“How do you move and click a computer mouse?” “ How do you press the buttons on a cell phone?” I watch a large group of schoolchildren at Jian An Elementary School asking painter Hsieh Kun-shan one question after another. Hsieh loves the attention, telling jokes and making funny noises. “Do you use chalk?” one student asks. “Of course not,” he replies with a wide smile. “I’m not that foolish!” The children burst into laughter. Earlier, Hsieh displayed a slide show of his artwork. But Hsieh isn’t here just to talk about art.
Hsieh has mastered the technique of painting by holding the paintbrush in his mouth. When he was sixteen, Hsieh had a terrible electrical1 accident. Both of his arms and the lower part of his right leg were amputated. He also lost sight in his right eye. But Hsieh didn’t dwell on these devastating2 losses. In his autobiography,3 he wrote, “I had no idea what I could achieve, but at least I made a resolution4 to start something.” He decided to pursue5 art, and took the first difficult steps toward changing his life.
“你是怎么移動(dòng)和點(diǎn)選滑鼠的？”“你如何按手機(jī)按鍵？”我看著一大群建安國(guó)小的學(xué)生問了畫家謝坤山一個(gè)又一個(gè)的問題。謝坤山很享受周圍人的注目，也喜歡講笑話、發(fā)出逗趣的怪聲。一個(gè)學(xué)生問道：“你會(huì)用粉筆來寫字嗎？”他咧嘴笑著回答：“當(dāng)然不會(huì)！我才沒那么笨！”學(xué)生們哄堂大笑。稍早之前，謝坤山放幻燈片向?qū)W生們展示了他的畫作。不過，他來到此地，并非只為了談藝術(shù)而已。 畫家謝坤山以嘴代手執(zhí)畫筆，酷畫技巧極為精湛。十六歲時(shí)，他遭遇一場(chǎng)重大的電擊意外，雙手和右腿下半部遭到截肢，并造成右眼失明。然而謝坤山并沒有沉溺于這些令人絕望的損傷太久。他在自傳中如此寫道：“雖然我不知道『能』做到什么程度，但至少我有了個(gè)開始的決心。”他決定踏上藝術(shù)之路，邁出艱難的第一步；這一步卻足以改變他的一生。
1. electrical adj. related to the form of energy that powers lights, machines, etc. 與電有關(guān)的 This electrical equipment must be plugged in before it will work. 這個(gè)電器必須插電才能運(yùn)作。
2. devastating adj. terrible; inspiring despair 毀滅性的；震驚的 Seeing her dog hit by a car was a devastating experience for Cheryl. 親眼看見愛犬發(fā)生車禍?zhǔn)亲盍钛┤岣械阶敌拇坦堑耐纯嘟?jīng)歷。
3. autobiography n. sb.’s life story written by that person 自傳 In his autobiography My Life, Bill Clinton wrote about his experiences as president. 克林頓在自傳《我的人生：克林頓回憶錄》里寫下任職總統(tǒng)時(shí)的經(jīng)歷。
4. resolution n. a formal decision to do sth. 決心 Mark made a resolution to quit smoking. 馬克下定決心要戒煙。
5. pursue v. to learn more about an interest 追尋 Eric pursued his interest in Japanese culture by moving to Japan. 為進(jìn)一步發(fā)展對(duì)日本文化的興趣，艾瑞克遷居至日本。
對(duì)話： dwell on sth. 沉溺于……中 A: Jeff is really depressed about losing his job. B: He really shouldn’t dwell on it. There are plenty of other jobs. A: 杰夫丟了工作，他的心情很糟。 B: 他實(shí)在不該沉溺其中，其他工作機(jī)會(huì)多的是。
I came to appreciate Hsieh’s never-say-die optimism.1 “At first, I tried to hold a pen in my mouth. But I couldn’t control it,” Hsieh recalls. “Finally, after trying over and over again, I learned to write my own name.” I could imagine the confidence in his eyes. At that moment, Hsieh not only wrote his name. He also wrote his hope for a better future.
Learning to paint was even more difficult. At first, every brushstroke he made caused deep cuts in his mouth. It was incredibly2 painful. But Hsieh didn’t let the pain discourage3 him. “Instead, I held the paintbrush even tighter,” Hsieh explained in a firm voice. “I knew if I gave up, it would not only be the end of my painting, but also the end of my struggle for a better life.” For Hsieh, quitting isn’t an option.4 No matter what the obstacle5 is, Hsieh always manages to find the bright side of a situation. “If you choose to face a problem,” Hsieh says, “You already have a fifty percent chance of winning. What we have is always more than what we’ve lost.”
我對(duì)于謝坤山那股永不灰心的樂觀感佩不已?！皠傞_始，我試著用嘴巴含住筆，但我沒辦法操控它，”他回憶著：“經(jīng)過不斷的練習(xí)之后，我終于學(xué)會(huì)了寫自己的名字?！蔽铱梢韵胂袼?dāng)時(shí)眼中含有的自信；那時(shí)的他寫下的不只是一個(gè)名字，更為將來寫下無限希望。 學(xué)畫更是比寫字難上千百倍。剛開始，每畫下一筆，便在口中留下一道深深的傷痕，痛苦程度不是他人所能想像。但是，謝坤山并未因此放棄作畫?！跋喾吹兀覍嫻P咬得更緊了，”謝坤山堅(jiān)定地說道：“我知道一旦放棄，結(jié)束的不僅是我的酷畫生涯；為了讓自己活得更好所做的努力，也都白費(fèi)了?！睂?duì)于謝坤山而言，他是絕對(duì)不會(huì)選擇放棄的。 不論遭遇什么樣的阻礙，謝坤山總能看見事情好的一面。他說：“如果選擇去面對(duì)問題，那么你已經(jīng)有了一半的成功機(jī)會(huì)。我們所擁有的總是比失去的還要多”
1. optimism n. the feeling that sth. will improve 樂觀 People were filled with optimism as the economy became stronger. 經(jīng)濟(jì)景氣的時(shí)候，人們的心中充滿樂觀。
2. incredibly adv. extremely 非常 Mt. Everest, the highest mountain in the world, is incredibly difficult to climb. 攀登世界第一高峰圣母峰是一件極為困難的事。
3. discourage v. to make sb. not want to do sth. 阻止 The bad weather discouraged us from going out. 氣候惡劣讓我們不想外出。
4. option n. a choice 選擇 Your options include traveling by plane, train, or automobile. 你可以選擇搭飛機(jī)、火車或開車。
5. obstacle n. sb./sth. that prevents sb./sth from doing sth. 阻礙 Laziness is one obstacle to success in school and at work. 不論在學(xué)?；蚬ぷ魃?，惰性是導(dǎo)致無法成功的阻礙。
對(duì)話：to be continued ...manage to 有辦法做到 A: Rex locked his keys inside his apartment today. B: Really? How did he manage to get back inside? A: 今天雷克斯把他的鑰匙鎖在屋里了。 B: 是喔？那他是怎么回到屋里的？
Yellow, orange, red, and white carp swim in the rippling water of a lotus pond. The lotuses look so real that they seem to sway1 in the breeze. “If I want to touch people with my painting,” Hsieh says, “I should be moved by it first.” The painting is so tall that Hsieh had to stand on a stool to reach its top. But challenges only inspire this painter.
Hsieh is filled with childlike enthusiasm.2 During our interview, his cell phone rang. With great agility,3 Hsieh pushed the phone to the table’s edge and pressed a button with his arm stump, which he calls “my cute little hand.” “It was easy,” he laughed, “I don’t need a huge dial pad!”
Hsieh works hard to inspire others. He is a tireless lecturer,4 giving about four hundred presentations5 a year! “If a person like me can lead a happy life,” Hsieh explains, “Why would regular people feel unhappy?” As I wrote this article, I couldn’t help smiling. Hsieh helped me understand that it doesn’t take two arms to achieve your dreams. All it takes is a passionate6 heart.
黃、橘、紅、白等各種顏色的鯉魚悠游在水波蕩漾的蓮花池中，栩栩如生的蓮花似乎隨著微風(fēng)輕擺。謝坤山表示：“若希望別人被我的畫感動(dòng)，首先必須先感動(dòng)我自己?！边@幅大尺寸的畫作，謝坤山必須站在板凳上才畫得到最上面的地方。然而，所有挑戰(zhàn)對(duì)他而言都是一種激勵(lì)。 謝坤山充滿了孩子般的熱忱。在我們的訪談當(dāng)中，他的手機(jī)響起。只見他敏捷地將手機(jī)推到桌緣，以他截除后的余肢按下按鍵接聽。他戲稱自己的余肢為“可愛的小手”。他笑著說：“其實(shí)很簡(jiǎn)單啊，我也不要用到超大的按鍵。” 謝坤山用心地激勵(lì)人心，也是一個(gè)精力充沛的演講者，平均一年發(fā)表四百場(chǎng)演說！他如此說明著：“像我這樣的人都能活得這么快樂，一般正常人為什么還會(huì)感到不快樂呢？”當(dāng)我在寫這篇文章時(shí)，不禁揚(yáng)起嘴角微笑著。謝坤山讓我理解了一個(gè)道理：實(shí)踐夢(mèng)想不一定要靠雙手，一顆熱情的心才是最重要的。
1. sway v. to slowly move back and forth 搖擺 The tree branches swayed in the breeze. 樹枝在微風(fēng)中輕輕擺動(dòng)。
2. enthusiasm n. a feeling of being very interested in sth. 熱衷 Max’s enthusiasm for the piano is obvious: He practices every day! 麥克斯對(duì)鋼琴的熱愛顯而易見，他每天都練琴。
3. agility n. physical skill 敏捷 It takes good agility to become a ballet dancer. 成為芭蕾舞者需要相當(dāng)?shù)撵`活度。
4. lecturer n. sb. who makes a formal speech 演講者 The lecturer spoke to our class about the importance of helping others. 演說者對(duì)我們班講述助人的重要性。
5. presentation n. a formal speech 發(fā)表（演說、表演等） After her presentation, Jane answered questions from the audience. 演說結(jié)束后，珍回答了聽眾的問題。
6. passionate adj. having strong feelings about sb./sth. 熱情的；熱忱的 Patrick loves animals, and he is passionate about animal rights. 派屈克很喜歡動(dòng)物，對(duì)維護(hù)動(dòng)物權(quán)益亦相當(dāng)熱忱。
對(duì)話：can’t help (but) 不禁 A: Why are you smiling at these laughing children? B: I can’t help but feel happy whenever I see kids playing. A: 你為什么對(duì)著這群笑嘻嘻的小朋友微笑？ B: 我只要看到小朋友在玩耍，就不禁感到很開心。