不管他们就什么，做你认为正确的事。

Auctions (拍卖)are public sales of goods, made by an officially approved auctioneer. He asked the crowd assembled in the auction room to make offers, or bids, for the various items on sale. He encouraged buyers to bid higher figures, and finally named the highest bidder as the buyer of the goods. This is called 'knocking down' the goods, for the bidding ends when the auctioneer bangs a small hammer on a table at which he stands. This is often set on a raised platform called a rostrum. The ancient Romans probably invented sales by auction, and the English word comes from the Latin auction, meaning 'increase'. The Romans usually sold in this way the spoils taken in war, these sales were called 'sub hash', meaning 'under the spear', a spear being stuck in the ground as a signal for a crowd to gather. In England in the eighteenth century, goods were often sold 'by the candle': a short candle was lit by the auctioneer, and bids could be made while it stayed alight. Practically all goods whose qualities varied are sold by auction. Among these are coffee, hides, skins, wool, tea, cocoa, furs, spices, fruit, vegetables and wines. Auction sales are also usual for land and property, antique furniture, pictures, rare books, old china and similar works of art. The auction rooms at Christie's and Sotheby's in London and New York are world famous. An auction is usually advertised beforehand with full particulars of the articles to be sold and where and when they can be viewed by prospective buyers. If the advertisement cannot give full details, catalogues are printed, and each group of goods to be sold together, called a 'lot', is usually given a number. The auctioneer need not begin with Lot 1 and continue in numerical order; he may wait until he registers the fact that certain dealers are in the room and then produce the lots they are likely to be interested in. The auctioneer's services are paid for in the form of a percentage of the price the goods are sold for. The auctioneer therefore has a direct interest in pushing up the bidding as high as possible.

The good traditions of the Chinese people are certain to be passed on from generation to generation.

他试了好几次，但实验还是以失败而告终。

B：我学的是数学。英语难学吗?

What will man be like in the future—in 5,000 or even 50,000 years from now? We can only make a guess, of course, but we can be sure that he will be different from what he is today. For man is slowly changing all the time. Let us take an obvious example. Man, even five hundred years ago, was shorter than he is today. Now, on average, men are about three inches taller. Five hundred years is a relatively short period of time, so we may assume that man will continue to grow taller. Again, in the modern world we use our brains a great deal. Even so, we still make use of only about 20% of the brain's capacity. As time goes on, however, we shall have to use our brains more and more, and eventually we shall need larger ones. This is likely to bring about a physical change tool—the head, in particular the forehead, will grow larger. Nowadays our eyes are in constant use. In fact, we use them so much that very often they become weaker and we have to wear glasses. But over very long period of time it is likely that man's eyes will grow stronger. On the other hand, we tend to make less use of our arms and legs. These, as a result, are likely to grow weaker. At the same time, however, our fingers will grow more sensitive because they are used a great deal in modern life. But what about hair? It will probably disappear from the body altogether in course of time because it does not serve a useful purpose any longer. In the future, then, both sexes are likely to be bald. Perhaps all this gives the impression that future man will not be a very attractive creature to look at. This may well be true. All the same, in spite of all these changes, future man will still have a lot in common with us. He will still be a human being, with thoughts and emotions similar to our own.

Parrots are becoming one of the most popular pets in America for good reasons. The parrot is an extraordinary bird that can be taught to talk, can be easily cared for, and can create a lively atmosphere anywhere. With the help of an energetic parrot owner, a parrot can develop an enormous vocabulary. In addition, a parrot can be trained to say 'Pretty boy' or 'Polly wants a cracker,' and it also can learn to whistle or sing. No matter what an owner decides to teach a bird, training a parrot takes much patience, but the reward is a stream of chatter. Another reason for the parrot's popularity is that this pet does not require much care. For example, even a spoiled parrot does not need a house-sitter for the purpose of daily walks and daily feeding. In fact, a parrot owner may leave his or her pet with enough food for five days and have no fear that the parrot will overeat. Still another advantage of owning a parrot is its inexpensive food, including seeds, nuts, corn, and grain—along with an apple, banana, or carrot. Perhaps the most likely reason the parrot is becoming such a well-liked pet is that it is a combination of tameness and wildness. Because the parrot can live in almost any environment, it makes a fine, tame companion for many people. In addition, because it can be easily trained, it is a delightful performer. At the same time, its colorful feathers give it an air of the mystery of the parrot's native home, the jungle. Thus, the parrot, once a highly valued gift presented to kings and noble families, is now appreciated by a growing number of people.

Closely related to our daily life are goods prices.

A：是的。如果想更好地了解英国文化，首先应该学好英语。

你应该利用课外一切机会学英语。

When I was studying English at a training center in Washington D.C. in 1998, I shared a house with two young Americans, Jim and Steve. Jim was studying French and Steve Chinese, both at the Foreign Service Institute. We shared many things in common, but we also thought and acted quite differently. Steve was interested in speaking Chinese. He always tried every opportunity to talk with me with his very English-like pronunciation. I was often touched by his diligence. However, I wanted to practice English with him, too. So we often spoke at the same time in the other's mother tongue. Jim was fresh from college and the youngest of the three. He was going out all the time. The only time we met was at breakfast. There was a small round table in our kitchen, where we sat around to enjoy our food. Steve had Chinese fast food such as dumplings or noodles, and I ate bread and boiled eggs. But Jim often just drank a cup of tea because he had nothing in his fridge. He was too busy dating pretty French girls to do any shopping. I often offered him some of my food. But Steve told me in his poor Chinese that I didn't need to do that. He said that it was Jim's own fault and that it served him right. Although he was learning Chinese, he still held his American sense of values. Two years later, I returned to China. The three of us still keep in touch, Jim now works in a travel agency in Paris. He got married to one of the pretty girls. He wrote to tell us that he can now enjoy a delicious breakfast with his beautiful wife every morning in their comfortable living room. Steve wants to work in China. And I'm helping him with this. I have introduced him to the dean of the Oversea Section of our university. He is very interested in Steve. He wants to know if Steve can work here teaching the oversea students Chinese. I have sent the message to Steve. I'm sure he'd be very happy to accept the job. However, I hope he could try harder to improve himself. Otherwise, all the overseas students would speak with his terrible pronunciation!

随着经济的发展，在中国旅游正越来越受到人们的欢迎。

This idea sounds good, but will it work in practice?

One who makes no investigation has no right to speak.

A: That's a deal! Thank you and I'd like to pay by credit card.

Reaching new peaks of popularity in North America is Iceberg Water which is harvested from icebergs off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Arthur von Wiesenberger, who carries the title Water Master, is one of the few water critics in North America. As a boy, he spent time in the larger cities of Italy, France and Switzerland, where bottled water is consumed daily. Even then, he kept a water journal, noting the brands he liked best. 'My dog could tell the difference between bottled and tap water,' He says. But is plain tap water all that bad? Not at all. In fact, New York's municipal water for more than a century was called the champagne of tap water and until recently considered among the best in the world in terms of both taste and purity. Similarly, a magazine in England found that tap water from the Thames River tasted better than several leading brands of bottled water that were 400 times more expensive. Nevertheless, soft-drink companies view bottled water as the next battle-ground for market share—this despite the fact that over 25 percent of bottled water comes from tap water: PepsiCo's Aquafina and Coca-Cola's Dasani are both purified tap water rather than spring water. As diners thirst for leading brands, bottlers and restaurateurs salivate (垂涎) over the profits. A restaurant's typical mark-up on wine is 100 to 150 percent, whereas on bottled water it's often 300 to 500 percent. But since water is much cheaper than wine, and many of the fancier brands aren't available in stores, most diners don't notice or care. As a result, some restaurants are turning up the pressure to sell bottled water. According to an article in The Street Journal, some of the more shameless tactics include placing attractive bottles on the table for a visual sell, listing brands on the menu without prices, and pouring bottled water without even asking the dinners if they want it. Regardless of how it's sold, the popularity of bottled water taps into our desire for better health, our wish to appear cultivated, and even a lunging for lost purity.

如果我们不努力的话，就学不好英语。

邻居们都不能容忍他那样对年迈的父亲说话。

B：我很喜欢英国的文化，和我们国家的不一样。

A friend in need is a friend indeed.