3-5分钟英语演讲稿（精选13篇）
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。”
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.
Ladies and Gentlemen I'd planned to speak to you tonight to report on the state of the union but the events of earlier today have led me to change those plans. Today is a day for mourning and remembering. Nancy and I are pained to the core by the tragedy of the shuttle Challenger. We know we share this pain with all of the people of our country. This is truly a national loss.
Nineteen years ago almost to the day we lost three astronauts in a terrible accident on the ground. But we've never lost an astronaut in flight. We've never had a tragedy like this.
And perhaps we've forgotten the courage it took for the crew of the shuttle. But they the Challenger Seven were aware of the dangers but overcame them and did their jobs brilliantly. We mourn seven heroes: Michael Smith Dick Scobee Judith Resnik Ronald McNair Ellison Onizuka Gregory Jarvis and Christa McAuliffe.
We mourn their loss as a nation together.
For the families of the seven we cannot bear as you do the full impact of this tragedy. But we feel the loss and we're thinking about you so very much. Your loved ones were daring and brave and they had that special grace that special spirit that says "Give me a challenge and I'll meet it with joy." They had a hunger to explore the universe and discover its truths. They wished to serve and they did. They served all of us.
We've grown used to wonders in this century. It's hard to dazzle us. But for twenty-five years the United States space program has been doing just that. We've grown used to the idea of space and perhaps we forget that we've only just begun. We're still pioneers. They the members of the Challenger crew were pioneers.
And I want to say something to the schoolchildren of America who were watching the live coverage of the shuttle's take-off. I know it's hard to understand but sometimes painful things like this happen. It's all part of the process of exploration and discovery. It's all part of taking a chance and expanding man's horizons. The future doesn't belong to the fainthearted; it belongs to the brave. The Challenger crew was pulling us into the future and we'll continue to follow them.
I've always had great faith in and respect for our space program. And what happened today does nothing to diminish it. We don't hide our space program. We don't keep secrets and cover things up. We do it all up front and in public. That's the way freedom is and we wouldn't change it for a minute.
We'll continue our quest in space. There will be more shuttle flights and more shuttle crews and yes more volunteers more civilians more teachers in space. Nothing ends here; our hopes and our journeys continue.
I want to add that I wish I could talk to every man and woman who works for NASA or who worked on this mission and tell them: "Your dedication and professionalism have moved and impressed us for decades. And we know of your anguish. We share it."
There's a coincidence today. On this day three hundred and ninety years ago the great explorer Sir Francis Drake died aboard ship off the coast of Panama. In his lifetime the great frontiers were the oceans and a historian later said "He lived by the sea died on it and was buried in it." Well today we can say of the Challenger crew: Their dedication was like Drake's complete.
The crew of the space shuttle Challenger honored us by the manner in which they lived their lives. We will never forget them nor the last time we saw them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth" to "touch the face of God."
Thank you.
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.
Iadies and gentlemen, teachers, my fellow students:
I am very excited and feel it's a great honor to stand here to deliver my speech. what i'm going to talk about is "choice in my life"
I can still remember the first time i failed in a singing contest. i immediately ran to my grandma, shedding lots of tears of course! i cried loudly and could hardly utter a word!
Then, badly needed comforting words and touch came from grandma. i gradually regained my sense of pride and a sensible control of my feelings. yet, head down, i said: "grandma, i have no choice, and i have to give up, right?" "look at me, my dear!"she said gently. i looked up, straight into her eyes. what i saw was a shining, sweet, and loving stream from the bottom of her heart! then, there came the gentle voice of hers: "no, no, no…" her head shaking, while eyes smiling. "why don't you give more attention to the details?" she continued.
No other words were needed any more! i started practicing and rehearsing once again, paying special attention to those little things that i used to ignore. as a consequence, my overall performance was quickly elevated to a new high! without much trouble, in another singing contest held months later, i won!
What do i learn from this experience? never give up lightly! life's full of opportunities, and lots of them! to realize your dreams and fulfill your potential, you must learn to work hard and smart and steer your lifeboat wisely! as a li ling's sportswear commercial goes "everything is possible!" but not without sweat, devotion, and tears sometimes!
Life is a long journey, during which we are surely going to face many challenges, experience lots of failures, and equally, many opportunities are waving to us, while sweet rewards are waiting for us! to transform these opportunities into fruitful results, or turn those challenges and failures into valuable assets, we must learn to seize the good ones and not to retreat lightly in front of difficulties.
Winners can never be quitters!
Thank you all!
“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!
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。
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.
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. ”
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。
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。
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.
Our common destiny
“ We are made wise not by the recollections of the past but by our responsibility for the future”
----George Bernard Shaw
China is faced with some enormous challenges as it enters the 21st century. In order to ensure the prosperity of our nation and its future generations we must confront and ultimately solve these challenges.
Some of the more pressing issues facing China are universal. These include environmental degradation, over population and the effects of globalization.
To overcome some of the things we need to implement include:
Enhancing our scientific and industrial technologies in such areas as IT, Bio- tech, AI and Cybernetics.
Further develop public infrastructure in under developed regions.
Promote education reform at all levels.
Introduce sustainable development initiatives.
The implementation of free trade agreement between China and ASEAN.
The benefit to China in introducing these initiatives will be significant and far-reaching. It is important to realize that these initiatives need to filter down through all elements of the society in China. For instance, cutting edge technologies and intellectual properties; the development of e-commerce based economy; an education system that encourages innovation and creativity; increased foreign investment; higher living standards; more efficient use of natural resources.
It is important for us to realize these reforms are both essential and necessary. These will help China to fulfill its vast and unrealized potential on the world stage. It will also contribute more to a globalized world of the new century.
As for the future our task is not to foresee but to enable.
我们的共同命运
“我们并不是靠回忆过去而变得睿智，我们之所以明智是由于我们有对未来的责任感”。
中国在迈向二十一世纪的同时，也面临着一些巨大的挑战，为了确保我国的繁荣及为子孙后代着想，我们必须面对挑战并最终从根本上解决它们。
一些中国即将面临的挑战迫切的问题是全球普遍存在的。这些问题包括环境恶化，人口过剩及全球化的影响。为了解决这些问题，我们需要实施以下措施：
(1)提高并增强我们的科学及产业技术，如在信息技术产业，生物技术领域，人工智能以及神经机械学领域;
(2)加快推动欠发达地区的公共设施建设;
(3)促进不同层次的教育改革;
(4)使可持续发展的观念深入人心;
(5)推行中国与东南亚联盟的自由贸易协定。
中国将受益于积极主动的采取具有重要深远意义的措施。认识到这些措施需要实施到中国社会的各个层面是重要的，从而带来广泛且深远的各种改善，如：边缘科技及知识产权;发展以电子商务为基础的经济; 一种鼓励发明与创造的教育体制;更多的外国投资; 更高的生活水平;更加有效的利用自然资源。
我们要意识到各项改革措施是根本的也是有必要的。这些将会促进中国在世界舞台上实现其巨大且尚未实现的潜力。
这也将会对全球化的新世纪做出贡献。
至于未来，我们的任务不是去预知未来，而是努力去使其成为现实。