ladies and gentlemen,
my name is zhang xinyu. today, im going to talk about growing pains. different people have different pains from different places. we are now students,so i think we have pains mainly from studies. time files.
two months ago, i came to a middle school student.but i have a pain.homework is my growing pain. in the secondary school, we have more subjects to study.and homework is more than primary school.so i could’t adapt to the secondary school’s homework. i don’t have other time to do any sports or read any books. however, i think all pains will fade away in the end. i believe that i can adapt the school life step by step. try my best. that’s all. thank you for your attention.
Knowing the Consequences of Choice
Over the past Spring Festival, I got involved in a family dispute. Right before I got home, four satellite channels of CCTV were added to the 14 channels we had already had. In prime time at night, they all had interesting shows. Therefore, the five of us-my parents, my sisters and I-had to argue over what to watch. Finally, we agreed that we should watch the "most interesting" programme... If we
could agree what that was.
However, all of us there remember that for a long time after we had TV, there were only one or two channels available. The increase in options reveals an important change in our life: the abundance of choice.
Fifteen years ago we all dressed in one style and in one colour. Today, we select from a wide variety of designs and shades.
Fifteen years ago, we read few newspapers. Today, we read English newspapers like the China Daily and the 21st Century, as well as various Chinese newspapers.
Fifteen years ago, English majors took only courses in language and literature. Today, we also study Western culture, journalism, business communications, international relations, and computer science.
The emergence of choices marks the beginning of a new era in China's history; an era of diversity, of material and cultural richness, and an era of the rebirth of the Chinese nation. We enjoy the abundance of choice. But this has not come easily.
About 150 years ago, China was forced to open up its door by Western canons and gunboats. It has been through the struggle and sacrifice of generations that we finally have gained the opportunity to choose for ourselves. The policy of reform and openness is the choice that has made all the difference.
Like others of my age, I'm too young to have experienced the time when the Chinese people had no right to choose. However, as the next century draws near, it is time to ask: What does choice really mean to us young people?
Is choice a game that relies on chance or luck? Is choice an empty promise that never materializes? Or is choice a puzzle so difficult that we have to avoid it?
First, I would like to say: To choose means to claim opportunities.
I am a third-year English major. An important choice for me, of course, is what to do upon graduation. I can go to graduate school, at home or abroad. I can go to work as a teacher, a translator, a journalist, an editor and a diplomat. Actually, the system of mutual selection has allowed me to approach almost every career opportunity in China.
Indeed, this is not going to be an easy choice. I would love to work in such big cities as Beijing or Shanghai or Shenzhen. I would also love to return to my hometown, which is intimate, though slightly lagging in development. I would love to stay in the coastal area where life is exciting and fast-paced. I would also love to put down roots in central and western China, which is underdeveloped, but holds great potential.
All of these sound good. But they are only possibilities. To those of us who are bewildered at the abundance of opportunities, I would like to say: To choose means to accept challenge. To us young people, challenge often emerges in the form of competition. In the next century, competition will not only come from other college graduates, but also from people of all ages and of all origins.
With increasing international exchanges, we have to face growing competition from the whole outside world. This is calling for a higher level of our personal development.
Fifteen years ago, the knowledge of a foreign language or of computer operation was considered merely an advantage. But today, with wider educational opportunities, this same knowledge has become essential to everyone.
Given this situation, even our smallest choices will require great wisdom and personal determination.
As we gain more initiative in choice making, the consequence of each choice also becomes more important.
As we gain more initiative in choice making, the consequence of each choice also becomes more important.
Nuclear power, for instance, may improve our quality of life. But it can also be used to damage the lives and possessions of millions.
Economic development has enriched our lives but brought with it serious harm to our air, water and health.
To those of us who are blind to the consequences of their choices, I would like to say, To choose means to take responsibility. When we are making choices for ourselves, we cannot casually say: "It's just my own business. " As policy makers of the next century, we cannot fail to see our responsibility to those who share the earth with us.
The traditional Chinese culture teaches us to study hard and work hard so as to honor our family. To me, however, this family is not just the five of us who quarreled over television programmes. Rather, it is the whole of the human family. As I am making my choices, I will not forget the smile of my teacher when I correctly spelled out the word "China" for the first time, I will not forget the happy faces of the boys and girls we helped to send back to school in the mountains of Jiangxi Province. I will not forget the tearful eyes of women and children in Bosnia, Chechnya and Somali, where millions are suffering from war, famine or poverty. All these people, known and unknown, make up our big human family. At different points, they came into my life and broaden my perspective. Now as I am to make choices for myself, it is time to make efforts to improve their lives, because a world will benefit us all only if every one in it can lead a peaceful and prosperous life.
选择的重要性
去年春节期间，我陷入过一场家庭纷争。在我回家之前，我们家的电视除了已有的14个频道外又增加了四个卫星频道。晚上的黄金时间，每个频道的节目都很精彩.结果，我们一家五口(父母，两个姐姐和我)为了选台而争执起来。最后，我们决定应当看“最有意思”的节目——如果我们在什么是“最有意思”上可以认同的话。
不过我们全都清楚地记得，买了电视后的好长一段时间里，只有一两个频道可供选择。电视频道的增多反映出我们生活中的一个重大变化:选择余地的扩大。
20xx年前，我们身着同样的款式，单一的色调。而如今，纷繁的花色和众多的式样让我们挑得眼花缭乱。
20xx年前，我们几乎无报可读。而如今，除了大大小小的中文报纸，我们还读上了《中国日报》、《21世纪报》这样的英文报纸。
20xx年前，英语专业的学生只能选语言与文学课程。而如今，我们还学习西方文化，新闻，商务，国际关系，甚至还有计算机课程。
选择的涌现标志着中国进入了一个崭新的时代，一个充满多样化的时代，一个物质与精神都愈加丰富的时代，一个中华民族获得新生的时代。
我们为选择之多而欢呼雀跃，同时也深深地感到这一切来之不易。
一个半世纪之前，在西方大炮、战舰的威通下，中国被迫打开了国门。经过祖祖辈辈的抗争与牺牲，我们才最终赢得了当家作主的机会。改革开放这个正确的抉择使一切发生了翻天覆地的变化。
我和其他同龄人一样，太年轻了、没有经历过中国人丧失选择权的岁月。但是，随着下个世纪的脚步越走越近，我们是该们心自间了:选择，对于我们青年一代，到底意味着什么?
选择，是场靠侥幸来获胜的游戏吗?是句不用兑现的空话吗?抑或是种让人知难而退的困境?
首先，我认为，选择意味着抓住机遇。
我是英语专业三年级学生，我所面临的一个重大选择当然是毕业后的去向。我可以攻读硕士学位，或在国内，或在国外。我可以走上工作岗位，做名教师，翻译，记者，编辑或外交家.实际上，双向选择的体制在我面前铺开了通向各行各业的大道。
说真的，这个选择并不好做。我愿意在像北京、上海、深圳这样的大都市里工作，我也盼着能回到虽不那么发达却使我倍感亲切的故乡。我希望可以留在生活节奏快，令人兴奋的沿海地带，我也愿意扎根于广炭的中西部地区，那里虽然条件艰苦，却有极大的发展潜力。
所有这一切听上去令人振奋，但它们毕竟只是可能性。有些人面对五花八门的选择挑得眼花缭乱，我要告诉他们:选择就意味着接受挑战。
对于我们青年一代，挑战常以竟争的形式出现。到下个世纪，竞争者将不仅只是其他大学毕业生，更有各行各业不同年龄层的人们。
随着国际交流的不断增多，我们得面对来自整个外部世界日益激烈的竞争，这就对我们个/、的发展提出了更高的要求。
20xx年前，懂门外语或会用计算机是个优越条件。但今天，随着受教育面的拓宽，以上的知识也成了每个人必备的条件。
在这种形势下，即便最细小的选择也要求我们具有极大的智慧和自主精神。
当我们面对选择不断增强自己的主动性时，每一次选择的结果也同样变得愈加重要。
比方说，核能可以提高人民的生活水平，可它同样也能毁灭千百万人的生命财产。
经济的发展使我们富裕起来，却也给我们的空气、水、健康带来了严重危害。有些人对选择的后果毫不在乎，我要对他们说:选择还意味着承担责任。我们替自己做选择时，不能随口一句“这不关别人的事”。作为下个世纪的决策者，我们必须承担对和我们共同拥有这个地球的人们所负的责任。 传统的中华文化教育我们，要勃奋学习，努力工作，以荣耀家门。然而我认为，这个家门并不只指诸如我的那个争看电视的五口小家。更确切地说，它指的是整个人类这个大家庭。当我为自己的未来做出选择时，我不会忘记自己第一次正确读出“China"这个单词时老师脸上的笑容。我也不会忘记在我们的帮助下重返校园的江西山区的孩子们兴奋的脸庞。我更不会忘记饱受战火、饥荒、贫困蹂蹦的波斯尼亚、车臣、索马里，不会忘记那里成千上万的妇女儿童泪水模糊的双眼。
所有这些我认识或不认识的人们组成了人类这个大家庭。他们从不同的时空中走进了我的生活，开拓了我的视野。现在，我将为自己做出抉择，该是为使他们的生活变得美好而奋斗的时候了。因为只有当每个人都过上和平、富足的生活，世界才能成为大家的乐园.
My hometown, which is in the south of Province, is a very beautiful village. It lies on the east bank of a small river, surrounded by green mountains, In the past my hometown was poor, and people led a hard life. They couldnt afford to send their children to school. But ,great changes have taken place in my hometown in the past twenty years. Many families .have not only color TV sets, but also telephones, fridges, computers, and so on. New roads, houses, schools, hospitals have been built. People in my hometown are working hard for a better life.
我的家乡在南部，是一个非常漂亮的村庄，它位于一条小河的东岸，为绿色的大山所环抱。过去，我的家乡很穷，人们过着艰难的生活，孩子读不起书。但是在刚刚过去的二十年里，我的家乡发生了翻天覆地的变化口许多家庭不仅有了彩色电视机，而且电话、冰箱、电脑等应有尽有。新修了公路，新建了房屋、学校和医院。家乡人民正在为过上更好的生活而辛勤工作。
讲故事。
故事更能吸引观众，它比陈述事实和运用修辞手法更能吸引你的读者。所以尽可能地利用故事来展开你的演讲。
英语演讲比赛技巧14.Develop your own style.
形成自己的风格。
除了模仿和学习优秀演讲者外，你还需要形成自己的风格，这样站在舞台上你就更加自如。将个人故事和你的话题联系起来，能给观众留下更深刻的印象。
英语演讲比赛技巧15.Avoid filler words.
避免冗余。
"basically", "well", and "um"这些词对你的演讲毫无意义。当你不自觉地想要使用这些词时强迫自己安静下来。
英语演讲比赛技巧16.Vary your tone, volume, and speed.
调节你的语调、语音和语速。
优秀的演讲者会不断调节语调、语音和语速。这样可以提起观众的兴趣从而更关注你所讲的内容。
英语演讲比赛技巧17.Make the audience laugh.
逗乐观众。
大笑能够很好地放松自己和别人，在开始的时候，讲几个笑话是一种很好的破冰方式。当然，在此之前你应该掌握好时间并向你的朋友讲一遍笑话来看看他的反馈。
英语演讲比赛技巧18.Find a friendly face.
发现友善的面孔。
如果你感到焦躁，那就在观众席中找到一张笑脸，并想象你只在和他一个人说话。
英语演讲比赛技巧19.Don't apologize.
任何时候都不要抱歉。
如果哪里讲错了，不要道歉。有时候观众们根本没有在意道这些细节。除非你要更正一个事实，纠结只有你发现的小问题是非常不明智的。
Everybody is good! Welcome to badaling scenic area tourism. Accompany you visit together, today I am very happy, hope all can spend a good time in badaling.
My friends, have a look at your feet? Guess what weigh? Tell you! This is a stone, a piece of have two or three one thousand catties! At that time, there is no train, automobile, also have no crane, is by the shoulder of countless countless hands, step by step, carry on the steep mountains. This is how many working people sweat and wisdom, to condense into the former does not see the head, after see the tail of the Great Wall!
This is the Great Wall! This is the west jiayuguan, east to shanhaiguan, which meet the sea sunrise and gobi desert sun, or turned on the peaks, or bent over in the valley, the ups and downs, stretching thousands of miles of the Great Wall. It is such a magnificent verve, Great Wall is a great miracle in the history of the world!
Dear visitors, today's visit here will be over, thank you very much for my support and cooperation. The majestic Great Wall forever awaits respectfully you the presence!
i have the answer to a question that we've all asked. the question is, why is it that the letter x represents the unknown? now i know we learned that in math class, but now it's everywhere in the culture -- the x prize, the x-files, project x, tedx. where'd that come from?
about six years ago i decided that i would learn arabic, which turns out to be a supremely logical language. to write a word or a phrase or a sentence in arabic is like crafting an equation, because every part is extremely precise and carries a lot of information. that's one of the reasons so much of what we've come to think of as western science and mathematics and engineering was really worked out in the first few centuries of the common era by the persians and the arabs and the turks.
this includes the little system in arabic called al-jebra. and al-jebr roughly translates to “the system for reconciling disparate parts.“ al-jebr finally came into english as algebra. one example among many.
the arabic texts containing this mathematical wisdom finally made their way to europe -- which is to say spain -- in the 11th and 12th centuries. and when they arrived there was tremendous interest in translating this wisdom into a european language.
but there were problems. one problem is there are some sounds in arabic that just don't make it through a european voice box without lots of practice. trust me on that one. also, those very sounds tend not to be represented by the characters that are available in european languages.
here's one of the culprits. this is the letter sheen, and it makes the sound we think of as sh -- “sh.“ it's also the very first letter of the word shalan, which means “something“ just like the the english word “something“ -- some undefined, unknown thing.
now in arabic, we can make this definite by adding the definite article “al.“ so this is al-shalan -- the unknown thing. and this is a word that appears throughout early mathematics, such as this 10th century derivation of proofs.
the problem for the medieval spanish scholars who were tasked with translating this material is that the letter sheen and the word shalan can't be rendered into spanish because spanish doesn't have that sh, that “sh“ sound. so by convention, they created a rule in which they borrowed the ck sound, “ck“ sound, from the classical greek in the form of the letter kai.
later when this material was translated into a common european language, which is to say latin, they simply replaced the greek kai with the latin x. and once that happened, once this material was in latin, it formed the basis for mathematics textbooks for almost 600 years.
but now we have the answer to our question. why is it that x is the unknown? x is the unknown because you can't say “sh“ in spanish. (laughter) and i thought that was worth sharing.
(applause)
It is quite usual that one meets failures, for one's life can never be plain sailing. However, different people hold different attitudes towards failure. Some people think it a heavy blow to fail in achieving something and they can not endure failure.
When they meet failure, they will be seriously dejected and can never pluck up their courage to try again.
However, others think it natural to meet failures in one's career. Therefore, they are psychologically prepared. When they meet failures, they will not be frustrated. Instead, they will continue to meet new challenges. As to me, I'm in favor of the latter view. Failure is really a terrible thing but it is also the mother of success. If one draws lessons from failures, in most cases he will get success in the future. Furthermore, one's life can never be smooth sailing; it must be full of difficulies and setbacks. If one is daunted by difficulies and frustrations, he will always be a failure. However, if one holds a positive attitude toward failure, he will overcome difficulties and frustrations to win victory.
Dream, everybody has. However, I think, the dream as the growth of the age, will change at any time!
The dream of the age of three
When I was 3 years old, although also just a girl, but, we also have a 3 years old dream! My dream is to every day can eat to the color seductive jelly beans! The kindergarten every day, dad and creak on his bicycle to pick me up, I will think, dad today will certainly bring color jelly beans to pick me up. But, want to return to, dad didn't often bring me eat jelly beans. At that time, I will run to dad's arms, with a peevish tone to dad said: "dad, are you to buy me some color jelly beans?" Father seems a little angry: "oh, don't buy, not buy, jelly beans to eat many will have decayed tooth!" I still don't give up: "I'm not eat every day, you can buy!" Sometimes, after my request for a long time, father finally agreed to me, I am happy to eat a dream at the age of 3, fruity! The food is delicious.
At the age of 8 dream
At the age of eight, I had been sitting in the third grade. Said dream, also won't go to jelly beans. At that time, I am addicted to reading.
Mother and I went to a backgammon supermarket, I entered the house, left flip, flip right, when turn to a book - the story character, I carefully looked up, I could see them forget all about eating and sleeping, even my mother told me to go home, I did not hear. Aunt until the store is closed, when I go home, I was pleased. After that, I often go to read a book, of course, I have mastered a lot of writing skills. The teacher also to me a thumbs-up! The book gives me knowledge and fun.
Dream at the age of 11
At the age of 11, I was in the sixth grade, my dream is as bigger, my dream is to enter key middle school at 1 or 4. Had the goal, to work harder. I write my homework every day, the remedial class around in my side every day, although very hard, very tired, but I still insist on, don't be difficult tripping, strive to succeed.
Because the dream with my growth, let me track on the road to success.
All over the world people listen to classical music.Classical music is difficult to describe.It means different things to different people.
Some famous classical composers were Bach,Vivaldi,Haydn and Mozart.In their music,they did not tell a story or show strong emotions.They wanted to make beautiful and interesting music with lovely sounds.
Then composers started to express ideas.They told stories about love and war.They also wrote about religion.Sometimes they composed music for holidays.Through their music composers showed strong emotions.Some of these composers were Beethoven,Schumann,Chopin,Mendelssohn,Wagner and Tchaikovsky.
Classical music has been popular for hundreds of years.Bach wrote about 300 years ago.Beethoven wrote about 200 years ago.And Tchaikovsky wrote over 100 years ago.
Sometimes people close their eyes while listening to classical music.It is difficult to understand sometimes.When they close their eyes they have to think about the music.
DREAM——A word that has changed the world
Hello,everybody !it is my great honor to be here to share my idea with you .Today,I will talk something about DREAM——A word that has changed the world .
“What do you think is the word that has really changed our world ”
When I was asked about this question for the first time ,without thinking it too much ,a word flash into my mind ——DREAM ,D-R-E-A-M.People more or less dream about different things ,to be a teacher ,a doctor ,a scientist ,a businessman and so on .All these people who have dreams should be respected ,because Dreams make the world go around .We grow great by our dreams.All big men are great dreamers in their youth.Everyone has a dream ,and everything starts as one’s daydream.
Martin Luther king had a dream.He desired for a future where blacks and whites would coexist harmoniously as equals.By speaking the way he did,he educated,he inspired,he informed not just the people there,but people throughout America and unborn generations.He pushed forward the pace of American black society towards the racial equality .
Thomas Edison had a dream.He dreamed of a lamp that could be operated by electricity,began where he stood to put his dream into action,and despite more than ten thousand failures,he stood by that dream until he made it a physical reality!And today,his dream lights up the world at night.
Walt Disney had a dream.This,in itself,wasn't unusual -- he was always dreaming.He dreamed of making the first animated feature film,and of building an amusement park that parents could enjoy right along with their kids.Walt Disney empowered his dream and today,Disneyland,Disney world and Disney theme parks attract around the world thrill millions of visitors each and every year.
John F.kennedy had a dream.He wanted to land a man on the moon and return him safely to earth so as to restore faith in the American way of life.John F.kennedy empowered his dream and 8 years later Neil Armstrong stepped on the face of the moon.The moon landing certainly gave Americans new found confidence.
Dream --- A word that has changed the world Yes ,I would say so ,wouldn’t you
Youth is a special life relay station ,the growth with the worry ,the life feeling become aware happily with the dream ,collected a unique youth melody in here .
We decide.We choose.And as we decide and choose,so are our lives formed.In the end,forming our own destiny is what ambition is about.And most importantly ,You are the one you choose to be.
It is easy to waste our lives ,our days ,our minutes .It is easy to exist than living .So hold fast to your dreams,For if dreams die,life is a broken-winged bird,That cannot fly.Hold fast to your dreams,For when dreams go,life is a barren field,Frozen with snow.
I hope you everyone he
梦--一个改变世界的词
大家好!我很荣幸能在这里和大家分享我的想法，今天我将谈论一个关于梦想的东西--一个改变世界的词。
“你认为什么是真正改变了我们世界的这个词呢”
当我被问到这个问题的时候，没有想太多，一个字闪进我的脑海——梦，d-r-e-a-m.people或多或少的梦想不同的东西，是一个教师，医生，科学家，商人等等。所有这些人的梦想都应该得到尊重，因为梦想让世界运转。我们增长我们的梦想伟大，所有的伟人都是在青年时期伟大的梦想家。每个人都有梦想，一切都开始作为一个的白日梦。
路德金做了一个梦，他希望给黑人和白人能和谐共处等。说他，他这样的教育，他深受启发，他通知不只是那里的人们，但全美国的人和未出生的后代，他推动了美国黑人社会的步伐走向种族平等。
爱迪生托马斯做了一个梦，他梦见一个能用电来供电的电灯，他开始在那里站着把自己的梦想付诸行动，尽管有一万多个失败，他站在那一个梦中，直到他成为现实!今天，他的梦想照亮了世界。
沃尔特迪士尼有一个梦想，这一点，在它本身并不寻常，他一直在做梦，他梦想制作第一部动画电影，并建设一个娱乐公园，父母可以享受与他们的孩子。
约翰肯尼迪做了一个梦，他想把人送上月球并返回他安全返回地球，恢复美国的生活方式的信念。约翰肯尼迪授权他的梦想，8年后尼尔阿姆斯壮踏上月球的脸。登月的确给了美国人的新发现的信心。
梦---一个改变世界的话是的，我会这样说，是不是你
青春是一个特殊的生命接力站，随着烦恼的成长，生活的感觉变得与梦的幸福感，在这里收集了一个独特的青春旋律。
我们决定，我们选择，并且当我们决定和选择，我们的生活也在我们的生活中，最终形成我们自己的命运是什么样的野心是什么，最重要的是，你是你选择的那个人。
我们的生活，我们的日子，我们的生活，很容易浪费我们的生命，很容易生存，所以坚持你的梦想，因为如果梦想死亡，生命是一只折断翅膀的鸟儿，不能飞翔。
我希望你们每个人都可以.
Chinese teacher treats us just like friends, we also very trust to her. On one occasion, my language result in the decline, the in the mind very anxious didn't know what to do, then I remembered the Chinese teacher told us what is not happy at ordinary times, the confused things can tell her, I summon up courage to find a Chinese teacher, she is to have a rest. Chinese teacher saw me come in and asked me what's the matter, I said I wanted to find her talk. She listened to the very happy, immediately brought me to the conference room. I sat down in the heart of all of the unhappy said out, Chinese teacher help me analysis, I also know how to improve their performance, shu teacher and told my hands to answer questions in class, have confidence in yourself, no matter right or wrong answer, all want to brave answer. Answer to very happy, very confident. Also don't answer wrong, don't be discouraged, for the next answer correct.
Listen to the teacher's these words, I really changed, my grades have improved, also love in class to answer the question, I'm really happy for that.
And let me have such a big change is the teacher's words, from the bottom of my heart to thank her. Is she told me to have confidence in yourself; Is she let me learn how to face setbacks; Is she let me make more friends. In this two years, I learned in ordinary school a few years also learn something, maybe is this school is different from other schools!
Will be leaving soon, I think I will never forget this make me change my teacher, she will always be in my heart.
My good friend
I have a good friend , his name is Li Hua. He is 12 years old. He is a student in Hui Dong Middle School. He is tall and strong. He works hard at school.
Li Hua is good at studying , so he often helps me with my studies. He loves music and reading books. We always play football after school ..
Li Hua is a good student and a kind person. We all like him. Do you like him ?
My family
There are four people in my family. They are my parents ,my sister and me . My father is a worker . He works in a factory . My mother is a teacher. She teaches English at a middle school . They like eating healthy food , such as meat and vegetables . They all like playing table tennis. My sister and I are students in the same school . I love my family very much.
i have the answer to a question that we've all asked. the question is, why is it that the letter x represents the unknown? now i know we learned that in math class, but now it's everywhere in the culture -- the x prize, the x-files, project x, tedx. where'd that come from?
about six years ago i decided that i would learn arabic, which turns out to be a supremely logical language. to write a word or a phrase or a sentence in arabic is like crafting an equation, because every part is extremely precise and carries a lot of information. that's one of the reasons so much of what we've come to think of as western science and mathematics and engineering was really worked out in the first few centuries of the common era by the persians and the arabs and the turks.
this includes the little system in arabic called al-jebra. and al-jebr roughly translates to “the system for reconciling disparate parts.“ al-jebr finally came into english as algebra. one example among many.
the arabic texts containing this mathematical wisdom finally made their way to europe -- which is to say spain -- in the 11th and 12th centuries. and when they arrived there was tremendous interest in translating this wisdom into a european language.
but there were problems. one problem is there are some sounds in arabic that just don't make it through a european voice box without lots of practice. trust me on that one. also, those very sounds tend not to be represented by the characters that are available in european languages.
here's one of the culprits. this is the letter sheen, and it makes the sound we think of as sh -- “sh.“ it's also the very first letter of the word shalan, which means “something“ just like the the english word “something“ -- some undefined, unknown thing.
now in arabic, we can make this definite by adding the definite article “al.“ so this is al-shalan -- the unknown thing. and this is a word that appears throughout early mathematics, such as this 10th century derivation of proofs.
the problem for the medieval spanish scholars who were tasked with translating this material is that the letter sheen and the word shalan can't be rendered into spanish because spanish doesn't have that sh, that “sh“ sound. so by convention, they created a rule in which they borrowed the ck sound, “ck“ sound, from the classical greek in the form of the letter kai.
later when this material was translated into a common european language, which is to say latin, they simply replaced the greek kai with the latin x. and once that happened, once this material was in latin, it formed the basis for mathematics textbooks for almost 600 years.
but now we have the answer to our question. why is it that x is the unknown? x is the unknown because you can't say “sh“ in spanish. (laughter) and i thought that was worth sharing.
(applause)
ladies and gentlemen, honorable judges, good afternoon.
i come from one of the most lovely and attractive areas of china, the pearlriver delta of guangdong province and i'd love to say a few words about thisarea that is so dear to my heart.
guangdong province is a magically beautiful wonderland, with endlessnatural treasures. the lush and green mountains are inhabited by songbirds andexotic animals; the farm land is fertile and productive, providing all of itspeople with wonderfully nutritious grains and all the fruits they need to behealthy and strong. the pearl river meanders through the province and eventuallycomes to our beautiful seashore with crystal clear blue water, flourishing withall kinds of different fish and sea creatures. all these natural advantages helpto boost the ever-expanding economy of guangdong and increase the welfare of itspeople.
guangdong is privileged to have such a beautiful landscape, with hundredsof historical sites and places of great interest to local people and foreignersalike. our capital city, guangzhou, is also known as "the city of flowers".everywhere you look you will see flourishing plants and blossoming flowersoverflowing with vigor.
the people of guagdong are very friendly to visitors from anywhere. whoeveryou are and wherever you come from, guangdong people will greet you with theonly language---guangdong dialect.
guangdong is also known as the chinese capital of delicious food. there isan old saying that "the only best delicacies are in guangdong.” food from thisprovince is internationally famous. its variety of tastes, shapes and colors cansatisfy even the most refined palette. i'm sure, the moment you seat yourself ata cantonese banquet, your appetite will naturally become keen and eager to tasteall the numerous delicacies of the region. here are but a few i will mention inpassing: steamed fish in ginger sauce, seasoned chicken, drunken shrimp, dancefish balls, fried jellyfish, roast suckling pig or duck, braised crispy chickenor squab, shark fin soup, moon cakes, refreshments and desert, and so many more.my mouth is watering just at the sound of these wonderful dishes.
i would like you all to know that there is truly nowhere in the world iwould rather live and i invite you all to come discover the hidden treasures ofmy hometown. i would be glad to serve as your personal guide.
thank you all.
when i was nine years old i went off to summer camp for the first time. and my mother packed me a suitcase full of books, which to me seemed like a perfectly natural thing to do. because in my family, reading was the primary group activity. and this might sound antisocial to you, but for us it was really just a different way of being social. you have the animal warmth of your family sitting right next to you, but you are also free to go roaming around the adventureland inside your own mind. and i had this idea that camp was going to be just like this, but better. (laughter) i had a vision of 10 girls sitting in a cabin cozily reading books in their matching nightgowns.
(laughter)
camp was more like a keg party without any alcohol. and on the very first day our counselor gathered us all together and she taught us a cheer that she said we would be doing every day for the rest of the summer to instill camp spirit. and it went like this: “r-o-w-d-i-e, that's the way we spell rowdie. rowdie, rowdie, let's get rowdie.“ yeah. so i couldn't figure out for the life of me why we were supposed to be so rowdy, or why we had to spell this word incorrectly. (laughter) but i recited a cheer. i recited a cheer along with everybody else. i did my best. and i just waited for the time that i could go off and read my books.
but the first time that i took my book out of my suitcase, the coolest girl in the bunk came up to me and she asked me, “why are you being so mellow?“ -- mellow, of course, being the exact opposite of r-o-w-d-i-e. and then the second time i tried it, the counselor came up to me with a concerned expression on her face and she repeated the point about camp spirit and said we should all work very hard to be outgoing.
and so i put my books away, back in their suitcase, and i put them under my bed, and there they stayed for the rest of the summer. and i felt kind of guilty about this. i felt as if the books needed me somehow, and they were calling out to me and i was forsaking them. but i did forsake them and i didn't open that suitcase again until i was back home with my family at the end of the summer.
now, i tell you this story about summer camp. i could have told you 50 others just like it -- all the times that i got the message that somehow my quiet and introverted style of being was not necessarily the right way to go, that i should be trying to pass as more of an extrovert. and i always sensed deep down that this was wrong and that introverts were pretty excellent just as they were. but for years i denied this intuition, and so i became a wall street lawyer, of all things, instead of the writer that i had always longed to be -- partly because i needed to prove to myself that i could be bold and assertive too. and i was always going off to crowded bars when i really would have preferred to just have a nice dinner with friends. and i made these self-negating choices so reflexively, that i wasn't even aware that i was making them.
now this is what many introverts do, and it's our loss for sure, but it is also our colleagues' loss and our communities' loss. and at the risk of sounding grandiose, it is the world's loss. because when it comes to creativity and to leadership, we need introverts doing what they do best. a third to a half of the population are introverts -- a third to a half. so that's one out of every two or three people you know. so even if you're an extrovert yourself, i'm talking about your coworkers and your spouses and your children and the person sitting next to you right now -- all of them subject to this bias that is pretty deep and real in our society. we all internalize it from a very early age without even having a language for what we're doing.