6月5日下午，我校周恩来杯英语演讲比赛在1号楼报告厅拉开帷幕。受疫情影响，本次演讲比赛采用线上线下同时进行的模式。虽然现场观众因此有所减少，但选手们的热情并未衰退分毫。思维之碰撞，言辞之流畅，在灯光闪耀的演讲台上，选手们自信地展现风采。

本次演讲比赛的主题是“challenge”，与今年的时事新闻紧紧契合。根据往届的惯例，八位演讲者是从高三年级200多名同学中按照英语成绩遴选出来的英语学习佼佼者，他们是周子祺、陈响、邓晨钰、吴一凡、袁毅欣、郎朗天、杨骏洲和诸致远同学。

演讲中各位参赛者针对“challenge”一词，给出了不同的释义。Challenge可作名词，意为挑战。今年新冠肺炎疫情肆虐，国际局势趋于紧张，我们生活在一个充满挑战的时代。大世界中事件的走向，都将最终影响到每个人的小世界，时代的挑战也由此与我们息息相关。演讲者亦有从小者入笔——这一次的演讲比赛本身便是一次挑战，借此讲述自己的心路历程，追寻自我突破。又或者从反面着笔：我们不必事事都做到完美，有些时候，相比于“challenge”，我们更应该选择“let it go”。Challenge亦可作动词，表示大胆质疑。演讲者从一则故事娓娓道来，揭示大胆提问对于每一个人的意义何在。

演讲的主题虽然只有“challenge”一个词，但却足以衍生出一系列值得探讨的话题。演讲者的思维从这一个点开始向外发散，使这一次的演讲比赛的内容格外丰富，有趣且有料。

过程中，袁毅欣同学演唱了来自Westlife的歌曲《The Rose》，全场掌声雷动，更有同学在台下伴唱，场上气氛达到高潮。

我校英语特级教师汪加华老师对这一次演讲活动作了点评。当说起challenge这个话题时，她回忆起几年前的一位参赛选手作的演讲“To turn challenge into chance”，把challenge变为chance，我们需要去掉字母l, l, e, g，加上字母c。或许l代表着我们应该把旁观（looking on）变为行动，e代表着我们应该把排外（exclusiveness) 变为包容……这样新颖有趣的解释激发了同学们对各个字母的推敲，给本次的演讲比赛留下了一个兼具开放性和思考性的结局。

最后，周子祺和吴一凡同学分获本次演讲比赛的女生和男生组冠军，副校长吴锋刃为选手们颁发了奖状。

2020年的周恩来演讲比赛是一个展示的舞台，在杭外的怀抱里懵懂少年成长为优秀而自信的青年。周恩来英语演讲比赛也是一个给人以启发与思考的舞台，对于高三同学们来说，这是高中生活最后的终点，却也是走向世界的起点。毫无疑问，在走向未来的过程中，我们将会遇到更多的challenges。但是就像这场演讲比赛中所探讨的那样，不管我们选择挑战、质疑、或是恰当的释然和妥协，我们都应当保持积极与乐观的心态，拥抱我们的生活。

（大预班 俞佳菲 撰稿）

附：选手演讲稿和汪加华老师点评

吴一凡

    I hope to start with a tale adapted from an ancient fable. Like in many such fables, a man went to a sage in the mountains in pursuit of secrets to wisdom. And again, like in most such stories, the sage decided to answer with something obscure.

    “There are many challenges on a man’s way to wisdom,” he said, “but the biggest challenge is learning to challenge.”

    You might’ve noticed the trick here is the two distinct definitions of “challenge.” The sage’s words could be understood as “the hardest thing to do is learning to doubt.”

    Of course, to challenge could mean a lot. We are encouraged to challenge authorities, challenge the majority, challenge information from various sorts of sources, and challenge all the unjust, unfair, and unreasonable constituents of the society. However, I have reason to believe the sage would agree with me that the essence of challenge isn’t any of these. Instead, it should probably be the ability to challenge the beliefs and actions of ourselves.

    Some might ask, “Why is that a challenge? After all, isn’t self-doubt a bad thing?” However, to challenge doesn’t necessarily mean to reject. Instead, we should seek to find truth, to be ready to embrace the possibility that we are wrong, and eventually, to believe, and to become better versions of ourselves. And if we skip the process of reflecting on our ideas and go straight into challenging others, the result could be tragic, or even devastating. It is common to know one or two children who always regret arguing with their teachers or parents, grown-ups who occasionally feel sorry for bullying a childhood friend, and elderly people who repent their fanatical sins during the Cultural Revolution. Too often, we are blinded by our own sentiments and prejudices, and only regret when everything is too late, wounds already inflicted, and conscience left in remorse and pains.

    The solution is simple – to challenge. And that is also the solution to all kinds of social issues we face today. Imagine a world where extremists started to challenge the belief that killing would help them get into heaven, racists began to wonder why they should be superior to others, or invading soldiers suddenly questioned why they should risk their lives to ruin an innocent land and its people. Wouldn’t that be a dream too sweet to be true? All the difference were made only because people learned to challenge the ideas they were raised to believe, the notions imposed by the society, and most importantly, the weak, proud, impulsive and obedient side of themselves.

    It is said that when the Nazi official Adolf Eichmann first heard he would be trialed for actions against humanity, he was more confused than regretful or afraid. “I was only fulfilling my duty,” he defended for himself, “Nobody has told me I was wrong.” But in fact, Adolf was responsible for the deaths of millions of Jews. This is an extreme example of someone who fails to challenge. Notably, it also shows how difficult to dispute others would become when we can’t question ourselves properly in the first place. Adolf hoped someone had challenged and rescued him, but unfortunately, it was a time people couldn’t even save themselves.

    Of course, we are much luckier than Adolf and others living in his era. Thinking doesn’t make us criminals. We don’t need to take risks when speaking out our ideas, and are even encouraged to think critically, to challenge our own ideas as well as others’. Therefore, let us all seek to challenge. Let us all break the chains we unconsciously wear, and let us all be free birds flying high in the sky of wisdom.

周子祺

    Ladies and gentlemen, what is more contagious than COVID-19? Within half a year, COVID-19 has managed to spread itself to more than 6 million people. But in comparison, on the Internet, we can spread information to more than a billion people within one day. With the development of our technology, the information generated by human beings is getting more and more contagious. However, when people deliberately distort the information, our technical advantage becomes our greatest weakness.

    Some Western politicians call the corona virus as ‘Chinese virus’ and claim that China is responsible for the global outbreak of the virus. When all races and all countries are supposed to stand together to combat a common enemy, this wrong message breeds discrimination and resentment. It separates one race from another and it divides one country from another. Perhaps this is the reason why the World Health Organization does not only fight against the pandemic, but also tackle the ‘infodemic’. And the ‘infodemic’ targeted at certain country and certain race is one of the most serious challenges that we face today. It is essential that we build understandings instead of resentment between countries. But as ordinary citizens, what can we do?

    The Founder of People to People International, Mr. Eisenhower, once said, 'I have long believed, as have many before me, that peaceful relation between nations requires understanding and mutual respect between individuals.'Indeed, the communication between ordinary individuals is perhaps as powerful as communication between officials. Back in the year of 2014, when Michelle Obama visited China, she shared the idea that we have already moved into a new era of citizen diplomacy. Citizen diplomacy means that unofficial contacts between citizens can help build the image of a nation, strengthen mutual trust, clear up misunderstandings and eventually pave the way for official cooperation between countries.

    So how does citizen diplomacy work in times of the pandemic? Well, there’s a short video named A volunteer in Wuhan that has gained world-wide attention in February. It’s about the story of Wang Yong. He voluntarily picked up doctors from Jinyintan Hospital everyday and he spared no effort to provide medical supplies, daily necessities and even spiritual consolation to medical workers in need. In the video, Wang Yong said he worried about his parents, his wife and his two-year-old daughter. But he said he must do the right thing that helps the society and inspires the next generation and it didn’t matter if he were infected and died. I believe people from all cultural backgrounds can understand his worries and appreciate his spirit of utter devotion. Wang Yong is a successful citizen diplomat because the story he tells provides a powerful visualization of the effort and sacrifice made by Chinese people. To our global audience, this vivid story is perhaps more persuasive than a politician’s claim that China is not doing enough in the pandemic.

    Actually, everyone can be a citizen diplomat. With a click of the button, our commentary, our photo and our video can be transmitted to people on every continent. When our message reaches another country, it represents a culture and even the image of a nation. This is a challenge, but also an opportunity. We should excavate more inspiring Chinese stories. We should also learn to share our culture in a way that our foreign friends are delighted to accept. And we have to believe, a vivid Chinese story told with authentic emotions will speak louder than politicians’ claims of stigmatization.

    The highly contagious information of human society is a double-edged sword. When people choose to spread disinformation and make irresponsible comments, it leads to ‘infodemic’ and stirs up conflicts. But when we choose to be responsible citizen diplomats and share inspiring stories, we bring people together. I guess we all understand which one is the better choice to make. After all, we prefer to build a shared future for mankind, but not a split one. Thank you!

陈响

Honorable judges and dear fellows, good afternoon!

    I want to begin my speech with a thought experiment. Let’s imagine there’s a cave, with a long passage reaching to the outside. You, along with many others, are imprisoned in that cave. But unlike normal prisoners, you guys have your hands and feet tied to the ceiling, meaning you cannot walk or turn around. The only thing you can do is to stare at the back wall of the cave, seeing only the shadows of all those people and objects passing by. Now let’s say, if you are suddenly sent free. You are able to go outside now, so what happens next?

    Right in front of you, you can see the real entities of everything that you once mistook for their shadows, right? However, it feels painful and you cannot see them clearly because of the sudden exposure to the scorching sunlight.

    This is the famous Cave Allegory by Plato. For all those years, I didn’t really understand the significance of this story until earlier this year, when I had my college interview.

    The professor asked me a question: Are we getting more informed in this information society?

    My intuition was: Definitely. With all those news channels and information that is readily available, we are now in the middle of a vast pool of knowledge of an unprecedented scale.

    Then the professor continued: Don’t you see this challenge in the digital era? Are we seeing things from a more comprehensive point of view even though we have so much information that comes in handy?

    That question struck me deeply. I started to connect the allegory with the society in which we live. It’s always much easier to see things through a medium, right? Just like the man in the allegory, who gets so comfortable seeing things in their shadows that it actually hurts to see the truth.

    You may already know that all these times when you are browsing the Internet, the software has been keeping track of your likes and dislikes so that the next time you log on to it, the articles that pop up on your screen can suit your interest. And the longer you use the software, the more accurate its predictions become.

   So the problem here, is not about whether we have enough information, but rather how easy it is to be bombarded with information that makes us comfortable. We are creating a cozy nest for ourselves and are unwilling to go out to explore different things. It’s indeed comfortable to stay within our comfort zones, we all have a natural tendency to choose things that align with our previous beliefs, we like to interact with like-minded people. This is fine. However, what is not fine is the problems that ensue. Every time you are exposed to viewpoints similar to yours, you consolidate them. It’s like living in an echo chamber, with highly homogeneous voices added together, making the original sound louder and louder.

    However, in order to see what is really behind a story, we need to see multiple perspectives. The story won’t automatically unfold itself until we put different pieces together. For example, one newspaper may support a particular candidate in the presidential election, so in its articles regarding this candidate, it may exaggerate and overemphasize facts in favor of him, while discarding parts that may harm his reputation. If we constantly obtain information from a single source, we become confined in this particular setting created for us.

    We look exactly like those cave prisoners, right? We are bound by our own inclinations and preferences. But we are much more fortunate than the ones in the allegory because our bodies are not bound by some insuperable external forces, but rather, the forces that bind us come from within. Indeed, it’s ourselves that bind us but also free us.

    The challenge is here, it’s up to us whether to be defeated. Just go outside and meet the light. It hurts, but it’s real. Thank you!

邓晨钰

Challenge: the Normalcy of life

    What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your life? Or, let’s get more detailed, what is your biggest challenge in the admission season? Indeed, when we talk about “Challenge”, we are used to reminding ourselves of those finest hours in our life, when we meet our highlights or rock bottom. It is the task of making a speech with the topic “challenge”, it is the tough period of preparing for a crucial but torturing exam, and it is the mixed emotions you feel during the rehearsal for Drama Night.

    It seems to us that Challenge always refers to a specific moment, a task, an impressive but short period, or just an aspect of an event we went through. But think about it. Is “challenge” really just instant images and seconds compared to our seemingly long lifetime? Can it be defined by one certain scene, aspect, or event? Instead of seeing it that way, I’d say challenge isn’t some of your special experiences. It is the normalcy and the sole theme of LIFE, or even life itself.

    It can be really rewarding to make challenge ordinary and constant instead of something special and temporary. Here’s the famous “30-days-challenge-of-trying-new-things”, which demands you to try a new thing you’ve always wanted to do for a successive 30 days. Now, 30 days are indeed a short period of our life, but the fascinating thing about this challenge is that 30 days is just the right amount of time to add a new habit or subtract a habit, as mentioned in a Ted Talk. 30 days is just a hook, but the habit you have developed or forsaken in this challenge is going to accompany you for life, as the 30-days-challenge actually turned a Ted speaker who was once only a “desk-dwelling computer nerd” into a “complex” of a computer scientist, a biker, a climber, a photographer, and a novelist. Similarly, you can have your own one-month, one-year, one-decade, or even one-lifetime challenge. You can also just divide your life into a series of various 30-days-challenges. All you have to do is to persist. Then, you will find that some challenges you start out seeing as a special task will keep your company for life. You’re positively making life a big challenge that consists of various smaller ones.

    But as a saying goes, “Disorder and challenge are the normal state of life, while happiness and plain sailing are in fact ‘accidents’. ” In most cases, you are not the one to decide whether you will make “challenge” the normal state or not. Oftentimes you are forced to regard your life as a long-term challenge, because life constantly tests your strength, skills, and ability, the same as “challenge” is defined in Longman Dictionary. Also, challenges don’t always bring you happiness, but are closely linked to trouble and disappointment. You may be beaten by challenges that go beyond your ability, just as life has its own ebb and flow. But hey, don’t stop there. At the end of the definition, Longman adds, “challenge tests you especially in a way that is interesting”.

    I believe that’s why we should see challenge as the sole theme of LIFE. Sometimes challenge can be rewarding, sometimes challenge can be tough. It can mean obstacle, disappointment, and trouble. It always tests your ability and can push you to your limits. But above all, challenge especially comes to you in a way that is interesting, while interesting often means hope and incentive. With that belief, you’ll see that a challenge attitude isn’t simply negative or positive. It can continuously provide you with the power that stirs you to move on and shine, while it also tells you to face the truth that life is full of tides. And the most important thing in that attitude is to recognize that challenge is not some special moments, but is so ordinary that it is exactly what makes up your life, whether you choose to be so or not.

    When a friend of mine asked me “what is the biggest challenge in your admission season”, I said, “the admission season itself.” Similarly, here’s my answer to the question “what is the biggest challenge in your life”: my life itself. Yes, challenge is the normalcy of life, or as Mother Teresa said, “life is a challenge. Meet it.”

    Life is a challenge. Do not praise or fear challenge overly, do not say challenges are those special experiences, just see it as a usual thing, as the normalcy of life. And beyond all, meet it, and don’t bother thinking it will be a success or failure, just meet the challenge named life.

杨骏洲

Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon！

    I’d like to start my speech by posing a question for all of us to mull over. What does it mean to challenge? Or in other words, why do we have to challenge? For a long time, I’ve been looking for the answer of this interesting question. But it is only until recently that I finally have some clue about the true meaning of challenge.

    As for every ordinary individual like you and me, the so-called challenge refers to a personal target which is relatively out of one’s reach but set in the hope of making progress. Challenges to us reflect a series of standards that we establish to keep pushing us beyond the boundaries. And this gives us the opportunity to recognize our own strengths and weaknesses.

    Therefore, it’s apparent to see that we actually determine what our challenges are. A challenge that puts a heavy strain on me might inflict no troubles on you at all. To challenge can be seen a process of creating more barriers for us to transcend. The challenges we rise to differ from one person to another. George the sixth, who was the king of Britain, found it challenging to deliver a fluent speech before the public due to his severe stuttering. On the contrary, speaking in front of the crowd wouldn’t bother great orators such as Martin Luther King. In addition to individuality, different challenges appear at different moments in our lives. Take myself as an example. When I was 8 years old, my challenge would probably be to excel at fundamental arithmetic; as I turned 13,my primary challenge would be to adapt to the new life in a boarding school; now my challenge is to get fully prepared for a brand new college life. We create challenges in the first place, but at the end of the day, challenges create a better us.

    Nevertheless, the opportunity generated by a challenge to improve oneself is not the whole point of the word “challenge”. Behind these 9 letters lie one of the most precious qualities of the human race that has lived throughout the human history and been passed down from generations to generations. That is the spirit of adventure and innovation. Every society develops itself when a group of brave challengers from all walks of life pose a challenge on the traditional, in advanced ideas. From ancient times to nowadays, our adventurous predecessors have never ceased challenging, even though that means that they are very likely to suffer from prejudice, bias or even pay a dearly price for maintaining the spirits of challenge. In Middle Ages, the oppressive and inhumane policies adopted by the Roman Catholic Church set the stage for three consequent campaigns (the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the Reformation).These three significant campaigns are how people in the Middle Ages challenged the authority, which greatly promoted the advancement of arts and science. The May Fourth movement that took place about a hundred years ago reflected Chinese people’s collective challenge towards feudalism and imperialsim. In the 21st century, we have witnessed how Mark Zuckerberg challenged traditional social software by establishing Facebook, how Steve Jobs created Apple to challenge the traditional concept of electronic products and how Jack Ma set up Alibaba and Taobao to challenge the traditional way of shopping. Without the spirit of challenge, our world would have been stagnant. The human civilization would no longer have had made itself all the way to here, to this day.

    Ladies and gentlemen, the past is past but the future is yet to come. Right now the future is in our own hands to make. With an enthusiastic heart filled with enormous boldness, imaginative ideas and desperate desires to break through the boundaries, let’s never stop challenging ourselves and the world around us. I believe the spirit of challenge will eventually draw a beautiful blueprint for not only us but our future descendants as well.

That’s all for my speech, thank you!

袁毅欣

    That short video was shot two weeks ago, and if I should reshoot it now, I’m definitely not going to let Frank say “he’s a Superman”. Although I may be referred to as a “omniscient” person, I’m far from being a Superman in any sense. When I started preparing for this speech, I have no idea what to say and how to say it and, okay, everything was a mess. So since today’s topic is “challenge”, I would very much like to share with you the challenges I’ve met these days preparing a speech about challenge.

    The first challenge is to set a specific topic. Challenge? Would someone tell me is that supposed to be a noun or a verb? You can talk about lots of things but you have to make a choice. And that is challenging. For example, you decide to talk about how you should deal with the challenges in your life, then worries arise. Is that too hollow? Can I make it special? What if everyone talks about that, and I’m the fifth to go so that everyone gets bored when I speak? Doubts. In short, making such a choice is a big challenge. It is common that once you make a decision, you start to have doubts and adverse assumptions. That is commonly named “choosing difficulty syndrome. Okay, let’s go back to myself. After spending a whole weekend in vain, I decided to let it go for then. Let’s see, what does a successful speech require beside a good topic?

    Oh, examples. Good examples. These days, of course, similar challenges occur to all of us, from coronavirus to peer pressure caused by those who study economics too hard. I could have started my speech with “2020 is a challenging year…” But I was kind of afraid that would be a bit cliched. Again, doubts. Then, there popped an idea. I could give a speech that is about the speech itself. The automatic assumption was, is that too challenging? Now, I’m going to talk a little cliche. Through my experiences of studying and socializing, challenges occur from time to time. But sometimes the real problem is, I didn’t challenge myself enough. I mean, I didn’t set higher expectations for me. Challenges happen, and sometimes you struggle with them. But at the same time, we can challenge ourselves. They slip away when you don’t try to grab them. I regret not being a part of the MUNs, and not doing much meaningful Chinese homework because I was lazy. I could have pushed myself harder, and I hope I will, as long as I do not have conspicuous dark eye circles. So I followed my mind and put on such a speech.

    At last, it has always been a challenge for me to stand here. My heart was pounding when I walked in and I remember my voice goes trembling every time I sing on this very stage. But for now, challenge complete, I think in a pretty good way.

    Well, guys, life is filled with doubts and challenges. I hope when you’re in the face of one like I was these days and everything looks like a mess, you would just give your best, and thing will come back in a better way. Thank you!

郎朗天

No More Challenge, Just Let it Go

    Thank you Dick for your wonderful adaptation of Let it Go in the video. It may sound childish but Let it Go is actually my favorite song right now, and it perfectly suits today’s topic. Speaking of challenges, we are always told that they are good, that we should always “challenge ourselves”, push to the limits and achieve something great. But today I’m going to say: no more “challenge”, just let it go.

    I consider myself as a challenger. I remember the time when I was really bad at geometry. Every day’s math homework was a battle for me. I would fail so many times to figure them out, but at the end of the day I would always wipe away my tears and try one more time. I was so determined to break through and enjoy the reward of my determination and persistence. However, holding the idea that challenging and achieving are always good, I’m disappointed to find myself having days when I feel like a loser, when I don’t think I’m special, and when I don’t want to challenge anything anymore. And I realize, we all have bad days, and it’s unfair for us to push ourselves all the time, because vulnerability is a natural part of life. If we don’t allow it, we actually don’t allow for being who we really are.

    That’s why sometimes we need to “let it go”, and letting go is actually a brand new type of “challenge” we need to face. It is a challenge about acceptance. On a personal level, letting go means accepting who we are and never apologizing for it. You are encouraged to be brave to try new things, to never give up. But you are also allowed to “not challenge”. It is okay to be imperfect, and realizing our imperfections makes us wiser because we know that our souls have much more multitudes than the perfect smile we fake. We break down the traditional and stereotypical “challenges” aiming at being perfect and successful, so we have more possibilities to do whatever we want to.

    And letting go is not only for individuals. It is also a social challenge about forgiveness and inclusivity. We let go of our friends’ mistakes, so that we learn from each other and march hand-in-hand into the future. We let go of the one-sided thinking mode we are used to, so that we can foster creativity and see the world with empathy. As global citizens, we let go of biases, because the only way to understanding people is to be kind and open, regardless of their culture, race and gender.

    You may say “not challenge” is so easy, because all you need to do is “just let it go”. But it is actually a very difficult, even painful process, because it’s never passive. It is reflective. For those traditionally determined challengers like myself, letting go means having completely new perspectives and it’s really scary. I will never only have goals that are simple and clear. I will never be able to just head straight to conquer them. I will have to admit my limitations. I will have to open up my mind and listen to others. I will even have to deconstruct my previous belief system. The real challenge is never a mere display of personal power, but to know the world is much bigger than ourselves.

    Letting go celebrates individual specialty, but prevents us from extreme individualism. This is the challenge we need to face especially in a world that is more diverse and chaotic than ever before. It’s true that we relate the word “challenge” more likely to achieving. But sometimes, we need to look straight into our eyes, look around, open our heart, and be brave to accept, and to let it go.

诸致远

When I was young, my English was very poor, and I cannot even tell the difference between “these” and “there”. Then there was this 21st English Speech Competition. Just wanted to see what speaking in English feels like, I signed up for the competition. What we had to do was preparing a one-minute speech within 15 minutes with the help of dictionary, and then deliver it to the judges. My topic was, “Does the monitor in your class take his/her responsibilities well?” I didn’t know the word “monitor”, so I checked it up in a dictionary. Unfortunately, that dictionary was totally rubbish, and the only definition it had for the word “monitor” was “a large screen”. So I ended up telling the judges that our monitor was hard-working, although some naughty kids in our class sometimes played with it and made it out of order. Before I left, I could hear the judges bursting into laughter, but I had no idea what they were laughing about.

It seems that challenges are everywhere, from speaking to a stranger to solving a difficult math problem. These are the things that we really want to do, but have to push our limits to achieve. But sometimes we find ourselves stuck in some embarrassing situations, just like myself in the English Speech Competition. And for fear of losing face, people are often afraid to take challenges, and their excuses are various. Ask your friend why he didn’t sign up in the sports meeting, he’ll say,” That’s because I’m too tired.” Ask your classmate why he didn’t answer teacher’s questions in class, he may say,” I’m too stupid.” Ask your roommate why he didn’t say his love to the girl he likes, and he’ll simply answer you,” It’s none of your business.” Of course, finding excuses is always easy, and people even do that without noticing. But the problem is, the challenges in our lives are often not as difficult as we imagine, it’s just that we don’t want to make constant efforts to achieve them.

Take my fellow classmate Eric for example. Math was not his strength, but he was determined to improve his math scores. To achieve his goal, he took notes in every math class, while other students was having a nice day dream, or telling jokes enthusiastically with others. As a result, his math score improved. What’s more, he became the “teacher’s companion”, which means he knows exactly what the teacher was expecting to hear from us. When the teacher asked,” How many methods are there to solve a function problem?” We couldn’t come up with a single one. But Eric could stand up and recite a long list of six or more professional terms, which made us extremely surprised. Yes, this Eric is the same one who will stand here and deliver a perfect speech later.

Let me tell you another story. Eight months ago, we were preparing for the selected examinations. The most annoying problem was not that the exam papers were too difficult or the homework was too much, but that we couldn’t resist the hunger of studying late to the night. So we were all eager to get a night snack. However, the only time we could go to the supermarket was exactly the same time of the eye relaxing exercises and all the teachers were “hunting for” us. My friends Lash and Colin had been caught several times by Mr. Zhu, the dean of students. (You must know him!) One night, the two unlucky guys were caught twice on the way to the supermarket. Instead of apologizing for their behavior, they argued with Mr. Zhu and stressed that the snack time was very important to us. Amazingly, Mr. Zhu accepted our requests and allowed us to go to the supermarket during the eye relaxing exercises. What I want to say is nothing is possible if you don’t try, and if you do, nothing will be impossible.

    On the other hand, however, we needn’t take every challenge in our lives, especially those others enforced on us. In the movie Three Idiots, Faraam’s father wanted him to be an engineer, and he did enter the best engineering school in India through his efforts. But in university, he found that his true love was photography, and that his grade was getting worse than ever. Only when he quarreled with his father for a long time, did he persuade him to let him change his career. If we can realize where our true challenge is, we can avoid a lot of troubles and save time for our true challenges.

    Six years after the 21st English Speech Competition, I finally get the chance to stand here and give this speech in English. I’m very proud to be here, and I want to say thank you to all my teachers, fellow students and parents who have helped me along the way. But I also want to thank all the challenges I’ve encountered in my life, because they helped me grow up to be a better person.

汪加华老师点评

    Hello everyone! It surely is a great honor to stand here to say a word or two on behalf of all the listeners present today. It’s a challenge, too, isn’t it! But, thank you!

    First of all, congratulations to all our speakers, who have successfully delivered their speeches as well as ideas worth spreading! Please accept our deep admiration for your courage. US comedian Jerry Seinfeld once said, according to most studies, people’s number one fear is public speaking. Number two…is death. Death is Number Two! Mark Twain has also remarked that there are only two types of speakers in this world: those who get nervous and those who are liars. Being able to get over your nervousness or save yourself from a nervous breakdown is a real challenge that one needs to have the guts to take! In that sense, you’ve set us a significant example of how to confront a challenge and tackle it. And the boy who has just shared his painstaking yet rewarding experience of preparing his speech has provided the best footnotes.

    Like many of your teachers in this school, I have always been inspired by how much our students are able to achieve, not only academically as a student but also as a global citizen & a well-developed human being, esp. YOU Senior 3 graduates. The eight speakers today have projected the best images of HFLSers, who were, who are and will always be, our pride!  

    As global citizens, your viewpoint about infodemic or overloading information echoes what someone has once wisely said, that is, in an infodemic, it’s more important to learn what not to know than what to know. When misinformation travels around the globe, truth is putting on its boots. Sifting through a sea of information is a monumental task. But with critical thinking & a global vision, we can feel the steps of truth & follow them. That, I’ve learnt from your speeches, is exactly what YOU have been trying to do.

    Speaking of today’s topic, I think all the contestants have displayed to us their uniqueness in elaborating the word “challenge”, be it the one girl who enlightens us by leading us to perceive challenge as the normalcy of life, or the other girl who adopts the let-it-go attitude towards challenge by breaking down the stereotypical viewpoints about it, or the one who impresses me by saying “we create challenges in the first place but ultimately, challenges create a better us”.   

    Actually the very same topic was adopted in a previous Zhou Enlai Speech Contest years ago. I still remember one candidate’s title was To turn challenge into chance. To turn challenge into chance, what do we need to leave out? Letters l, l, e, & g. Maybe L stands for “looking on” instead of “taking action”; Maybe E stands for “exclusiveness” instead of “inclusiveness”; Maybe G for “grudge” instead of “friendliness” or “hospitality”. This word list can go on and on.    

    And what do we need to add to it? The letter C. Is it confidence that we need to turn challenge into chance? Or creativity? Collaboration? Critical thinking? Or the word “challenge” itself? The answer is blowing in the wind. We know it's there all around us. Possibly WE ourselves are part of the answer.

    That’s all. Thank you very much again for giving me this chance! Farewell and good luck to all of you!