Hsieh Kun-shan

　　谢坤山：向命运微笑的画家

　　“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.

　　“你是怎么移动和点选滑鼠的？”“你如何按手机按键？”我看着一大群建安国小的学生问了画家谢坤山一个又一个的问题。谢坤山很享受周围人的注目，也喜欢讲笑话、发出逗趣的怪声。一个学生问道：“你会用粉笔来写字吗？”他咧嘴笑着回答：“当然不会！我才没那么笨！”学生们哄堂大笑。稍早之前，谢坤山放幻灯片向学生们展示了他的画作。不过，他来到此地，并非只为了谈艺术而已。 画家谢坤山以嘴代手执画笔，酷画技巧极为精湛。十六岁时，他遭遇一场重大的电击意外，双手和右腿下半部遭到截肢，并造成右眼失明。然而谢坤山并没有沉溺于这些令人绝望的损伤太久。他在自传中如此写道：“虽然我不知道「能」做到什么程度，但至少我有了个开始的决心。”他决定踏上艺术之路，迈出艰难的第一步；这一步却足以改变他的一生。

　　1. electrical adj. related to the form of energy that powers lights， machines， etc. 与电有关的 This electrical equipment must be plugged in before it will work. 这个电器必须插电才能运作。

　　2. devastating adj. terrible； inspiring despair 毁灭性的；震惊的 Seeing her dog hit by a car was a devastating experience for Cheryl. 亲眼看见爱犬发生车祸是最令雪柔感到椎心刺骨的痛苦经历。

　　3. autobiography n. sb.'s life story written by that person 自传 In his autobiography My Life， Bill Clinton wrote about his experiences as president. 克林顿在自传《我的人生：克林顿回忆录》里写下任职总统时的经历。

　　4. resolution n. a formal decision to do sth. 决心 Mark made a resolution to quit smoking. 马克下定决心要戒烟。

　　5. pursue v. to learn more about an interest 追寻 Eric pursued his interest in Japanese culture by moving to Japan. 为进一步发展对日本文化的兴趣，艾瑞克迁居至日本。

　　对话： 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： 杰夫丢了工作，他的心情很糟。 B： 他实在不该沉溺其中，其他工作机会多的是。

　　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.”

　　我对于谢坤山那股永不灰心的乐观感佩不已。

　　“刚开始，我试着用嘴巴含住笔，但我没办法操控它，”他回忆着：“经过不断的练习之后，我终于学会了写自己的名字。”我可以想像他当时眼中含有的自信；那时的他写下的不只是一个名字，更为将来写下无限希望。 学画更是比写字难上千百倍。刚开始，每画下一笔，便在口中留下一道深深的伤痕，痛苦程度不是他人所能想像。但是，谢坤山并未因此放弃作画。“相反地，我将画笔咬得更紧了，”谢坤山坚定地说道：“我知道一旦放弃，结束的不仅是我的酷画生涯；为了让自己活得更好所做的努力，也都白费了。”对于谢坤山而言，他是绝对不会选择放弃的。 不论遭遇什么样的阻碍，谢坤山总能看见事情好的一面。他说：“如果选择去面对问题，那么你已经有了一半的成功机会。我们所拥有的总是比失去的还要多”

　　1. optimism n. the feeling that sth. will improve 乐观 People were filled with optimism as the economy became stronger. 经济景气的时候，人们的心中充满乐观。

　　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极为困难的事。

　　3. discourage v. to make sb. not want to do sth. 阻止 The bad weather discouraged us from going out. 气候恶劣让我们不想外出。

　　4. option n. a choice 选择 Your options include traveling by plane， train， or automobile. 你可以选择搭飞机、火车或开车。

　　5. obstacle n. sb./sth. that prevents sb./sth from doing sth. 阻碍 Laziness is one obstacle to success in school and at work. 不论在学校或工作上，惰性是导致无法成功的阻碍。

　　对话：to be continued ……manage to 有办法做到 A： Rex locked his keys inside his apartment today. B： Really？ How did he manage to get back inside？ A： 今天雷克斯把他的钥匙锁在屋里了。 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

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