Meaning: A person is believed to be like the people with whom he or she spends time.

　　汉语中意思接近的有：近朱者赤，近墨者黑。

　　描述要点：先描述一群人的某些突出特征并对这样一群人做出基本的价值判断，这时引入一个完全陌生的人，通过揭示这一陌生人同这一群人之间的某种关系，推断这个人是和这一群人极类似的人。

　　Decide which of the two versions given below you think is the better one. Why?

　　Since lots of boys and girls are wearing what they call "unisex" clothes in many Western countries and quite a few of them have long hair, it's hard to distinguish whether they are male or female.

　　One day, an old man, tired from walking, seated himself on a bench next to someone else in a park in the center Washington, D. C.

　　Just across the way someone was seated beside a pond.

　　"Good grief!" The old fellow exclaimed to someone sitting near him.

　　"See that person over there with the long hair and the loose pants? Is that a boy or a girl?"

　　"She's a girl; that's my daughter," said the person with whom he was sharing the bench.

　　"Oops!" The old man exclaimed. "Pardon me, I had no idea you were her mother, I ought not have jumped to conclusions!"

　　"It's OK." His neighbor said, "But, uh, I'm her father."

　　The old man jumped up and went off, saying to himself, "A man is known by the company he keeps!"

　　Version B

　　Most of the boys and girls are wearing the same kinds of clothes in western countries, and most of them have long hair, so it's difficult to recognize they are on earth whether boys or girls.

　　One day, an old man walked in a center park of Washington, and he sat down on a long chair when he was tired.

　　A young man was just at the opposite side of the pond.

　　"My God!" The ole man said to the person sitting near him.

　　"Do you see that person with long hair and a loose pair of pants? Is he a boy or a girl?"

　　"A girl," said his neighbor," She is my daughter."

　　"Oh!" the old man said at once. "Please forgive me, I don't know you are her mother, I shouldn't have judged a person by appearance!"

　　"No, uh-uh," his neighbor said, "I'm her father."

　　The old man went away quickly, and said to himself, "A man is known by the company he keeps!"

　　注解：

　　unisex: able to be used by both men and women男女都适用的

　　exclaim: to say sth. suddenly or with force大喊，惊叫

　　jump to conclusions: to make a judgment too quickly匆忙下结论

　　Exercise: Complete the proverb in English, and then illustrate the meaning of the proverb.(用英语完成下列谚语并用具体例子阐述它的意思。)

　　The first步is总是the最难的：The most困难的部分of accomplishing某事is getting开始.