Deng Yaping: The Concern of a World Champion 1

If the winners of the Asian Games, the World Table Tennis Championships and the Olympic Games are three grand slams in my table tennis career, then a bachelor's degree from Tsinghua, a master's degree from Nottingham University and a doctor's degree from Cambridge University are another grand slam I want to complete.

—— Deng Yaping

1997 retired from Tsinghua University, got a bachelor's degree in 200 1, entered the University of Nottingham in the UK in September of the same year, got a master's degree in 12 in 2002, and entered Cambridge University to study for a doctorate in economics in the same year. Deng Yaping told the story of a world champion who struggled all the way to school. ...

Tsinghua: Start by writing 26 English letters.

"When I retired, I began to design my own future path. Some people think that athletes can only continue to engage in sports that they are familiar with, but I just want to prove that athletes can not only play well, but also do other things well. When I am no longer an athlete, my new starting point will begin. " Deng Yaping said.

"1At the end of 1996, I was nominated by Sa Lao as a member of the Sports Committee of the International Olympic Committee. I understand that this is not only the reuse and trust of the International Olympic Committee, but also a severe challenge. The official languages of the Olympic Committee are English and French. However, at this time, my English foundation is almost zero, and I know nothing about French. Faced with the contrast between such an important job and my foreign language level, I am very anxious. "

1996 After the Atlanta Olympic Games, when Deng Yaping first entered Tsinghua to study English as an undergraduate, her English was almost blank, and she had no English foundation, let alone her oral communication ability.

"With the feelings of excitement and uneasy into Tsinghua. The teacher depends on my level-you write 26 English letters to see. It took me a while to finally write it. After reading uppercase and lowercase letters for a while, I feel a little embarrassed-teacher, that's it. But please rest assured that I will work hard! "

"The story told by the teacher in class is tantamount to a gobbledygook for me. I can only try my best to listen, remember every word, go back to the dormitory, look up the dictionary a little, and recite a little. I made a study plan for myself: everything starts from scratch, and three firsts are adhered to-learning from the first page of the textbook and memorizing from the first letter and word; You must guarantee the study time of 14 hours every day, get up at 5 o'clock on time every day, read phonetic symbols, recite words and practice listening until the formal class; Organize the handouts in the evening and review the homework until midnight 12. " Because she devoted herself to her studies, Deng Yaping almost completely canceled the party with friends and unrelated social activities, and even called her parents less often. In order to improve her listening and conversation skills, she not only went to the language lab regularly, but also bought a multifunctional repeater. Because I always read while listening to the tape. Students always joke with her: "Yaping, you read all day, be careful of your lips!" " ""But I believe that without superhuman efforts, there would be no superhuman achievements. This is also my personal experience in the field for many years. "

The study pressure is great, and the classes are full every day. In addition to studying, Deng Yaping has to travel dozens of miles to the national team training base three times a week, and the degree of fatigue can be imagined.

"Every morning, I will find a lot of hair on the pillow, and I will lose a lot of hair when I comb my hair. I didn't care much, but the coach and teammates were surprised to see me: "Xiao Deng, what's wrong with you?" I said, "nothing, maybe the brain used for learning is different from the brain used for playing." "

"Although they are all a word' bitter', I have a different feeling at this time: I used to be an athlete and I was too tired to move after training. As long as I heard the cheers, I gritted my teeth and survived; When encountering difficulties and obstacles, the coach dialed a little and got through; When the game was in trouble, the audience roared for motivation and turned the corner. But reading often requires a person to struggle alone. That poverty and loneliness is another kind of torture. Without will and perseverance, you can't persist. "

In order to master English faster, several English teachers suggested that Deng Yaping study abroad for a period of time. With their enthusiastic help, with the approval of Tsinghua University and the State Sports General Administration, Deng Yaping, who has just studied in Tsinghua for a few months, was sent to Cambridge University in England as an exchange student to attack English with the beginning of 1998.

Cambridge: Get up at 5 o'clock every morning to study.

1On February 26th, 998, Deng Yaping flew to Cambridge with mixed feelings. For her, this is naturally a very rare opportunity, but it is also a difficult start.

"The next day is the day of school. There are nine students in the class. The classroom is small. Nine desks and chairs are arranged in a semicircle towards the blackboard. The teacher asked everyone to introduce themselves first. Next, I gave you two handouts and started the lecture. There is no discipline in the class, and the way of explanation is very casual. When the teacher gave a lecture, the students scrambled to answer questions. I finished my class in the fog cover of Yunshan. Four or five weeks passed, and I spent fifteen or six hours every day, but the effect was not great, and the improvement of English level was not significant. As a transfer student, it is too difficult to catch up with other students. In addition, there are no teaching materials, and only handouts issued by teachers can be obtained in each class. This kind of teaching method is also difficult for me to adapt to. " "The living environment is not satisfactory. Most international students studying in Britain live in British homes arranged by the school, and I am no exception. I want to live in an English home. On the one hand, I can learn more about British customs and people's feelings. On the other hand, I can have more opportunities for English conversation. But my landlady's house is too far from school, and the room and meals are very high. In addition to paying more than 200 pounds for rent every month, you have to pay more than 0/00 pounds for meals. Together, the two items cost about 5000 yuan a month. For me who went to school in England at my own expense, cherishing money is as important as cherishing time. "

"I remember the first time I wore rain-proof sportswear and rode a bike to school. Many students were puzzled: Why did the world champion ride a bike to school? Yes, world champions are also mortal. Everything I have is bought with sweat. Hard-won, I must cherish it very much. Difficulties in study and life bother me, and I am eager to change this situation. "

"Shortly after I arrived in England, I wanted to send some money home. However, I took the list at the post office, but I didn't know how to fill it out. The post office pointed to the list, but I looked blank. I stood in front of the post office, my eyes numb. What can I do? Ask who is going? I asked, but I still don't understand. Finally, I had to leave in a hurry. "

"Before school started, in order to familiarize me with the environment, the landlord drove me around the school. The next day, people didn't send it. Although I bought a bike, I can't find the way to school. I turned a corner and went to school. Always punctual, I became a late student. I was so anxious that I blurted out a few explanations, but I couldn't understand them. I can't forget the taste and embarrassment now! "

Newham College, where Deng Yaping attended, is a small college affiliated to Cambridge University, similar to the domestic language college. The students here are mainly international students, and Deng Yaping is an international student from Chinese mainland.

"When I first arrived in Cambridge, although I worked hard, the effect was not obvious. I know, this is because my language foundation is still quite weak. If I want to stand up and study hard in an elite university like Cambridge, I need to go all out to fight. Learning is the same as physical exercise. There are no shortcuts to find, and there will be no beautiful things that fall from the sky. Everything depends on yourself. " In order to catch up with her homework, Deng Yaping gets up early and only sleeps for a few hours every day.

"In the first month or two, I couldn't understand what the teacher said. I copied everything the teacher wrote on the blackboard. When you get home, look it up in the dictionary and read it yourself. Everyday life is monotonous, and the class time is four and a half hours. There is a lot of homework after class. Eating seems very troublesome to me. I only have an hour's rest at noon. I usually don't go back to the dormitory, just eat the sandwiches I brought in the morning and then read for a while. I often eat my own instant noodles, vegetables, tomatoes and eggs in the evening. I have to study until 12 o'clock almost every day before I can sleep. "

Although the foundation is worse than other students, she is always unwilling to surpass others. This competitive mentality gradually began to change: "After all, the foundation is different, from athletes to students is a very big turning point, and there must be a process for learning to rise."

Back in Tsinghua, Deng Yaping's graduation thesis was titled "The History and Development of National Football Team". From the opening report, to the first submission of the paper, and even to the final revision of the paper, Deng Yaping not only did everything.

"I finally put on my bachelor hat. At the graduation ceremony, I addressed the teacher in fluent English. "