汉英译文如下：

Passage 1

Dear Friends,

Welcome to the annual meeting of the sales representatives of Close Weave Textiles. As president of this company, I would like to say a few words to open this weekend meeting concerning your role in the company, and also some thoughts about being a salesman. Our agenda for the weekend is designed by our best research team to fully acquaint you with our new line of products and new manufacturing techniques, plus provides some helpful suggestions and proven strategies for better selling from some veteran salesmen.

The sales department represents one of the most vital links of our company with other businesses and buyers. Our record sales for the last two years are a direct result of your hard work and dedication, and I know that this trend will continue for many years to come. Your record is even more remarkable, given some of the disturbances in the local scene from time to time and the often confusing international trade picture.

In preparing my remarks for tonight, I began to reflect on one of the finest people I've ever known and one of the most successful salesmen ever to work here. Only the ones of us who have been around for a long time would remember Mr. Johnson Smith. I think this man's remarkable success can be attributed to some important ideas. First, Mr. Smith's perseverance was amazing. He would work all the angles, he would strive to understand the buyers' needs in great detail and offer them exactly what they were seeking for. His personal attention and consideration paid on them showed that his concern was for their welfare and satisfaction, not just making a sale.

His knowledge of his product lines and its manufacturing processes was unsurpassed by anyone else in the business. He had a quick, sharp mind, but mostly he intensely studied his markets. He would read all he could get about the particular field he was working in at the moment. Over the years, this pursuit of knowledge led to an understanding of all levels of the manufacturing processes in many diverse industries. More than this, though, he possessed an understanding of the human spirit. He knew about all the current events and would speak with authority on the important issues in the news, not as one armed with a lot of facts, but as one who was in love with life.

I think the most important parts of being a successful salesman are meeting your customers' needs first, having a complete knowledge of the business you are working in, and treating your customers as friends first and business associates second.

As you think of your own business dealings, perhaps these suggestions could prove fruitful if you incorporate them into your program. I wish you all the success and hope that we can repeat our record-setting sales for another year.