下面是学科吧为大家精心整理推荐的经典英文演讲稿范文，欢迎阅读和转载。
How well are we in tune with the rhythm of life? in our busy day to day existence, we don't often stop to ask ourselves this question. at least i don't. and it wasn't until i joined a competitive sporting event that i learned a most important lesson – we must place our mind in harmony with the natural order of things to be successful.
Let me tell you what happened.I decided to take part in an international marathon in my hometown last year. being an ambitious person, i hoped to finish it within 5 hours, accompanied by my friend with whom i had trained.The big day finally arrived. “ready…set…bang” and we were off.
At first, we kept a rapid pace and ran nonstop. at this pace, we finished the first 20 kilometers in 2 hours and i thought running a marathon was a piece of cake. then my running mate began to slow down. i urged him to keep running at the same pace but he said no, he wanted to conserve his energy. i felt i had partnered with the wrong person, therefore, i sprinted on and left him behind in the dust.
A few kilometers later, i began to understand his strategy as my pace slowed to a jog then a walk. after that i was incapable of moving another step. i was humiliated as more and more people ran passed me. more than once i thought “maybe i should quit.” i started to doubt my ability to finish this race.
At this moment, my running mate caught up with me and slapped me on the back. “follow me,” he shouted. he had balanced his marathon pace and was encouraged me to do the same. for the rest of this grueling contest, we walked, jogged, ran a few miles, and walked again. slowly, painfully but hopefully this time, we established the most suitable pace within the natural flow of our physical capabilities.
Eventually we accomplished our first marathon of 42 kilometers in 4 and half hours. i asked myself, what did this marathon mean to me? my marathon experience became an influential metaphor for my life about how we must learn to pace ourselves in everything, by being in tune with the rhythm of life.
Like the tide that ebbs and flows, we must listen to advice but make our own decisions. like the show at dawn and dusk, we must learn to balance pride and modesty. and from the way the wind can both shout and whisper, we must learn when to be strong and when to be gentle, for everything moves in its own rhythm and its own yin and yang elements. it is the interaction of these complementary extremes that produces harmony, as laozi said, extremes meet. since the marathon, this notion of two opposite forces working together has been my running partner, so to speak. yin and yang exist everywhere, constantly interacting, and never existing in an absolute condition.
Ladies and gentlemen, life is like running a marathon, let us discover, define and develop a natural rhythm of life, in order to achieve both harmony and success.
Thank you for listening.
With the development of science and technology, change has penetrated into every aspect of our daily life. to illustrate that, i'd like to make a comparison of these two seemingly insignificant things: milkman and mailman, whose differences indicate our changing way of living with the times.
Home milk delivery has almost gone extinct in china now, also gone with it are the milkmen, who once delivered bottled fresh milk door-to-door. on the other hand, mailman's business or the courier service has thrived as online shopping gains popularity. however, in retrospect, i find something has been lost in this transition, something shakespeare called as “the milk of human kindness”.
When i was a kid, milk wasn't for sale everywhere. for the families who need it, they depended on the milkmen to take it from the local dairy farms to their houses. in our neighborhood, there was such a milkman, whose arrival was much anticipated by the children and always brought us laughter and joy. he knew the name of every kid and could easily see through our tricks. if we didn't behave, he would side with our parents and threaten to rob us of the nutritious drink. the entire neighborhood was acquainted with him; saw him as a member of the community just like the many residents or street vendors. there was a bond between all of us for it was not only the commodities that been transacted, but also a sense of caring and dependability. and that small box fixed onto our door, other than being a drop-off point for milk; it was a communication junction between the people as we took the initiative to reach out to others.
Fast forward to today, milk is ubiquitous with no dedicated delivery system. but the convenience level of our live has gone up a notch. almost everything is for sale online, which spares us all the travelling and talking. with a few ready clicks, shopping is done. the rest is left for those speed delivery companies. usually it's a grumpy mailman, who reaches us through cell phone, urging everyone to pick up their parcels as soon as possible. and the minute the receipt is signed, we rush back to unpack while the courier dashes to the next destination. there is barely a conversation carried out, nor do we feel the need to talk to such a stranger, who changes from time to time frequently. it seems that people are always in a hurry now, though we have more conveniences, still we run short of time to stop and stare, to speak and share.
Call me an old-timer, but i think the personal touch represented by the milkman is what has been missing in the modern society. william wordsworth once wrote that “getting and spending, we lay waste our powers.” modern technology may have multiplied our possessions or gave us more conveniences, but we run the risk of reducing our values if we lay waste our power of interpersonal relationships.
If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.
It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.
It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.