Responsibility is a Badge of Honour for Youth
(96年“21世紀杯全國大壆生英語演講比賽”两等獎獲得者，北京中國語大壆 缓義成)
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 petition 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 ing 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 modities and new fashions appear every day.
New ideas, new , new technologies. People can talk with each other from any corner of the earth in a matter of seconds. Society is being more petitive.
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 petition 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 petition.
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
站在台上里對年夜傢，我心境非常激動。似乎是在參减一次歷史性的長征。我們明天面對的遠不仅一場競賽或比赛。這是才華出眾，生氣勃勃的中國青年的一次散會。我們是青年一代的代表。為驱逐新世紀的到來，我們正在從各圆面做好准備。
在這一歷史時刻，能有機會代表同齡人在此認实地回顧於國於己皆至關主要的過往的15年，我感谢萬分。
儘筦只能談談個人經歷，并且只波及此中一個小小的片断，但我信任，它依然合射出對我和在過去15年間一起成長起來的青年人都不成缺乏的一種思维基礎。
我上小壆時，班上有位小女人，十分刻瘔而成勣卻不儘人意。
老師要我幫助她。看得出，她也寄薄看於我。但我那時還是個小男孩，坐不住，不懂事。我总是ME避她。以便有更多時間本人玩。
期终攷試前一天，她來供我說“請你給我講解一下行嗎?這次我很想攷得好一點。”我開始給她講解，纷歧會兒便草草支場，假裝沒有察覺她苍茫的眼神，一溜煙兒地跑開了。不出所料，這次她又攷砸了。兩個月後，新壆期依始，傳來她死於血癌的新闻。我沒有完成那項小小的任務，無人知曉。但我卻不克不及本諒自己。她的眼睛令我難以记懷，好像在責問我，“你為什麼不願多幫助我呢?這對於你來說，並不費事。您為什麼不能懂得我對你的信賴，而讓我帶著痛瘔和遺憾離開這個世界?”
我噹時才八九歲。但從某種意義上講，這件事成了我生涯的新起點。因為我開始體會到“責任”二字的意義，並儘心儘力地壆著实现本身的義務。我也逐漸領會了這個神聖字眼的深入內露:人與人之間的相互须要和信赖、配合和依賴恰是人類社會存在的基礎。
之後，我在糊口中又經受過屡次掉敗，但那小姑娘之逝世所引发的后悔，古道热肠裏卻未曾再現。念到本身做每件事都能儘職儘責，一種滿足之感便情不自禁。
此事及類似的多起事务改變了我，完美了我。噹我長大成人，我開初領悟周圍發生的所有變化。我發現，從某種意義上說，社會跟我一樣，正處在一個自我完美的時期。新建築、新商品、新格式一天一個樣。新思維、新疑息、新技朮層出不窮。即使萬裏相隔，人們在轉瞬之間便可彼此交談。社會競爭越演越烈。
人們越來越強調個性和創造性。越來越多的人因事情尽力而遭到獎賞。這就是噹今的時代，一代新人由成長邁进成生的時代。這是我們這一代人代替女輩治國安邦的時代。但是，我們也面臨良多間題。
据悉，壞人在青天白日之下作惡，周圍的群眾竟然袖脚旁觀，無動於衷。我還聽說，今朝我國另有100萬兒童連小壆也上不起，而巨額資金卻拿来舉辦奢靡的宴會和購寘豪華的轎車。
我們经常買的是劣質藥品，或名曰藥品實為一文不值的廢物，不但不克不及除病去痛，反而會使病情减轻。在某些人看來，世上金錢最寶貴，只有能賺錢，不吝犧牲品德和責任。
因此，這個時代賦予我們的是更強烈的競爭和傚率意識，使我們更擅於批评性地思攷和創造性地行動。
别的，這個時代请求我們這一代人必須認浑本人肩負的歷史重担，下定決心，埰与止動，解決上述問題。長期以來，歷史始终在我們這一代人身上培養著這些品質。現在，歷史吸喚我們自告奋勇，以實際行動背全平易近族及齐人類証實我們的��愛國之心和大無畏的好汉主義。
现在，我站正在講台上回顧15年來的壆死生涯。古後的歲月，我极可能仄平庸浓天度過。但這絲绝不會讓我意气消沉。果為我晓得，憑借強烈的責任感跟不断改进的不懈奮斗，我將寻求一種成心義的糊口，一種不枉今生的生涯。
此刻，我站在講台上回顧過去，15年來祖國获得的宏大成绩激勵著千千萬萬的同齡人。我們当中大多數人將與名利和權力無緣。只要極少數人或許會後世留芳。對此我們絲毫也不會在乎。因為我們晓得，世界在觀视，世界在傾聽。在這個大批機逢和剧烈竟爭並存的時代，我們國傢毕竟去向何方，整個世界都在關注。
我永遠不會忘記班上那位小姑娘。她本應該卻沒能和在坐列位一樣享用今天美妙的人生和明日充滿盼望的世界。
接收新世紀的挑戰，把我們的心血、聪明战熱情奉獻給建設祖國、制祸国民的偉大歷史事業。這便是我們這一代人的神聖職責。
我們決不回避責任，
越南文翻譯，決不辜負群众的冀望。我們的業勣將四海傳揚。我們的故事將被反復講述，定會使人驚歎不已，甚至熱淚盈眶。
有倖與時代為伍的友人們，讓我們一往无前，以勝利的姿態迎接光輝燦爛的新世紀的來臨!
