August 5

　　It was cloudy this morning, but the day was about to get better, because the English Learning Experience Exchange brought sunshine and laughter to the camp. Professors and foreign experts gave us pieces of advice about English learning, and campers shared their stories. We were listening carefully and learning all we could about English. In the afternoon, the basketball game and the football game kicked off. I have never been excellent at sports, but I've always been a good spectator. The best thing about watching games is that you can shout with excitement as heroes are born, and that's exactly what my roommates did today! At the English Party in the evening, teachers and students showed their talents. I played a song with my Hulusi (a traditional Chinese musical instrument).We all had a wonderful time, and the party made a relaxing end to the full day.

　　August 6

　　Today was the day of the 8th National English Speech Final Contest. This morning, I sat on my bed, taking a breath before the contest. All the final contestants had drawn for turns and topics yesterday. That is to say we only had one day to prepare. My roommate, Maria, another final contestant, had been practising her speech ever since the moment she woke up. I realized that I had better get busy, too. As usual, some of the contestants came from Beijing and Guangzhou. There were also contestants from Inner Mongolia, Tibet and Xinjiang who were very competitive, too. As these contestants competed, who knew what would happen? Later I started to feel unsure of myself upon seeing the other contestant's excellent performances. My stomach went flip-flop as it always does under pressure, and my palms started sweating. I knew when standing on the stage, all eyes would focus on me, so even though I wasn't feeling my best, I had to act like I was. After I finished my speech and answered the judges' questions, all I thought about was my performance on the stage, I had absolutely no idea what the next contestant said. Our scores were given on the spot, and soon I was to know whether I had won or lost. I held my breath when the host announced my score: 9.18. I breathed a sigh of relief—not bad! Afterward, my friends said I had done a good job. Actually, I could have done better. Anyway the result was not very important after it, my friends' encouragements had made me feel so warm, and that was enough.(未完待续)

　　(文/林黛静； 英语辅导报高一版 04~05学年度第16期；版权归英语辅导报社所有，独家网络合作伙伴新浪教育，未经许可，不得以任何形式进行转载。)