轻英语：《命运 or 汗水》 丘吉尔、爱因斯坦的成功看什么（上）

导读：

当我们想到成功人士，我们想象他们是因为命运或好运而成功。然而，现实却完全不同。每个人在一生中都会面临批评、障碍和失败。是内在的意志和力量去面对和克服这些困难，这是不同的。正是这种内在的意志塑造了成功的艺术家、发明家和英雄领袖，他们激励和激励着我们，甚至几十年后。机遇固然重要，但成功总是来自对成功的激情，以及精心准备、坚持不懈的努力和惊人的决心。

原文及翻译：

As a young boy, Britain's great Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, attended a public school called Harrow. He was not a good student, and had he not been from a famous family, he probably would have been removed from the school for deviating from the rules. Thankfully, he did finish at Harrow and his errors there did not preclude him from going on to the university. He eventually had a premier army career whereby he was later elected prime minister. He achieved fame for his wit, wisdom, civic duty, and abundant courage in his refusal to surrender during the miserable dark days of World War II. His amazing determination helped motivate his entire nation and was an inspiration worldwide.

英国的伟大首相温斯顿·丘吉尔爵士，小时候在哈罗公学上学。 当时他可不是个好学生，要不是出身名门，他可能早就因为违反纪律被开除了。 谢天谢地，他总算从哈罗毕业了，在那里犯下的错误并没影响到他上大学。 后来，他凭着军旅生涯中的杰出表现当选为英国首相。 他的才思、智慧、公民责任感以及在二战痛苦而黑暗的时期拒绝投降的无畏勇气，为他赢得了美名。 他非凡的决心，不仅激励了整个民族，还鼓舞了全世界。

Toward the end of his period as prime minister, he was invited to address the patriotic young boys at his old school, Harrow. The headmaster said, "Young gentlemen, the greatest speaker of our time, will be here in a few days to address you, and you should obey whatever sound advice he may give you." The great day arrived. Sir Winston stood up, all five feet, five inches and 107 kilos of him, and gave this short, clear-cut speech: "Young men, never give up. Never give up! Never give up! Never, never, never, never!"

在他首相任期即将结束时，他应邀前往母校哈罗公学，为满怀报国之志的同学们作演讲。 校长说：“年轻的先生们，当代最伟大的演说家过几天就会来为你们演讲，他提出的任何中肯的建议，你们都要听从。” 那个激动人心的日子终于到了。 温斯顿爵士站了起来——他只有5英尺5英寸高，体重却有107公斤。他作了言简意赅的讲话：“年轻人，要永不放弃。永不放弃！永不放弃！永不，永不，永不，永不！”

Personal history, educational opportunity, individual dilemmas — none of these can inhibit a strong spirit committed to success. No task is too hard. No amount of preparation is too long or too difficult. Take the example of two of the most scholarly scientists of our age, Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison. Both faced immense obstacles and extreme criticism. Both were called "slow to learn" and written off as idiots by their teachers. Thomas Edison ran away from school because his teacher whipped him repeatedly for asking too many questions. Einstein didn't speak fluently until he was almost nine years old and was such a poor student that some thought he was unable to learn. Yet both boys' parents believed in them. They worked intensely each day with their sons, and the boys learned to never bypass the long hours of hard work that they needed to succeed. In the end, both Einstein and Edison overcame their childhood persecution and went on to achieve magnificent discoveries that benefit the entire world today.

个人经历、教育机会、个人困境，这些都不能阻挡一个全力以赴追求成功的、有着坚强意志的人。 任务再苦，准备再长，难度再大，都不能让他放弃自己的追求。 就以本时代最有学问的两位科学家——阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦和托马斯·爱迪生为例，他们都曾面临巨大的障碍和极端的批评，都曾被说成“不开窍”，被老师当成笨蛋而放弃。 托马斯·爱迪生还曾逃学，因为老师嫌他问的问题太多而经常鞭打他。 爱因斯坦一直到将近9岁才能流利地说话，学习成绩太差，有些人认为他都已经学不好了。 然而，这两个男孩的父母都相信他们。 他们坚持不懈地每天和儿子一起努力，孩子们也了解到，要想成功，就绝不要怕付出长期而艰辛的努力。 最终，爱因斯坦和爱迪生都摆脱了童年的困扰，进而作出了造福当今全世界的伟大发现。

Consider also the heroic example of Abraham Lincoln, who faced substantial hardships, failures and repeated misfortunes in his lifetime. His background was certainly not glamorous. He was raised in a very poor family with only one year of formal education. He failed in business twice, suffered a nervous breakdown when his first love died suddenly and lost eight political elections. Later in life, he suffered profound grief over the tragic death of three of his four children. Yet his strong will was the spur that pushed him forward, strengthening his optimism, dedication and determination. It intensified and focused his efforts and enabled him to triumph over the overwhelming failures and profound difficulties in his life. A hundred years later, people from around the world commend Abraham Lincoln as the greatest American president of all time.

再如亚伯拉罕·林肯这个英雄的典范，他一生面临了无数艰辛、失败和接二连三的不幸。 他的出身和经历真是一点也算不上光鲜。 他在一个非常贫困的家庭长大，只受过一年正规教育。 经商两度失败，初恋爱人的突然离世也使他精神崩溃，还在八次政治选举中落马。 此后，他的四个孩子有三个不幸去世，令他悲痛欲绝。 然而，坚强的意志鞭策着他，推动他前进，使他更加乐观、投入、坚毅。 这让他得以全力以赴，一次次战胜生命中的巨大困难和挫折。 一百年之后，世界各地的人们都赞颂亚伯拉罕·林肯，认为他是有史以来最伟大的美国总统。

重点单词：

Deviate：vi.背离；偏离

Preclude：vt.阻碍；阻止；妨碍

Better options may come along later, and taking the first option will preclude them from being free for the later and better ones. 后面可能会出现更好的选择，选了第一个他们就无法自由选择后面更好的了。

Premier：a.最好的；最大的；最重要的

The best women players from 56 nations began to compete for what is the premier team prize in women's tennis. 来自56个国家的最好的女子选手开始竞夺女子网球最重要的团体奖。

n.[C] a prime minister 首相；总理

Today's paper reports that the premier has given up the idea of visiting his hometown. 今天的报纸报道说，总理已经放弃了访问其故乡的想法。

Whereby: ad.凭那个；借以

Officials proposed a system of double-checking on traders whereby they would be obliged to list every item exported and imported. 官员们提出了一个对贸易商进行复核的制度，这样贸易商将被迫列出进出口的每一个项目。

Civic: a. (only before noun) 公民的；市民的

She felt it was her civic duty to give the police the names of the destroyers. 她觉得向警察提供那些破坏者的名字是她作为一个市民的责任。

2 城镇的；城市的

He takes on a lot of responsibilities, both at work and in civic affairs. 在工作和市政事务方面他承担了许多责任。

Patriotic: a.爱国的；有爱国心的

The Chinese people have a glorious patriotic tradition, and they are great peace-loving people. 中国人民具有光荣的爱国传统，是伟大的、热爱和平的人民。

clear-cut: a.明确的；清楚的

You have to be really clear-cut about who you are and what you're trying to achieve. 你必须真正清楚你是谁，你想达到什么目的。

Inhibit : vt.阻碍；妨碍；抑制

This strict supervision of their activities will make them less decisive and may inhibit them from giving orders or taking charge of the situation. 对他们行动的这种严密监控将使他们优柔寡断，还可能会妨碍他们发布命令、掌控局势。

Scholarly: a. 博学的；学问精深的

This extraordinarily scholarly young man had already advanced far in the study of art. 这位学问极其渊博的年轻人已经在艺术研究领域取得了卓越的成绩。

2学者的；学术的

Recently, scholarly research is showing that marriage, by and large, makes people happier, healthier, and better off financially. 近来，学术研究大多显示婚姻使人更幸福健康，经济上更富裕。

Idiot: n. 笨蛋；傻子

Bypass: vt.（做某事时）避开，越过（某人）

A flexible plan can allow us to bypass unnecessary tasks and ignore unimportant interruptions. 一个灵活的计划可以让我们避开不必要的任务，忽略不重要的干扰。

2绕过；绕…走

Roadways, bridges, overpasses, and interchanges could run through or bypass urban areas. 公路、桥梁、天桥和立体交叉道穿过或绕过城区。

Persecution : n.

[C, U]（尤指因种族、宗教或政治信仰而进行的）迫害，残害

Unfortunately, the persecution of religious minorities has been common in the history of the world. 遗憾的是，在世界历史上，对宗教少数派的迫害很常见。

Misfortune n.

1 [C] 不幸的事；灾难

Very often, comedians use the misfortunes in their personal life to create jokes and make other people laugh. 很常见的是，喜剧演员用他们个人生活中的不幸来制造笑料，给其他人带来笑声。

2 [U] 厄运；不幸

I have no doubt that the misfortune of a serious illness in his family caused his financial difficulties. 我可以肯定他家人不幸得了重病导致他经济困难。

Glamor: n.魅力；吸引力

She has the glamor of a movie star as it is rarely seen in office environments. 她具有电影明星的魅力，而这种魅力在职场是很少见的。

Glamorous: a. 极富魅力的；非常吸引人的

She became an entertainment journalist because she wanted to spend her working life in the glamorous world of celebrities and top politicians. 她成为了一名娱乐新闻记者，因为她想在风光无限、满是社会名流和著名政治家的圈子里工作。

Tragic: a. 可悲的；悲惨的；不幸的；悲剧性的

When she heard about her husband's tragic experience, she could hardly choke back her tears. 当她听到自己丈夫的不幸经历时，几乎无法抑制住自己的眼泪。

Spur: n [C]刺激；激励；鞭策；鼓舞

The soccer team's manager said that the team's success on Saturday would be a spur which would lead to even greater effort this season. 这支足球队的经理说球队周六的胜利将会鼓舞球队在本赛季更加努力。

vt. 刺激；激励；鞭策；鼓舞

The promise of bonuses or gifts can spur workers to higher achievement. 承诺给工人奖金或礼品可以激励他们取得更大的成绩。

2使发生

The discovery of diamonds and gold spurred wealth and immigration in this region. 钻石和黄金的发现使该地区财富激增，并引发了涌往该地区的移民潮。

Optimism: n.乐观；乐观主义

Although they were poor, disabled or ill, they faced life with optimism and vigor. 虽然他们贫穷、残疾或疾病缠身，但他们乐观而充满活力地面对生活。

Dedication: n. [U]奉献；献身

The volunteers' dedication and support have been invaluable for the Art Association's funds and for managing them effectively. 在艺协基金及其有效管理上，志愿者的奉献和支持是非常宝贵的。

Commend: vt. (fml.)（正式或公开）表扬，称赞，表彰

I would like to commend you for the support you give with your excellent articles to rural artists and craftspeople. 我十分赞赏你通过精彩的文章而给予农村艺术家和手艺人的支持。

2推荐

I don't usually commend everyone who does a good job; I only commend people who do an excellent job. 对工作干得好的人我不是都推荐，我只推荐工作成绩优异的人。