Opening Ceremony Speech for 2012

2012级新生开学典礼讲话

Tao Wenhao

15 September 2012

Good evening, dear boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, warm welcome to the School of Foreign Languages, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai (BNUZ). About two months ago, some of you were still high school students, some were just graduated with BA degrees. Some were waiting for the enrolment for BA studies. Now all of you have become part of the School of Foreign Languages, BNUZ. I am proud to tell you that this year we have enrolled 331 students of four levels: they are undergraduate students for Bachelor’s degrees, postgraduate students for Master’s degrees, students of associate degrees for Bachelor’s degrees and 2+2 students of international programs. I believe that each of you is excited at the moment in the new environment for your new journey for a higher degree.

亲爱的同学们，晚上好！我们热烈欢迎你们考入北师大珠海分校bat365在线官网登录！就在大约两个月前，你们中有的在读中学，有的刚刚本科毕业，有的正在等待专升本的录取结果。现在在座的各位都是bat365在线官网登录的一员。我很自豪的告诉大家今年我院的招生报到人数共有331人，并且我院共完成了四个层次的招生计划。这四个层次是：硕士研究生，四年制本科生，两年制专升本的同学和国际课程班2+2的同学们。

On this wonderful occasion, I am as excited as you. I would like to share with you my happiness and excitement. At the moment, my greatest feeling is I am filled with too many things to say to you, and I will make the choice of starting with the introduction to the School of Foreign Languages which was established on June 16th, 2003. Through the development of 9 years, we now have 82 members of staff. Of all the teaching staff members, there are 27 native teachers of English or Japanese which accounts for nearly a half. Four of the native staff hold PhD degrees. The School of Foreign Languages is one of the largest schools of the university. Besides more than 1,000 students of English and Japanese majors we have, the School of Foreign Languages undertakes the foreign language teaching of about 22, 000 non-English majors of the university.

在这个美妙的时刻，我和大家心情一样的激动，我非常愿意和大家一起分享我们的快乐和激动心情。我此时此刻有好多话要说，但是首先还是从介绍我们的学院开始。北师大珠海分校bat365在线官网登录于2003年6月15日成立，经过9年的发展，我们现有教职工共82人，其中有27位外教，外教几乎占了我们教师人数的一半。这些外教中，4人具有博士学位。bat365在线官网登录也是我校最大的学院之一。我院现有一千多名英语专业和日语专业学生，也同时承担全校2万2千多名同学的公共外语课程。

My dear students of all, both English majors and Japanese, particularly the MA students, you must be very much impressed by many things of our university, and I would like say three things as a summary. First before entering the campus, on Jinfeng Road, you must be very much attracted by the cultural pictures of the leading celebrities who used to work in Beijing Normal University, such as Lu Xun, Li Dazhao and Liang Qichao. They are called the teachers of the Chinese nation. After entering the campus, you must be fascinated by the beauty and largeness of the university. Actually I had the same feelings as you when I came here nine years ago to start the founding of the School of Foreign Languages. I was as excited as you, as happy as you in seeing the blue sky, the green grass, the unknown and smiling trees, the quiet lakes and the strong mountains around. What a pleasure to be in such a dream land! Yes, it is so attractive as if you were in the dream. However, I would like to wake you up after the ceremony this evening. Because tomorrow, we will begin to set up a new dream for us to realize in the coming four years or to some of you in the following two years.

亲爱的同学们，无论你们是英语专业还是日语专业，特别是硕士研究生同学们，此时此刻，你们一定都被我们校园的美景等一切所深深吸引。如在未进入校园时，金凤路上的中国名人牌，一定深深的冲击着大家的视力，这给了大家浓浓的文化气息。这些名人曾经执教于北师大，如鲁迅、李大钊、梁启超等，他们是中华民族的老师。在进入校园后，大家的眼帘一定又被校园的巨大、广袤和自然地美景深深吸引。同学们，9年前，我来到北师大创建bat365在线官网登录时，我当时的心情和你们是一样的。看到那蓝蓝的天空，青青的草地，静静的湖水、健壮的山峦，多么迷人啊！我和你们一样激动，一样兴奋，就连不知名的树木也似乎路出笑脸招呼新来的面孔，我感到来到这样的梦幻般的境地是多么幸福！是的，这里太迷人了，大家似乎还在睡梦中，还没到梦醒时分，可是，今晚的开学典礼之后，我就要唤醒大家。因为明天对我们每位同学来说都要建筑一个新的梦想在四年内实现它！当然对于研究生、专升本和2+2的同学们是在两年内实现她。

What is the new dream? The answer is different for different students. Some would say, I want to be a translator or interpreter. Some would say, I want to be a diplomat. Some would say, I want to be a teacher. Some would even say, I want to be a PhD.

那么这个新的梦想是什么呢？答案当然依人而定，有人会说，我要当名翻译。有人会说我想做个外交家。有人会说，我想当老师。也有人会说我想继续攻读博士学位。

Here in this place and at this moment, more than excitement, I would like to calm down with my thoughts of the School of Foreign Languages. For the past nine years, I have been thinking of the following three questions:

First, what is the spirit of the School of Foreign Languages?

Second, what is special about the students of the School of Foreign Languages? In other words, what makes you different from other students of foreign languages in other universities?

Third, what can we provide you with?

此时此刻，在激动之余，我得把大家的思维稍稍引向一些理性思考。在过去的九年办学过程中，我都在思索着这三个问题：

第一，bat365在线官网登录的精神是什么？

第二，bat365在线官网登录的同学特殊在哪里？即我们和其他大学的外语专业学生有什么不同？

第三，bat365在线官网登录能给大家提供什么？

For the first question, I would answer in three words: diligence, truth and creativity. From the first day you enter the School of Foreign Languages, remember you have to work very hard. Diligence can take you to the final success. I am not quoting well-known examples of the famous people in history, they are far away from us. Instead I will tell you some facts of the success of our own students in the past two years in our school. Last year, among the 200 BA graduates, 45 went to study for MA. This year 29 students went to study in different prestigious universities both in China and overseas, like Beijing University of Foreign Studies, Beijing University, People’s University of China, Hong Kong University, Chinese University of Hong Kong, City University of HK, University of London, University of Edinburgh, University of Pittsburgh, University of Northeast in the US, etc. I would assume by the time you graduate, more than half of you shall be enrolled by more prestigious universities all over the world. With the spirit of diligence, seeking truth and creativity, I am absolutely positive you will realize your new dreams.

对于第一个问题，我愿意用三个词汇来表述：勤奋、求真和创新。同学们，进入北师大珠海分校bat365在线官网登录的第一天开始，请记住，你要勤奋学习，也只有勤奋才能带你走向最终的成功。我在此不想列举历史名家，他们离我们太远了。我想仅以本院今年和去年同学们的成功来和大家分享几个数字。去年我院共有毕业生200人，45人成功攻读国内外硕士研究生。今年我院又有29人成功考上国内外研究生。我院历年考上的研究生都就读于国内外的知名大学，如北京外国语大学、北京大学、中国人民大学、香港大学、香港中文大学、香港城市大学、英国伦敦大学、英国爱丁堡大学、美国匹茨堡大学、美国东北大学等。以此发展速度，到你们毕业时，我大胆估计你们中间会有一半同学进入国内外著名学府攻读硕士学位。带着bat365在线官网登录的“勤奋、求真和创新”精神，我相信每位同学都会实现自己新的梦想。

For the second question, I would answer in another three words: bilingual, bi-major and multi-competence. This is special about you and makes you different from other students of foreign languages. We strongly encourage that each of you would study two foreign languages in the four years here. We know that most students of foreign languages in China can only use one foreign language, but here more and more of you can use two foreign languages fluently. Also taking two majors has now become another trend among our students. I know more and more of our students are busy with their two majors and are paving a much broader road for their future. I appreciate this and hope you follow suit. So bilingual and bi-major make you different and special from other students of foreign languages.对于第二个问题，我用另外三个词来回答：双语、双专业和多能。这三点才是你们的特别之处，也是你们不同于其他高校外语专业学生的地方。我们特别鼓励同学们在校四年学好两门外语。众所周知，国内外语专业毕业生中，大多数只会一门外语，但是在我们这里不同，越来越多的同学们能够流利地说两门外语。从去年开始，我院同学学习两个专业也人数剧增，这无疑对他们的未来有巨大优势，为未来铺好了康庄大道。我非常欣赏这一点，希望大家也向他们学习。所以选择双语学习、双专业学习才能使得大家多能，才能不同于他人。

For the third question, I would still answer in three words: freedom, character forming and maturity. Here in this school can we all come to one understanding in agreement? We will provide you with the freedom of thoughts and the opportunity of character development and by the time you graduate, you are a mature person of independent thinking and nice personality.

对于第三个问题，我还要用三个词回答：追求自由、性格塑造和成熟。在bat365在线官网登录，我们是否能达成一致意见？我们将竭尽全力给大家提供一个追求思想自由的场所、一个人格塑造的机会，到大家毕业时，你们将会成为一个成熟的年轻人，具有独立思想和人格健全的可爱的人。

Before I conclude my speech today, I would like to address to the students of each level respectively. To the MA students, I would say:

Make full use of all kinds of resources at the university, and attach great importance to your research subjects and all the related academic readings. Particularly you have to read and digest the academic journals and monographs that were published in the recent 10 years. This will bring you to the most updated academic levels of the world and will help you throughout your life.

在我结束今晚的讲话之前，我想对四个层次的同学分别提出要求。对于硕士研究生同学们，我要说，你们要充分利用大学里的各种资源，要百倍重视你们的课题研究，广泛阅读自己学科的学术论文和学术专著。特别是近十年来，国内外学术期刊所发表的论文和学术专著需要充分阅读、好好消化，这样你才能站在你的学科的前沿，并且会终生受益。

To the undergraduate students of four years and two years, I would say:

Follow your interests and be open to every possible subject reading. Your courses of majors are important, but you will find years later, what captures your imagination is the subjects of your interests. It is like your first love for a girl or a boy. She or he is the most precious. These will be the possibility of making you successful as a prominent figure in the society. I hope English or Japanese is your first love.

对于本科生和专升本的同学们，我要说，你们广泛发展自己的兴趣，博览群书。同学们自己的专业课程当然很重要，但是若干年后，你们会猛然发现，只有那个兴趣点才是让你魂牵梦萦一生的学科。这就像你的初恋情人，他/她是最珍贵的。这些兴趣点才能把你培养成为社会的栋梁之才。我真诚希望英语或日语就是你们的初恋情人。

To the students of 2+2 programs, I would say:

Make good friends and learn from each other. The years of study in the university is the formation of your personality and your life of philosophy. The Chinese culture tells us, look at the friends he has before you judge a person. It means your friends will teach you and make you a good person or a bad person. A good friend will always take you to the right road to success while an evil friend does the opposite. Much of the most important learning you do here will be from each other. You will maximize that learning if you take advantage of the diversity of the community you are in, reaching out to people from very different backgrounds than your own. We simply believe that each person has something special from which you can learn.

对于2+2国际课程班的同学们，我要说，你们需要交结好朋友（即正面朋友），互相学习。同学们的个性和人生观就是在大学四年时期形成的。中国传统文化告知我们，看一个人就得首先看他身边的朋友。也就是说近朱者赤，近墨者黑。好朋友总会把你带上康庄大道，走向成功。坏朋友会教你堕落，走向毁灭。若干年后，你会发现学习中最重要的部分，都是相互之间学到的。如果你们善于学习身边人群中的每个人身上的优点，善于和那些和你不同背景的人接触，你就会在学习中取得最大的收获。我们笃信，每个人身上都有闪光的东西，都有值得你学习的东西。

Finally to all you, my dear boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen, please remember the motto of our university: Of Studies, be the Master; Of Behaviour, be the Model. Let us set up the great goals of developing ourselves under the development of the university as well as the country. On the campus of BNUZ, we are in the valley of between the Dragon and Phoenix mountains, so you are the dragon and phoenix of the nation. Ladies and gentlemen, please get ready to fly.

Thank you!

亲爱的同学们，“学为人师，行为世范”是我们的校训，我们要树立远大目标，把个人的发展融入到学校的发展和祖国的发展之中。我们每个新同学身上都寄托着父母和亲人们的期望、寄托着老师们的期望，更寄托着祖国的希望。北师大珠海分校处于两山之间，一座叫青龙山、一座叫凤凰山，你们就是祖国的龙凤。同学们，腾飞吧！

谢谢！