下面刊登一篇我书院2006年全封闭英语口语强化班学员、广东中山市某中学汉语教师黄晓征（英文名Dephne）的英语作文，与广大英语爱好者共赏。

A Special Day

Today is June 8, 2006, only two months from the Olympic Games which will be held in Beijing. It’s an unusual day to me. Why did I say so? You’ll understand when you hear me through.

         Today is a re-interviewing day for the guide-selection given by Beijing First Foreign-Related Travel Group. Among the 300 re-interviewing candidates,80 top interviewees will be picked out. Then these 80 interviewees will serve as guides for foreign friends and visitors during the Olympic Games in Beijing. In return for their service, each guide will be paid as high as 10 thousand RMB yuan per day. When the Olympic Game is over, these guides will lead trans-national tours in the world. To become a guide for foreign friends is my dream for many years. Today I mush make it.

“No.225, Daphne”, I heard my name was called by one of the staff. I don’t know why I wasn’t nervous at that moment. I walked into the interviewing room with confidence. Facing 20 interviewers at home and abroad, I was particularly calm.

The first barrier for me is pressure test.

The interviewer asked me, “if you’re not selected today, what would you do?”

         I thought about it for a short while and answered confidently: “Dear and respected interviewers, I’m sorry to tell everybody of you, your hypothesis doesn’t exist, because I believe myself and my performance will satisfy all of you. Firstly, I can speak four languages: Chinese, English, Japanese and Korean. Besides, I’m learning my fifth languageᅳFrench. secondly, I have the ability of communication, coordination and organization. Thirdly, I know fairly well the Chinese history, geography and Chinese culture , and I’m also quite familiar with foreign culture, people and interesting places, Fourthly, ┄”

        After two hours of waiting eagerly, the interview outcome had come out, A girl’s sweet voice came from the broadcast: “Through strict selection, 80 lucky girls and boys have been chosen as members of Beijing First Foreign-Related Travel Group. They are No.225 Daphne, No.25 Helen, No.9 Fish ┄”

       To my surprise I ranked top list of the 80 winners. Many reporters walked up to me and began to ask me a lot of questions, but I was not interested at all. Finally  a girl reporter asked , “whom do you want to thank most for your wonderful achievement today?”

       This question aroused my interest. I answered loudly and clearly. “I must thank OEC!” (Guangzhou Oriental English College)

      “Why do you want to thank OEC?”

      “Because OEC helped me to march out the first step to success. Before I came to OEC, my English was very bad and I almost wanted to give up learning it. It is OEC that saved me, it gave me confidence and hope.”

      “What kind of school is OEC?”

      “OEC is a school of  high-ranking, nice environment, good quality and strict requirement. It’s a closed intensive spoken English training camp, founded in July 1994 in Baiyun Mountain Scenic Spots. Here the environment is beautiful and peaceful, far from noisy and polluted downtown. Its greatest characteristics is both foreign and Chinese teachers live and eat together with the students every day, just like a big family, warm and cozy, engaged in a closed environment to create the best English learning atmosphere. All the teaching are conducted in a small, intensive, audial-visual and speaking training class. The purpose of this is to enable the students to be “immersed” in a total English environment all day long, so that they can improve their English in listening, speaking, reading, writing and translation in the shortest possible time, for competition, for studying abroad, for emigration or for work in a foreign company.

       “Who’s the founder of OEC?” the reporter continued to ask. “The founder is Tiger Huang,” I said. “He used to be a lecturer and a veteran trainer in Guangdong University of Foreign Studies. He has been engaged in English research and teaching for over 35 years. The English courses that he has taught are listening, speaking, reading comprehension, writing articles, interpretation and translations, especially he is specialized in intensive spoken English training. Over 30 years of teaching English, Mr. Huang is very proud to see that his students are scattered all over the world. In 1977 Mr. Huang was sent to Tanzania by the Chinese government as an interpreter for two years, then in 1988 he went to Australia as a visiting scholar to further his English study for one year. Owing to his rich experience in teaching, Mr. Huang has compiled more than ten English text books.”

       “Apart from all the above-mentioned points, Mr. Huang is also very nice to his students. He cares about their studies, their daily life, happiness and sorrows. Learning English from Mr. Huang, I feel easy and relaxed. Besides, all the teachers are strictly chosen. They not only have good pronunciation and intonation and rich English knowledge, but they are very responsible as well. They set us a good example.”

      “If you are given one more chance to choose, will you still choose to study in OEC?”

      “I certainly will. OEC is my first choice. And I also hope English lovers and those who want to take a shortcut in mastering English, Please come to OEC to study. Remember, OEC can make your dream come true.”

      “According to what you said, can all the students realize their dreams as long as they come to OEC to learn English?” demanded the reporter.

      “As the saying goes, you can take a horse to the river, but you cannot make the horse drink. Teachers can only guide your learning, but cannot replace you to learn. It mainly depends on yourself whether you work hard at English or not.”

      “Rome was not built in a day. The same as learning English. What is called it takes ten years to grow trees, but a hundred to rear people. The short-term training in school is just to lay a good foundation for your future learning. If you want to have a greater breakthrough, it will still take you years of pains-taking efforts. If you cannot realize this, you are not smart enough.”

       Therefore, a man who only wishes to improve his English in listening and speaking, but he doesn’t want to work hard at it, even if he stays in OEC for ten years, yet he still cannot speak English. Only those who can endure dull and lonely life, be diligent with perseverance, can he reach his goal and eventually become successful. If let me choose again, I’ll certainly choose OEC! OEC is the best!

     2006年暑假班张盈学员习作：