Tweet
For those of you who can receive the Chinese CCTV9 chain, the finals of an English-Speaking contest are finishing this evening and tomorrow evening from 2210 GMT. I have watched 8 of the 20-odd finalists make their efforts over the last two nights: unfortunately, they go on too late in this time zone. I intend watching some of tonight's finalists and the Grand Final tomorrow night, I am so impressed.
Each finalist, a university student studying any major, has to do:
- a 2 minute speech on a fixed subject (yesterday, 'My Challenge', Friday, 'My Globe')
- listen to two commentators ask questions on their speech
- have 1 minute to respond
- pick a number at random to determine a new controversial subject
- have 15 seconds to collect their thoughts on the subject
- a 1 minute impromptu speech taking one side of the subject
- a 3 minute debate against 3 intellectuals, all skilled debaters, who take the opposite view
They are then scored on their English-speaking skills, their style, their presentations and their debating skills.
One thing I did notice is that the candidates, during the debates, never tell any of the intellectuals that their view is wrong, they take a much more defensive attitude, rather than offensive, but the opposite does not hold true.
There are 10 or 12 judges, professors, TV personalities and others, all of whom are expert users of the English language. They are mixed Chinese, American, English etc. The audience is largely Chinese intellectuals.
I am astounded at the level of most of the candidates: they have a better command of English, often idiomatic, than the majority of native-English speakers from either side of the Atlantic or Oz etc. They have quick minds and many of them display a philosophical level that belies their years. Can you imagine having to talk about a controversial subject with only 15 seconds of preparation time, in a foreign language with no common roots to their own one and then holding your position against 3 expert devil's advocates?
One other thing that I noticed: the girls, although fewer in number, can more than hold their own with the boys. In fact, there was a truly outstanding girl, last night, who was head and shoulders above the rest that I had seen, in my opinion, which was shared by the judges who gave her considerably higher marks than to any other candidate. The applause from the audience was more than polite, too, It would not surprise me if she were crowned with the championship on Monday.
If you can, and you go for something slightly more intellectual than Jeopardy, have a look at this.
Each finalist, a university student studying any major, has to do:
- a 2 minute speech on a fixed subject (yesterday, 'My Challenge', Friday, 'My Globe')
- listen to two commentators ask questions on their speech
- have 1 minute to respond
- pick a number at random to determine a new controversial subject
- have 15 seconds to collect their thoughts on the subject
- a 1 minute impromptu speech taking one side of the subject
- a 3 minute debate against 3 intellectuals, all skilled debaters, who take the opposite view
They are then scored on their English-speaking skills, their style, their presentations and their debating skills.
One thing I did notice is that the candidates, during the debates, never tell any of the intellectuals that their view is wrong, they take a much more defensive attitude, rather than offensive, but the opposite does not hold true.
There are 10 or 12 judges, professors, TV personalities and others, all of whom are expert users of the English language. They are mixed Chinese, American, English etc. The audience is largely Chinese intellectuals.
I am astounded at the level of most of the candidates: they have a better command of English, often idiomatic, than the majority of native-English speakers from either side of the Atlantic or Oz etc. They have quick minds and many of them display a philosophical level that belies their years. Can you imagine having to talk about a controversial subject with only 15 seconds of preparation time, in a foreign language with no common roots to their own one and then holding your position against 3 expert devil's advocates?
One other thing that I noticed: the girls, although fewer in number, can more than hold their own with the boys. In fact, there was a truly outstanding girl, last night, who was head and shoulders above the rest that I had seen, in my opinion, which was shared by the judges who gave her considerably higher marks than to any other candidate. The applause from the audience was more than polite, too, It would not surprise me if she were crowned with the championship on Monday.
If you can, and you go for something slightly more intellectual than Jeopardy, have a look at this.
Comment