过去我总是将时间和精力投入到一些从一开始就注定要失败的项目上。

I used to pour time and energy into projects that were doomed from the start.

《柯林斯英汉双解大词典》

尽管搭便车在某些地方仍然很盛行，但在西方大部分地区，人们普遍认为搭便车是注定要失败的。

While hitchhiking was clearly still alive and well in some places, the general feeling was that throughout much of the west it was doomed.

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两国的一些人士都认为禁毒是注定要失败的。

Some people in both countries argue that drug prohibition is bound to fail.

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