The city at one time must have been prosperous, for it enjoyed a high level of civilization.

这座古城肯定一度很繁荣，因为它曾享有高度的文明，

an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.

人们情愿拿出大笔的钱，也不愿毕生的心血毁于歹徒之手。

The noble stared at the blank sheet of paper for a few seconds.

贵族盯着纸看了几秒钟，

As its composition and line reminded him of an Italian painting he knew well, he decided to buy it.

画面构图与纸条使他想起一幅他所熟悉的意大利画，于是他决定将画买了下来。

Future historians will be in a unique position when they come to record the history of our own times.

未来的历史学家在写我们这一段历史的时候会别具一格。

Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet.

然而，垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。