You may have noticed that most of the contestants in today's competition are dressed in a very formal way. Just now I met other boys when I was waiting for my turn to speak. They looked very cool wearing neat suits and ties, shining like new pennies. They asked me why I was dressed this way. I told them I would answer this question in my speech. So if you are patient enough to stick to your chairs until I finish my speech, you will know why.

Now the topic for my speech is "Travelling is Learning". I’ll talk about a travel experience that taught me a lot. As we know, 1998 was the International Year of the Ocean, and all kinds of activities celebrating this special year were held around the world. In the summer I was lucky to be chosen as one of the three stu-dents representing China to attend one of the activities ──’98 International Exposition of the Ocean held in Lisbon, Portugal.

During the 3-day stay in Lisbon, we visited many pavilions held by different countries in the exposition spot. I was fascinated by the movies and pictures showing the natural marine beauty of Australia and Hawaii. The high-tech oceanic research facilities shown in the Japanese and American pavilions also attracted me. I, certainly learned a lot about the ocean, which was my mission there.

But that was not all I learned. I remember a linguistic expert once said, "the best way to study a language is to use it." Then I think the best way to learn about a cultural phenomenon is to ex-perience it. Before I traveled to Portugal? I was interested in tip-ping── a western custom that has confused and troubled many Chinese travelling abroad, including my father. He said he could never adjust to it when he travelled in England and France. So I went there with a purpose of learning about it. I learned that in restaurants a few Escudos, which is the Portuguese currency, should be left by the customer in a small plate as a reward for the waiter's service. I also learned that when you stay in a hotel, you should leave some money under your pillow every morning, which is for the room attendants who clean your room. After learning about all these "tipping skills", I knew that this interest-ing western custom originated from the special way that the wait-ers or attendants got paid. I mean, their employers only pay them very little, and a large part of their income depends on the generosity of the customers. Without the tips, they might not be able to support their families.

What impressed me most in this unforgettable trip was the kindness and friendliness of the local people. I remember clearly when we lost our way in a huge shopping center, a young man kindly helped us find our bus and drew a very detailed map for us so that we could find our hotel easily. Before we left Portugal, we decided to change some Portuguese coins as a souvenir for our friends at home. A shop assistant took all the trouble to pick out a few complete sets of coins consisting of all denominations, some of which are rarely used because they are too small. On her face not a tinge of impatience could be found . There -was only friend-ly smile. One of my Australian teachers once told me, "The most valuable part of a trip is what you have learned from the people you met". That was certainly proved true. . '

Now, do you still remember the question about my casual style of wearing? I think the answer includes two points. Num-ber one, I want to make myself free and easy, so that I can make more friends and learn more from them. After all, travelling is learning, right? Number "two, I haven't got a suit and tie.

点评：

The writer takes some typical and instructive events from his travel to Lisbon to enlarge the topic. So listeners can get a dominant impression from his speech.

指导教师：纪文华