Failure is probably the most exhausting experience a person ever has. There is nothing more tiring than not succeeding.
失败可能是一个人所经历的最令人筋疲力尽的经历。没有什么比不成功更令人疲惫的了。

We experience this tiredness in two ways: as start-up fatigue(疲惫) and performance fatigue. In the former case, we keep putting off a task because it has either too boring or too difficult. And the longer we delay it, the more tired we feel.
我们以两种方式体验这种疲惫：启动疲劳和表现疲劳。在前一种情况下，我们一直推迟一项任务，因为它要么太无聊，要么太难。我们拖延得越久，感到的疲惫就越强烈。

Such start-up fatigue is very real, even if not actually physical, not something in our muscles and bones. The solution is obvious though perhaps not easy to apply: always handle the most difficult job first.
这种启动疲劳非常真实，即使并非真正的身体上的，不是我们肌肉和骨骼里的东西。解决方案虽然明显但也许不容易应用：总是先处理最困难的工作。

Years ago, I was asked to write 102 essays on the great ideas of some famous authors. Applying my own rule, I determined to write them in alphabetical(按字母顺序), never letting myself leave out a tough idea. And I always started the day’s work with the difficult task of essay-writing. Experience proved that the rule works.
几年前，我被要求写102篇关于一些著名作者伟大思想的文章。应用我自己的规则，我决定按字母顺序写，从不让自己遗漏一个难题。我总是以写文章的困难任务开始一天的工作。经验证明这个规则是有效的。

Performance fatigue is more difficult to handle. Though willing to get started, we cannot seem to do the job right. Its difficulties appear so great that, however hard we work, we fail again and again. In such a situation, I work as hard as I can-then let the unconscious take over.
表现疲劳更难以处理。虽然愿意开始，但我们似乎无法正确完成工作。它的困难似乎如此之大，无论我们多么努力，我们一次又一次地失败。在这种情况下，我会尽我所能地工作——然后让潜意识接管。

When planning Encyclopaedia Britannica (《大英百科全书》), I had to create a table of contents based on the topics of its articles. Nothing like this had ever been done before, and day after dat I kept coming up with solutions, but none of them worked. My fatigue became almost unbearable.
在规划《大英百科全书》时，我不得不根据其文章的主题创建一个目录。以前从未有人做过这样的事情，日复一日，我不断提出解决方案，但都不起作用。我的疲劳几乎无法忍受。

One day, mentally exhausted, I wrote down all the reasons why this problem could not be solved. I tried to convince myself that the trouble was with the problem itself, not with me. Relived, I sat back in an easy chair and fell asleep.
有一天，精神疲惫不堪，我写下了所有为什么这个问题无法解决的原因。我试图说服自己，问题在于问题本身，而不是我。松了一口气，我坐回安乐椅上睡着了。

An hour later, I woke up suddenly with the solution clearly in mind. In the weeks that followed, the solution which had come up in my unconscious mind provided correct at every step. Though I worked as hard as before, I felt no fatigue. Success was now as exciting as failure had been depressing.
一个小时后，我突然醒来，解决方案清晰地出现在脑海中。在接下来的几周里，潜意识中出现的解决方案在每一步都是正确的。尽管我像以前一样努力工作，但我没有感到疲劳。成功现在就像失败曾经令人沮丧一样令人兴奋。
Human beings, I believe must try to succeed. Success, then, means never feeling tired.
我相信人类必须努力成功。那么，成功就意味着永远不感到疲惫。

1. People with start-up fatigue are most likely to .
   A. delay tasks
   B. work hard
   C. seek help
   D. accept failure
   答案：A

2. What does the author recommend doing to prevent start-up fatigue?
   A. Writing essays in strict order.
   B. Building up physical strength.
   C. Leaving out the toughest ideas.
   D. Dealing with the hardest task first.
   答案：D

3. On what occasion does a person probably suffer from performance fatigue?
   A. Before starting a difficult task.
   B. When all the solutions fail.
   C. If the job is rather boring.
   D. After finding a way out.
   答案：B

4. According to the author, the unconscious mind may help us .
   A. ignore mental problems
   B. get some nice sleep
   C. gain complete relief
   D. find the right solution
   答案：D

5. What could be the best title for the passage?
   A. Success Is Built upon Failure
   B. How to Handle Performance Fatigue
   C. Getting over Fatigue: A Way to Success
   D. Fatigue: An Early Sign of Health Problems
   答案：C