英语沙龙：Success Is a Choice

All of us ought to be able to brace¹ ourselves for the predictable challenges and setbacks

that crop up every day.

If we expect that life won’t be perfect,

we’ll be able to avoid that impulse to quit.

But even if you are strong enough to persist through the obstacle course of life and work,

sometimes you will encounter an adverse² event that will completely knock you on your back.

Whether it’s financial loss, the loss of respect of your peers or loved ones,

or some other traumatic event in your life,

these major setbacks leave you doubting yourself

and wondering if things can ever change for the better again.

Adversity happens to all of us, and it happens all the time.

Some form of major adversity is either going to be there or it’s lying in wait just around the corner.

To ignore adversity is to succumb³ to the ultimate self-delusion.

But you must recognize that history full of examples of men and women

who achieved greatness despite facing hurdles⁴ so steep that

they easily could have crushed their spirit and left them lying in the dust.

Moses was a stutterer, yet he was called on to be the voice of God.

Abraham Lincoln overcame a difficult childhood,depression, the death of two sons,

and constant ridicule⁵ during the Civil War to become arguably our greatest president ever.

Helen Keller made an impact on the world despite being deaf, dumb, and blind from an early age.

Franklin Roosevelt had polio.

There are endless examples.

These were people who not only looked adversity in the face

but learned valuable lessons about overcoming difficult circumstances

and were able to move ahead.

1 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

2 adverse   

adj.不利的；有害的；敌对的，不友好的

参考例句：

• He is adverse to going abroad.他反对出国。
• The improper use of medicine could lead to severe adverse reactions.用药不当会产生严重的不良反应。

3 succumb   

v.屈服，屈从；死

参考例句：

• They will never succumb to the enemies.他们决不向敌人屈服。
• Will business leaders succumb to these ideas?商业领袖们会被这些观点折服吗？

4 hurdles   

n.障碍( hurdle的名词复数 )；跳栏；（供人或马跳跃的）栏架；跨栏赛

参考例句：

• In starting a new company, many hurdles must be crossed. 刚开办一个公司时，必须克服许多障碍。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• There are several hurdles to be got over in this project. 在这项工程中有一些困难要克服。 来自辞典例句

5 ridicule   

v.讥讽，挖苦；n.嘲弄

参考例句：

• You mustn't ridicule unfortunate people.你不该嘲笑不幸的人。
• Silly mistakes and queer clothes often arouse ridicule.荒谬的错误和古怪的服装常会引起人们的讪笑。