Hsieh Kun

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。