Good morning, everybody!
Let's start with the very simple question: Do you know the
tree coverage rate of Beijing? Well, the recent numerical
value is 49.9%. It sounds much, but is there simply one tree
that was planted by you? If there is, let's say you're really
great. But if not believe me you are not alone cuz it's rather
difficult for us students to get involved in such activities.
Well, I think now we all realize that all that we've done
for the green is just about claiming or declaring, painting
or advertising. However what I'm fully convinced is that someday
ten years ago you must have stepped onto the grassland in
the early spring and I'm sure that some of you (especially
girls) must have unwittingly picked up dandelions by the roadside
and gently blew their parachute like seeds into the fragrant
breeze. By the time our lives can be counted by decades, what
have we done for our mother nature?
Before you get lost in speculation, please follow me and try
considering some other questions: put up your hands if you
have watched the Olympic Games? (Of course you have or else
you wouldn't be sitting here) nonetheless how many of you
had the experience of sitting in front of the television waiting
for the Games of the unable people? I think now we can draw
the conclusion that we concern the Olympic games mostly for
entertainment.
Have you found out that the linkage between the Olympic Games
and the green environment is that we almost do nothing really
helpful to either of them! What now I want to tell you is
very realistic I wrote them from the core of my heart so please
believe me they are my true feelings.
Last summer when I had just finished the high school entrance
examination, I came up with the idea of not using air conditioners
in that coming summer. Then I had an extraordinarily hard
time controlling myself and had suffered from having more
than one air conditioners in sight yet cannot make use of
them. Every time I caught sight of them I told myself that
I was doing something quite valuable. Finally autumn came
and to my surprise I had made it! You know how excited I was?
I really felt very proud of myself. Sounds ridiculous right?
However, will all of you here join me to do this next year,
will you? I hope so. Because I feel deeply upset every time
when I see my parents waste a lot of water and I don't know
why I'm extremely concerned about the protection of environment
and the reservation of natural resources since I was young.
My mother was against me on whether to mention her in my speech
nevertheless I consider it very common among you and maybe
your parents. In the past I didn't dare to ask others to turn
off the faucet while not using them because I was afraid of
being described as stingy, am I? Stinginess is to resources
what responsibility is to the society. It's about time we
aroused the social awareness of environment protection. Doesn't
the realization of our green dream and Olympic dream both
start from that?
Because all the beautiful words seem to be so pale and feeble
compared with practical actions and I don't like to say sentences
like "start right from myself" so let's change it
to a more romantic one: the mission of turning the green within
our heart and soul into the luxuriantly green scenery out
of the window is bound to cross the boundaries between nations,
continents and racial groups, from Olympia to the Great Wall
and finally fall on our shoulders by the year 2008.
My favorite description of the Olympic games is the celebration
of mankind. But now I want to propose a small change, which
is to be: Olympics of mankind, celebration of green nature.
Good morning, everybody!
