佚名/Anonymous
The dean of the University of Colorado School of Law, decided 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 Boulder was a TajMahal, the door to judicial clerk ships and prestigious law firms.
But I decided to try again and went to see Clifford Mills, the dean of Westminster Cortege of Law—a poor man's school with no tenured professors or law review. After reading my college transcript, Dean Mills let me enroll 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 specialty, 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 glamorous. But it led to a job as an assistant city attomey after graduation.
I would 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 doctorate of law.
Sooner or later everyone will fall short at something important to them—whether it be a job, a dream or a relationship. Flunking out of law school, I believe, made me a better judge, it certainly taught me about the frailties 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.
由于我的分数太低了，科罗拉多大学法学院的院长决定，我从下个秋季开始就不能再回到学校上课了。他说，我永远不可能成为一名律师。即使是今天，我也无法用语言来形容当时的烦乱心情，以前，我在重大的事情上还从来没有真正失败过。毕竟，波尔得的科罗拉多大学是一扇通往司法职业和名气很高的律师事务所的大门，它就是一座泰姬陵。
然而，我决定再尝试一下，于是就去找威斯敏斯特法学院的克利福德·米尔斯院长，这个法学院没有终身教授和法学刊物，是一个穷人学校。在看了我的大学成绩单之后，米尔斯决定接受我进入威斯敏斯特法学院，条件是我要认真地重读一年级的所有课程。他说：“我会一直关注你的表现的。”
一扇门关上了，其他门敞开了。
得到了第二次学习的机会，我更加努力地学习，并且逐渐对证据法产生了浓厚的兴趣。第二年，教这门课的教授去世了，学院居然请我教授这门课程，这种事情在波尔得那样的法学院简直是无法想象的。多年来，我一直为全国各地的法官、法学专业的学生和见习律师讲授这门课程，证据法成为我的终身专业。
与此同时，白天我在丹佛市检察官办公室做职员，这是一份没有什么吸引力的工作。然而，这段经历让我在毕业后找到了担任市助理检察官的工作。
我在28岁的时候成为一名县法官，同时也是丹佛市最年轻的法官之一。后来，我当选为地区法官，再后来，我被总统任命为联邦司法部美国地区法官。最后，我又回到了波尔得，为的是接受科罗拉多大学的乔治·诺林奖和荣誉法学博士学位。
每个人或早或晚都会在人生大事上遭遇一些短暂的挫折，不管是工作、梦想还是各种关系。正是因为被法学院开除，我才成为一名更加优秀的法官，对此我深信不疑。毋庸置疑，这个经历让我认识到了人性的弱点，认识到给予别人第二次机会的重要意义。
除此之外，我也从失败中懂得，人生的旅途充满了不可预知的岔路口和意想不到的明天。你不能让自己被失败摧毁，不能让别人束缚自己实现梦想的能力，而是要充分利用这些挫折。
人生的道路不会永远平坦，但也不会永远坎坷与落寞。当身处困境的时候，不要灰心，不要认为生活已经无法改变，而要变得更加坚强。当机遇再次来临的时候，要懂得好好珍惜，不要因为挫折和别人的束缚，而放弃自己的追求和梦想。
significant [sig'nifik?nt] adj.重大的；有意义的
We dreamed of doing something big and splashy, something significant.
我们都梦想过做一番大事业，做有意义的事情。
prestigious [pre'stid??s ] adj.有名望的；享有声望的
It has the most prestigious business school in the world, a great housing system, and a diverse student body.
这所大学拥有全世界最负盛名的商学院，良好的住宿制度，以及多样化的学生群。
inconceivable [?ink?n'si:v?bl] adj.不能想象的；不可思议的
In that period he each season may attain 3 all-inclusives nearly the champion, this was too simply inconceivable.
在那期间，他几乎每个赛季都可以拿到三个大满贯的冠军，这简直太不可思议了。
frailty ['freilti] n.虚弱；意志薄弱；弱点
One of John's frailties of human nature is laziness.
约翰的弱点之一是懒惰。
这是一份没有什么吸引力的工作。
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正是因为被法学院开除，我才成为一名更加优秀的法官，对此我深信不疑。
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我也从失败中懂得，人生的旅途充满了不可预知的岔路口和意想不到的明天。
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He said I would never make a lawyer.
make a lawyer：成为一名律师
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Sooner or later everyone will fall short at something…
fall short：不足；缺乏
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