另时代化石

My debate history (English Blog)

__To my close friends I dedicated this Blog in token of gratitude

Introductory: You never know what you can do till you try

I am always been very close about my past life, using caution. But now, I don’t want to do it. For two or three weeks this notion of me has invaded my bedroom. There is nothing hid, which shall not be manifested.

Age has clouded my memory. I’m developing a guilt complex about my past life. Yes, I feel the debate acted as a check on my advance sometime, however, I was cited for it many times. It’s difficult for me to surmount this fence. I even hope that there will a clause in our contract with school says that we may not keep this activity in our campus’ lives. All in all, it has been a chapter of the life I will want to forget.

I hadn’t gone through established channels about my accepting private invitations. A connection told me, “Won’t you take a chance on the exam? You may win it.” I just need a new channel for my monotonous life. I won a cheap victory over the opponent in the entrance examination. From then on, I had made no serious effort in three years to chart my larger purpose in study、life and so on. I have got a rare complaint. I don’t know how I was involved in this whirlpool.

What is the essence of debate? This is a matter of cardinal significance. You refine words from lives just like carve a statue out of wood. In the first few days, there may be panic and chaos, but you will learn to fit into the new system very fast.

In the debate, parties’ speakers’ opinions collided over the matter. All your suggestions do not commend themselves to your opponents. Maybe no one really doubts your words’ truth and yet it may lack the compelling quality of the other axioms. You may try to construct a theory to fit the facts, but you do not know enough about what had happened.  To avoid this, you have to collect more information and make a cold appraisal of the evidence. Again we should try to see the matter in its historical context. Besides, your story should be skillfully constructed.

Remember, you mustn’t cater to low tastes like some tabloid newspaper. As you are at the climax of your work, you must have a clear-head when all the other man choruses you. Pay microscopic attention to your coarse manners! It may make your audience very angry.  You should couch your demands in careful, polite language. And don’t speak like you choke on a fish bone.

Part І: A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

I think I had some glimpse of the real character of this conversation at the time.

I still remember my maiden formal competition in which Wuhan University of Technology. Some flowers clustered round the window. The room was choked with people. Suddenly, I found myself was clumsy in speaking. In the curve of the way to the desk, I nearly could not curb my feelings. I felt it is a far cry from there to here. I practically lapsed into a coma.

A gale of words swept through the audience in the auditorium. The minutes crawled by. With no clock and no daylight it was hard to gauge the time. My chest was heaving with emotion. Fear gripped my heart. My fear was slowly overtaken by embarrassment ten minutes later. I panted out my self introduction and then nearly collapsed. The opponents’ crisp manner of speaking made me envy. I even intended to curse bitterly at my opponents, however, it’s debate. If you really understood the difficulties facing me, you wouldn’t be so critical of my emotion.  No one would pay for your compensation for emotional damages. You should indemnify yourself. In other words, you must deal with many difficulties yourself.

I were disappointed, but I didn’t despair. Knit my brows and I hit upon a good idea. There is a faint hope that I could express my feeling about my point of view like a fierce wind. This work looked all right, but it would not bear scrutiny. I avoided tangling with them over the issue. I just wanted to scare them out of their wits. My remark held a tiny hint of a tease. Just as expected, my opponents scratched their head and gave me skeptical looks. As some men of sober judgment, they shrank back from my questions. They pondered on the meaning of my words, but they hardly found it. They even bitted the tongue for a time. The result of silence was disastrous. “A barking dog is better than a sleeping lion.” I looked at them sideways. I found myself spoken was very fluent and clear. When I heard the sonorous bell, I knew that we won the match. Consequently they gave way to hopeless grief.  

After that noisy debate I feel completely drained of feeling. There was a flash of hope and happiness in my mind. Someone said I took my cue from Yu Lei。Obviously he spoke with a touch of disrespect in his voice. I know that there is much difference between imitating him and counterfeiting him. Meanwhile, you may mock at a person by imitating his behavior. I just shrug off all criticism and calmly went on with my project. Success belongs to the persevering.

Part П: Men only weep when deeply hurt

(A sharp、comprehensive report )

If you contrive to do something difficult, you succeed in doing it. If you contrive an event or a situation, you succeed in making it happen. Now I feel we just had an excursion there.

Let bygones be bygones. Why dig them out of the tombs? Why don’t you know” Forgive and forget?” In retrospect,

The next match was Wenxue versus Xinguan. We had a fling before going to the arena. After a couple of beers we had a nice glow. We were confirmed in our faith. W didn’t feel apprehension for the day after tomorrow’s match. We had pledged to do our best. We put a high premium on winning them.

At the end of the boulevard was a vista of the distant mountain.

At the core of this debate, the whole nation is threatened/menaced by the risk of resources consume.

OK, I’ll make a minute description of the situation. The jury returned in their verdict. We had 1 vote to 2.They won with a narrow 1-vote majority. The result was doubtful, which also dismayed us. In a manner of speaking, they used underhand methods to win us. Our reduced vote was indicative of lack of support for our argument. But their argument lacked basic logic! Their account of the situation was complete fiction. That is to say they commit a fraud upon the public. They may do it at their coach’s dictation. We fumed at the plot, but we cannot frustrate it. We will not lend ourselves to such a dishonest scheme.

It was almost midnight and the street was deserted. It seemed that the Luojia Mountain was enveloped in mist, which made the scenery more sublime. Our looks were hardly distinguishable. There was a momentary silence. We try our utmost to disguise our sorrow with a smile; however, the tears were dripping slowly from our face. As the saying goes,” Men only weep when deeply hurt.” We felt it was an indelible disgrace (shame) for us. The grief and indignation seemed to have infiltrated through the body into the hearts.

We were all desirous of success. We all spared no pains(不遗余力) to ensure success. We were all very devoted to this work. We all want our hard work eventually paid dividends. We were all addicted to debate. We prepare it from dawn to dusk .We suffered one defeat after another, but we did not lose heart.

We expressed our indignation at being unfairly defeat. The excitement took a long time to die down. We withdrew our proposal of appealing to a higher court. Jia held my hand in a tenacious grip and gave my wrist a pinch,” we have to petition the student union to abolish the result.” His words sounded perfectly plausible. Our opponent made a plea for our forgiveness and asserted the student union would not give countenance to us. They would turn a deaf ear to it on the plea of inconvenient.

The show was one of history’s biggest smashes.

Part III:  Inscribing your name in the humanism debate history!

(The profiles of debaters)

Each age brings forth new genius on this noble land, and each will rule its own domain for years to come. A friendship may be superficial, casual, situational or deep and lasting. As a matter of fact, the affection between us is on firm grounds.

Jia: Doing best for getting his diploma. His story will endure for ever as a immortal poetry. His power doesn’t decay, so he won’t fall of himself. He is endowed with beauty. In (the) light of Chen’s dispatch, he lived a thoroughly dissipated life after he resigned though the boss docked him. For this reason, he’s always in the hole for at least a month in a session. His important writings about debate are distilled into one volume as his graduation thesis. The thesis gave a panorama of his debate life.  He was doomed from the moment he first debate. It was destined that they would marry. When he left, we would beat the drum and stroke the gong. “That’s brain drain”? No, it’s his best choice. He dwarfed every one of us. As the team leader, he always wants to embark on a massive program of reform to make us become an elite force, a galaxy of young speakers. He fostered our interest in debate, which certainly enhances his reputation. He indulges in smoking a cigarette every now and then. In the interim, he often inhaled a Hongtashan deeply and closed his eyes. He always looked good, which was important, because form is intrinsic to debate. He don’t like the inconsiderate young man intruded on his privacy. It is not manners to make too many inquiries into people’s affairs. His character has been molded more by his experience in life than by the education he got at school. Now we found no vestiges of his presence. He is all nerves when he debates. We often compare notes with each others on major issues. 

Mu: He has a dynamic personality. He is an earnest partner who will stand by you through thick and thin. He is always at high ebb in public-opinion polls. He has the faculty of making friends easily. He is a vivacious man as the best cheer-leader.

 Nevertheless, his ideas are not line with ours. There is a wide gulf between the two sides in debate and it is unlikely that we can ever be brought into agreement.  We all try to gain hearing for ourselves. On many occasions, he got right down to the heart of the problem. Our verbal attacks on him rarely went home contrast to him. And there will be some matters to heal the breach between us. I still want to say some very handsome things about him.  He maybe eclipsed by jia, but the greatest of us who are the least ego-pushing. We still remember an episode from him. One night out of the school’s front gate, some people from college of law and us had dinner in an ethnic restaurant.  After a hearty dinner, someone wanted to an exotic KTV.  They asked Xiao Han to come with them, but she hung back. At last, Mu charged for escorting Xiao Han to her dormitory……After three days, before the match begun, we sharked hands with each other. Unexpectedly, Xiao asked Mu in a whisper “Is it yours that night?” The Xiao’s words invested the Mu’s heart with an air of mystery and gloom. He was completely bewildered by her words. In a vicious circle, he stammered out an lecture. He was a little vague when I asked what had happened.  The wretched man has lost all his confidence. They defeated us in the end. In no way is Xiao to blame, but it was gross violations of Mu’s human rights certainly. The news has leaked out later. As the proverb runs,”A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.”

Chen: He seems to be grim and ruthless. In fact, he is very easygoing. When he debates, he lost/dropped her customary reserve and became quite lively. People think him lack drive and ambition, but they’ll regret for it sooner or later, He is just drifting; but he has real aim in life. He may elect writing poem as a career when he was in his thirties. He used to an elegant piece of reasoning. With a lofty end in view, he made an entry in his blog to remind himself of his aspiration. When he starts to write, his ideas began to flow. Maybe his hope is beginning to evaporate. He may die from hunger and fatigue. He he……He could stay calm through the fever of the debate. He can hound the opponent to death. He had a hysterical outburst of fury like the wind howled through the trees one time. He and Jia have been like the sweethearts for years…(Let us draw a veil over what followed, he he…)So he may have a love in the twilight of his life…His obsession with computers game NBA live 2005 began one years ago. It’s his invariable habit to play it every night. The more he played, the more energetic he became. Apart from this, he has no other spheres of interest. In conclusion, he is resourceful and versatile.

Ba: He is vital, generous, and had an open nature. His figure is left on the film of out hearts. It is so clearly presented at the bottom of our heats. A man with a formidable appearance! What a fabulous boy! We sometime can see him in the gymnasium. He likes the music with Chinese flavor. In the face of threat and oppression he didn’t retreat. He was faithful to his promise. He doesn’t talk such a load of garbage. He often gasps out the words. His mistake often set all the girls giggling. A large ring of keys was hooked on his belt. I can’t believe he’s leaving the team-I thought he was a permanent fixture. Singing in the bath is habitual with him. He has grown plump in his child, so some boys called him “Fatty” in irony. His desk was littered with news releases. This summer, he exercised his skill in “Chu Tian Jin Bao” .The number of copies the paper sells seems to be in inverse ratio to the amount of news it contains. He is looking for an understanding girlfriend now, but his mind is always wandering. I wished he could success!

Hu: His funny often exposes him to a lot of joking at the team. He belongs to an organized fellowship that circulates devotional literary criticism call “starlight”. Some rumors on him may be feeding the uneasiness that appears to be developing. Some children informed against him “dine and drink extravagantly at public expense”(公款吃喝)! Luckily, we all know that he is a man with a feeble personality. I certify on my honor that he is innocent. Don’t make a fuss of children much—otherwise you will reap the harvest of your mistake. At first, you may does not go down well with the children. They may develop an allergic reaction of you. They’re trying to lever you out of your job as head as the team. You should harbor no illusions about them. You have to put down several revolts before you gain complete control over the team! Don’t let they look down upon you! You cannot neglect your work! Every team must energize administration.  A fond father often spoils his children. Self-discipline convinces people, a broad mind wins over people, and an exemplary role leads people. The first responsibility pf a leader is to define reality. Incidentally, you need infinite patience for this job. He is mean about/over money.

Zhou: He is a remarkably literate young man. His lecture was really an intellectual feast. He can formulate his doctrine at the forum before every match like play some well-known melodies. His words often fetch a laugh from all present. But he liked to feed his inferiors more and more of his ideas. His speech was so quick that we can’t get down what he had said. His lordship is the flower of courtesy. His words are like beautiful music played on the lute, always lingering in our hearts. Honors and academic degrees were heaped upon him. He has a laptop. We have a very amiable companionship.

Yuan: He has radiant eyes. He earned the title of “The Great” by his victories in the debate. “A world-renowned debater” as Hujing said. We never feel at ease in his company.  Now we often see his editorial in the newspaper. He is on South Daily, which will be directed a more affluent circulation. He often goes on an errand. His business is flourishing. He is hitherto in our team’s hierarchy. He often speaks his mind freely. The hot tempers and hopeful disposition make them more courageous than older men. He often dominated the opponent in the debate. He left for us very rich cultural legacy. His work lived up to his reputation.

Me (Self-introduction): I have a distinctive scar on my left face. I’m glad to fall in with so many friends. They are the offspring of curiosity on debate. We are fellowship in misfortune. I’m still limited in the fringes of philosophy. I have such a piece of good fortune that I could join in the school’s team. Reading makes a full man, meditation a profound man, discourse a clear man. For a grown man I acted in a very juvenile manner. Nestling into the cushions and watching film is my private playground. I’m moderate in the use of food and drink. I’m not very clever but I am painstaking. Many people thought I attempted to make some subversive activities to Jia. Conversely,

Chairman: She must be good for the go-between. She's always conspicuous because of her peculiar position. She has a right to adjourn the debate for the moment by some reason, for instance, the timekeeper malfunctioned. Every debater should acknowledge the majesty of her. Her preliminary remarks should be concise. The man who is not in obedience to her order will be punished.

Audience: They often show a distinct lack of enthusiasm for they are intellectuals. We esteem it a privilege to address such a distinguished audience. Since we behaved so badly we’re gone down in their esteem. We exert ourselves to win the race to excite admiration in audience.  We want to catch their eyes. When the chairman asks them some questions we want there will be a forest of hands shot up. They’d rather be three months ill than hear us frame a deliberate lie. The ideal listener stays both inside and outside the debate at the moment it is played and enjoys almost as much as the debater at the moment he debates. At debate match, the supporters of the two teams are segregate.

Part IV: Man errs so long as he strives.

So far as I know, in many situations, you are easy to make faults. The situation could turn and nasty. And the gross errors maybe hampered your movements. You’re even committee a fatal mistake. Anyone would dread public exposure of all his faults. How can we cover up our mistakes? I will give you some prescription for it. Firstly, you should always like a margin of 5 minutes to provide a cushion if an unexpected problem turns up. Secondly, you should deliver a clever defense of your mistake. The last, you should develop a few of these points. Slowly it dawns on you that honesty seems to be at rather a discount when you debate with others.

To sink under the weight was but to increase the weight. Many opponents assert that they are courageous in defending truth. In fact, in most cases opponents are incredible as they seldom tell the truth. They often say some abstract notions instead of concrete objects, which give harassments to you.  It’s like the marvelous artistic creation or the feats of daring. When you are in a dilemma, you should too discreet to mention anything. You know, there are numerous discrepancies between the two accounts of the one thing. Don’t dwell on your mistake. A fanatic is one who can’t change his mind and won’t change the subject. Make your work faultless for fear of being finding fault with it.

Falsify your opponents’ statements. Truth, if exaggerated, may become falsehood.  You can divine the truth by a combination of guesswork and inside information. After that, you’ll have enough capital to get the better (best) of your opponent.

Whenever possible, do routine work in the afternoon and save tasks requiring more energy or concentration for your sharper hours. You must summon up all your courage to meet the danger.

Once in a while, you can hedge in answering their questions through it maybe the hinge on which our ultimate victory turns. It’s not in itself a bad thing. Of two evils, the least should be taken. The style prevails and picks up momentum. In an orthodox belief, it is forbidden. Don’t let your opponents penetrate your motives.

Part V:

The evening sun kindled the western sky. We drew/cast lots to choose the position. The moon peeping through the clouds, and we had the result.

Reporters of new victories pour frequently.  The news was good for the team’s morale. The whole team was in festive mood. We were immensely thrilled to hear of our success. Happiness heightened the ruddiness of our cheeks. The night sky was gorgeous with billions of stars. (Or the moon gleamed on the lake?) The stars made a fine spectacle. The teachers celebrated our success.

Recorded highlights of that day’s match would be shown in August.

Do you still think there’s glamour in the debate? Don’t take it for granted. Many debates degenerate into an exchange of insults. No one can deny that this is a question of great import. Suffice it to say the debate is the art of dreaming sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises.

For one part: You are a girl, right? You must have a refined way of speaking. Don’t suffer an emotional disturbance. Painfully written out a first draft and copy it in duplicate. Cut one paper along the fold, and then plaster it with one card. At all events, you must act as a sophisticated diplomat. “A minimal error results in wild divergence.” Your speech maybe lacks fire. So you’d better spent several days polishing your lecture. You have to enumerate all your reasons. Nurture your mind with good reading.

For controvert: You are the most energetic supporter of your partner. You have to fortify a town against the enemy. You have a good many little gifts and virtues but there is no need of parading them. Write some points in the pamphlet.

For interpellation: When explaining a new point to spectators, it helps you to have a fund of good examples to make your meaning clear. This is a harsh rule. Don’t flare up at your opponents’ words. You should compress your idea into one sentence. Make your argument can’t be refuted. The main problem for you is to find ways of streamlining the debate routine. You will win the competition for you know where your strength and weakness lie. The debate may too heavy a tax on your energy.

For Free debate: There is ample scope for our abilities in this turn. Your actions maybe contradict your principles. It doesn’t matter if you have a facile tongue. You speak something on your instinct. The method of debate is nothing but the expression of the necessary mode of working of the human mind; it is simply the mode by which all phenomena are reasoned about and given precise and exact explanations. We need express our idea with flowery language as women adorn themselves with jewels. It is imperative that you should have a decent western style clothes. Don’t dress very dramatically at least. “To read without reflecting is like eating without digesting.” I deem it wise to comb some useful things out of the transcript. It will give an impetus to you. They just want the facts ;you don’t need to elaborate on them. It’s a laborious task.

For the summary: Success is dependent on the result of this turn. We want you to think independently of conventions and authorities. We need not an eloquent orator. When the situation is very delicate, we need you demonstrate dauntless revolutionary heroism. After your speaking, the room will echo the noise of applause.   Your high spirits will infect everyone around you. You know, the basic emotions of all people are essentially the same. You shall have to have the work done, irrespective of the cost.

To be an exceptional debater is covering the whole spectrum of your ability. Odd thought it sounds, smile is your best weapon. What is smile? The smile is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous. It is a universal fact in the world that a smile often denotes pleasure. Do you have the slightest notion of what this means? The audience maybe suffocate in the crowded room. You should kit yourselves out to catch changes in the wind. Be a brilliant talker and an accomplished listener. If you often consult others, you will do everything successfully; if you adhere stubbornly to your own view, you will get into trouble everywhere. It can’t be reached at a single leap. (一蹴而就) One careless move may lead to the loss of the whole games. (一招不慎，满盘皆输) Make your statement perfectly coherent and withhold the truth from them. To draw an indisputable conclusion, it is necessary to piece those evidences and consider them as a whole. You are bound to succeed. For every debater kissed by fortune there are thousands more whose longing is never rewarded.

Modesty helps one to go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind. Wish you can relish the challenge of competition which are not easily understood by the layman.

Silence sometimes implies consent.

Blog:

Everyone has to face the little nothings of life. If one idles his time, youth will fade away and life will run out on him. We have to keep pace with times.

Some blogs is a jungle of ads. There is noting but junk in it. Men talk of killing time, while time quietly kills them. There are abrupt weather changes. What can be said in justification of our writing?

  Many persons stand mute and unseeing before the violations in reality, their smile masked their anger, and however, they could write some blogs to lash out at social injustice. They even meditate a book on Blog. They won’t be liable for their expression of their political views. This could not have grave consequences. These blogs are short on humor and long on message.

Some blogers’ intention remained opaque(obscure).

Don’t dawdle away your time, or the young head will soon turn white. Then it will be in vain for you to moan and mourn for this.

He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick.(欲加之罪，何患无词)

Someone patented new kinds of safety blogs.

   A man’s feet must be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world. China’s priority is to ensure social stability and economic development. Some blogers are so full of deceit that everybody keeps aloof from them.

Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know what you are doing, but nobody else does.

Our views diverged so greatly that it was impossible to agree. Subsequent events verified my suspicions.