me and my fears
honorable judges, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen:
it is a great honor and pleasure to be here on this beautiful saturday morning to share with you my sentiments about life and passion for the english language.
about a year and a half ago, i took part in my very first english speech contest. when i stood before the microphone with all eyes starring directly at me, i could hardly speak. i stood there, embarrassed and helpless, struggling in vain for the right thing to say. my fears had paralyzed me.
while my passion for english has never changed, i lost my courage to speak in public. when my professor again encouraged me to take part in this competition, i said “no.” i couldn’t endure yet another painful experience. he looked me straight in the eye and said something that pierced my heart. i will never forget his words. “look,” he said, “we all have our fears, and you have yours. you could twist your ankle in a basketball game, but then be afraid to ever play again. running away can never dispel your fears, but action will. a winner is not one who never fails，but one who never quits.”
i spent a whole day with his words twisting and turning in my mind. then i made the bravest and wisest decision of my life: i would face my fears – and take part in the competition!
as it turned out, my dear old professor was right. now, here i am, once again standing before a microphone. my heart is beating fast, and my mouth is dry, but most importantly, i have faced my fears -- and that makes all the difference!
thank you.
戰勝恐懼
尊敬的評審，各位來賓，女士們先生們，我很榮幸在這個美妙的星期六早上來到這裏，與你們分享我生命中一段特別的經歷。
大概一年半以前，我參加了生平第一次演講比賽。站在麥克風前，面對觀眾們期待的眼神，我竟緊張的說不出話來。那一刻，我是多麽無助啊!
我對于英語的摯愛從未改變，但卻從此失去了面對公眾演講的勇氣。當老教授鼓勵我參加希望英語風採大賽時，我拒絕了。他直視我的眼睛，說了一番令我終身難忘的話。“你瞧，”他說，“我們都有自己的恐懼。你可能會在一場籃球比賽中扭腳，並從此害怕再打球。你隻能用行動去克服自己的恐懼，逃避是沒有用的。生活中的成功者往往是永不放棄的人。”
我花了一整天時間思考他的話。 然後，我做出了一個勇敢而明智的決定： 我要參加中央電視台第五屆“希望之星”英語風採大賽!
老教授是對的。我發揮出了自己的水準，一路殺進了全國總決賽。此時此刻，當我再一次站在了麥克風前，仍然心跳不止，但更重要的是，我終于能夠勇敢地面對我的恐懼了，而這已足夠了。