21世纪英语演讲比赛冠军诸康妮精彩演讲

Discover Yourself

Ever since the accelerated development of human civilization, perpetual scientific discoveries of nature had accompanied mankind all along the journey. It was by discovering the world around us that human beings have been able to lead a more sophisticated life. However, as G.K. Chesterton once said, “One may understand the cosmos¹, but never the ego²; the self is more distant than any star.” Similarly, our life is a journey of unrelenting efforts to discover more of ourselves.

When I was 6 I constantly pictured myself as an elegant and skilled pianist rendering³ Chopin’s nocturne beautifully on the stage, receiving warm applause after my performance. As I furthered my piano lessons, it was hard to be oblivious⁴ of my non-gifted skills. Sometimes I couldn’t help but have this feeling of despair when I woke up to the reality and discovered that my goal was unrealistic. Brutal⁵ but real, it was the first time I had discovered that I couldn’t have it all.

When I was 12 I thought the coolest job in the entire universe was to be a surgeon. I spent hours and hours watching the drama “Grey’s Anatomy”, and couldn’t help falling in love with the kind of life those doctors lead on the screen. I was utterly⁶ mesmerized⁷ by the scalpel and all those fancy medical terms they use. However, I stopped dreaming about being a surgeon when I discovered that it was the idea of being a surgeon that appealed to me, not what it truly was. Therefore, the dream ended and I discovered some more about myself.

This year I turned 16, I could proudly say I do not dream to be but ascertain⁸ to pursue being a lawyer in the future. Since junior high school I was always awarded the “most eloquent⁹ debater” in every single debate I participated in. I cannot only think logically but also deliver my thoughts promptly¹⁰. My huge interest in philosophy also adds to my reasoning whenever I tried to argue on something equivocal. Being aware of the obstacles and hardships on the way to becoming a great lawyer never panics me, for the simple reason that I have this faith and passion in what I am aspiring¹¹ after.

G.K. Chesterton was absolutely correct, the most complicated part of comprehending the world is the study of the somehow smaller world—ourselves. I subsequently realized that growing up is the process of discovering ourselves; we get to know what we truly are, and become who we dream to be. As we shape ourselves, and as we shape our lives, we gradually become more aware of our limits and potentials and consequently learn to adjust to what’s out there. And by that, ladies and gentleman, I’m proud to say that I’ve discovered part of myself, still discovering today standing¹² on this stage, and hopefully a lot more in the future. I will always keep this embedded¹³ into my heart that things do not change, we do.

1 cosmos   

n.宇宙；秩序，和谐

参考例句：

• Our world is but a small part of the cosmos.我们的世界仅仅是宇宙的一小部分而已。
• Is there any other intelligent life elsewhere in the cosmos?在宇宙的其他星球上还存在别的有智慧的生物吗？

2 ego   

n.自我，自己，自尊

参考例句：

• He is absolute ego in all thing.在所有的事情上他都绝对自我。
• She has been on an ego trip since she sang on television.她上电视台唱过歌之后就一直自吹自擂。

3 rendering   

n.表现，描写

参考例句：

• She gave a splendid rendering of Beethoven's piano sonata.她精彩地演奏了贝多芬的钢琴奏鸣曲。
• His narrative is a super rendering of dialect speech and idiom.他的叙述是方言和土语最成功的运用。

4 oblivious   

adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的

参考例句：

• Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后，妈妈变得特别健忘。
• He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。

5 brutal   

adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的

参考例句：

• She has to face the brutal reality.她不得不去面对冷酷的现实。
• They're brutal people behind their civilised veneer.他们表面上温文有礼，骨子里却是野蛮残忍。

6 utterly   

adv.完全地，绝对地

参考例句：

• Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民，把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
• I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。

7 mesmerized   

v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The country girl stood by the road, mesmerized at the speed of cars racing past. 村姑站在路旁被疾驶而过的一辆辆车迷住了。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• My 14-year-old daughter was mesmerized by the movie Titanic. 我14岁的女儿完全被电影《泰坦尼克号》迷住了。 来自互联网

8 ascertain   

vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清

参考例句：

• It's difficult to ascertain the coal deposits.煤储量很难探明。
• We must ascertain the responsibility in light of different situtations.我们必须根据不同情况判定责任。

9 eloquent   

adj.雄辩的，口才流利的；明白显示出的

参考例句：

• He was so eloquent that he cut down the finest orator.他能言善辩，胜过最好的演说家。
• These ruins are an eloquent reminder of the horrors of war.这些废墟形象地提醒人们不要忘记战争的恐怖。

10 promptly   

adv.及时地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He paid the money back promptly.他立即还了钱。
• She promptly seized the opportunity his absence gave her.她立即抓住了因他不在场给她创造的机会。

11 aspiring   

adj.有志气的；有抱负的；高耸的v.渴望；追求

参考例句：

• Aspiring musicians need hours of practice every day. 想当音乐家就要每天练许多小时。
• He came from an aspiring working-class background. 他出身于有抱负的工人阶级家庭。 来自辞典例句

12 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。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

13 embedded   

a.扎牢的

参考例句：

• an operation to remove glass that was embedded in his leg 取出扎入他腿部玻璃的手术
• He has embedded his name in the minds of millions of people. 他的名字铭刻在数百万人民心中。