21世纪杯”全国英语演讲比赛历届讲稿

From Walls to Bridges

第十届―21世纪杯‖全国英语演讲比赛冠军——夏鹏南京大学

夏鹏原系贵州省平坝县黎阳厂子校学生，小学五年级开始进入贵阳百年英语学校系统学习英语。2003年,夏鹏以600分的高分考入南京大学法学院,后转入英语系。2004年获得CCTV全国英语演讲比赛第二名，同年获得代表国内最高水平的第十届―21世纪杯‖全国英语演讲比赛冠军，同时获得比赛―最具潜力奖‖，并代表中国参加2005年国际英语演讲比赛，荣获获得冠军和―最受观众欢迎奖‖。

演讲稿：From Walls to Bridges

I'm studying in a city fam ous for its walls. All visitors to m y ci ty are am azed by the im posing sight of the city walls, silhouetted by the setting sun with gold and shining lines. With old, crack ed bricks patched wi th lichen, the walls are weather-beaten guards, standing still for centuries in protecting the ci ty.

Our ancestors liked to build walls. They built walls in Beijing, Xi'an, Nanjing and m any other cities, and they built the Great Wall, whi ch snakes through half of our country. They built walls to ward off enem ies and evil spirits. This tradi tion has been m aintained to this day as we still have m any parks and schools walled off from the public.

I grew up at the foot of the city walls, and I've loved them since m y childhood. For a long tim e, walls were one of the m ost natural things in the world.

My perception, however, changed after a hiking trip to the Eastern Suburbs, a scenic

area of m y city. My classm ates and I were walking with som e international students. As we walked out of the city, we found oursel ves flanked by taller and taller trees, whi ch form ed a huge canopy above our heads. Suddenly an international student asked m e, "Where is the entrance to the Eastern Suburbs?"

"We're already in the Eastern Suburbs," I replied.

He seem ed taken aback, "I thought you Chinese have walls for everything." His rem ark set off a heated debate. At one point, he likened our walled ci ties to "jails," while I insisted that the Eastern Suburbs were one of the m any 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 m e that universities like Oxford and Cam bridge were not surrounded by walls; the cam puses were just part of the ci ties. I have to adm it that we do have m any walls in China, and as we are developing our country, we m ust carefully exam ine them, whether they are physical or intangible. We will keep som e walls but tear down those that im pede China's developm ent.

Let m e give you an exam ple.

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 m y 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; m eanwhile, the copy in law school was gathering dust on the shelf.

At the beginning of this sem ester, I heard that m y university has started not only to unify i ts libraries but also link them up wi th libraries of other universities, so m y 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. Wi th globalization, with China integrated into the world, I believe m any of these intangible walls will be knocked down.

I know globalization is a controversial issue, and it is hard to say whether i t 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 exam ine their roles in the m odern world.

And how about the ancient walls in m y city and other ci ties? Should we tear them down? Just the opposite. My city, like Beijing and other cities, is actually m aking a great effort to preserve the walls. These walls attract not only historians and archeologists but also m any 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 anci ent 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 globalization.

Our Future: the Garden of One Flower or Many Flowers

第十一届―21世纪杯‖全国英语演讲比赛亚军——吴相臣天津师范大学

演讲稿：Our Future: the Garden of One Flower or Many Flowers

I have a friend who just started his career as a teacher in a primary school. Weeks ago, he asked me to raise a topic for his mid-term composition test. I was curious why he chose me to give a topic, because he is a teacher himself. He said that he wanted something the students can really show their different ideas. Without thinking, I told him to let his students write about what they would do if they were given one million US dollars. My friend left with satisfaction, and I fell into my old memories.

It reminded me of my old days in primary school. We were learning to do narration in the fifth grade's Chinese class. Our teacher required us to write a composition with the topic "My Most Unforgettable Day" with our real experience.

When papers came back, half of the students wrote about the first day they came to school. The rest of the compositions were all about picking money on the streets and giving it to policemen, or helping a blind man cross the street. Of course I was among them. But I remember very clearly, that one student, only one student gave something different. He wrote about the day that he first kissed a girl. I read his composition. After all these years, I can't recite every word, but I dare to say, that even Shakespeare, may not be able to write as equally good when he was 11

years old. The composition was written out of real experience and genuine emotions. Contrary to those fake stories, it sounds real and natural. But the kid was scored zero. Our teacher thought the content was unhealthy, I'm sure you know the meaning of this Chinglish word "unhealthy".

That was 15 years ago. When you read those compositions, and you feel that half of our population is blind, so all those kids could have a chance to help a blind man cross the street, and every one of us has a hole in our pocket, so all those kids could have a chance to pick up the lost money and give it to policemen.

A few days ago, my friend sent me an e-mail of all the copies of his students' compositions. I have to say, I was sadly disillusioned.

Among those papers 40% said that they wanted to donate the money to people in poverty, so their children can go to school. The rest compositions are much more alike. Some wanted to support the panda protection project, some wanted to buy books to enlarge their knowledge. One student even said that he would like to spend his one million dollars on the effort to cure AIDS. I was more astonished to find that a ten- year-old child knew what AIDS really is.

We all have been kids, and we knew what we had once wanted. But, there was no composition about spending the money on video games, nice clothes, chocolates, ice-creams and expensive toys. Like 15 years ago, students won't tell the truth of their hearts.

It has always been our dream to open our children's hearts. We encourage them to describe their dreams, and acted as if we are ready to accept their thoughts. But the fact is that, children are scared by the zero marked on their papers. They are trained to say what we want to hear.

People compare children to flowers of tomorrow. And parents dream about the scenery that roses, tulips, daffodils flourish in the future. But down the road we are going on, in the future, or the future of future, only one kind of flower can be found. And that's the flower we like most.

Our Future: A Battle between Dreams and Reality

第十一届―21世纪·澳门之星杯‖全国英语演讲比赛冠军——曹丰清华大学

演讲稿：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, "Y ou 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.

Breathing with Dreams

日期: 2010-08-27

童话：第十五届―21世纪杯‖全国英语演讲比赛亚军

Breathing with Dreams

I have a question for you. ?Do you know how to breathe?‘ Okay, I know what you are thinking now, ―Girl, are you kidding me? Everybody knows how to breathe.‖ Actually, if I were you sitting down in there one year ago, I would think, ―How did she make it to the final?‖Alright, seriously speaking, what I am talking about is ―the art of breathing‖, and it‘s about breathing in a Y oga way: peacefully and always under control. What it reveals is the real essence of perseverance, ―In order to achieve, sometimes, you need to wait.‖ And when it comes to things you really want in life, it is as hard as it could possibly be.

For me, singing is a life thing. When I am singing on the stage, I feel whole-heartedly involved, and the self-fulfillment it renders is inexplicably thrilling. But with all the realistic problems I need to face in life, all those I want seem too far to be true– so far that I am terrified that I will never ever be able to get there and that gradually I will be carried away by the currents and torrents of life. I‘ve been drowned into this amb ivalence for so long. Now, with a refined perspective towards self-realization, I am waiting, in a graceful posture, and knowing that I am going to get there. And on this, I should say, I owe Y oga a thank-you.

I still remember, about one year ago, I attended a Y oga course for the very first time. And to tell you the truth, I went there for a nice figure. However, after practicing for some time, I discovered that there was an ineffable inner-strength burgeoning sneakily in me while I totally focused. In order not to let go this significant power, I started to picture all I wanted in my mind while I was fully concentrating, for I believe the wings of imagination could make things possible.

I learned to breathe with my dreams, shaping the eagerness into this elegant gesture of persisting.

And now, if you ask me what exactly is ―the art of breathing‖, I would say it is indeed ―the art of living‖. It combines the search of balance, the grace of patience, and the awareness of appreciation.

So even though feelings are tied up with life routines, I could still hold onto that free EGO which I have always adored: the girl who is singing under the spotlight, with all her heart and soul; the girl who is persevering with all she believes in and always feels grateful for what has been bestowed on her.

That girl is now standing right here in front of you, hoping that you are all as lucky as she is, living with dreams and love. No matter how tough things get, I tell myself, I tell myself that, every single thing I am doing now is every step closer to that very moment of my trajectory, just like every Y oga breath to every blossom moment of my life.

Sports brings us together

日期: 2010-08-27

潘勐：第15届―21世纪杯‖全国英语演讲比赛季军

Sports brings us together

Sports are m ore than com petitions. To m e, they m ean growth under the care of others. I learned this the hard way.

I used to be very shy and often fel t lonely. Although I did well in all the academ ic subjects, I was afraid of physical education. My cl assm ates often laughed at m e.

―Look at that girl,‖ they said. ―Her feet don‘t leave the ground when she runs!‖

Their words em barrassed m e. Moreover, whenever the teacher organized som e com petitive gam es, no one in the class liked to have m e as their partner or team m ember. As a result, I often ended up looking at others enjoy their gam es.

Things would go on like that if not for a sports m eet in m y high school. By m istake, m y nam e was put on the list of those who would com pete in the wom en‘s 1500 m eters race. By the tim e people found the m istak e, i t was too late to change.

My desk-m ate was a natural athlete. She said to m e, ―I couldn‘t run that race in your place, because I‘ve signed up for three i tem s already.‖ Other athleti c girls of the class said the sam e.

I was utterly dum bfounded. 1500 m eters! Running against the best runners from other classes! And in front of students of the entire school! It would be the worst nightm are I‘d ever have!

―You still have tim e to catch up because there is still one m onth before the sports m eet,‖ they all said this to m e, including m y teacher.

My desk-m ate patted m e on the shoulder, ―Cool! You will run for our class! And we will do training together.‖ Yes, this is not just for m yself, but for m y class too, I said to m yself. But still, 1500 m eters to m e was like Mount Everest to a beginning clim ber. I had no idea even how to start m y preparation.

Fortunately, m y desk-m ate gave m e a hand. Every afternoon after class, several of us ran together. When the fear of being laughed at struck m e, I saw others running right beside m e. They gave m e strengths. While we were running, som e others would stand by the track s cheering for us.

One m onth certainly couldn‘t m ake m e a good runner. But when I was standing behind the start line, I no longer felt lonely or afraid. I saw m y classm ates standing by the tracks waving at m e as if about to run beside m e.

Wi th the shot of the starting gun, I dashed out and ran as fast as I could, as if it were a 200-m eter race. Soon I was out of breath and slowed down. Other runners passed m e one by one, and gradually I had no idea how m any of them were still behind m e. My legs were getting heavier and heavier, and I m ight fall down at any m om ent. However, I suddenly heard m y classm ates chanting m y nam e. My desk-m ate even ran along the track s beside m e and cheered for m e at the sam e tim e, just like the m onth-long training we did together.

As expected, I was alm ost the last to cross the finish line. Imm ediately, m y classm ates held m y arm s and urged m e to walk on m y feet and not to si t down. I was surrounded, with all kinds of drinks handed to m e. I felt a kind of warm th I had never felt before. Even though I was alm ost the last to finish the race, I was full of confidence that I would im prove in the future.

That sports m eet was an unforgettable experience. The m em ory of m y classm ates cheering for m e, holding m y arm s and handing m e drinks stays fresh on m y m ind. Sports are no longer about winning or losing. They give m e a lot of confidence, both confidence in m y fellow students and confidence in m y own potential. I am no longer lonely, no longer afraid. Sports have brought m e close to m y classm ates and helped us grow together.

Now, I participate in the sports m eet every year. Even if I am not com peting, I would help m y classm ates with their practice, just like the way m y desk-m ate and others ran with m e.