I Regain¹ Confidence
By Li Jun (李军青岛海洋大学)

(2001年11月下旬，在上海举行的第七届“21世纪·爱立信杯”英语演讲比赛华东地区比赛中获得第一名)
专家点评:本演讲语言较流畅，从具体事件人手，将主题升华，催人奋进。

    I received a devastating² blow to my self-confidence in the first interview of my college years. I applied³ to be a host in our Student Acting⁴ Troupe⁵ and felt confident that I would be accepted. But one of the panel members told me: "You seem inadequate⁶ and you are a little vertically-challenged." My life has never been the same since. I used bigger heels to complement⁷ my height and psychological maneuvers⁸ and tricks to hide my lack of confidence. But no matter how hard I tried to look the part, there was still something missing.
    As president of English Club, I organized the rehearsal⁹ of Snow White for an English party. Unfortunately, we could not find an actor to be the last dwarf¹⁰. It had to be someone who was humorous by nature and fluent in English. Suddenly, all eyes turned to me, and I knew I would have to be the dwarf. To my great surprise and delight, once on stage, I was totally absorbed in the performance and my humorous nature was put to full use. As the dwarf, I was a big hit.
    Yes, each of us is only one among millions of others, but each of us is an individual and each of us is unique. Cultivating our individuality will transform our lives, making of them a kaleidoscope of new colors and textures¹¹.
    A world deprived of diversity would be a bland¹² and boring place. The real tragedy is not being short or shy or ugly, but having your identity lost in a world in which everyone is a clone of a model cool boy or a flawless charming girl.
    Given a choice, I would rather be ugly than live in such a world. I'd rather be a genuine dwarf accompanying a Snow White than be a Snow White among nothing but Snow Whites. I would rather be myself. I would contribute my individual and unique colors to create a more diverse universe. Please, be yourself.

译文:我重树信心

    大学生活的几年里，当我参加第一次面试时，我的自信心受到了沉重的打击。我向“学生剧团”申请出演一个主角，而且我十分自信地认为我会被录用。但是,其中有个剧团成员告诉我:“你似乎不太合适出演这个角色，因为你的身高有点问题。”我从未遇到过这种情况。我穿着高跟鞋来弥补我的身高，采用心理策略和技巧来掩盖自己信心的缺乏。但是，不论我怎样努力进入角色，感觉还是缺少些什么。
    作为英语俱乐部的主席，我为英语晚会组织排演了《白雪公主》短剧。不幸的是，我们找不到合适的人选出演最后一个小矮人。这个角色必须生性幽默，英语流利。突然，所有人的目光都转向了我，我知道那个小矮人就是我了。让我极度奇怪而又高兴的是，一上台，我完全投入到演出中，而且我那幽默的天性被发挥得淋漓尽致。作为一个‘’小矮人”，我取得了巨大的成功。
    的确，我们中的任何一个人都是千百万中的一员，但我们中的每个人都是一个与众不同的个体。发挥我们自己的个性会改变我们的生活，使它们成为美丽的万花筒。
    失去了多样性的世界是个冷漠、乏味的地方。真正的悲剧不是个矮、害羞或丑陋，而是将自己的个性迷失在一个克隆的世界里，那里到处都是典型的酷男孩或无瑕、迷人的好姑娘。
如果让我选择，我宁可面貌五陋，也不愿生活在这样一个世界里。我宁可做一个伴随“白雪公主”的真实的小矮人，也不愿做“白雪公主”世界里的一个白雪公主，而随波逐流。我宁可作为一个真实的自我而出现。我愿将自己独特的、与众不同的色彩奉献给多姿多彩的世界。“走自己的路，让别人去说吧!”