1    What is the secret to success? Loads of money? Good luck? Great teeth? Nope (不是). Cash, luck, and a nice smile can't hurt, but many experts agree that what successful people have in common is this: They were once failures.

2    Take George Washington, who lost two huge battles and was nearly fired before leading troops (军队) to victory (胜利) in the Revolutionary (革命的) War and becoming America's first president. Then there's Steve Jobs, who developed a slew of (很多) failed products — and even got canned from Apple — before returning to change the world with the iPod, iPhone, and iPad.

3    The list of famous failures goes on: Pop icon (偶像) Katy Perry was dropped by three different record labels. Nobel Prize (诺贝尔奖) winner Albert Einstein was expelled from school. Basketball star Jeremy Lin spent his early career sitting on the bench (板凳). Many of the world’s most successful people were once losers.

4    They probably felt humiliated (使蒙耻，羞辱), lost, and hopeless. Eventually, though, they figured out how to move forward. And that is the key to using failure to your advantage: the ability to dust (除去…的灰尘) yourself off and try again. And again. And again.

5    This is called resilience (复原力，恢复力), and it's what can turn losers into winners. In fact, experts say that in terms of future success, resilience can be more important than brains or talent.

6    It's no wonder many experts believe every kid and teen should experience failure. That's right. They WANT you to mess up. Learning to cope with failure at a young age will help you handle bigger challenges later in life.

7    One of history's proudest failures was inventor Thomas Edison. According to(根据) legend(传说), the first 1,000 times that Edison tried to create a light bulb, his invention didn't work. So he kept experimenting until he finally found a way to build one that did.

8    "I didn't fail 1,000 times," Edison later said. "The light bulb was invented with 1,000 steps!"

9    So what about you? Are you a successful failure? Say you do poorly on a math test. Do you think, "Oh, my teacher just hates me" or "Oh, I’m just bad at math"? People who don’t know how to fail tend to blame others for their mistakes or give up without trying. They might feel like the whole world is against them. Often, they are insecure. After all, it takes a lot of confidence to admit your own shortcomings (不足之处).

10    Part of being successful means having the courage to take a good, hard look at yourself and identify ways to do better next time. Well, that and a bit of patience (耐心). Sometimes it takes a while to get where you want to go.

11    Just look at the New York Knicks' breakout (非常走红的) star, Jeremy Lin. A few months ago, no one had even heard of him. For years, he was overlooked (忽视) by coaches. Once, he was even called "the weakest player on the team." When he finally got a chance to play, he surprised everyone. He was fantastic (非常出色的), unstoppable (势不可挡的). And now he’s one of the most promising young athletes (运动员) in pro basketball. How did he do it? Lin spent hundreds of hours with coaches and trainers. He arrived at practice hours before his teammates (队友) to do extra drills (训练). In other words, he relied on good, old-fashioned hard work and perseverance (持之以恒).

12    So next time you fail a test, strike out (三击不中出局) at bat (上场击球), or sing off-key, cheer up. With the right attitude, you could be onto something truly great.

1. Take George Washington. 

就拿乔治·华盛顿来说吧。

句中的动词 take 意思是“以…为例”，其宾语后面还可以添加 for example。又如：

Take my father for example.

以我父亲为例吧。

2. Then there’s Steve Jobs, who developed a slew of failed products — and even got canned from Apple… 

还有史蒂夫·乔布斯。他研发了许多失败的产品，甚至被苹果公司解雇……

句中的 who developed a slew of failed products — and even got canned from Apple 是非限定定语从句，起到对 Steve Jobs 进一步说明的作用。a slew of 意思是“[美口]大量的，许多的”，又如：

He already has a slew of friends.

他已经有许多朋友了。

can 也是口语用法，意思是“解雇(职工)，开除(学生)”

3. Pop icon Katy Perry was dropped by three different record labels. 

流行偶像凯蒂·佩里曾经被3家不同的唱片公司开除。

在本句中，pop icon 与 Katy Perry 是同位关系，pop icon 前面不能有冠词；动词 drop 的意思是“[美口]把…除名；开除”，又如：

He was dropped from college. 

他被大学开除。

label在本句中的意思是“唱片公司”。

4. Basketball star Jeremy Lin spent his early career sitting on the bench. 

篮球明星林书豪在其职业生涯的早期只能是坐在替补席上。

本句中的 basketball star 与 Jeremy Lin 也是同位关系，basketball star 前面也同样不能有冠词；sit on the bench 是体育术语，意思是“坐在替补席上”。

5. And that is the key to using failure to your advantage: the ability to dust yourself off and try again.

这就是将失败化为优势的关键：能够掸掉身上的尘土，再试  一次。

本句中，the key 意思是“关键”，后面跟介词 to，又如：

Practice is the key to any skill.

实践是获取任何技能的关键。

to sb.’s advantage 意思是“对某人有利”，又如：

It is to your advantage that I go away.

我走开对你有利。

dust oneself off 是个比喻的说法，意思是“掸掉身上的灰尘，重新站起来”。

6. Well, that and a bit of patience.

对了，此外还要有一点耐心。

本句中的 that 指代前句的整个内容。这个省略句再次体现本文非正式的写作风格。

7. And now he’s one of the most promising young athletes in pro basketball.

现在他是职业篮球最有希望的年轻运动员之一。

本句中的 pro 是 professional 的缩略，用于口语中。

8. So next time you fail a test, strike out at bat, or sing off-key, cheer up. 

所以，下一次你考试不及格、上场击球三击不中而出局或者唱歌跑调时，都要振作起来。

本句中的 strike out 是棒球运动上的术语，意思是“三击不中出局”；at bat 意思是“上场击球”。

9. With the right attitude, you could be onto something truly great.

有了正确的态度，你就能做出真正了不起的事情来。

句中 be onto sth.意为 be in a situation that could lead to a good result for you “处于有利地位，取得好结果”。又如：

Scientists believe they art onto something big.

科学家们相信，他们将会有重大发现。

She’s onto a good thing with that new job.

她在新工作中将大有作为。