我很慶幸,在某種重要意義上,今天和 79 年前的一個重要的日子大不相同。1919年6月 ,就在這里, 燕京大學首任校長約翰·雷登·斯圖爾特準備發(fā)表第一個畢業(yè)典禮致辭。他準時出場,但學生一個未到。學生們?yōu)榱苏衽d中國的政治文化,全部走上街頭領(lǐng)導“五四”運動去了。我讀到這個故事后,希望今天當我走進這個禮堂時,會有人坐在這里。非常感謝大家前來聽我演講。
Over the last 100 years, this university has grown to more than 20,000 students. Your graduates are spread throughout China and around the world. You have built the largest university library in all of Asia. Last year, 20 percent of your graduates went abroad to study,including half of your math and science majors. And in this anniversary year, more than a million people in China, Asia, and beyond have logged on to your web site. At the dawn of a new century, this university is leading China into the future.
一百年以來,北大已經(jīng)發(fā)展到擁有兩萬多學生。貴校的畢業(yè)生遍及中國和全世界。貴校建成了亞洲最大的大學圖書館。去年貴校有20%的畢業(yè)生去國外深造,其中包括一半的數(shù)理專業(yè)學生。在這個百年校慶之年,中國、亞洲和全世界有100多萬人訪問貴校的網(wǎng)址。在新世紀來臨之際,北大正在率領(lǐng)中國奔向未來。