演讲题目:我们怎样正确认识英语学科的权重与地位——驳某些人关于英语的几条谬论！
演讲人:
上海打工的农民工~中国一根葱
大家好，我是喜欢谈古论今的中国一根葱。
Hello everyone, I'm "A Chinese Green Onion" — someone who loves discussing both the past and the present.
我的座右铭是：身似一根葱，心像一棵松。位卑未敢忘忧国，言轻不妨论古今。
My motto: My body may be humble like a green onion, but my heart stands tall like a pine tree. Though my position is lowly, I dare not forget my country; though my words carry little weight, I shall not refrain from discussing the ages.
今天，我就用中英双语，来发表一篇演讲。
Today, I'm delivering a speech in both Chinese and English.
演讲的题目是：我们怎样正确认识英语的地位——我们要反驳关于英语的几条谬论！
The title is: How We Should Correctly Understand the Status of English — Refuting Several Fallacies About English.
第一条谬论：学英语等于文明，学英语等于先进！
谬论一：有人说，英语是文明的象征，是先进的象征。
Fallacy One: Some people claim that English is a symbol of civilization and a symbol of being advanced.
这简直太荒唐可笑！
This is simply absurd and ridiculous.
关于英语权重问题的讨论中，有几种说法，我认为是相当荒唐可笑的！
Among all the discussions about the weight of English, several arguments, in my opinion, are quite absurd and laughable.
有人说，中国取得了如今的伟大成就，成为世界第二大经济体，科技、军事、经济全面发展，是因为学了英语。这不是很荒唐的看法吗？
Some argue that China's great achievements — becoming the world's second-largest economy with advances in technology, military, and economy — are because we learned English. Isn't that absurd?
按你这个逻辑，英国人英语说得最好，怎么没发达？怎么还衰落了？
By that logic, the British speak English best — so why aren't they the most developed? Why have they declined?
印度更应该发达呀！澳大利亚、加拿大不是都应该发达吗？
Then India should be even more advanced! Australia and Canada — shouldn't they all be developed too?
巴基斯坦、新加坡学英语，它们先进了吗？
Pakistan and Singapore learn English — are they advanced?
有人说新加坡、巴基斯坦是小国。那好，我们谈大国。
Some say Singapore and Pakistan are small countries. Fine, let's talk about big countries.
第二条谬论：美国发达是因为英语！
有人说美国发达是因为英语，我觉得这同样是荒唐可笑的。
Some people say that the United States is developed because of the English language. I find this argument equally absurd.
美国的发达是因为人家重视科技，然后在科技发展的基础上加强军事和金融。
The development of the United States is due to its emphasis on science and technology, and on that foundation, it has strengthened its military and financial sectors.
它科技发达了，对吧？它的科技产业链，人家他就能发展强大的军事力量。
Its technology is advanced, right? With its technological industry chain, it is able to develop powerful military capabilities.
然后他靠美元霸权和军事霸权，带有掠夺性的，他才发展起来了。
Then, relying on the hegemony of the US dollar and its military supremacy—in a predatory manner—it achieved its development.
他并不是因为他学了英语，对吧？
It is not because it speaks English, right?
最典型的是英国人英语最好，他怎么没发达？
The most typical example is that the British speak English the best, yet why haven't they become as developed?
第三条谬论：把中国的发展归功于英语
中国的发展模式完全不一样。
China's development model is completely different.
我们不是靠掠夺，也不是靠武力。
We didn't get rich through plundering, nor did we rely on military force.
我们靠的是改革开放，靠的是勤劳肯干，靠的是遵守世界贸易规则。
We got here through reform and opening up, through hard work and grit, by following world trade rules.
我们是真正的勤劳致富，脚踏实地，一步一个脚印。
We earned our wealth the honest way — through real labor and effort, step by step.
这就是为什么我们的发展比较稳。
That's why our development is stable.
如果中国没有走这条路，我们怎么能发展到今天？
If China hadn't taken this path, how could we have developed to where we are today?
首先我们要弄清楚：我们是因为坚持了中国特色的社会主义制度。核心是——我们没有放弃社会主义。
First, we need to be clear: we developed because we stuck to socialism with Chinese characteristics. The core is — we never abandoned socialism.
如果像俄罗斯那样放弃了社会主义，搞休克疗法，我们也完蛋了。
If we had abandoned socialism like Russia did with its shock therapy, we'd be finished too.
如果那样的话，中国不会超过俄罗斯，充其量也就是大号的俄罗斯，或者大号的印度。
China would be no better than Russia at best, or just a bigger version of India at worst.
终极反问
现在有人把十几亿人放到美国去，美国能发达吗？早就乱套了！
Now, put 1.4 billion Chinese people into the US — would it still be developed? Total chaos!
把十亿人放到澳大利亚、加拿大去，你看他们先进不先进？早就乱套了！
Put a billion people into Australia or Canada and see if they stay advanced. Total chaos!
你说是不是？
Don't you think?
所以说，语言只是一个工具，不是文明等级的标签！
Language is a tool, not a label of civilization.
真正决定一个国家先进与否的，是制度、是人口、是资源、是勤劳、是智慧——而不是你学什么语言。
What truly determines whether a country is advanced are its system, its population, its resources, its hard work, and its wisdom — not what language its people speak.
最后我总结一下啊:
所以，我们要正确认识英语的地位。
So, we must correctly understand the status of English.
英语是工具，是桥梁，是沟通世界的手段，但它绝不是文明的标准，更不是先进的标准。
English is a tool, a bridge, a means of communicating with the world — but it is by no means a standard of civilization, let alone a standard of being advanced.
我们要学英语，但我们不能跪着学。我们要自信地学，挺直腰杆地学。
We should learn English, but we must not learn it on our knees. We should learn it with confidence, standing tall.
我身似一根葱，心像一棵松。位卑未敢忘忧国，言轻不妨论古今。
身似一根葱，心像一棵松。
A body like a scallion, a heart like a pine —
位卑未敢忘忧国，
Humble in station, never forgetting the nation's plight;
言轻不妨论古今。
Light in voice, yet bold to discuss the world.
谢谢大家！