偶像勵志英語演講22:失敗的好處和想象的重要性(4)

What I feared most for myself at your age was not poverty, but failure.

像你們這么大時我最害怕的不是貧窮，而是失敗。

At your age, in spite of a distinct lack of motivation at university, where I had spent far too long in the coffee bar writing storeis, and far too little time at lectures, I had a knack for passing examinations, and that, for years, had been the measure of success in my life and that of my peers.

像你們這么大時，盡管我明顯缺乏在大學(xué)學(xué)習(xí)的動力，花大量時間在咖啡館寫小說，用于聽課的時間很少，但我卻有通過考試的本領(lǐng)。多年來，考試一直是衡量我和同齡人成功的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。

Now I am not dull enough to suppose that because you are young, gifted and well-educated, you have never known hardship or heartbreak. Talent and intelligence never yet inoculated anyone against the caprice of the Fates, and I do not for a moment suppose that everyone here has enjoyed an existence of unruffled privilege and contentment.

我不會笨到因為你們年輕、有才華并且受過良好的教育，就認(rèn)為你們從來沒有經(jīng)受過困難或心碎的時刻。才華和智慧并不能使人擺脫命運的反復(fù)無常;我也從來沒有認(rèn)為在座的每一個人一直以來都享有優(yōu)越感和滿足感。

However, the fact that you are graduating from Harvard suggests that you are not very well-acquainted with failure. You might be driven by a fear of failure quite as much as a desire for sucess. Indeed, your conception of failure might not be too far from the average person's idea of success, so high have you already flown.

然而，即將從哈佛畢業(yè)這一事實就意味著你們很少會經(jīng)歷失敗。你們對失敗的恐懼很可能與你們對成功的渴望一樣強烈。實際上，你們眼中的失敗可能在常人看來就是成功，畢竟你們在學(xué)業(yè)上已經(jīng)相當(dāng)成功了。

Ultimately, we all have to decide for ourselves what constitutes failure, but the world is quite eager to give you a set of criteria if you let it. So I think it fair to say that by any conventional measure, a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to in modern Britain, without being homeless. The fears my parents had had for me, and that I had had for myself, had both come to pass, and by every usual standard, I was the biggest failure I knew.

最終，我們所有人都必須自己判斷什么是失敗，但是如果你樂意的話，這個世界是非?？释o你一套標(biāo)準(zhǔn)的。因此根據(jù)任何傳統(tǒng)的標(biāo)準(zhǔn)都可以說，我在畢業(yè)后的短短七年里經(jīng)歷了慘痛的失敗：短暫的婚姻閃電般破裂，失業(yè)，成為單身母親。在現(xiàn)代化的英國，我變得極度貧困，只是還沒有到無家可歸的地步。父母和我自己對未來的擔(dān)憂，當(dāng)年都變成了現(xiàn)實。無論按什么標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，當(dāng)時我都是我所知道的最失敗的人。

重點講解：

1. in spite of

盡管;不顧;雖然;

eg. Their love of life comes in spite of, almost in defiance of, considerable hardship.

盡管面臨眾多的艱難困苦，他們還是幾乎義無反顧地表現(xiàn)出了對生活的熱愛。

eg. I know whatever you try, you'll win out in spite of early difficulties.

我知道你無論做什么，不管最初多么困難，最終都會成功。

2. have a knack for

有……的訣竅;

eg. You have a knack for doing the right thing at the right time.

你有種天分，讓你在適當(dāng)?shù)臅r機，做適當(dāng)?shù)氖虑椤?/p>

eg. Some people seem to have a knack for learning a language.

有些人似乎對于學(xué)習(xí)語言就是有訣竅。

3. for a moment

哪怕一閃念;

eg. I don't for a moment think there'll be a divorce.

我從來沒想過將來會離婚。

eg. For a moment I thought I was having hallucinations.

一時間我以為我產(chǎn)生了幻覺。

4. be acquainted with

了解的;熟悉的;

eg. He was well acquainted with the literature of France, Germany and Holland.

他對于法國、德國和荷蘭的文學(xué)了如指掌。

eg. I am also looking forward to getting more acquainted with immigration law.

我也期待能對移民法有更多的了解。

5. be eager to do sth.

熱切的;渴望做某事;

eg. Robert was eager to talk about life in the Army.

羅伯特很想談?wù)勱戃娚睢?/p>

eg. The company is eager to gain a foothold in Europe.

這家公司急于在歐洲取得一席之地。

6. come to pass

發(fā)生;出現(xiàn);實現(xiàn)

eg. I doubt if his promises will ever come to pass.

我懷疑他的那些許諾是否會兌現(xiàn)。

eg. Many people would like the electoral system to be reformed but I don't believe this will ever come to pass.

很多人都想要改革選舉制度，但我認(rèn)為不可能實現(xiàn)。