我认为参与2024年初轮挑战是我英语学习的一个关键转折点，它推动我的英语学习模式从“被动刷题”全面转向了“主动应用”。在此之前，我的英语学习多半局限于辨析语法正误；而通过多次参加Hippo河马英语趣味挑战，我的重心已转变为探究单词在具体语境中的生动运用，听力上也获得了快速精准捕捉关键信息的能力。这份挑战带来的压力，最终化为我每日坚持积累的动力，不仅夯实了我的英语根基，更坚定了我未来持续进阶的信心与决心。

在河马英语初轮备考期间，我遇到的主要挑战是：在紧张状态下单词拼写容易失误，同时因阅读速度不足，常常无法完成所有题目。 为攻克这些难关，我采取了针对性的训练方法。针对拼写，我通过“音频盲听+限时默写”来提升拼写的准确性与反应速度。针对阅读，我强化了“题干定位法”的训练——即先审阅问题，再带着目的快速扫读文章定位答案。经过约两周的坚持，我的阅读效率显著提升，答题时也感觉更加从容。

小河马们，不用害怕开口出错，因为河马英语挑战不是追求完美的英语测试，而是一个让你大胆表达的舞台！备战时，无需追求学得太多，关键是要学得透彻：比如，把1个单词用在3个句子里，远比背诵10个陌生单词更有效。请享受这个用英语认识世界、展示自己的过程，你将收获比成绩更为珍贵的成长！

Participating in the Hippo English Contest has been an incredible journey for me. I am grateful for the opportunity to share myself with others. It was a pity that I didn’t get in the semi finals in the first competition in 2023, let me realized I still need to keep working hard on English. Luckily, l came to Macau in 2024 and 2025 to get the gold award. Throughout these experiences, I have learned the importance of perseverance and dedication. There were times when I felt discouraged and wanted to give up, but I pushed through and continued to next. These competitions have the beautiful experiences and taught me that success often comes after overcoming challenges and setbacks.

I got to compete with students from so many countries for the first time — it felt incredible! I prepared with some panda gifts to give out to the other contestants and judges. Everyone was truly awesome; the older students were especially kind in taking care of us younger competitors. The entire event was so much fun!

Remember, everyone can shine if they are willing to work hard. So believe in yourself, speak up boldly, and let your English greatness shine.