Fujian's best battle it out
By Daisy
Photos by Yao Fan

经过三个月的层层选拔,2006年度中央电视台“希望之星”英语风采大赛“动感地带杯”福建赛区决赛在厦门电视台演播大厅落下帷幕.十二名选手从三十二名选手中脱颖而出,他们将代表福建省参加六月在北京举行的全国总决赛.

The 2006 CCTV Cup Star of Outlook English Talent Competition M-Zone Cup Fujian Finals were held at the XMTV studios on Saturday. 32 contestants from all over Fujian took part in the competition. Twelve of them were selected to represent Fujian at the National Finals to be held in Beijing in June.
The primary school and middle school students competitions were held in the morning, with classmates and families providing plenty of support for all the contestants. They showed an astonishing level of English, as well as some quick thinking as they delivered prepared speeches, then made up stories and debates. Not only the audience but also the judges were amazed to see children of such a young age using a foreign language so naturally.
Competition in the afternoon was if anything even hotter. The high school students and adults showed off some exceptional presentation skills in their performances, using body language and engaging stories to capture the attention of the judges.
According to the ticket office, tickets for the competition were hot and quickly sold out. Some of the spectators had traveled a long way to see it. “It’s tiring watching the competition all day long, but it is well worth it,” said one spectator from Fuzhou. “It’s a good chance to learn from others.”
English language was not the only skill on display: some of the competitors took the chance to give some outstanding musical performances. Huang Zhangying gave an uncanny rendition of an Eminem rap, and Nurye presented a classical dance from her homeland in Xinjiang.
The competition did not only arouse enthusiasm among the contestants and their parents. Some Common Talk Club members were invited to join the organizing committee to help out. “I love English, and I love enjoying it in this kind of exciting atmosphere,” said Happy Hong, a CT club member and volunteer.
To make the competition more educational, two commentators were invited to give some make comments on each contestant’s performance and give suggestions on their intonation, pronunciation and content for future performances. Mr Ji Yuhua, Common Talk Language Consultant, is a well-known English public speaking expert from Xiamen University and Molly Murphy is a teacher at Xiamen International School. The contestants got the benefit of years of professional experience and language expertise as they corrected errors and singled out the best points of each performance.
After the presentation of the prizes, Lin Congming, Deputy Minister of the publicity department of the CCP in Xiamen, said the provincial final had been a great success. It helped to advertise the CT Weekly name in Fujian. It also offered a great opportunity for English lovers, making it a success for CT Weekly, CCTV and the competitors.
Zhang Jiuyuan, Deputy Secretary of the Fujian International Education Association, said that more than 1,500 people in the Fuzhou area had signed up for this year’s competition. “The competition was welcomed by both contestants and their parents. There are lots of Outlook fans and this competition gave them the chance to get up on stage.”
Wu Yayu, Chief Editor of Common Talk Weekly, said it was a tough job for a newspaper to organize such a big event. The support Common Talk enjoyed from sponsors and readers was wonderful. The competition was also a great test for integrating newspapers, TV and the internet. “More importantly, we now understand our readers even more clearly. We can adjust our content to suit their needs.” eat test for integratingAdult winners receive their prizes!
Winners after the contest
High school finalists receive their awards

希望之星”英语风采大赛
福建赛区决赛获奖名单

小学组前三名
杜　砚 福州乌山小学
杨佳宁 厦门外国语学校附属小学
林子琪 厦门市槟榔小学
初中组前三名
陈洁昊 厦门第五中学
李哲远 厦门外国语学校
詹梦原 福州三牧中学
高中组前三名
陶　冶 福州第一中学
杨崇峋 漳州第一中学
蔡安澜 建阳第一中学
大学组前三名
张锶雯 福建师范大学海外教育学院
黄 彬 厦门大学财政系
欧阳乾龙 厦门外国语中学老师
最具潜质奖
张博文 谭欣妮 乔疏影
努丽娅·卡迪尔 蔡 昀
魏成哲 林舒玲 董 韬
最佳台风奖
陈昆苏 蔡安澜 郑以珊 黄章颖
最佳发音奖
杨佳宁 杨崇峋 吴 婧
最佳辩手奖
陶 冶 郑 洵 李哲远
通 知:请厦门赛区复赛和半决赛入围选手以及决赛优秀奖的选手6月15日前到组委会领取奖状及奖品,逾期不候。