初中英語演講比賽文章
近幾年來,我國一些學校相繼開設了英語演講課程,英語演講的重要性受到越來越多人的認可。下面就是小編給大家整理的,希望大家喜歡。
:China and Britain Are on a Winning Course
By H.E. Li Keqiang
Many countries have very high expectations of China, some even to the extent of seeing China as a global power. As the premier of China, I do have a good sense of where things stand.
Indeed, China has achieved a quantum leap***巨大突破*** in its development, which is regarded as a remarkable success by the international community. Thanks to the reform and opening-up process started more than 30 years ago, China has substantially improved the livelihoods of its people within a generation. Personally, I do recall vividly my experience of poverty and hunger in my youth, having been sent to work as a farm boy. By 2013, China's grain output had continuously increased over ten consecutive years and basically met the food needs of the 1.3 billion Chinese. Feeding its people has been considered as an issue "the size of Heaven" since ancient times in China.
At the same time, China's urbanisation***城市化*** process is steadily advancing, with more than half of its people now living in cities and towns. Nine-year free compulsory education is provided, covering 160 million students. A nationwide medical service network has been built, covering all its urban and rural residents. The list can go on and on.
On the other hand, we should keep in mind an old Chinese saying: "One should always be aware of the strength of others and the shortcoming of oneself." China is far from achieving its development goals. Measured by World Bank standards, more than 200 million Chinese still live below the poverty line. Development is quite uneven between urban and rural areas and among different regions, with the per capita GDP of some inland provinces being just one third of the coastal region.
In the process of urbanisation, China faces three pressing tasks, affecting 100 million people each: to help 100 million rural migrants enjoy resident status in cities and towns in eastern China; to accommodate 100 million rural people as local residents in cities and towns in central and western China, and to provide 100 million people living in rundown***裁減,綱要*** areas in cities with decent housing. These undertakings have an impact on 300 million people. It is indeed a most daunting challenge. A latecomer to modernisation and weighed down by weak economic foundations, China lags far behind the United Kingdom and other western countries in many areas. Its quest for modernisation remains a long and arduous***努力的*** one. As premier, my highest priority is to pursue modernisation through urbanisation and industrialisation.
China's economy needs to grow at a proper rate, expected to be around 7.5 per cent this year. It is slower than the past, but normal. Given the size of China's economy, its annual economic increment is about one trillion US dollars. The growth rate in the first quarter of 2014 was 7.4 per cent. Despite considerable downward pressure, China's economy is moving on a steady course. We will continue to make anticipatory***預期的*** and moderate adjustments when necessary. We are well prepared to defuse various risks. We are confident that this year's growth target will be met.
Reform and opening up in the past three decades have delivered better livelihoods for the Chinese people. And reform and opening up remain key to realise modernisation. To achieve this goal, we need to stay the course on market-orientated reform, energise the market, motivate the people, bring out their ingenuity and open China still wider to the outside world.
We will delegate power and create more space to individuals and the private sector for economic activities, while enforcing government regulations with tighter oversight, and imposing tougher penalties on IPR infringement, environmental pollution and unfair competition. This will give foreign investors the same level playing field and greater space for development, just like their Chinese counterparts.
The United Kingdom is a great country and an important partner of China. My visit has a threefold purpose: first, to discuss ways to deepen co-operation in various fields and thus spur the growth of our respective economies; second, to present the real China so as to change misperceptions and ease misgivings; and third, to draw on British perspectives and experience.
The United Kingdom has a strong economy, dynamic financial sector, advanced science and technologies; and it leads the world in energy conservation and environmental protection. China, for its part, has a huge market, large foreign exchange reserves and a competitive manufacturing sector. Drawing on our complementary strengths, there are many areas for collaboration. We look forward to stronger co-operation in finance, infrastructure construction, among others, and more robust exchanges in research, education, and culture. We look forward to win-win engagements.
In the 20th century, after going through the baptism of two world wars and a cold war, humankind has realised that nothing is more valuable than peace. In today's globalised environment, nations can develop together in a peaceful manner. While the world continues to face challenges and differences, we need to be steadfast in insisting on addressing them through dialogue and consultation. Nothing can make us turn our back on peace.
:The First State Dinner
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Prime Minister Singh, Mrs. Gursharan Kaur, members of the Indian delegation***代表團*** -- on behalf of***代表,為了*** Michelle and myself, it is a great pleasure to welcome you to the White House. On behalf of the American people, it is my great honor to welcome you to the United States.
Mr. Prime Minister, yours is the first official state visit of my presidency, and it is fitting that you and India be so recognized. ***Applause.*** This visit reflects the high esteem***尊重*** in which I and the American people hold your wise leadership. It reflects the abiding***永久的,持久的*** bonds of respect and friendship between our people, including our friends in the Indian American community who join us here today.
But above all, your visit, at this pivotal moment***緊要關頭*** in history, speaks to the opportunity before us -- to build the relationship between our nations, born in the last century, into one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century.
For while our two nations have taken different paths to reach this moment, ours is a common story. It's the story of two proud people who struggled to break free from an empire and declare their independence. Two bold experiments in democracy with constitutions that begin with the same simple words: "We the people." Two great republics dedicated to the ideals of liberty, justice, equality, and the never-ending work of perfecting their union.
It's the story of two economic marvels***奇蹟*** fueled by an ethic***道德標準,倫理*** of hard work and innovation. And today, our nations are two global leaders, driven not to dominate***統治*** other nations but to build a future of security and prosperity for all nations.
Mr. Prime Minister, as we work to build that future, India is indispensable.
As leading economies, the United States and India can strengthen the global economic recovery, promote trade that creates jobs for both our people, and pursue growth that is balanced and sustained***持久的***.
As nuclear powers, we can be full partners in preventing the spread of the world's most deadly weapons, securing loose nuclear materials from terrorists, and pursuing our shared vision of a world without nuclear weapons.
As people who've known the pain and anguish***苦悶,痛苦*** of terrorism, we can stand together -- cooperating to prevent future attacks, and promote the development and prosperity that undermines***漸漸破壞*** violent extremism.
As India becomes an increasingly influential global power, we can partner to meet other transnational challenges: developing clean energy partnerships, confronting climate change, stopping infectious disease***傳染病***, reducing hunger and working to end extreme poverty in our time.
And as the world's largest democracies, we can keep faith with our common values -- speaking out and standing up for the rights and dignity to which all human beings are entitled; and showing that nations that respect the rights and aspirations of their people are ultimately more stable, more secure and more successful.
This is the India that America welcomes today -- a leader in Asia and around the world. ***Applause.*** These are the challenges we are summoned to meet in partnership. This is the progress that is possible -- today and in the days and years ahead.
And, Mr. Prime Minister, as we build our common future, we can draw strength from our shared past. For it was exactly 60 years ago, in a ceremony not unlike this, that an American president welcomed to the White House the first prime minister of an independent India. And while the decades that followed were not without their challenges, the spirit of that first visit is with us today -- the same sense of possibility, the same hope for the future.
So as President Truman said of President Nehru, it is my privilege to welcome "the respected leader of a great nation of free people."
And as Prime Minister Nehru said of the work before them, may our two great nations "find many ways of working together in friendly and fruitful cooperation to our mutual advantage, and for the good of humanity."
Mr. Prime Minister, Mrs. Kaur, in that spirit, I welcome you to the United States of America. ***Applause.***
PRIME MINISTER SINGH: Mr. President, First Lady Mrs. Obama, thank you very much for your warm words of welcome, Mr. President. My wife and I are deeply honored to be in your great country on the first state visit of your presidency. ***Applause.***
Mr. President, I bring to you and the people of the United States of America the friendly greetings of our one billion people of India. ***Applause.***
India and America are separated by distance, but bound together by the values of democracy, pluralism, rule of law, and respect for fundamental human freedoms. Over the years, we have built upon these values and created a partnership that is based upon both principle and pragmatism. Our relations have been transformed, and today they encompass cooperation in all areas of human activity.
:The House Debates Health Reform
Good afternoon, everybody. I just want to say a few words about the landmark vote that the House of Representatives is poised to***隨時準備著*** take today -- a vote that can bring us one step closer to making real the promise of quality, affordable***支付得起*** health care for the American people.
For the better part of a year now, members of the House and the Senate have been working diligently***勤奮地*** and constructively to craft legislation that will benefit millions of American families and millions of American businesses who urgently need it. For the first time ever, they've passed bills through every single committee responsible for reform. They've brought us closer than we have ever been to passing health insurance reform on behalf of the American people.
Now is the time to finish the job. The bill that the House has produced will provide stability and security for Americans who have insurance; quality, affordable options for those who don't; and lower costs for American families and American businesses. And as I've insisted from the beginning, it is a bill that is fully paid for and will actually reduce our long-term federal deficit***赤字,不足***.
This bill is change that the American people urgently need. Don't just take my word for it. Consider the national groups who've come out in support of this bill on behalf of their members: The Consumers Union supports it because it will create -- and I quote -- "a more secure, affordable health care system for the American people."
The American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association support it on behalf of doctors and nurses and medical professionals who know firsthand what's broken in our current system, and who see what happens when their patients can't get the care they need because of insurance industry bureaucracies***官僚政治***.
The National Farmers Union supports this bill because it will control costs for farmers and ranchers***牧場主***, and address the unique challenges rural Americans face when it comes to receiving quality care.
And the AARP supports it because it will achieve the goal for which the AARP has been fighting for decades -- reducing the cost of health care, expanding coverage for America's seniors, and strengthening Medicare for the long haul.
Now, no bill can ever contain everything that everybody wants, or please every constituency***選區*** and every district. That's an impossible task. But what is possible, what's in our grasp right now is the chance to prevent a future where every day 14,000 Americans continue to lose their health insurance, and every year 18,000 Americans die because they don't have it; a future where crushing costs keep small businesses from succeeding and big businesses from competing in the global economy; a future where countless dreams are deferred or scaled back because of a broken system we could have fixed when we had the chance.
What we can do right now is choose a better future and pass a bill that brings us to the very cusp***尖頭,尖端*** of building what so many generations of Americans have sought to build -- a better health care system for this country.
Millions of Americans are watching right now. Their families and their businesses are counting on us. After all, this is why they sent us here, to finally confront the challenges that Washington had been putting off for decades -- to make their lives better, to leave this country stronger than we found it.
I just came from the Hill where I talked to the members of Congress there, and I reminded them that opportunities like this come around maybe once in a generation. Most public servants pass through their entire careers without a chance to make as important a difference in the lives of their constituents and the life of this country. This is their moment, this is our moment, to live up to the trust that the American people have placed in us -- even when it's hard; especially when it's hard. This is our moment to deliver.
I urge members of Congress to rise to this moment. Answer the call of history, and vote yes for health insurance reform for America.