It Pays to Be Honest
导读：诚实是美德。没有了诚实可信，难以想象世界会变成什么样。为人处世应建立在诚实的基础上，为了社会的和谐和发展，让我们诚实做人，诚实做事。
Nowadays people are troubled with mass of dishonest behaviors in society. Teachers get annoyed when they catch students cheating on exams; consumers get hurt when they unfortunately buy some fake products; children are misled when they see their parents tell lies so as to evade the responsibility they should take.
Why do people cheat? The main reason probably lies in immediate interest they may obtain by cheating. For example, a company, which manufactures fake products, may seem to win for a moment because it can minimize its manufacture cost by doing so. This kind of businesses, however, will be driven out of the market in the long run. For the consumers after getting to know the poor quality of the products will not buy them anymore.
The same is true of individuals. Dishonest people dare not take on the responsibility of life. They cheat in class, in office, at home and so on. But the truth can hardly be masked. The moment the truth comes out they will lose their credibility, which is easier to destroy than to rebuild. Consequently, these dishonest will suffer a long time because of their cheating behaviors. In conclusion, no one can afford to be dishonest in a civilized society.
Honesty is the pillar of a society. People will benefit from being honest in the long run. That's why we say it pays to be honest.
注释：
mass[mæs] n 大量，大批
annoyed [ə'nɔid] adj 恼怒的，恼火的
fake [feɪk] adj 假的，冒充的
mislead [mis'li:d] v 误导，欺骗
evade [i'veid] v 规避，逃避
obtain [əb'tein] v 获得，得到
manufacture [ˌmænju'fæktʃə] v 生产，制造
minimize ['minimaiz] v 使。。 最小，使。。。最少
consequently ['kɔnsikwəntli] adv 最后，结果
pillar ['pilə] n 支柱，柱子
译文：
诚实无价
当今社会，人们常受到很多不诚实行为的困扰。老师抓到学生考试作弊而恼火，顾客不幸买到假货而受到伤害，孩子们看到父母为逃避责任说谎而受到误导。
为什么人们会欺骗？主要原因可能在于他们通过欺骗可获得的直接利益。例如，生产假货的公司可能为了一时的获利因为通过制作假货可以将生产成本降到最低。然后从长远的角度看，这样做会被市场淘汰出去。因为当顾客知道了该劣质产品后再也不会购买了。
从个人的角度看，也是这样。不诚实的人不敢承担生活的责任。他们在教室，办公室，在家等地方都会欺骗。但真相是不会被蒙蔽的。当真相大白时，他们将失去信誉，而信誉毁起来容易建起来难。结果，这些不诚实的人会为他们的欺骗行为付出长久的代价。所以，在文明社会里，人人都应该诚实。
诚实是社会的支柱。从长远的角度看，人们将从诚实中获益。那就是我们为什么说诚实无价