Han Ximin
WITH sharp wit and graphic speeches, three girls won their titles in three age groups in a citywide English speech contest Saturday at the Shenzhen Press Tower Auditorium.
Calling for Shenzhen students to prepare for the 2011 Universiade, Feng Xinyue of Yantian Foreign Language Primary School, Lan Jiao of Shenzhen Experimental School and Wang Routing of Shenzhen Foreign Languages School received their awards in front of 600 teachers and students.
The contest, entitled “A Date With Universiade,” was part of the Speak·Shenzhen campaign which was initiated in 2004.
Feng hoped that the 2011 Universiade could help friends from all over of the world have a better understanding of Shenzhen.
“When the Universiade is held in the city, I will be a junior student. I can work as a volunteer, I can do my bit to protect the city’s environment,” said the 11-year-old girl, who started to learn English at the age of 2 under the guidance of her father.
Lan Jiao and Wang Routing addressed concerns such as air pollution and traffic congestion facing the city, and hoped the problems could be solved in time to embrace the sports gala.
The three were among the 30 finalists who were selected from local schools.
“The contestants in general are of very good quality. Although young, they are experienced speakers of English with good pronunciation, intonation and quick response to the judges,” Cao Yajun, dean and professor of the Foreign Languages School of Shenzhen University.
“The primary school students delivered their speeches with gestures, eye contact and enthusiasm, while middle school students developed their ideas with good language skills. If they come up with personal information about the Universiade and improve their ability to deal with surprise questions, their speeches will be excellent,” said Susan King, a professor at Shenzhen University.
The contest serves as a good platform to promote awareness of the Universiade among students, said Liao Shengbin, director of the English Research and Teaching Department of the Shenzhen Municipal Education Bureau, which, along with the Shenzhen Daily, organized the contest.