience was that, the road we end up taking can be different from our first plans. If we all realize our initial dreams, this world will be full of supermen and princesses. As I grew up, I often hear people say, life is all about making compromise. Your dream may die. You have to come terms with your life.
Well, my mother doesn’t see it that way. She is a kindergarten teacher, but she has a gift in painting. I often said to her, “if you had applied for an art school, you would definitely have made a great painter.” She said, “Yes, I would. But you were born!” “But it’s ok,” she continued, “I love kids. I can see their cuteness and innocence every day. Besides, they love me as well. Plus, I have a son who is about to see Rui Chenggang face to face. My colleagues are going to be so jealous of me. I am happy with who I am and I love my job.”
Sometimes when we are stuck in a rut, we may stop and wonder if life could be better had we taken the other road, and we may regret having lost so much for our stupid decisions. But on the threshold of adulthood, I would rather view my life in a positive light. I believe there is no absolute losing. Even though we seem to have made a compromise with each choice, even though we seem to have wasted a lot of effort with each failure, we are gaining something every step of the way.
Had I not given up my dream to be an architect, I wouldn’t have found my love for English, and I wouldn’t have met my friends, who, in order to boost my confidence before the speech contest, gathered in my dormitory and held a pep rally. I wouldn’t have met my professors who have always been patient with me, even when I couldn’t come up with a satisfying speech for 2 weeks.
And had I not spent the last 2 weeks painfully preparing for the speech contest, I wouldn’t have had a chance to think about this world, to ponder on life and to form a better understanding of myself.
For all my blessings, I owe my life an attitude of gratitude. From time to time I would picture myself working in my own studio, designing a beautiful villa. But I will not regret it, because I’m happy with who I am, and I love what I have.
So ladies and gentlemen, don’t be so obsessed with the other road in your life. The path you chose may not be ideal, but that’s not the end of the world. Fill your heart with gratitude. Break up with your regrets, and fall in love with your dream. Through all the hardships and difficulties, you’ll find that you’ve garnered more than you’ve sacrificed.
The other day my mother called me and said, “When the contest is over, I will give you a reward for your hard work.” I said, “There is no need for another present. I already have my present. ”
ears by it.I know ,i am also safe in your heart.i have already forgotten when i told you i was going to leave for Australia this summer holiday.You just smiled as usual,gently speaking.Whatever you decide to do,i will be in favor of it,but, just onething,remember,when you fell lonely abroad,do not forget we are here ,praying for you.We are all around you,far across the distance and space between us.i closed my eyes,the flashback started.The memories we had together,once we played games on the palyground,we played jokes on each other,you always wrote a lot of sentences on my articles to encourage me.And the most unforgetable thing,you told me,you believed m i could be a big girl.Sooner or later.
At that specific moment,i suddenly understood the meaning of this sentence totally.So on that day,i smiled as you used to,looking at you.The last words i said were,keep walking in sunshine.
Yes,keep walking in sunshine.I said to you ,also to myself.I know i am not alone wiht your company,and we can keep walking in sunshine till the last minute of our days.
I promise,i will be a big girl.
I promise,i will be a brave girl.
I promise,i will keep walking in sunshine.
That is my speech,thank you!
a world of hope for ever after
When the breeze gently hold when LiuXu savoury, When the sun put it golden glorious quietly around the cherry blossom trees on appered handsome; When the beautiful petals in the air to reach several commonly roll long, then gently landed, we are enjoying a brilliant happineof campus life.
Early morning, happy bird singing, accompany us go strollw floral path and watched the we walked into the campus, eye is full of happiness. Sunshine shop in writing has "e, nanjing normal university affiliated yangzi dickers" e, The bronze medal and put downy light reflection to our body, we cheerfully accepted this light, vigorous entered in campus. On the way to the classroom, and every day that we can all see beautiful fountain and pool, and forceful huaihe books and rather ?
The most successful person may not be the smartest ones.According to a survey conducted among a group of people who were in the same university ten years ago , those whose grade-point average was in the middle fifty percent , all become rich or managers of different fields , while not a single young man of the upper ten percent becomes an executive or boss. Why the smartest kids in the classwill not end up the richest? Why those who are not excellent in studies tend to be managers or own their own enterprise in their later life? And what factors lead to succein career and life if brains are not the only answer? According to my observation , academic brightneis only part of the story , the other factors are very important. One ingredient , among other things , is good interpersonal skills. There is stong evidence that friendship can help to tide you over a period of difficulty.
With a wide circle of friends who can be trusted yo provide information and resources, your chances of succeare much higher. On the cntrary , if you are competent in profession , but have difficulty in getting along with your colleagues and even your boss, you can hardly survive the corporation. Another component is the ability to expreoneself . In today s world , what really counts is the ability to expreoneself rather than technical competence or professional knowledge . The larger the orgnization of which you are an employee , and th fiercer the competition , the more important it will be that you know how to convey your thoughts and convince others of your ideas. Personality is also an important factor. Whatever difficulty or situation , those who appear relaxed and confident are nearer to success. Obviously , among the ingredients for succe, intelligence counts for the half , the rest depends on your personality , and other abilities.
I was seventeen, almost a senior in high school. I was riding my bike to school. I had taken a special route to pick up a gift, but that day, "the road less traveled by" led to disaster. Crossing a road, a drunk driver ran a red light, slammed into me, and shattered my left knee.
It made all the difference.
I was forced to postpone college, plunged into painful therapy . . . but eventually, I also learned much about life and myself. I found the strength to withstand adversity, learned compassion, and above all, I learned that the road not taken is not just about regrets or choices but also about the perpetual now and the always-coming future.
When I first studied Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken” in middle school, I was unable to grasp its ambiguity. I always thought that Frost’s persona chooses “a road less traveled by” and lives life being subversive and irreverent. I was wrong. In the poem, both of the two roads that “diverged in a yellow wood” are actually “about the same.” But there has to be a choice, and sometimes, they it can be involuntary (as I learned the hard way). This makes me extremely thankful and resolute when I can make conscious choices and plan for the future, and so I know now that Frost's poem is also about "the road not [yet] taken."
For everyone, this means something slightly different. For me, it means constant vigilance, learning, and love. Our journey is hard, complex, and it often presents unexpected twists, but reflecting on the roads not taken and not yet taken each day gives us a little more strength and confidence. Life cannot and will not me perfect, and the truth is it will end. But as Willa Cather would say, “The end is nothing, the road is all.” The road not taken in the past, and the road not yet taken that lies ahead.
But about the present? It joints the past and the future. What then, is “the road not taken” in the perpetual now? Personally, I find an answer in these lines from Alfred Lord Tennyson’s “Ulysses”:
Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Thank you.
First,I would like to say: to choose means to claim opportunities.
i am a third-year english major. an important choice for me, of course, is what to do upon graduation. i can go to graduate school, at home or abroad. i can go to work as a teacher, a translator, a journalist, an editor and a diplomat. actually, the system of mutual selection has allowed me to approach almost every career opportunity in china.
indeed, this is not going to be an easy choice. i would love to work in such big cities as beijing or shanghai or shenzhen. i would also love to return to my hometown, which is intimate, though slightly lagging in development. i would love to stay in the coastal area where life is exciting and fast-paced. i would also love to put down roots in central and western china, which is underdeveloped, but holds reat potential.
all of these sound good. but they are only possibilities. to those of us who are bewildered at the abundance of opportunities, i would like to say: to choose means to accept challenge.
to us young people, challenge often emerges in the form of competition. in the next century, competition will not only come from other college graduates, but also from people of all ages and of all origins.
with increasing international exchanges, we have to face growing competition from the whole outside world. this is calling for a higher level of our personal development.
fifteen years ago, the knowledge of a foreign language or of computer operation was considered merely an advantage. but today, with wider educational opportunities, this same knowledge has become essential to everyone.
given this situation, even our smallest choices will require great wisdom and personal determination.
as we gain more initiative in choice making, the consequence of each choice also becomes more important.
as we gain more initiative in choice making, the consequence of each choice also becomes more important.
nuclear power, for instance, may improve our quality of life. but it can also be used to damage the lives and possessions of millions.
economic development has enriched our lives but brought with it serious harm to our air, water and health.
to those of us who are blind to the consequences of their choices, i would like to say, to choose means to take responsibility. when we are making choices for ourselves, we cannot casually say: "it's just my own business. " as policy makers of the next century, we cannot fail to see our responsibility to those who share the earth with us.
the traditional chinese culture teaches us to study hard and work hard so as to honor our family. to me, however, this family is not just the five of us who quarreled over television programmes. rather, it is the whole of the human family. as i am making my choices, i will not forget the smile of my teacher when i correctly spelled out the word "china" for the first time, i will not forget the happy faces of the boys and girls we helped to send back to school in the mountains of jiangxi province. i will not forget the tearful eyes of women and children in bosnia, chechnya and somali, where millions are suffering from war, famine or poverty.
all these people, known and unknown, make up our big human family. at different points, they came into my life and broaden my perspective. now as i am to make choices for myself, it is time to make efforts to improve their lives, because a world will benefit us all only if every one in it can lead a peacefandprosperous life.
The fairytale of Aladdin has always been my childhood favorite. I was mesmerized by how Aladdin used his three magic wishes. As a small girl, I dreamed of having the magic wishes to go wherever I wanted to go and see whatever I wanted to see. As you can probably guess, I haven't found my genie in the lamp yet, however, I have found something just as exciting and it has made marvelous changes in not only my life, but the lives of all human-beings. It is called technology.
I still remember how my father told me about his childhood back in those days when China was not as open and developed as it is now. Children would run for kilometers to school, make toys with wood by themselves, and the biggest dream of a child was holding two jars of sugar, one white, the other brown in each arm and having the choice of eating whichever he wanted. Just look at what we have now. Magnificent technological advancement has opened up a whole new world to us.
However, just as our lives become more convenient, problems arise from this new life style. We seem to be caged in the modern technology; we are thinking alike as a result of using the same search engine, we are getting lazy as most of our work can be done by machines, and we are alienating people around us for we are more comfortable talking on phones and typing in front of a computer.
If I was given the chance to make my magic wishes now, I would wish we could go back in time and live for three days without advanced technology. I wonder what we would do in those three days. Here is what I imagine:
On the first day, people would be feeling so uncomfortable with the new situation that they would probably be confused and just not know what to do. The world would be in a mess for the whole day.
On the second day, as life goes on, people would have to find alternative ways to deal with their daily rituals: students would have to go to libraries for information they wanted instead of searching on Google; boys would have to express their affection to girls in person instead of sending an annoying txt message; and the young people of today would have the chance to experience the childhood of their parents. On this particular day, we could recover all we had lost in the modern world.
Then comes the third day. After the previous two days, we would gradually come to realize that we should have paid more attention to our studies and work as we actually have so much creativity and potential within ourselves. We would also realize that we should have spent more time with a friend, a parent or a child as we do love them, but we don't really understand them due to the lack of personal communication. We shouldn't have been so dependent on modern technology as it wasn't invented to confine us, but to inspire us. This last day would be spent in sparks of new ideas and sweet moments with our loved ones.
Maybe some would argue that it is just my imagination, and that magic would never work in our world. True, but magic can always work in our hearts, helping us understand that we, instead of the machine, are the masters of the world. The key is to treasure our human initiative and connections, to see the world with our own eyes, explore the unknown with our minds and treat others with our hearts. Just like Aladdin didn't choose to use magic to gain a happy life, we can make our choice, too. And when we do, we will live, as in the fairy tales, happily ever after. Thank you.
Ladies and Gentlemen
I'm only going to talk to you just for a minute or so this evening because I have some -- some very sad news for all of you -- Could you lower those signs please? -- I have some very sad news for all of you and I think sad news for all of our fellow citizens and people who love peace all over the world; and that is that Martin Luther King was shot and was killed tonight in Memphis Tennessee.
Martin Luther King dedicated his life to love and to justice between fellow human beings. He died in the cause of that effort. In this difficult day in this difficult time for the United States it's perhaps well to ask what kind of a nation we are and what direction we want to move in. For those of you who are black -- considering the evidence evidently is that there were white people who were responsible -- you can be filled with bitterness and with hatred and a desire for revenge.
We can move in that direction as a country in greater polarization -- black people amongst blacks and white amongst whites filled with hatred toward one another. Or we can make an effort as Martin Luther King did to understand and to comprehend and replace that violence that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land with an effort to understand compassion and love.
For those of you who are black and are tempted to fill with -- be filled with hatred and mistrust of the injustice of such an act against all white people I would only say that I can also feel in my own heart the same kind of feeling. I had a member of my family killed but he was killed by a white man.
But we have to make an effort in the United States. We have to make an effort to understand to get beyond or go beyond these rather difficult times.
My favorite poem my -- my favorite poet was Aeschylus. And he once wrote:
Even in our sleep pain which cannot forget
falls drop by drop upon the heart
until in our own despair
against our will
comes wisdom
through the awful grace of God.
What we need in the United States is not division; what we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence and lawlessness but is love and wisdom and compassion toward one another and a feeling of justice toward those who still suffer within our country whether they be white or whether they be black.
So I ask you tonight to return home to say a prayer for the family of Martin Luther King -- yeah it's true -- but more importantly to say a prayer for our own country which all of us love -- a prayer for understanding and that compassion of which I spoke.
We can do well in this country. We will have difficult times. We've had difficult times in the past but we -- and we will have difficult times in the future. It is not the end of violence; it is not the end of lawlessness; and it's not the end of disorder.
But the vast majority of white people and the vast majority of black people in this country want to live together want to improve the quality of our life and want justice for all human beings that abide in our land.
And let's dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that and say a prayer for our country and for our people.
Thank you very much.
With the development of science and technology, change has penetrated into every aspect of our daily life. To illustrate that, I'd like to make a comparison of these two seemingly insignificant things: milkman and mailman, whose differences indicate our changing way of living with the times.
Home milk delivery has almost gone extinct in China now, also gone with it are the milkmen, who once delivered bottled fresh milk door-to-door. On the other hand, mailman's business or the courier service has thrived as online shopping gains popularity. However, in retrospect, I find something has been lost in this transition, something Shakespeare called as “the milk of human kindness”.
When I was a kid, milk wasn't for sale everywhere. For the families who need it, they depended on the milkmen to take it from the local dairy farms to their houses. In our neighborhood, there was such a milkman, whose arrival was much anticipated by the children and always brought us laughter and joy. He knew the name of every kid and could easily see through our tricks. If we didn't behave, he would side with our parents and threaten to rob us of the nutritious drink. The entire neighborhood was acquainted with him; saw him as a member of the community just like the many residents or street vendors. There was a bond between all of us for it was not only the commodities that been transacted, but also a sense of caring and dependability. And that small box fixed onto our door, other than being a drop-off point for milk; it was a communication junction between the people as we took the initiative to reach out to others.
Fast forward to today, milk is ubiquitous with no dedicated delivery system. But the convenience level of our live has gone up a notch. Almost everything is for sale online, which spares us all the travelling and talking. With a few ready clicks, shopping is done. The rest is left for those speed delivery companies. Usually it's a grumpy mailman, who reaches us through cell phone, urging everyone to pick up their parcels as soon as possible. And the minute the receipt is signed, we rush back to unpack while the courier dashes to the next destination. There is barely a conversation carried out, nor do we feel the need to talk to such a stranger, who changes from time to time frequently. It seems that people are always in a hurry now, though we have more conveniences, still we run short of time to stop and stare, to speak and share.
Call me an old-timer, but I think the personal touch represented by the milkman is what has been missing in the modern society. William Wordsworth once wrote that “Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.” Modern technology may have multiplied our possessions or gave us more conveniences, but we run the risk of reducing our values if we lay waste our power of interpersonal relationships.
Honorable judges, ladies and gentlemen,
The fairytale of Aladdin has always been my childhood favorite. I was mesmerized by how Aladdin used his three magic wishes. As a small girl, I dreamed of having the magic wishes to go wherever I wanted to go and see whatever I wanted to see. As you can probably guess, I haven’t found my genie in the lamp yet, however, I have found something just as exciting and it has made marvelous changes in not only my life, but the lives of all human-beings. It is called technology.
I still remember how my father told me about his childhood back in those days when China was not as open and developed as it is now. Children would run for kilometers to school, make toys with wood by themselves, and the biggest dream of a child was holding two jars of sugar, one white, the other brown in each arm and having the choice of eating whichever he wanted. Just look at what we have now. Magnificent technological advancement has opened up a whole new world to us.
However, just as our lives become more convenient, problems arise from this new life style. We seem to be caged in the modern technology; we are thinking alike as a result of using the same search engine, we are getting lazy as most of our work can be done by machines, and we are alienating people around us for we are more comfortable talking on phones and typing in front of a computer.
If I was given the chance to make my magic wishes now, I would wish we could go back in time and live for three days without advanced technology. I wonder what we would do in those three days. Here is what I imagine:
On the first day, people would be feeling so uncomfortable with the new situation that they would probably be confused and just not know what to do. The world would be in a mess for the whole day.
On the second day, as life goes on, people would have to find alternative ways to deal with their daily rituals: students would have to go to libraries for information they wanted instead of searching on Google; boys would have to express their affection to girls in person instead of sending an annoying txt message; and the young people of today would have the chance to experience the childhood of their parents. On this particular day, we could recover all we had lost in the modern world.
Then comes the third day. After the previous two days, we would gradually come to realize that we should have paid more attention to our studies and work as we actually have so much creativity and potential within ourselves. We would also realize that we should have spent more time with a friend, a parent or a child as we do love them, but we don’t really understand them due to the lack of personal communication. We shouldn’t have been so dependent on modern technology as it wasn’t invented to confine us, but to inspire us. This last day would be spent in sparks of new ideas and sweet moments with our loved ones.
Maybe some would argue that it is just my imagination, and that magic would never work in our world. True, but magic can always work in our hearts, helping us understand that we, instead of the machine, are the masters of the world. The key is to treasure our human initiative and connections, to see the world with our own eyes, explore the unknown with our minds and treat others with our hearts. Just like Aladdin didn’t choose to use magic to gain a happy life, we can make our choice, too. And when we do, we will live, as in the fairy tales, happily ever after. Thank you.