The First Day

        One of the important lessons of life is to learn how to get victory out of defeat. It takes  courage and stamina,  when mortified by humiliating disaster,  to seek in the ruins the elements of future conquest.  Yet this measures the difference between those who succeed and those who fail.  We cannot measure a man  by his failure.  We must  know what use he makes of them.  The man who has not fought his way upward and does not bear the scar of desperate conflict does not know the highest meaning of success

victory ['vɪktəri]  胜利；成功；克服

defeat [dɪ'fit] vt. 击败，战胜；挫败；使…失败  n. 失败的事实；击败的行为

courage [ 'kɝrɪdʒ]  n. 勇气；胆量

stamina [stæmənə]  n. 毅力；精力；活力；持久力

mortified ['mɔ:tifaid] adj. 窘迫的；受辱的  v. 使受辱（mortify的过去式）

humiliating [hju:'milieitiŋ] adj. 丢脸的；羞辱性的 v. 使蒙耻（humiliate的ing形式）

disaster [dɪ'zæstɚ] n. 灾难，灾祸；不幸

ruins ['ruɪn]  n. 遗迹（ruin的复数形式）；废墟  v. 毁灭（ruin的三单形式）

elements [ˈɛləmənts]  n. 基础；原理

conquest ['kɑŋkwɛst]  n. 征服，战胜；战利品

measures [mɛʒɚz]  n. 措施；层组（measure的复数 v. 测量（measure的单三形式）

fought [fɔt]  v. 战斗（fight的过去分词）；打架

upward ['ʌpwɚd]  adj. 向上的；上升的 adv. 向上

bear [bɛr] vt. 结果实，开花（正式）vt. 忍受；承受；具有；支撑 n. 熊

scar [skɑr]  vt. 伤害；给留下伤痕 vi. 结疤；痊愈 n. 创伤；伤痕

desperate ['dɛspərət]  adj. 不顾一切的；令人绝望的；极度渴望的

conflict ['kɑnflɪkt] n. 冲突，矛盾；斗争；争执  vi. 冲突，抵触；争执；战斗