精美英文欣赏:我被法学院开除的日子

编者按:

每个人迟早都会在一些人生重大事情上遇到挫折——无论它是工作、梦想，还是一份感情。我相信，被法学院开除使我成了一名更好的法官。它确实教我认识了人性的弱点，体会到给予人们第二次机会的必要性。

但失败也使我懂得，人生之路充满了未知的变数，要充分利用这些变数，你就不能让自己被一次挫折击垮，也不能让别人束缚你的手脚。

The Day I Flunked¹ out of Law School

The dean of the University of Colorado School of Law decided² that I couldn’t return to classes next fall because my grades were too low. He said I would never make a lawyer.

Even today words cannot describe my upset. I’d never really failed at anything significant.

After all, the University of Colorado at Boulder³ was a Taj Mahal—the door to judicial⁴ clerkships and prestigious⁵ law firms.

But I decided to try again and went to see Clifford Mills, the dean of Westminster College of Law—a poor man’s school with no tenured professors or law review.

After reading my college transcript⁶, Dean Mills let me enroll⁷ at Westminster, on one condition, that I repeat all my first-year classes, this time paying attention.

“I’ll be looking over your shoulder,” he said.

One door had closed. But others opened.

Given a second chance, I worked much harder, becoming fascinated by the law of evidence.

In my second year the professor who taught the course passed away. I was asked to take over—inconceivable at a law school like Boulder.Evidence became a lifelong specialty⁸, and for many years I taught classes on the subject for judges, law students and practicing lawyers throughout the country. Meanwhile I worked days in the Denver City Attorney’s office as a clerk. It was anything but glamorous⁹. But it led to a job as an assistant city attorney after graduation. I became a county judge at age 28, one of Denver’s youngest.

Later I was elected as a district judge, and then appointed by the President to the federal judiciary as a U.S. district judge.And, ultimately, I did return to Boulder—to receive the University of Colorado’s George Norlin Award, and an honorary doctorate¹⁰ of law.

Sooner or later everyone will fall short at something important to them—whether it be a job, a dream or a relationship.

Flunking¹¹ out of law school, I believe, made me a better judge, it certainly taught me about the frailties¹² of the human condition, and about the need to give people second chances. But failure also taught me that life is a road with unpredictable forks and unexpected tomorrows.To take advantage of them, you can’t let yourself be destroyed by a defeat, or let others set the limits on your ability to achieve.

我被法学院开除的日子

科罗拉多大学法学院的院长决定我从下个秋季学期起就不能去上课了，我的分数太低了。他说我永远也当不了律师。

即便到今天，也无法用言语描述我当时的失落。在大事上我从未真正失败过。

毕竟，玻尔得的科罗拉多大学是一座泰姬陵——一扇通向司法职业和大牌律师事务所的大门。

然而，我决定再试一下，去找威斯敏斯特法学院的的克利福德·米尔斯院长，威斯敏斯特学院则是一所技校——一个没有终身教授和法学刊物的穷人学校。

米尔斯看了我的大学成绩单，录取了我，但条件是：我得重修一年级的所有课程，并得用心学习。

“我会一直盯着你的。”他说。一扇门关闭了，但其他的门却敞开了。有了第二次机会，我学习努力了许多，并迷上了证据法。

第二年，教证据法的教授去世了。学校请我来上这门课——这在玻尔得那样的法学院是不可思议的。证据法成了我终生的专业，多年来我给全国各地的法官、法学院学生和挂牌律师讲授这门课。同时白天我在丹佛市检察官办公室当职员。工作没什么意思，但在那儿得到了锻炼，于是毕业之后我成了一名助理检察官。28岁时我成了丹佛市最年轻的县法官之一。

然后又当选为地区法官，之后由总统任命到联邦司法部担任美国地区法官。而最终呢，我确实又回到了玻尔得——去接受科罗拉多大学的乔治·诺林奖和荣誉法学博士学位。

每个人迟早都会在一些人生重大事情上遇到挫折——无论它是工作、梦想，还是一份感情。我相信，被法学院开除使我成了一名更好的法官。它确实教我认识了人性的弱点，体会到给予人们第二次机会的必要性。

但失败也使我懂得，人生之路充满了未知的变数，要充分利用这些变数，你就不能让自己被一次挫折击垮，也不能让别人束缚你的手脚。

1 flunked   

v.( flunk的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）（考试、某学科的成绩等）不及格；评定（某人）不及格；（因不及格而） 退学

参考例句：

• I flunked math in second grade. 我二年级时数学不及格。
• He flunked out (of college) last year. 他去年（从大学）退学了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

3 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

4 judicial   

adj.司法的，法庭的，审判的，明断的，公正的

参考例句：

• He is a man with a judicial mind.他是个公正的人。
• Tom takes judicial proceedings against his father.汤姆对他的父亲正式提出诉讼。

5 prestigious   

adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的

参考例句：

• The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
• You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。

6 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

7 enroll   

v.招收；登记；入学；参军；成为会员（英)enrol

参考例句：

• I should like to enroll all my children in the swimming class.我愿意让我的孩子们都参加游泳班。
• They enroll him as a member of the club.他们吸收他为俱乐部会员。

8 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

9 glamorous   

adj.富有魅力的；美丽动人的；令人向往的

参考例句：

• The south coast is less glamorous but full of clean and attractive hotels.南海岸魅力稍逊，但却有很多干净漂亮的宾馆。
• It is hard work and not a glamorous job as portrayed by the media.这是份苦差，并非像媒体描绘的那般令人向往。

10 doctorate   

n.(大学授予的)博士学位

参考例句：

• He hasn't enough credits to get his doctorate.他的学分不够取得博士学位。
• Where did she do her doctorate?她在哪里攻读博士？

11 flunking   

v.( flunk的现在分词 )；（使）（考试、某学科的成绩等）不及格；评定（某人）不及格；（因不及格而） 退学

参考例句：

• Is there some school of the ear I'm flunking out off right now? 我是不是被什么听力学校淘汰了？ 来自电影对白
• Twelve freshman footballers were flunking classes and had to leave. 当时有12名高中一年级的美式足球（即橄榄球）队员没有通过考试而不得不离开。 来自互联网

12 frailties   

n.脆弱( frailty的名词复数 )；虚弱；（性格或行为上的）弱点；缺点

参考例句：

• The fact indicates the economic frailties of this type of farming. 这一事实表明，这种类型的农业在经济上有其脆弱性。 来自辞典例句
• He failed therein to take account of the frailties of human nature--the difficulties of matrimonial life. 在此，他没有考虑到人性的种种弱点--夫妻生活的种种难处。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹