像你们这么大时我最害怕的不是贫穷，而是失败。

　　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.

　　像你们这么大时，尽管我明显缺乏在大学学习的动力，花大量时间在咖啡馆写小说，用于听课的时间很少，但我却有通过考试的本领。多年来，考试一直是衡量我和同龄人成功的标准。

　　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.

　　我不会笨到因为你们年轻、有才华并且受过良好的教育，就认为你们从来没有经受过困难或心碎的时刻。才华和智慧并不能使人摆脱命运的反复无常；我也从来没有认为在座的每一个人一直以来都享有优越感和满足感。

　　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，即将从哈佛毕业这一事实就意味着你们很少会经历失败。你们对失败的恐惧很可能与你们对成功的渴望一样强烈。实际上，你们眼中的失败可能在常人看来就是成功，毕竟你们在学业上已经相当成功了。

　　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.

　　最终，我们所有人都必须自己判断什么是失败，但是如果你乐意的话，这个世界是非常渴望给你一套标准的。因此根据任何传统的标准都可以说，我在毕业后的短短七年里经历了惨痛的失败：短暂的婚姻闪电般破裂，失业，成为单身母亲。在现代化的英国，我变得极度贫困，只是还没有到无家可归的地步。父母和我自己对未来的担忧，当年都变成了现实。无论按什么标准，当时我都是我所知道的最失败的人。

　　重点讲解：

　　1. in spite of

　　尽管；不顾；虽然；

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

　　尽管面临众多的艰难困苦，他们还是几乎义无反顾地表现出了对生活的热爱。

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

　　我知道你无论做什么，不管最初多么困难，最终都会成功。

　　2. have a knack for

　　有……的诀窍；

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

　　你有种天分，让你在适当的时机，做适当的事情。

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

　　有些人似乎对于学习语言就是有诀窍。

　　3. for a moment

　　哪怕一闪念；

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

　　我从来没想过将来会离婚。

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

　　一时间我以为我产生了幻觉。

　　4. be acquainted with

　　了解的；熟悉的；

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

　　他对于法国、德国和荷兰的文学了如指掌。

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

　　我也期待能对移民法有更多的了解。

　　5. be eager to do sth.

　　热切的；渴望做某事；

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

　　罗伯特很想谈谈陆军生活。

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

　　这家公司急于在欧洲取得一席之地。

　　6. come to pass

　　发生；出现；实现

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

　　我怀疑他的那些许诺是否会兑现。

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

　　很多人都想要改革选举制度，但我认为不可能实现。