Change the world? change ourselves
good evening, honorable judges, ladies and gentlemen.
it’s my great pleasure to stand here to present my speech—change the world, change ourselves.
it’s noticable that western holidays are becoming increasingly popular day by day, while chinese traditional festivals are being somewhat neglected. not long before about 10 doctors in beijing university and qinghua unversity announced that we should reject the invasion of western holidays ,because they regard western holidays as an challenge against our traditional festivals and culture.
frankly speaking, i don’t quite agree with them.indeed, we should never neglect or even discard our traditonal festivals as china boasts a brilliant history and splendid traditions. (examples).but why can’t we absorb the meaningful western holidays and culture.
there are obvious reasons why some western holidays are so popular in china. on the one hand, some of the western holidays which we chinese don’t have are reasonable and meaningful, such as father’s day and april fool’s day etc. on the other hand,the prevalence of globalization enables western culture to prevail in china. overwhelmed by such a trend,chinese unconsiciously get involved in western holidays and culture.
with the further development of the whole world, the cultural communication between different countries and nations becomes faster and more and more important. we are indeed from different nations, but we are the citizens of the same world, so the outstanding culture of different nations is the commom wealth of everyone on the earth.the only way for us to protect our traditional culture is to reject the foreign culture? the answer is definitely no. what we ought to do is to spare no effort to educate chinese to get to know and treasure our splendid traditions instead of rejecting foreign culture. only by educating can we set our confidence and belief towards our culture. only by educating can we preserve and promote the wealth that our ancesters left for us.
at last i’d like to share a famouse saying of gandhi with all of you ,that is:if you want to change the world, then you must change yourself first.
Knowing the consequences of choice
Over the past spring festival, i got involved in a family dispute. right before i got home, four satellite channels of cctv were added to the 14 channels we had already had. in prime time at night, they all had interesting shows. therefore, the five of us-my parents, my sisters and i-had to argue over what to watch. finally, we agreed that we should watch the "most interesting" programme... if we
Could agree what that was.
However, all of us there remember that for a long time after we had tv, there were only one or two channels available. the increase in options reveals an important change in our life: the abundance of choice.
Fifteen years ago we all dressed in one style and in one colour. today, we select from a wide variety of designs and shades.
Fifteen years ago, we read few newspapers. today, we read english newspapers like the china daily and the 21st century, as well as various chinese newspapers.
Fifteen years ago, english majors took only courses in language and literature. today, we also study western culture, journalism, business communications, international relations, and computer science.
The emergence of choices marks the beginning of a new era in china's history; an era of diversity, of material and cultural richness, and an era of the rebirth of the chinese nation.
We enjoy the abundance of choice. but this has not come easily.
About 150 years ago, china was forced to open up its door by western canons and gunboats. it has been through the struggle and sacrifice of generations that we finally have gained the opportunity to choose for ourselves. the policy of reform and openness is the choice that has made all the difference.
Like others of my age, i'm too young to have experienced the time when the chinese people had no right to choose. however, as the next century draws near, it is time to ask: what does choice really mean to us young people?
Is choice a game that relies on chance or luck? is choice an empty promise that never materializes? or is choice a puzzle so difficult that we have to avoid it?
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
Great 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.
Aconomic 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 peaceful and prosperous life.
They say that when you die your life flashes before your eyes。 Will you seeany-thing other than a small black box in the corner of your room? What have youchanged in th world? What will you leave behind?
据说人在临死前，自我的一生会从眼前闪过。除了房间角落里的一个黑色小盒子，你还能看到些什么呢?在这个世界上你改变了些什么?你又将留下些什么呢?
Or maybe you are surrounded by people all the time。duanwenw。 You are thecenter of attention and everybody loves you。 You go out with your friends，partying and having fun， but what about in the morning? You wake up with asevere headache and an upset stomach。 What about your death? Do you think it wastime to go?
或许你一向被众人所簇拥。你是众人的焦点，所有人都深爱着你。你跟朋友一齐外出参加聚会、玩乐，但到了早晨又是怎样的情形呢?你醒来时会觉得头疼得厉害，会感到胃里很难受。你会想到死亡吗?你会不会觉得自我难受得快要死掉了?
You could be the exact opposite。 You may want pany， but for whatever reasonnot have it。 Maybe you’re scared or shy。 You go home， lock yourself in yourroom， and sink into anger。
当然情景也可能正好相反。你期望有人作伴，但可能由于种.种原因，没有人陪在你身边。这可能是因为你很胆怯或是害羞。回到家里之后，你总是把自我锁在屋子里，一个人生闷气。
Are you an adventurer? Will your love of adventure lead to your end? Youcan never be quite sure when your heart and spirit will be broken。 All youradventures will one day be forgotten and it will all have been for nothing。
你喜欢冒险吗?你会一辈子酷爱冒险吗?你可能永远都无法确定自我会在什么时候感受到心灵的疲惫。但终有一天，你会忘掉所有的冒险经历，过去的一切都将荡然无存。
Or maybe you played it safe your entire life。 You outlived all thoseothers， but what for? You never did anything great; you never made anything ofyourself。 You’re alone in all your security， but that worth it? You just took upspace on th earth。
或许你安稳地度过了自我的一生。你比其他人更长寿，但那又有什么意义呢?你从未有过惊人之举;你从未完全按照自我的意愿行事。你孤独地、安稳地活着，但这样过一生值得吗?你仅仅只是以往存活于地球上而已。
They say that when you die， your life flashes before your eyes。 What willyou see?
据说人在临死前，自我的一生会从眼前闪过。你期望那时候自我能看到些什么呢?