英语演讲原文：责任感——青年人荣誉的标志(21世纪杯演讲稿)

责任感——青年人荣誉的标志(21世纪杯演讲
稿)

Responsibility is a Badge of Honour for Youth

(96年“21世纪杯全国大学生英语演讲比赛”二等奖获得者，北京
外国语大学 徐义成)

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 1 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
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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 2 her so as to get more time to enjoy myself. One
day before the final exam, she came up to me and said,

better this time.
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 3 , but I couldn't forgive
myself. I simply couldn't forget her eyes, which seem to be
asking,
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?
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

and devotedly 5 , for the implications of that sacred word
has dawned on me: the mutual 6 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
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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 7 away on dinner parties and luxury cars. We
buy shoddy medicines, or merely worthless junk in the name
of medicines, that aggravate 8 , rather than alleviate 9 our
diseases since money, many people believe, is the most
important thing in the world that must be made, even at the
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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 10 to our patriotism 11
and heroism 12 towards this nation and all
humanity. Standing 13 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 4 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 14 fame or prestige and only a few of whom will be
remembered by posterity 15 . 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
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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 16 and tears to their eyes when our stories are
told and retold, So let us go forth 17 , my fellow members of
this luckily chosen generation, and meet the new century in
victory and glory.

责任感——青年人荣誉的标志

站在台上面对大家，我心情十分激动 。好像是在参加一次历史性
的长征。我们今天面对的远不只一场竞赛或角逐。这是才华出众，
生 气勃勃的中国青年的一次聚会。我们是青年一代的代表。为迎接
新世纪的到来，我们正在从各方面作好准 备。 在这一历史时刻，
能有机会代表同龄人在此认真地回顾于国于己都至关重要的过去的15年，我感激万分。 尽管只能谈谈个人经历，而且只涉及其中一
个小小的片段，但我相信，它仍 然折射出对我和在过去15年间一
同成长起来的青年人都不可缺少的一种思想基础。 我上小学时，
班上有位小姑娘，学习非常刻苦而成绩却不尽人意。 老师要我帮助
她。看得出，她也寄厚望于我。但我那时还是个小男孩，坐不住，
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不懂事。我老是ME避她。以便有更多时间自己玩。 期末考试前
一天 ，她来求我说“请你给我讲解一下行吗?这次我很想考得好一
点。”我开始给她讲解，不一会儿便草草收 场，假装没有察觉她迷
茫的眼神，一溜烟儿地跑开了。不出所料，这次她又考砸了。两个
月后， 新学期依始，传来她死于血癌的消息。我没有完成那项小小
的任务，无人知晓。但我却不能原谅自己。她 的眼睛令我难以忘怀，
仿佛在责问我，“你为什么不愿多帮助我呢?这对于你来说，并不费
事。 你为什么不能理解我对你的信赖，而让我带着痛苦和遗憾离开
这个世界?” 我当时才八九岁。但 从某种意义上讲，这件事成了
我生活的新起点。因为我开始体会到“责任”二字的意义，并尽心
尽力地学着完成自己的义务。我也逐渐领会了这个神圣字眼的深刻
内含:人与人之间的彼此需要和信任、 合作和依赖正是人类社会存在
的基础。 之后，我在生活中又经受过多次失败，但那小姑娘之死< br>所引起的懊悔，心里却不曾再现。想到自己做每一件事都能尽职尽
责，一种满足之感便油然而生。 此事及类似的多起事件改变了我，
完善了我。当我长大成人，我开始领悟周围发生的一切变化。我发现，从某种意义上说，社会跟我一样，正处在一个自我完善的时期。
新建筑、新商品、新款式一天一 个样。新思维、新信息、新技术层
出不穷。即便万里相隔，人们在转瞬之间即可相互交谈。社会竞争越演越烈。 人们越来越强调个性和创造性。越来越多的人因工作
努力而受到奖赏。这就是 当今的时代，一代新人由成长迈入成熟的
时代。这是我们这一代人接替父辈治国安邦的时代。然而，我们 也
面临很多间题。 据悉，坏人在光天化日之下作恶，周围的群众居
然袖手旁观，无动 于衷。我还听说，目前我国尚有100万儿童连小
学也上不起，而巨额资金却拿去举办奢侈的宴会和购置 豪华的轿车。
我们常常买的是劣质药品，或名曰药品实为一文不值的废物，非但
不能除病去痛 ，反而会使病情加重。在某些人看来，世上金钱最宝
贵，只要能赚钱，不惜牺牲道德和责任。 因而，这个时代赋予我
们的是更强烈的竞争和效率意识，使我们更善于批判性地思考和创
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造性地行动。 此外，这个时代要求我们这一代人必须认清自己肩
负的历 史重任，下定决心，采取行动，解决上述问题。长期以来，
历史一直在我们这一代人身上培养着这些品质 。现在，历史呼唤我
们挺身而出，以实际行动向全民族及全人类证实我们的拳拳爱国之
心和大无 畏的英雄主义。 此刻，我站在讲台上回顾15年来的学
生生活。今后的岁月，我很可能平平淡淡 地度过。但这丝毫不会让
我心灰意冷。因为我知道，凭借强烈的责任感和精益求精的不懈奋
斗， 我将追求一种有意义的生活，一种不枉此生的生活。 此刻，
我站在讲台上回顾过去，15年来 祖国取得的巨大成就激励着千千万
万的同龄人。我们之中大多数人将与名利和权力无缘。只有极少数人或许会后世留芳。对此我们丝毫也不会在意。因为我们知道，世
界在观望，世界在倾听。在这个大 量机遇和激烈竟争并存的时代，
我们国家究竟去向何方，整个世界都在关注。 我永远不会忘记班
上那位小姑娘。她本应该却没能和在座各位一样享受今天美好的人
生和明日充满希望的世界。 接受新世纪的挑战，把我们的血汗、
智慧和热情奉献给建设祖国、造福人民的伟大历史事业。这就是我< br>们这一代人的神圣职责。 我们决不逃避责任，决不辜负人民的期
望。我们的业绩将四海传 扬。我们的故事将被反复讲述，定会令人
惊叹不已，以至热泪盈眶。 有幸与时代为伍的朋友们，让我们勇
往直前，以胜利的姿态迎接光辉灿烂的新世纪的来临!






■文章重点单词注释：

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1
mere
adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过
参考例句：
That is a mere repetition of what you said before.那不过是重复了你以前讲
的话。
It's a mere waste of time waiting any longer.再等下去纯粹是浪费时间。
2
evade
vt.逃避，回避；避开，躲避
参考例句：
He tried to evade the embarrassing question.他企图回避这令人难堪的问
题。
You are in charge of the could you evade the issue?你是负责人，
你怎么能对这个问题不置可否？
3
fulfill
vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意
参考例句：
If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的
诺言。
This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能
够满足我们的要求。
4
devoted
adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的
参考例句：
He devoted his life to the educational cause of the motherland.他为祖国
的教育事业贡献了一生。
We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进
行了长时间的充分讨论。
８

5
devotedly
专心地； 恩爱地； 忠实地； 一心一意地
参考例句：
He loved his wife devotedly. 他真诚地爱他的妻子。
Millions of fans follow the TV soap operas devotedly. 千百万观众非常着
迷地收看这部电视连续剧。
6
mutual
adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的
参考例句：
We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合
作。
Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。
7
squandered
v.（指钱，财产等）浪费，乱花( squander的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句：
He squandered all his money on gambling. 他把自己所有的钱都糟蹋在赌
博上了。
She felt as indignant as if her own money had been squandered. 她心里
十分生气，好像是她自己的钱给浪费掉了似的。 来自飘（部分）
8
aggravate
vt.加重(剧)，使恶化；激怒，使恼火
参考例句：
Threats will only aggravate her.恐吓只能激怒她。
He would only aggravate the injury by rubbing it.他揉擦伤口只会使伤势加
重。
9
alleviate
v.减轻，缓和，缓解(痛苦等)
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参考例句：
The doctor gave her an injection to alleviate the pain.医生给她注射以减轻
疼痛。
Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
10
testimony
n.证词；见证，证明
参考例句：
The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传
入为警官所说的话作证。
11
patriotism
n.爱国精神，爱国心，爱国主义
参考例句：
His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国
精神的证明。
They obtained money under the false pretenses of patriotism.他们以虚伪
的爱国主义为借口获得金钱。
12
heroism
n.大无畏精神，英勇
参考例句：
He received a medal for his heroism.他由于英勇而获得一枚奖章。
Stories of his heroism resounded through the country.他的英雄故事传遍
全国。
13
standing
n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的
参考例句：
After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有
几幢房屋还立着。
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They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做
任何修改。
14
attain
vt.达到，获得，完成
参考例句：
I used the scientific method to attain this end. 我用科学的方法来达到这一
目的。
His painstaking to attain his goal in life is praiseworthy. 他为实现人生目
标所下的苦功是值得称赞的。
15
posterity
n.后裔，子孙，后代
参考例句：
Few of his works will go down to posterity.他的作品没有几件会流传到后世。
The names of those who died are recorded for posterity on a tablet at
the back of the church.死者姓名都刻在教堂后面的一块石匾上以便后人铭记。
16
backbones
n.骨干( backbone的名词复数 )；脊骨；骨气；脊骨状物
参考例句：
Why do hummingbirds and gorillas both have backbones? 为什么蜂鸟和
大猩猩都有脊骨？ 来自辞典例句
Simply adding bandwidth to the Internet backbones is not an answer. 只
是简单的在互联网骨架上增加带宽是应付不了的。 来自互联网
17
forth
adv.向前；向外，往外
参考例句：
The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系
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列的作品。


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