Speech at Opening Ceremony for Freshmen of 2010

2010级新生开学典礼讲话

Tao Wenhao

21 September 2010

Good afternoon, boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen. My warmest welcome to the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai. Here, I would like to extend my special welcome to the students of Japanese major, because it is the first year that we enroll students of Japanese. Since you are the first, there shall be so many first things in the four years life of the university that you will bring with you for the rest of your life from our faculty. You are the father students of Japanese major. The first may not sometimes be the best, but they shall always be the most unforgettable. I sincerely hope that our first Japanese students shall be the best and the most unforgettable as well.

亲爱的新同学们，你们好！我们热烈欢迎你们考入美丽的北师大珠海分校外国语学院！在此我要向日语专业的新同学表示特别的欢迎，因为你们是我们的首级日语专业的学生。由于你们是首级，你们就是我院日语专业的元老，在这里，将有无数的首次，他们将伴随你们的终身。首次，有时候不一定就是最好，但是他们总是最难以忘怀的。我衷心希望我们的首级日语专业的学生是完美的，是最好的也是最难以忘怀的。

My dear students of all, both English majors and Japanese, you must be very much impressed by the beauty of the university. I would like to share with you my feelings that I came here seven years ago. 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 you are still in the dream. However, I would wake you up after the ceremony today. Because tomorrow, we will begin to set up a new dream for us to realize in the coming four years.

亲爱的同学们，无论你们是英语专业还是日语专业，此时此刻，你们一定都被我们校园的美景深深地吸引了。在此我愿意和在座的每位同学分享我7年前来到北师大珠海分校的情景，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，大家还在梦中，还没到梦醒时分，可是，今天的开学典礼之后，我就要唤醒大家。因为每天我们要建筑一个新的梦想在四年内实现它！

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. To realize your new dreams, I would like to make the following suggestions for you.

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。也有人会说我想读个大博士。那么如何实现你新的梦想，我想给同学们提出如下建议:

1. Make full use of all kinds of resources at the university, and attach great importance to all-round development through the study of degree programmes, rather than just focus on getting a degree. No matter what will happen to you in the future, university resources of study will be the most convenient and direct.

1．充分利用大学里的各种资源，把自身的全面发展放在首位，不要把眼光只停留在读取一个学位。我们一定要通过专业学习的本身来达到全面素养的发展。无论将来如何，在大学里，他能够提供的学习资源一定是最方便、最直接。

2. Make full use of time and change your way of study. I would strongly suggest that you try to change your study habit, from passive learning at high school to active learning at the university. This will mean the results of your study as well as the gains from the educational resources provided by the university. We would encourage positive learning environment where students are given more space for self-development. However, such a learning environment means the combination of active learning and self-regulation and we would never encourage a chance to enjoy absolute freedom. We will say again, “time and tide wait for no man”, and your time of four years here is very short for your study of majors.

2．充分利用时间，改变学习方式。我坚持同学们必须改变学习方法，因为中学时的学习往往是被动的，现在一定要改为主动式的学习习惯。学习方法的改变会直接影响你的学习效果，学习方法的改变，同时也意味着你能够从大学的资源中汲取多少。我们倡导正面学习氛围，强调学生有更多的空间教进行自我发展。但是这样的学习氛围是指将自主学习和自我约束结合起来的正面学习环境，我们永远都不会倡导绝对的自由。在此我们要牢记依一句谚语：“岁月不等人”。四年的大学时光对于专业学习来说是十分短暂的。

3. 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.

3．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，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。

4. Make good friends and learn from each other. Four years 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 man. A good friend will always take you to the right road to success while an evil friend does the opposite.

4．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。

My dear boys and girls, this is the advice I have for you. Please remember the motto of our university: Of Studies, be the Master; Of Behaviour, be the Norm. Let us set up the great goals of developing ourselves under the development of the university as well as the country. As we often say, for each student, you are the hope of your parents, your teachers and the university and the People’s Republic of China. We are happy to see the future by looking at you now.

Thank you!

亲爱的同学们，这就是我对于你们的忠告。“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。同学们，未来属于你们！

谢谢！