16届21世纪杯英语演讲比赛 冠亚季军演讲稿.docx

Championship articleHave you ever bought any food on the train? And do you ask for the receipt after buying it? Nowadays, all trains in China provide its passengers with receipts for commodities, but 7 years ago, things were quite different.On 13th of October, 2004, the train T109 from Beijing to Shanghai was speeding on the railway. A graduate student bought a sausage at 1 yuan on the train, then asked for a receipt.“Are you kidding? Its just one yuan!” The crew member was surprised.The student, however, answered in a determined voice, “I paid the money, so I deserve the receipt.”“But we never give receipts on the train. As a result, his further request was turned down by a cold shoulder.Several days later, the student sued the National Railway Ministry, for not providing receipts for passengers.To his dismay, the court turned down the case for lack of evidence. But he, who majored in law at that time, believed law as a most powerful weapon, so he did not give up. Instead, he began his journey of collecting first-hand evidence by taking trains and buying commodities aboard. When his classmates were playing soccer, he was taking the train; When his classmates were buying food at Mcdonalds, he was buying food on the train; When his classmates were asking girls out, he was asking for the receipts. As he joked, I was either taking the train or on the way to take the train.One month later, he appeared in the court again, with newly-collected evidence and a stronger confidence. And I guess, ladies and gentlemen, you will all cheer for the result because this time, the student won the case. Very soon, a regulation about receipts on the train came out. And whatever we buy on the train now, theres a receipt for us.Outside the court, the student was asked, “How do you make it to the end?” He said, “As a law student, I root my faith in law. I believe that law is there, to protect every person with no exception, and to ensure every person has a say.”His words spread a strong faith in law, which is not only a doctrine of a law student, but also a belief that all citizens ought to hold. It is this faith that initiates the student to resort to law for a tiny issue; it is this faith that supports him to endure all the exhausting trips when collecting evidence; It is this faith that makes a seemingly “ridiculous” receipt request legal and rightful. It is this faith that helps to change our life, enhance our judicial system and bring social justice.To many, a receipt of 1 yuan is too small to mention, however rights are to be respected and law is to be believed in. It all starts with a tiny receipt of 1 yuan, but we get a monumental case, a new regulation and a bumper harvest in social justice. The bridge that leads a tiny start to a bumper harvest is faith, the faith in law, rightful and strong.Second placeA couple of weeks ago, when I learned the theme of todays competition, I asked some of my roommates: “What does faith mean to you?” Just coming back from a philosophy class, the girls were in a poetic mood: “Faith is what John Lennon had when he wrote the legendary song Imagine and dreamed of world peace”, “Faith is what the Hebrews had when they followed Moses through the Red Sea in search of their freedom.” “And faith is what the pilgrims had when they journeyed to that strange land on Mayflower, and started their pursuit of a new life.”Thanks for the history lesson girls, but I was not asking for a great, historic event where faith might have altered the entire course of humanity. All I asked was “what does faith mean to you, to us, the individuals toiling with lifes hard choices each day?” Personally speaking, faith is like oxygen: I didnt know how precious it was until I ran the risk of losing it.My heart stirs still every time memory brings me back to three years ago, when the devastating earthquake engulfed our country. As one of the few cities that took the hit the hardest that day, my hometown was suddenly devoured by a black hole of depression. Having forsaken our worldly possessions, my family joined the army of tents every night, holding our breath and waiting for daybreak; having abandoned the comfort of home, we managed to lift ourselves up, along with neighbors and friends, when each after-shock threatened to tear us down. As a politician once put it, in the face of disaster, were reminded that life can be unimaginably cruel, but its also in these moments, that we rediscover our common faith in life.Indeed, during those dark hours, faith blazed in the courage of my math teacher Ms. Liu, when she stayed behind in a shaking building until she made sure that the last student had safely evacuated; faith radiated from the persistence of my dad when he kept his eyes wide open every single night, so that my mom and I could have a good nights sleep; faith was ignited from the empathy of my next-door neighbor, when she took a stranger that was in shock into her arms and consoled him with her warm embrace. In the end, faith was rekindled in the passion of me and my fellow classmates, who immediately got back to preparing for our College Entrance Examination the very next day, with gritted teeth, and a conviction as steady as a rock.Ladies and gentlemen, this is what faith means to me. Its the small voice in our ears that says: be strong, be good, and dont give up whenever were frustrated by life. Thats why after three years, my friends and family have picked themselves up, dusted themselves off and with tougher spirits, begun again their journey towards a better future.At last, to twist the lyrics of last years charity song, I call upon my fellow young friends to chant together with me, in the name of faith, for all those who are still suffering in Haiti, Japan and Myanmar: when I get older, I will be stronger, theyll call me faith, just like a waving flag. Let uscarry above our heads the waving flag called Faith, and let its many inspirations lift us up from where we belong.Third-placeHonorable judges, ladies and gentleman, good morning.I want you to tell me something. Whats the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word faith, a sacred and heart-warming word thats supposed to remind you of all the beauties and goodness of life, the key that used to keep us going when confronted with all sorts of hardships and obstacles. However, when I hear the word faith, the thing it reminds me of is so remote and intangible. In this rich and peaceful era, there arent as many disasters or wars, especially for us young people whose lives are much easier and wealthier than our fathers. So is faith gradually losing its significance in the human world nowadays?Like many of others, I used to think of faith as of no importance at all, and I deemed myself as a faithless person. I thought I can live my life perfectly fine without intentionally grasping something as my faith. Until one day I met an American Christian named John, who later became a very good friend of mine. John is an extremely faithful Christian, and he thinks of Jesus Christ as his lord. He, as a pastor, tried to convert me into a Christian when we first met. So he lectured me with his extensive knowledge of history and philosophy every time we hung out. In spite of his amazingly detailed description of the history of Jesus, what really got me intrigued is not the story he told, instead, is John himself as probably the first and most faithful person Ive met in my entire life. I can feel the sparks in his eyes when he talks about biblical things, and I am so touched by the integrity of him when he says:” Jesus Christ is the ultimate pursuit of my life” without any hesitation or doubt.The more we got along, the more I became jealous of him, because he always seems to be joyful and optimistic. When I ask him how he manages it, he said:” Ive had bad days too, but I also know that God is with me. So I know that itll all be okay.” Suddenly it occurred to me how lucky it is to have something you can completely put your trust into, something that will bring you strength when your mind is weak, something that reminds you “ its not so bad” when youre filled with sorrow, something that gives your existence significance and bring it up to a higher level. So I was literally converted, not into a Christian, not into someone faithful ei