第16届21世纪杯全国英语演讲比赛冠军许吉如Faith that can change our life

更多精彩，即将呈现，欢迎关注乐育菁英(公众号：elitebund)!

第16届•深圳

演讲主题：青年与信仰：人生因信仰而精彩

2011 Session, Shenzhen Topic: Youth and Faith: DoesBelief Make A Difference to Our Life?

冠军：许吉如，清华大学  

Champion: Xu Jiru, Tsinghua University

演讲题目：足以改变生活的信念

Title：Faith that can change our life

第16届21世纪杯全国英语演讲比赛冠军许吉如

许吉如：清华大学选手，第十六届“21世纪杯”全国英语演讲比赛冠军及“最具潜力奖”获得者，IPSC 2011全球六强，2014南京申青奥形象大使，就读于哈佛大学肯尼迪政府学院。

演讲稿：

Have you ever bought any food on the train? And do you ask for the receiptafter buying it? Nowadays, all trains in China provide its passengers withreceipts for commodities, but 7 years ago, things were quite different.

On 13th of October, 2004, the train T109 from Beijing to Shanghai wasspeeding on the railway. A graduate student bought a sausage at 1 yuan on thetrain, then asked for a receipt.

“Are you kidding? It’s just one yuan!” The crew member was surprised.

The student, however, answered in a determined voice, “I paid the money,so I deserve the receipt.”

“But we never give receipts on the train.’ As a result, his furtherrequest was turned down by a cold shoulder.

Several days later, the student sued the National Railway Ministry, fornot providing receipts for  passengers.

To his dismay, the court turned down the case for lack of evidence. Buthe, who majored in law at that time, believed law as a most powerful weapon, sohe did not give up. Instead, he began his journey of collecting first-handevidence by taking trains and buying commodities aboard. When his classmateswere playing soccer, he was taking the train; When his classmates were buyingfood at Mcdonald’s, he was buying food on the train; When his classmates wereasking girls out, he was asking for the receipts. As he joked, ‘I was eithertaking the train or on the way to take the train.’

One month later, he appeared in the court again, with newly-collectedevidence and a stronger confidence. And I guess, ladies and gentlemen, you willall cheer for the result because this time, the student won the case. Verysoon, a regulation about receipts on the train came out. And whatever we buy onthe train now, there’s a receipt for us.

Outside the court, the student was asked, “How do you make it to the end?”He said, “As a law student, I root my faith in law. I believe that law isthere, to protect every person with no exception, and to ensure every personhas a say.”

His words spread a strong faith in law, which is not only a doctrine of alaw student, but also a belief that all citizens ought to hold. It is thisfaith that initiates the student to resort to law for a tiny issue; it is thisfaith that supports him to endure all the exhausting trips when collectingevidence; It is this faith that makes a seemingly “ridiculous” receipt requestlegal and rightful. It is this faith that helps to change our life, enhance ourjudicial system and bring social justice.

To many, a receipt of 1 yuan is too small to mention, however rights areto be respected and law is to be believed in. It all starts with a tiny receiptof 1 yuan, but we get a monumental case, a new regulation and a bumper harvestin social justice. The bridge that leads a tiny start to a bumper harvest isfaith, the faith in law, rightful and strong.