VOA词汇掌故2023--How Do You Define Success?

How Do You Define¹ Success?

And now, Words and Their Stories, from VOA Learning² English.

We all want to be a success in life. But success can look different from person to person. Perhaps the key to success is really knowing yourself. What do you want? What are your skills and strong suits? What are you really good at and what are you not?

Climbing the ladder of success also requires different strategies³ in different industries. If want to be a success in a traditional corporate⁴ environment, you may have to wear business clothing like a suit. As they say, you may have to dress for success.

If want a creative job, you may need to wear the latest fashions. Again, English has a common expression about clothes and future job goals: "Dress for the job you want, not the one you have."

However, success takes more than just the right clothes. It also takes hard work. Oftentimes others do not see all the hard work that goes into a project. They think success comes suddenly, for example overnight⁵. Let's say an unknown writer makes it big with her first book. People may call her an overnight success. But they do not know about the many years she spent studying and writing.

Another ingredient⁶ in the recipe for success is a plan. To reach your goal, you need to get organized and break the goal down into doable steps. You know what they say – if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

Many English phrases make the road to success sound like a real physical path -- something we could find on a map.

Real roads are paved⁷ with materials such as asphalt. But when we talk about success, the roads to it are paved with different materials. Sometimes we say the roads are paved with gold. This suggests a place where success, especially financial wealth, is easy to come by.

For some people the road to success is paved with hard work or luck. Others may find their road to success is paved with failures. Learning from their failures taught them how to succeed.

Often if you follow the right road, you can achieve your goal. Then, life is filled with the sweet smell of success. You have the world at your feet. You are riding high. You've got it made and are killing⁸ it. You are golden. As you can see, we have many expressions describing success.

But make sure that you do not lose sight of what really makes you happy and successful. Some people become a victim of their own success. This means you start having problems because of your success. And that explains our final popular English saying, a gentle warning: Be careful what you wish for: you just might get it.

And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.

How would you define success for your English studies? And do you have a plan to reach it? Go to our website and comment on the story. Or you can send us an email to this address: [email protected].

In the subject line, write Words and Their Stories and "success."

Words in This Story

strong suit – n. something in which one excels⁹

strategy¹⁰ – n. a careful plan or method

fashion – n. a common style especially of dress during a particular time or among a certain group

ingredient – n. something that enters into a compound¹¹ or is a component¹² part of any combination¹³ or mixture

recipe – n. a set of instructions for making something (as a food dish) from various things

paved – n. to lay or cover with material (such as asphalt or concrete) that forms a firm level surface for travel

asphalt – n. any of various compositions of asphalt having different uses (as for pavement or for waterproof cement or paint)

1 define   

vt.解释，下定义，阐述，限定，规定

参考例句：

• Please define the words.请解释这些字的意义。
• It's hard to define exactly what has changed.很难解释清楚到底发生了什么变化。

2 learning   

n.学问，学识，学习；动词learn的现在分词

参考例句：

• When you are learning to ride a bicycle,you often fall off.初学骑自行车时，常会从车上掉下来。
• Learning languages isn't just a matter of remembering words.学习语言不仅仅是记些单词的事。

3 strategies   

n.策略( strategy的名词复数 )；战略；战略学；对策

参考例句：

• Several steps and strategies have been developed to minimize these risks. 有关人士发展了若干措施和方法以减少这些风险。 来自英汉非文学 - 行政法
• Different threats require different strategies. 对付不同的威胁需要不同的策略。 来自英汉非文学 - 政府文件

4 corporate   

adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的

参考例句：

• This is our corporate responsibility.这是我们共同的责任。
• His corporate's life will be as short as a rabbit's tail.他的公司的寿命是兔子尾巴长不了。

5 overnight   

ad.前一天晚上，一夜间 a.前一天晚上的

参考例句：

• She stayed overnight in the hotel. 她在旅馆过了一夜。
• Our success is not won overnight. 我们的成功不是一夜之间得来的。

6 ingredient   

n.（烹饪）等的材料，原料，成分，因素

参考例句：

• The basic ingredient of this meal is rice.这一餐的主要原料是大米。
• Trust is a key ingredient.信任是关键要素。

7 paved   

v.铺( pave的过去式和过去分词 )；为…铺平道路

参考例句：

• a paved area near the back door 后门旁一块石板地
• The wide paved road degenerated into a narrow bumpy track. 铺好的宽阔道路渐渐变窄，成了一条崎岖不平的小径。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

9 excels   

优于，擅长( excel的第三人称单数 )； 胜过平时

参考例句：

• He excels as an orator. 他是一个出色的演说家。
• He excels in multiple-choice questions. 他擅长做选择题。

10 strategy   

n.方法，策略，战略

参考例句：

• The only way to take the enemy position is by strategy,not by forceful attack.只可智取，不可强攻。
• Tactics differs from strategy.战术有别于战略。

11 compound   

n.化合物；大院；adj.化合的；vt.加重；使化合

参考例句：

• Air is a mixture,not a compound of gases.空气是气体的混合物，不是化合物。
• How many households in the compound?院内有几家住户？

12 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。

13 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。