《英语比赛演讲稿精选十篇》

英语比赛演讲稿（精选10篇）

5.英语比赛演讲稿 篇1

Once upon a time, there was a mouse father. He wanted to marry his daughter to the greatestperson in the world.

很久很久以前，有一个老鼠爸爸。他想要把他的女儿嫁给世界上最伟大的人。

But, who was the greatest person in the world? Oh! The sun! He must be the greatest personin the world. The mouse father went to talk to the sun.

但是，谁是世界上最伟大的人呢?啊!是太阳!他一定是世界上最伟大的人。老鼠爸爸去找太阳谈了谈。

“Hello! Mr. Sun. I know you are the greatest person in the world. Would you marry mydaughter?”

“哈喽!太阳先生，我知道你是世界上最伟大的人。您愿意娶我的女儿吗?”

“What? I’m not the greatest person in the world. The greatest person is the cloud. If he comesout1, I’ll be covered.”

“什么?我可不是世界上最伟大的人。最伟大的人应该是云。只要他一出来，我就会被遮住。”

The mouse father went to talk to the cloud.

老鼠爸爸又去找云谈。

“Hello! Mr. Cloud. I know you are the greatest person in the world. Would you marry mydaughter?”

“哈喽!云先生，我知道你是世界上最伟大的人。您愿意娶我的女儿吗?”

“What? I’m not the greatest person in the world. The greatest person is the wind. If he comesout, I’ll be blown away2.”

“什么?我才不是世界上最伟大的人呢!最伟大的人应该是风。只要他一刮起来，我就被吹的远远的。”

The mouse father went to talk to the wind.

老鼠爸爸又去找风谈。

“Hello! Mr. Wind. I know you are the greatest person in the world. Would you marry mydaughter?”

“哈喽!风先生，我知道你是世界上最伟大的人。您愿意娶我的女儿吗?”

“What? I’m not the greatest person in the world. The greatest person is the wall. If he comesout, I’ll be stopped.”

“什么?我可不是世界上最伟大的人。最伟大的人应该是墙。只要有他在，我就被挡住了。”

The mouse father went to talk to the wall.

老鼠爸爸又去找墙谈。

“Hello! Mr. Wall. I know you are the greatest person in the world. Would you marry mydaughter?”

“哈喽!墙先生，我知道你是世界上最伟大的人。你愿意娶我的女儿吗?”

“What? I’m not the greatest person in the world. The greatest person is YOU, the mouse.”

“什么?我才不是世界上最伟大的人呢!最伟大的其实是你们老鼠!”

“The greatest person in the world is … mouse?”

“世界上最伟大的人……是老鼠?”

“Yes, the greatest person in the world is mouse. See?3 If mouse comes out, I’ll be bit!”

“没错!世界上最伟大的人就是老鼠。想想看，只要你们一出现，我的身上就要被打洞!”

The mouse father was very happy. He finally knew mouse was the greatest person in the world.He would marry his daughter to the handsome mouse next door.

老鼠爸爸开心的不得了。他终于知道原来老鼠才是世界上最伟大的人。他决定要把自己的女儿嫁给隔壁英俊的鼠小弟。

1.英语比赛演讲稿 篇2

一、 our school

hello! my name is li yue.im a girl. im a student in grade four.now let me talk about our school.

our school is shengli primary school.there is a big building in our school.there are many teachers and students in our school.our school has many teachers offices and many classrooms.our school has a playground,a library and a canteen.look! our classroom is on the second floor, our teachers office is on the first floor. the canteen is at the school gate,

our school has a big playground. we often run ,play football and do morning exercises on the playground. in the garden, there are many beautiful flowers.they are colourful. i love these flowers.

our school has a library.there are many books in our school library. we can go to the library and read story-books. i like to read story-books.

our school has a canteen.i often eat lunch in the canteen.

our school is beautiful. we love our shool.thats all.thank you.bye!

二、 time

hello! my name is li yue.im a girl. im a student in grade four.now let me talk about the time.

i get up at 6:30.i go to school at 7:05. i go home at 4:35.i go to bed at 9:00. classes begin at 8:30.its time for music class.its 9:45.its time for math class.its 2:50.its time for chinese class.its 11:05.its time for english class.its 4:20.its time for p.e. class.look, i can do:time for breakfast.drink some milk;time for lunch. have some chicken;time for dinner.eat some rice;time for p.e. jump and run;time for english.read and write;time for music.sing and dance! thank you!

三、clothes

hello! my name is li yue.im a girl. im a student in grade four.now let me talk about clothes. how many clothes do you know? well,i know.they are jacket,sweater,skirt,shirt , dress,jeans,pants and shorts.what colour do you like? well,i like brown jacket,white sweater,green skirt,red shirt and blue dress.i like the white sweater with the green skirt.i like the blue dress.look,i can do:

put on your t-shirt.hang up your skirt.take off your jacket. fold your dress.wash your shirt.put away your sweater. thank you!

四、farm

hello! my name is li yue.im a girl. im a student in grade four.now let me talk about the farm.

what animals are on the farm?do you know?well,i know.at the farm,there are many animals.they are sheep,horses,hens,cows,lambs and goats.

what can we do at the farm?at the farm,we can feed the hens,ride a horse,milk a cow,sheer a sheep,hold a lamb.

at the farm,you can see tomatoes,cucumbers,potatoes,onions and carrots.they are fresh.and the potatoes are very big. thats all.thank you!

2.英语比赛演讲稿 篇3

Hello, everyone! My name is Gaoyuan. I am thirteen years old. I was born in Yixing and I live with my parents in Yixing now.

My hometown -----Yixing is a beautiful city.There are a lot of famous[’feim?s] sceneries, such as the Shan Juan cave [keiv], the Mu Li Cave and so on .The scenery [’si:n?ri] is superb

[.sju:’ p?:b] in mountains. The most famous thing in Yixing is traditional teapots. They are very beautiful. And a teapot is a very good present to send to your good friends, I am sure your friend will like it very much. But that is a little expensive.

I am lively [’laivli].I work hard at all my lessons, so I am a top student in my class. I like reading very much. I have a lot of good books, such as,and so on. I like the writer of-----Margaret Mitchell best, the novel [’n Dv?l] is very interesting, and I think the dramatis personae[’dr?m?tis p?:’ s?unai] of the novel -----Katie Scarlett O'Hara is vixenish[’viks?ni ?] .

English is my favourite lesson. My English teacher often says that it is important to learn English well, English is useful. I go along with it very much. Chinese is our mother

tongue ,we should learn it very well ,but we should learn English more earnestly [’ ?:nistli].

This is me, a lively girl. Support [s?’p ?:t] me, please?

6.英语比赛演讲稿 篇4

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It’s an honor for me to be here to make a speech.. Hope you enjoy a wonderful time! First I want to say is here my topic, which is how to make my class active and interactive.

Actually , when I stepped to the 3-foot platform to be an English teacher , I tried my best to make my students practice the patterns time after time , I hoped that they would get high marks in test .However , my students didn't care about it , they showed less attention to my class.

Until one day, a student had a talk with me. He said : ”I’m learning many things that are boring, useless and not valuable. So I’m tired of studying. Miss Ma , can you understand me? ”At that time, I felt my class was lack of active and interactive patterns.

Then I gradually found that make class active and interactive is from active learning to interactive teaching.

First , we should be energetic and encouraging .Because our passion can make class want to learn English, they will act with nature and show more potential abilities. Also,we should praise in various ways. In our class we often say “good, very good”, the simple word not only make them active in class, but also foster their sense of achievement in future learing..

Secondly, we should make class meaningful and creative. In class, we can use the short and simple sentence, use the body language to communicate with students .We should give students clear purpose and offer them opportunities to try, to create and allow them to fail. Make sure the class relaxing and interactive, be familiar to the feeling of English language.

Coming up next is organizing games and activities .You know, activity is the key part of class. Including paired work, competitions, role play, guessing game, TPR activities, and so on. Whatever I use , I should often change the way. From students and I; student and student ;to students and students. Make all class.

The last but not the least is helping the class feel comfortable with asking me questions and answering my questions. To do this, do not criticize any questions from students .This will insure that students will continue to ask questions. Do give more chance to students ask and answer , make students and ourselves learn interactively. So after class students can listen, read, write, think without force and pressure, keeping interests and motivation .

This is my talk from my experience, sharing with you today . Thank you for your attention!

4.英语比赛演讲稿 篇5

20 years ago, Wang and Xiao, two passionate junior high students, dared to dream, dared to act. Wang loved Michael Jackson’s dancing, and Xiao was addicted to playing guitar.

The two then formed a band, hoping that one day they could get on the stage and perform.

However, the reality has always been unsatisfactory. On the path of realizing their dream, the two suffered countless setbacks---from the fickleness of the world to conservative ideas of the society, from employment pressure to marriage pressure, and worse still, the rising of prices.

After 20 years’ torment, they compromised to the reality---Wang is now a barber, and Xiao is a wedding host.

Yet one day, they got to know that there was a talent show Happy Idol. They could not stop thinking of their original dreams of performing on the stage. And eventually they decided to participate.

This time, the two old boys, realized their dream. Once again, Wang played the guitar and sang. Xiao danced with preoccupation. The song they sang is a beautiful elegy to youth, a lament for all the things the post 80’s have lost along the way.

As was sung in the song, “dreams are always out of reach. Should I just give up? Have you realized your original dream? Or can we only mourn he present circumstances? Life is like a heartless chisel, changing our appearances. Must I wither before we blossom? I used to have a dream.”

This is the story in a hot online movie named The Old Boys. The movie has touched the hearts of almost all Chinese netizens, especially the post 80’s and 90’s. It makes them realize that, from the very beginning, we should choose to follow our heart, and follow our dream.

Robert frost wrote in his famous poem The Road Not Taken, “two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference”.

In our life journey, we sooner or later will have to face the two spurroads. One leads to dream. The other leads to reality. Wanting wear, the dream road is grassy yet winding. The reality road, however, has been terribly trodden.

Why?

It’s because people are always struggling for the reality, having no time to fight for their dream.

Take the post 80’s generation as an example.

If you ask what their dreams are when they were kids. They might give you answers like becoming a scientist, a politician, or a great businessman. However, if you ask them now what their dreams are. They would tell you that they want to buy a house, a car; they want to have a secure job, a moderate income.

I got a question: where is their original dream now?

Actually, in face of the huge pressure from the reality, they have set aside their dreams.

Confronted with the college entrance exams, they spent 12 years in the ocean of papers. At last still not everyone could be admitted to their ideal university.

Confronted with the rising of house price, they will have to spend almost their whole life to earn a house.

Confronted with the pressure of raising family, they strive on their post day and night. When they go back home, tired with fatigue, they have no energy at all to think more about their original dreams.

It takes young people their whole life to fight with the reality. Meanwhile, their original dream fades out as well. Even if they have the passion, it still would be worn down by the pressure from the reality.

Living such a fail-fail life, how could one possibly get the real happiness?

How should we do then?

The dream road and the reality road diverge at the very beginning, and as the two roads extend to the distance, they would become even farther apart from each other.

Thus we need to make our choice at the very beginning: to dream, or to struggle with the reality.

I would say to young people that, it’s time for us to discard the pressure from the reality and follow our dream. It’s time for is to unburden our load and go to our Walden Ponds. It’s time for us to undertake the career that we have been dreaming of.

The housing price is high. So what? We could still choose Dwelling Narrowness.

College entrance exams are cruel. So what? If it really unfits you, then skip it and establish your own business.

Your girlfriend refuses to marry you simply because you have no money to buy a house. So what? I would say that she’s not the one deserves your love.

Stop hesitating, young people. If today is the last day of your life. You’ll know what to do! For the sake of not letting yourself regret when you grow older; for the sake of not letting yourself regret that the pain you have suffered does not pay you back any true happiness, please choose to follow your dream.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, and I-I took the dream road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

9.英语比赛演讲稿 篇6

Good evening.Ladies and gentlemen!

I am honour to stand here to deliver my speech .And my topic today is about future. As we all know, mans life is a process of growing up, actually Im standing here is a growth. If a persons life must constituted by various choices, then I grow up along with these choices. Once I hope I can study in a college in future, however thats passed, as you know I come here, now I wonder what the future holds for me. When I come to this school, I told to myself: this my near future, all starts here. Following I will learn to become a man, a integrated man, who has a fine body, can take on important task, has independent thought, an open mind, intensive thought, has the ability to judge right and wrong, has a perfect job. Once my teacher said :” you are not sewing, you are stylist; never forget which you should lay out to people is your thought, not craft.” I will put my personality with my interest and ability into my study, during these process I will combine learning with doing. If I can achieve this “future”, I think that I really grow up. And I deeply believe kindred, good-fellowship and love will perfection and happy in the future. How to say futureMaybe its a nice wish. Lets makeuourminds, stick to it and surely well enjoy our life. dear friends! I am very glad to stand here and deliver a speech.

20xx sees the joys and sorrows of China. The snow disaster ,the earthquake and the Olympics all happened in this particular year. We chinese had never suffered such disaters and held the Olympics for the first time. That was a big challenge for us. But the strong chinese nation would fight until he dropped! Just as the saying goes, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Hard work paid off. The disasters has gone by and the Olympics has been a big hit throughout the world. Now I'm standing here to tell you that we're on our way to be great.No one can deny us the future.If winter has come,can spring be far behindWe stand on the land of snow,we hear the voice of hope! Thank you! 20xx is a special year for Beijing for the Olympic Games. It is a special year for me too. I watched 8 games. The Olympic Games let me know, for all of the people in the world, we are family. In the 16 days, I saw different people from different countries. I heard different languages in the world. I sat next to English, American, Canadian and Korean when watching hockey games. I shouted “Go! Go! Go!” with Argentinian and Serbian when watching football match. In the Olympic Park, Australian friends shared their small gifts with Russian, German, French and Chinese. Everybody from different countries smiled at each other. Everybody was friendly to each other in these 16 days. This is Olympic. It brings friendship, it brings peace. I will remember the Beijing Olympic Games in my life. In 20xx, I understand, we are living in earth village. I believe, we are family of the world. My speech is over. Thanks! Lecture Scripts Global Citizenship Begins at Home

When I saw this title , I felt a little nervous, if I could expound this topic for you clearly, maybe my wisdom was enough to help me write a masterpiece in every field. Unfortunately , I cannot. And fortunately, in less than 3 minutes will you know my ideas. I think the most unbelievable news in the last century is we are genetically 99.9% the same. Do you feel a little excited, nowI did, when I first time heard it from the radio. And suddenly realized that we are born to be the same. This eye-catching news approved what we called “global village”, and then told us we are born with a “global citizenship” just like with the character.

However, same to the character, global citizenship is not only accepted by oneself ,but also by others. As traditional Chinese saying goes, “thousands of miles should begin at first step”. Only if we have a good beginning at home — step first we firmly stepped, it would be easy for other global citizens to admit us . But you may feel a little bored to listen to my lecture and ask “what do you really want us to know”

So let’s pay attention to our motherland. China has set us good examples to favor the title “global citizenship begins at home”. More than a hundred years ago, when the old Chinese government limited economic growth and lock his doors against the world. He missed the best opportunity to develop himself. He abandoned home, but was eager for an absolute global citizenship. He wanted to ignore the first step but jump far. Let alone other countries with an ulterior motive, I cannot agree. But now everything is changing. China is enjoying his broaden global citizenship in global affairs. Only when he is getting stronger himself, the global citizenship is truly owned by himself.

Honor judges and dear friends, remember “global citizenship begins at home”, our dream should be that we keep on going to conform the changing world and keep our global citizenship worthy. As long as our dream outweighs our ability, the world, our country and ourselves will be forever young. That’s is our destiny. And this is our moment.

Thank you for listening. Good night. good afternoon，Ladies and gentlemen . The title of my speech is " The development of traditional culture " : The 21st century has started a new history . Great changes have taken place in the world because of the prosperous development of technology and science . Some of you might have noticed that more and more people around us have started to learn a second language besides English . But maybe you will ask me “Isnt it a good thing ” No , absolutely not . It certainly meets the objective request of the economic globalization .While we accept western culture, some of us lost themselves in the cultural sea. Chances are that we are likely to lose our own traditional cultures . So ,the cultural globalization which is caused by economic globalization may be harmful to our countrys scientific development. As is well known to all , culture is the pillar of science .But there exist two phenomenon in the process of globation . One is some people called Mr West 。They accept western culture without any judgement , and they dont care whether it is good or not . For instance ,maybe someone has found that western festivals are more and more popular such as Christmas and Valentine’s day. At the same time ,Chinese traditional festivals are fading away in our memories .we cant image how a country could develop with its own culture lost. Well , another is called Mr Old , in the contrary , they refuse to accept any other cultures , they blame that cultural globalization is a disaster . To our surprise , they absolutely dont know that exchanging culture communication can advance the development of science and technology . Absolutely affirm or deny a culture for our development isnt a wise choice it isn’t a wise choice to completely accept or deny a culture.. Im glad to hear that our party implemented a policy which is called sustainable development and tries their best to inherit and enhance our traditional culture .Under the precondition , our culture could promote . In this case, Chinese citizen may manager to survive. What’s more , we feel delighted to see that more and more

8.英语比赛演讲稿 篇7

whether there's afterlife, the answer has never been the same.the atheists deny after life, believing that our life is no more than from thecradle to the grave. they may care about their illustrious names after death;they may feel attached to the affection of their offspring, but they never laytheir hopes on their afterlife. they may also say that good will be rewardedwith good, and evil with evil, but they don't really believe any retribution intheir after life.

however, in the religious world or among the superstitious people, thebelief in afterlife is very popular. they do not only believe in afterlife, butthousands of reincarnations as well. in the mysterious world, there are theparadise and the hell, the celestial beings and the gods, the buddha and thebodhisattvas.

maybe they really believed it, or maybe they just wanted to make use ofpeople's veneration, the ancient emperors always declared that they were thereal dragons, the sons of god, while the royal ministers claimed to be thereincarnations of various constellations. but can the stars reincarnate?

3.英语比赛演讲稿 篇8

When I’m a little girl.I want to be a reporter.But now I want to be a computer programmer in ten year I like computer very much.I will go to study something about computer.I have been learning computer for two year.I think it’s very interesting.

When I’m a little girl.I want to be a reporter.But now I want to be a computer programmer in ten year I like computer very much.I will go to study something about computer.I have been learning computer for two year.I think it’s very interesting.

When I’m a little girl.I want to be a reporter.But now I want to be a computer programmer in ten year I like computer very much.I will go to study something about computer.I have been learning computer for two year.I think it’s very interesting.

When I’m a little girl.I want to be a reporter.But now I want to be a computer programmer in ten year I like computer very much.I will go to study something about computer.I have been learning computer for two year.I think it’s very interesting.

10.英语比赛演讲稿 篇9

to me march 28th was a lucky day. it was on that particular evening that i found myself at central stage, in the spotlight. winning the 21st century·ericsson cup seventh national english speaking competition is a memory that i shall treasure and one that will surely stay. more important than winning the cup is the friendship that has been established and developed among the contestants, and the chance to communicate offstage in addition to competing onstage. also the competition helps boost public speaking in china, a skill hitherto undervalued. for me, though, the competition is a more personal experience. habitually shy, i had been reluctant to take part in any such activities. encouraged by my friends, however, i made a last-minute decision to give it a try. in the course of preparation i somehow rediscovered myself, a truer me.

i found that, after all, i like communicating with other people; that exchanging views can be so much fun—and so much rewarding, both emotionally and intellectually; that public speaking is most effective when you are least guarded; and that it is essential to success in every walk of life. at a more practical level, i realized knowing what you are going to say and how you are going to say it are equally important. to take the original ideas out of your head and transplant them, so to speak, to that of others, you need to have an organized mind. this ability improves with training. yet there should not be any loss or addition or distortion in the process. those ideas that finally find their way into another head need to be recognizably yours. language is a means to transmit information, not a means to obstruct communication. it should be lucid to be penetrating.

in china, certain public speaking skills have been unduly emphasized. will it really help, we are compelled to ask, to bang at the podium or yell at the top of your lungs, if you have come with a poorly organized speech, a muddled mind, and unwillingness to truly share your views?

above all, the single most important thing i learnt was that as a public speaker, you need to pay attention, first and foremost, to the content of your speech. and second, the structure of your speech: how one idea relates and progresses to another. only after these come delivery and non-verbal communication: speed control, platform manner, and so on. pronunciation is important, yet of greater importance is this: is your language competent enough to express your ideas exactly the way you intend them to be understood? i was informed afterwards that i was chosen to be the winner for my appropriately worded speech, excellent presence and quick-witted response. in so remarking, the judges clearly showed their preference: they come to listen for meaningful ideas, not for loose judgments, nor easy laughters.

some contestants failed to address their questions head on. some were able to, but did not know where to stop—the dragging on betrayed their lack of confidence. the root cause was that they did not listen attentively to the questions. or they were thinking of what they had prepared. as i said in my speech, it is vitally important that we young people do more serious thinking ... to take them [issues like obalization] on and give them honest thinking is the first step to be prepared for both opportunities and challenges coming our way. we need to respond honestly.

a competition like this draws talented students from all over the country. and of course, i learnt more things than just about public speaking. since in the final analysis, public speaking is all about effective communication. and this goes true for all communications, whatever their setting. and the following is the final version of my speech: globalization: opportunities and challenges for chinas younger generation 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, your handshake came over the vastest ocean in the world—twenty-five years of no communication. thirty years since, china and america have exchanged many handshakes. the fundamental implication of this example is that the need to communicate across differences in culture and ideology is not only felt by the two countries but 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 economy, and politicians and diplomats 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 global communication is the echo of e. m. forsters words only connect!

with the it revolution, traditional boundaries of human society fall away. our culture, politics, society and commerce are being sloshed into one 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 a 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? insteadof narrowing the gap between the rich and the poor, they say, globalization enables the developed nations to swallow the developing nations wealth in debts and interest. globalization, they argue, should be about a common interest in every other nations economic health. we are reminded by karl marx that capital goes beyond national borders and eludes control from any other entity. this has become a reality. multinational corporations are seeking the lowest cost, the largest market, and the most favourable policy. they are often powerful lobbyists in government decision-making, ruthless expansionists in the global market and a devastating presence to local businesses. for china, still more challenges exist. how are we going to ensure a smooth transition from the planned economy to a market-based one? how to construct a legal system that is sound enough and broad enough to respond to the needs of a dynamic society? how to maintain our cultural identity in an increasingly homogeneous world? and how to define greatness in our rise as a peace-loving nation? globalization entails questions that concern us all. like many young people my age in china, i want to see my country get prosperous and enjoy respect in the international community. but it seems to me that mere patriotism is not just enough. it is vitally important that we young people do more serious thinking and broaden our mind to bigger issues. there might never be easy answers to those issues such as globalization, but to take them on and give them honest thinking is the first step to be prepared for both opportunities and challenges coming our way. this is also one of the thoughts that came to me while preparing this speech.

7.英语比赛演讲稿 篇10

To me March 28th was a lucky day. It was on that particular evening that I found myself at central stage, in the spotlight. Winning the ”21st Century·Ericsson Cup” Seventh National English Speaking Competition is a memory that I shall treasure and one that will surely stay.

More important than winning the Cup is the friendship that has been established and developed among the contestants, and the chance to communicate offstage in addition to competing onstage. Also the competition helps boost public speaking in China, a skill hitherto undervalued.

For me, though, the competition is a more personal experience. Habitually shy, I had been reluctant to take part in any such activities. Encouraged by my friends, however, I made a last-minute decision to give it a try. In the course of preparation I somehow rediscovered myself, a truer me.

I found that, after all, I like communicating with other people; that exchanging views can be so much fun—and so much rewarding, both emotionally and intellectually; that public speaking is most effective when you are least guarded; and that it is essential to success in every walk of life.

At a more practical level, I realized knowing what you are going to say and how you are going to say it are equally important. To take the original ideas out of your head and transplant them, so to speak, to that of others, you need to have an organized mind. This ability improves with training.

Yet there should not be any loss or addition or distortion in the process. Those ideas that finally find their way into another head need to be recognizably yours. Language is a means to transmit information, not a means to obstruct communication. It should be lucid to be penetrating.

In China, certain public speaking skills have been unduly emphasized. Will it really help, we are compelled to ask, to bang at the podium or yell at the top of your lungs, if you have come with a poorly organized speech, a muddled mind, and unwillingness to truly share your views?

Above all, the single most important thing I learnt was that as a public speaker, you need to pay attention, first and foremost, to the content of your speech. And second, the structure of your speech: how one idea relates and progresses to another.

Only after these come delivery and non-verbal communication: speed control, platform manner, and so on. Pronunciation is important, yet of greater importance is this: Is your language competent enough to express your ideas exactly the way you intend them to be understood?

I was informed afterwards that I was chosen to be the winner for my ”appropriately worded speech, excellent presence and quick-witted response”. In so remarking, the judges clearly showed their preference: they come to listen for meaningful ideas, not for loose judgments, nor easy laughters.

Some contestants failed to address their questions head on. Some were able to, but did not know where to stop—the dragging on betrayed their lack of confidence. The root cause was that they did not listen attentively to the questions. Or they were thinking of what they had prepared.

As I said in my speech, ”It is vitally important that we young people do more serious thinking ... to take them [issues like globalization] on and give them honest thinking is the first step to be prepared for both opportunities and challenges coming our way”. We need to respond honestly.

A competition like this draws talented students from all over the country. And of course, I learnt more things than just about public speaking. Since in the final analysis, public speaking is all about effective communication. And this goes true for all communications, whatever their setting.

And the following is the final version of my speech:

GLOBALIZATION: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR CHINA'S YOUNGER GENERATION

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, ”Your handshake came over the vastest ocean in the world—twenty-five years of no communication”. Thirty years since, China and America have exchanged many handshakes. The fundamental implication of this example is that the need 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 economy, and politicians and diplomats 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 global communication is the echo of E. M. Forster's words ”Only connect!”

With the IT revolution, traditional boundaries of human society fall away. Our culture, politics, society and commerce are being sloshed into one 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 a 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 the developed nations to swallow the developing nations' wealth in debts and interest. Globalization, they argue, should be about a common interest in every other nation's economic health.

We are reminded by Karl Marx that capital goes beyond national borders and eludes control from any other entity. This has become a reality. Multinational corporations are seeking the lowest cost, the largest market, and the most favourable policy. They are often powerful lobbyists in government decision-making, ruthless expansionists in the global market and a devastating presence to local businesses.

For China, still more challenges exist. How are we going to ensure a smooth transition from the planned economy to a market-based one? How to construct a legal system that is sound enough and broad enough to respond to the needs of a dynamic society? How to maintain our cultural identity in an increasingly homogeneous world? And how to define greatness in our rise as a peace-loving nation? Globalization entails questions that concern us all.

Like many young people my age in China, I want to see my country get prosperous and enjoy respect in the international community. But it seems to me that mere patriotism is not just enough. It is vitally important that we young people do more serious thinking and broaden our mind to bigger issues. There might never be easy answers to those issues such as globalization, but to take them on and give them honest thinking is the first step to be prepared for both opportunities and challenges coming our way. This is also one of the thoughts that came to me while preparing this speech.