Responsibility is a Badge of Honour for Youth
(96年“21世紀杯全國大學生英語演講比賽”二等獎得主，北京外國語大學 徐義成)
Facing this audience on the stage, I have the exciting feeling of participating in the march of history, for what we are facing today is more than a mere competition or contest. It is an assembly of some of China"s most talented and motivated people, representatives of a younger generation that are preparing themselves for the coming of a new century.
I"m grateful that I"ve been given this opportunity, at such a historic moment, to stand here as a spokesman of my generation and to take a serious look back at the past 15 years, a crucial period for every one of us and for this nation as well.
Though it is only within my power to tell about my personal experience, and only a tiny fragment of it at that, it still represents, I believe, the root of a spirit which has been essential to me and to all the people bred by the past 15 years.
In my elementary years, there was a little girl in the class who worked very hard but somehow could never do satisfactorily in her lessons.
The teacher asked me to help her, and it was obvious that she expected a lot from me. but as a young boy, restless, thoughtless, I always tried to evade her so as to get more time to enjoy myself.
One day before the final exam, she came up to me and said, "Could you please explain this to me? I want very much to do better this time. " I started explaining, and finished in a hurry. Pretending not to notice her still confused eyes, I ran off quickly. Nat surprisingly, she again did very badly in the exam. And two months later, at the beginning of the new semester, word came of her death of blood cancer. No one ever knew about the little task I failed to fulfill, but I couldn"t forgive myself. I simply couldn"t forget her eyes, which seem to be asking, "Why didn"t you do a little more to help me, when it was so easy for you? Why didn"t you understand a little better the trust placed in you, so that I would not have to leave this world in such pain and regret?"
I was about eight or nine years old at that time, but in a way it was the very starting point of my life, for I began to understand the word "responsibility" and to learn to always do my duties faithfully and devotedly, for the implications of that sacred word has dawned on me: the mutual need and trust of people, the co-operation and inter-reliance which are the very foundation of human society.
Later in my life, I continued to experience many failures. But never again did I feel that regret which struck me at the death of the girl, for it makes my heart satisfied to think that I have always done everything in my power to fulfill my responsibilities as best I can.
As I grew up, changed and improved by this incident and many other similar ones, I began to perceive the changes taking place around me and to find that society, in a way, was in its formative years like myself. New buildings, new commodities and new fashions appear every day.
New ideas, new information, new technologies. People can talk with each other from any corner of the earth in a matter of seconds. Society is becoming more competitive.
Words like individuality and creativity are getting more emphasis and more people are rewarded for their hard work and efforts. Such is the era in which this generation ,grows and matures.
Such is the era in which this generation will take over the nation from our fathers and learn to run it. Yet in the meantime, many problems still exist.
We learn that crimes take place in broad daylight with crowds of people looking on and not assisting. We hear that there are still about 1 million children in this country who can"t even afford to go to elementary schools while enormous sums of money are being squandered away on dinner parties and luxury cars.
We buy shoddy medicines, or merely worthless junk in the name of medicines, that aggravate, rather than alleviate our diseases since money, many people believe, is the most important thing in the world that must be made, even at the expense of morality and responsibility.
Such an era, therefore, determines that we are a generation with a keener sense of competition and efficiency and a greater readiness to think critically and act creatively.
Such an era, furthermore, demands, that we are a generation with a clear perception of our historical responsibility and an aggressive will to take action and solve the problems. History has long been preparing these qualities in this generation and it is now calling us forward to give testimony to our patriotism and heroism towards this nation and all humanity.
Standing here now, I think of the past 15 years of my life as an ordinary student. Probably I"ll be an ordinary man for the rest of my life. But this doesn"t discourage me any, for I know that with my sense of responsibility and devoted efforts to always strive, for the best, it"s going to be a meaningful and worthwhile life that I will be living.
Standing here now, I think of the past 15 years of this nation, which has achieved greatness that inspired millions of people of my age, most of whom will not attain fame or prestige and only a few of whom will be remembered by posterity. But that doesn"t discourage us any, because we know that the world watches, the world listens, the world is waiting to see where this nation will be heading in a time of rich opportunities and fierce competition.
I can"t ever forget that little girl in my class who couldn"t had the same opportunities as any of us here to enjoy a wonderful life today and a hopeful world tomorrow.
It is the sacred responsibility of this generation to face up to the challenges of the new century and to devote our sweat and blood, our wisdom and passion, to the historic cause of making this nation a greater and happier land for every one of us.
We are not going to evade that responsibility. We are going to let people down. And people, far and near, will hear of us. Frost will be brought to their backbones and tears to their eyes when our stories are told and retold, So let us go forth, my fellow members of this luckily chosen generation, and meet the new century in victory and glory.
責任感——青年人榮譽的標志
站在台上面對大家，我心情十分激動。好像是在參加一次歷史性的長征。我們今天面對的遠不隻一場競賽或角逐。這是才華出眾，生氣勃勃的中國青年的一次聚會。我們是青年一代的代表。為迎接新世紀的到來，我們正在從各方面作好準備。
在這一歷史時刻，能有機會代表同齡人在此認真地回顧于國于己都至關重要的過去的15年，我感激萬分。
盡管隻能談談個人經歷，而且隻涉及其中一個小小的片段，但我相信，它仍然折射出對我和在過去15年間一同成長起來的青年人都不可缺少的一種思想基礎。
我上國小時，班上有位小姑娘，學習非常刻苦而成績卻不盡人意。
老師要我幫助她。看得出，她也寄厚望于我。但我那時還是個小男孩，坐不住，不懂事。我老是ME避她。以便有更多時間自己玩。
期末考試前一天，她來求我說“請你給我講解一下行嗎?這次我很想考得好一點。”我開始給她講解，不一會兒便草草收場，假裝沒有察覺她迷茫的眼神，一溜煙兒地跑開了。不出所料，這次她又考砸了。兩個月後，新學期依始，傳來她死于血癌的訊息。我沒有完成那項小小的任務，無人知曉。但我卻不能原諒自己。她的眼睛令我難以忘懷，仿佛在責問我，“你為什麽不願多幫助我呢?這對于你來說，並不費事。你為什麽不能理解我對你的信賴，而讓我帶著痛苦和遺憾離開這個世界?”
我當時才八九歲。但從某種意義上講，這件事成了我生活的新起點。因為我開始體會到“責任”二字的意義，並盡心盡力地學著完成自己的義務。我也逐漸領會了這個神聖字眼的深刻內含:人與人之間的彼此需要和信任、合作和依賴正是人類社會存在的基礎。
之後，我在生活中又經受過多次失敗，但那小姑娘之死所引起的懊悔，心裏卻不曾再現。想到自己做每一件事都能盡職盡責，一種滿足之感便油然而生。
此事及類似的多起事件改變了我，完善了我。當我長大成人，我開始領悟周圍發生的一切變化。我發現，從某種意義上說，社會跟我一樣，正處在一個自我完善的時期。新增築、新商品、新款式一天一個樣。新思維、新信息、新技術層出不窮。即便萬裏相隔，人們在轉瞬之間即可相互交談。社會競爭越演越烈。
人們越來越強調個性和創造性。越來越多的人因工作努力而受到獎賞。這就是當今的時代，一代新人由成長邁入成熟的時代。這是我們這一代人接替父輩治國安邦的時代。然而，我們也面臨很多間題。
據悉，壞人在光天化日之下作惡，周圍的民眾居然袖手旁觀，無動于衷。我還聽說，目前我國尚有100萬兒童連國小也上不起，而巨額資金卻拿去舉辦奢侈的宴會和購置豪華的轎車。
我們常常買的是劣質葯品，或名曰葯品實為一文不值的廢物，非但不能除病去痛，反而會使病情加重。在某些人看來，世上金錢最寶貴，隻要能賺錢，不惜犧牲道德和責任。
因而，這個時代賦予我們的是更強烈的競爭和效率意識，使我們更善于批判性地思考和創造性地行動。
此外，這個時代要求我們這一代人必須認清自己肩負的歷史重任，下定決心，採取行動，解決上述問題。長期以來，歷史一直在我們這一代人身上培養著這些品質。現在，歷史呼喚我們挺身而出，以實際行動向全民族及全人類證實我們的拳拳愛國之心和大無畏的英雄主義。
此刻，我站在講台上回顧15年來的學生生活。今後的歲月，我很可能平平淡淡地度過。但這絲毫不會讓我心灰意冷。因為我知道，憑借強烈的責任感和精益求精的不懈奮鬥，我將追求一種有意義的生活，一種不枉此生的生活。
此刻，我站在講台上回顧過去，15年來祖國取得的巨大成就激勵著千千萬萬的同齡人。我們之中大多數人將與名利和權力無緣。隻有極少數人或許會後世留芳。對此我們絲毫也不會在意。因為我們知道，世界在觀望，世界在傾聽。在這個大量機遇和激烈竟爭並存的時代，我們國家究竟去向何方，整個世界都在關註。
我永遠不會忘記班上那位小姑娘。她本應該卻沒能和在座各位一樣享受今天美好的人生和明日充滿希望的世界。
接受新世紀的挑戰，把我們的血汗、智慧和熱情奉獻給建設祖國、造福人民的偉大歷史事業。這就是我們這一代人的神聖職責。
我們決不逃避責任，決不辜負人民的期望。我們的業績將四海傳揚。我們的故事將被反復講述，定會令人驚嘆不已，以至熱淚盈眶。
有幸與時代為伍的朋友們，讓我們勇往直前，以勝利的姿態迎接光輝燦爛的新世紀的來臨!