We have spent three days together. We have done a lot during the three days. I am very much impressed by the progress you have made. To compare with the performance of last year, you really have made good progress. I feel good about this, because when your English is improved, you can teach your students or pupils better. And then the English level of the whole country is raised. Actually, it is already much better than before. So, you see, you are doing something very meaningful. You are the gardeners that will make our country a more beautiful garden.
I think most of you have done a good job in this contest. First of all, in your prepared speech, you are more to the point and your English is more natural. Secondly, your talent show is very impressive. Some of you are very gifted indeed. For example, one teacher showed us how she was making use of an old card, cutting it and changing it into a red lantern. She connected the lantern with the celebration of the anniversary of the founding of our country. While she was cutting the card, she was speaking English, telling people what she was doing. This tells us about her skill in both paper-cutting and English teaching. She is surely full of imagination. Many others are also creative. I enjoyed that afternoon. Talking about your impromptu speech, I think it is also better than last year. And you are more ready to answer questions.
We all know a language is a means and the purpose is communication. A girl from Mianyang talked about her sad experience of losing her loved one during the earthquake. She was heartbroken. When listening I was moved to tears. I forgot she was speaking English. I was touched not only because she was able to express such heavy and sorrowful feelings in English but also because she was strong enough to overcome herself and came here to share her story with us. And another girl from Wenchuan also lost some family members, but she had the courage to come and participate in the contest. I should learn from both of them.
However, there are still some problems and much room for improvement. I am going to put forward some suggestions on how to do better in the future.
First, have you thought about this question: When you prepare a speech, there is something more important than language. What is it? It is idea. Ideas come before the language. If you don’t know what to say, if you have no ideas, what is the use of the language? So, you must think, and think again and decide what you want to say and then organize your ideas. One point I want to emphasize is that you should have your own approach, your own original ideas. If you only borrow things from others or copy things from some ready materials or textbooks, your speech is bound to fail. In this contest we hear some expressions again and again. Then, we know you have been borrowing things from the same source. I think imagination and creativity are very important.
To quote from one of the topics for impromptu speech: “Imagination is more important than knowledge.” This is a quotation from Einstein. If we want the world to move forward, we need imagination, and we need creativity.
My second point is that, in what way you should show your talent. Though you have done better than last year, quite a few of you still try to show your talent by singing an English song. The question is how you can combine your show with the teaching of English. If you tell your students or pupils the story, the background of the song, they can learn something. Or, perhaps you should tell your students how to enjoy the lyric before you sing. I don’t think you only want to show that you a good singer.
Lastly, when you prepare your impromptu speech, the most important thing is to be clear about the topic you have chosen. If you miss the point, however fluent and expressive you are, you get a poor mark. For example, there is a topic: To err is human; to forgive is divine. When you choose this topic, you should know it means everybody makes mistakes, but if you are able to forgive other people’s mistakes, then you are a better being. The emphasis is the second half. If you only talk about how to do your best to correct your mistakes, you miss the point. I feel this part is the most difficult part of the contest. You have to be quick for you don’t have much time to prepare; you have to be knowledgeable for you must understand the meaning of the topic properly. This time I have not talked about basic training, but you must bear in mind: your grammar and pronunciation should also be improved.
So, you see, you have made good progress and are doing better than last year. But you must have realized the contest has become more demanding. Last year if you sang an English song well, you got the point, but this year you don’t. You need to have something more creative. And next year, you would be expected to be at a new and higher stage.
To conclude, I congratulate every contestant for your participation and your success!
