女儿学校每个三年级的小孩子都有一次演讲，女儿的排在了学年末，主题是关于环保。女儿用了两天时间就洋洋洒洒写了近十页，一试讲九分钟，是学校要求时间的双倍。经我再三建议总算精简了一半。
在学校的礼堂里，面对近二百人，女儿竟然丝毫没有紧张，侃侃而谈。从今天的天气说起，谈到环境，谈到罗斯福总统设立的美国国家公园体系，谈到该体系的促成者自然学家John Muir，并引用了一段John Muir的话。然后是讨论工业化使得人民逐渐丧失了对大自然的欣赏，以及要改变对环保破坏的现状需要大仁大爱勇气和坚持，并倡议大家参与。随后，她提到作为儿童并不意味着对于环保无所作为，而是从捡起身边的垃圾及监督身边的人做起。同时，她倡议同学们要恪守身为Foothill学生所应遵循的价值观和理念，从身边做起，并用卫生间的情况举例。她指出人类产生的污染已经导致了许多动物灭绝，并写了一首名为“大地母亲”的诗来表达大自然对人类行为的悲哀，号召大家去改变。最后，她提议大家今天做一件事：把所有看到的垃圾捡起来，并慷慨激扬地以“我们能够改变，让我们一起来证明，谢谢大家！”作为结束语。
以上内容仅为粗略翻译。所有内容全部出于女儿之手。整个过程，我除了震撼就是震撼，九岁的孩子，绝对地“青出于蓝而胜于蓝”！要知道，我不擅于公开场合讲话，而且写这样的稿件应该至少是上大学后了。事后，老师评价她“不单单是用头脑在讲也是用心在讲”，“非常有总统演讲的风格”。
应要求女儿演讲的全文，其中女儿只是用iPad查了半小时的名人关于环保的名言，约半小时抄下来，其余部分都是她独立写的。九岁的孩子可以独立写出这样的文章，并声情并茂地演讲出来，绝对地出乎意料，让身为妈妈的我，也充满了骄傲！
演讲稿正文
Isn’t it a cloudy and foggy morning outside? （女儿提前准备了晴天、下雨及阴天）What if it is like this all the time, and the air smelled like smoke, what if seeing blue skies and catching a glimpse of the sun was a rare treat? Would you like that? Believe it or not, there are some places in China where every day is like that. People are working hard to save their air, but here in America, we can avoid that. We decided to take the first step to a MOSTLY clean country when President Theodore Roosevelt created out country’s national parks.
今天外面是阴天多雾吧？（女儿提前准备了晴天，下雨及阴天）如果它一直像这样，如果空气闻起来像烟雾一样，如果能够看到蔚蓝的天空和明媚的阳光是一种奢侈，你想要生活在那样的地方吗？信不信由你，中国有一些地方每天都是这样的。人们正在努力拯救他们的空气，但在美国，我们可以避免这种情况。当西奥多·罗斯福总统创建了国家公园体系时，我们在建设一个基本干净的国家方面迈出了第一步。
In 1903, Roosevelt went on a camping trip with naturalist John Muir in a place Muir thought was the loveliest place on Earth – Yosemite! Muir was the one who convinced Roosevelt to start the chain of national parks.
1903年，罗斯福与自然学家约翰·缪尔一起去一个缪尔认为是地球上最美丽的地方 - 优胜美地野营。缪尔是说服罗斯福建立美国国家公园体系的人。
I found some quotes that I really like. They motivated me to do my part in helping the world BE clean and STAY clean. I hope they will do the same for you, and always remember: you don’t have to be big or famous to make a difference.
我发现了一些我非常喜欢的名人名言，他们激励我尽我所能帮助世界变得干净，保持清洁。我希望他们也会同样的激励你，并且让你永远记住：你不需要成为大人物或有名气才能有所作为。
“Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” – John Muir. I think he means that everybody needs beauty in their lives, a place where they can be themselves.
“每个人都像需要面包一样需要美景，需要一个可以玩耍和祈祷的地方，需要一个大自然可以治愈并为我们的身体和灵魂提供力量的地方”— 约翰缪尔。我认为他意味着每个人的生命中都需要美丽，都需要他们可以肆意做自己的地方。
Henry David Thoreau, an author and naturalist, once said, if a man walks in the woods for love of them half of each day, he is in danger of being regarded a loafer. But if he spends his days as a speculator, shearing off those woods and making the earth bald before her time, he is deemed an industrious and enterprising citizen. Thoreau disagreed with that. He thought if a man wonders the woods, it means he appreciates the wonder around him; if he destroys those woods, it means he cares nothing for beauty and only has his sights set on making money.
作家兼博物学家亨利•大卫梭罗（Henry David Thoreau）曾经说过，如果一个人每天有一半的时间在森林里闲逛，那么他就有可能被认为是一个懒散的人。但如果他把自己作为一个投机者，砍掉那些树林，让地球提前秃顶，他就被视为一个勤劳和进取的公民。梭罗不同意这一点。他想如果一个人在森林里闲逛，那就意味着他欣赏他周围的美景；如果他摧毁那些树林，那就意味着他不在乎美景，他的目标只是赚钱。
An actress named Ellen DeGenerous also shared her feelings. She said, if we’re destroying our trees and destroying our environment and hurting our animals and hurting one another and all that stuff, there’s got to be a very powerful energy to fight that. I think we need more love in the world. We need more kindness, more compassion, more joy, more laughter. I definitely want to contribute to that.
一位名叫Ellen DeGenerous的女演员也分享了她的感受。她说，如果我们摧毁我们的树木，摧毁我们的环境，伤害我们的动物，互相伤害彼此，那就必须有非常强大的能量来对抗它。我想我们这个世界需要更多的爱。我们需要更多的善意，更多的同情，更多的快乐，更多的笑声。我当然愿意为此付诸努力。
We’re destroying ourselves by destroying the environment. We need the nature around us to live. We need to reach down inside us and find that energy to fight those people who dream of a totally industrious world. You would do that, wouldn’t you?
我们通过破坏环境来摧毁自己。我们需要我们周围的自然才能生存。我们需要深入了解我们内心，并找到能量来对抗那些梦想一个完全工业化的世界的人。你也会那样做的，是吗？
As children, we often don’t think that we can do anything. You can think that, but if you say “I can’t do anything” and then throw stuff on the ground, that’s not right. Besides, you can do something. You can pick up litter on the ground, even if it’s not yours. If you see someone throw trash, tell them that they’re littering. Don’t just stand there and gawk!
作为小孩子，我们常常认为自己无能为力。你可以这么想，但如果你一边说“我做不了什么”一边往地上扔东西，那就不对了。毕竟你可以做点什么。你可以在地上拾起垃圾，即使它不是你扔的。如果你看到有人扔垃圾，告诉他们他们是在乱扔垃圾。不要只是站在那里冷眼旁观。
We, as Foothill students, are a part of community that is dedicated to helping. We have a reputation for being clean, but we’re not living up to that reputation. Take the girls bathroom by the gym for instance, it’s been more than a few times that I’ve seen Cheese-its crumbled on the ground.
作为Foothill的学生，我们是致力于帮助他人的社区的一部分。我们有着干净的声誉，但我们远没有达到。以健身房旁边的女厕所为例，我已经在地上看到过几次碎奶酪了。
We, humans are polluting everywhere. If not for some people fighting pollution, no animals would exist. In fact, many of our animal friends have gone forever. I wrote a poem called “Mother Earth”, I would like to share with you.
我们人类总是到处污染。如果不是有人在不断对抗污染，动物就会早已灭绝。事实上，我们的许多动物朋友已经永远消失了。我写了一首名为“大地母亲”的诗，我想跟大家分享一下。
Elephants, Zebras
Big and Small
Mother Earth
Made us all.
We, the smartest
must follow her will
We, the strongest
must try NOT to kill.
She is looking down upon us
A frown, she’s sad
Help her Now
Don’t make her mad.
She must wait and wait
For us to change
Reward her Now
Let her rate, who we really are.
大象，斑马，无论大小，地球母亲养育了我们。
我们，最睿智的族群，必须遵循她的意愿
我们，最强大的族群，必须尽量不要杀害。
她低头看着我们，皱着眉头，她很伤心
现在就帮助她，不要让她生气。
她一直在等待，等待我们改变
现在回馈她，让她来评判，我们到底是什么样
I would like to give each of you a challenge today: pick up every single piece of trash you see, even if it’s not yours. We, children, can make a difference, and LET’S PROVE IT. Thank you!
今天我想给大家每个人一个挑战：捡起你看到的每一块垃圾，即使它不是你的。我们，作为小孩子们，仍然可以有所作为，让我们一起来证明这一点。谢谢！
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