搜索
ASpeechAboutYuanLongpingHello,everybody.(Todayiamgoingtotalkaboutthegreatestscientistinthe20thcentury.)Butbeforeistart,iwanttoaskyouallfirst——Whodoyouthinkisthegreatestscientistinthe20thcentury?MaybeyouwillimmediatelythinkaboutAlbertEinstein,theonewhosuggestedthetheoryofrelativity.OrThomasEdison,Thekingofinventionwhohadover2000creationsinhislife.OrSteveJobs,theguywhoinventedtheiphone,ipod,ipadthatweallenjoyusing.Didigetitright?ButhaveyouallthoughtaboutanyonewhoisfromChina?Isay,inmyeyes,thefatherofhybridrice----YuanLongpingisthegreatestscientistinthe20thcentury.Maybenowyouarethinkinglikethisinyourheart:what?Afarmer?Thegreatest?Yes,afarmer,butanextremelyextraordinaryfarmer.Heisthegreatestscientistinthe20thcenturybecauseheputsanendtohunger,andhehasshinningpersonalitycharm.Itwashimwhosolvedtheparticularlyhugeproblemofworldhunger.Hesavedmillionsofpeople’slife!Hestartedtoworkonthehybridricesince1964.Andovercomingthousandsofhardship,hefinallyworkedoutthefirstsuccessfulhybridricevariety----Nanyou2,andthisissurelyverysignificantnotjusttotheChinese,butalsotopeopleallovertheworld.Theperunitoutputincreasedfrom140kilosfrom450kilos.AndallthesefantasticnumbersmeanthatmillionsofpeopleinChina,includingyouandme,canhaveenoughfoodtoeat.Inthepast,asweallknow,manypeoplesufferedfromhungerandevendiedofthelackoffood.Wheniwaspreparingforthespeech,iinterviewedseveralseniorcitizensinmycommunityabouttheproblemofhungerinthepast.Andtheytoldmethatitwasaboutinthe1980sthattheirsufferingfromhungerfinallycametoanend.AndithinkitowedmuchtoYuanLongping.So,nexttimewhenyouareveryhungrybutyousoongetenoughricetofillupyourstomach,whynotthankYuanLongpinginyourheartfirstbeforeyoustarttoeatcrazily?Now,isupposethatyouallhaveagreedthatYuanLongpingisagreatscientist,butarestillconfusedaboutwhyheisthegreatest.Nowlet’sthinkaboutthefollowing:canyouusethetheoryofrelativitythatAlbertEinsteinsuggestedtoexploretheworldifyouareextremelyhungry?CanyouworkenergeticallywiththeinventionsthatThomasEdisoncreatedifyoudon’thaveenoughricetofillupyourstomach?Canyouenjoyusingyouri-phone,i-padori-podtouchthatSteveJobsdevelopedtowatchTVserieslikeSherlockHolmesifyouaresostarvedthatyouaredying.No,ofcourse.Allthegreatinventionsarenothinginfaceofhunger.ItistruethatAlbertEinstein,ThomasEdison,SteveJobsandmanyotherscientistsaregreatscientists,butonlyYuanLongpingisthegreatest.Howcanyoulivewithoutfood?Foodislikethemostbasicfoundationofeveryone’slife.Asyoucansee,thepopulationoftheworldisstillincreasingrapidly,butfewerpeoplearefacingtheproblemofhunger.Andanessentialfactoristhathybridriceisincreasinglyshowingstrongvitality.AsafamousAmericanagriculturaleconomistZuckerbergsaid,”withthedevelopmentofagriculturalscience,thethreatofstarvationisinretreat,YuanLongpingisleadingustowardsawell-fedworld.”Inadditiontohiscontributionsonthehungerproblem,heisalsoadmiredforhispersonalitycharm.Heisindifferenttofameandwealththoughheisverywealthynow.Heisthegreatestscientistinthe20thcentury.ThiscanalsobeprovedbythefactthathewasnominatedfortheNobelpeaceprizeandtherewasastarnamedafterhim.Inshort,thefatherofthehybridrice,YuanLongping,putsanendtotheproblemofworldhunger,savemillionsofpeople’slivesandheisamanindifferenttofameandwealth.Ofallthescientistsinthe20thcentury,heisthegreatest!