新高级阅读前（双语）89（887）

PASSAGE EIGHTY-NINE

Benjamin West

1.Benjamin West, the father of American painting, showed his talent for art when he was only six years of age.  

2.But he did not know about brushes before a visitor told him he needed one.In those days, a brush was made from camel’s hair.  

3.There were no camels nearby. Benjamin decided that cat hair would work instead.He cut some fur from the family cat to make a brush.

4.The brush did not last long.Soon Benjamin needed more fur.  Before long, the cat began to look ragged.  

5.His father said that the cat must be sick.Benjamin was forced to admit what he had been doing.

6.The cat’s lot was about to improve. That year, one of Benjamin’s cousins, Mr. Pennington, came to visit.  

7.He was impressed with Benjamin’s drawings. When he went home, he sent Benjamin a box of paint and some brushes.  

8.He also sent six engravings by an artist. These were the first pictures and first real paint and brushes Benjamin had ever seen.

9.In 1747, when Benjamin was nine years old, Mr. Pennington returned for another visit.  

10.He was amazed at what Benjamin had done with his gift. He asked Benjamin’s parents if he might take the boy back to Philadelphia for a visit.

11.In the city, Mr. Pennington gave Benjamin materials for creating oil paintings. The boy began a landscape painting.

12.William Williams, a well-known painter, came to see him work. Williams was impressed with Benjamin and gave him two classic books on painting to take home.  

13.The books were long and dull. Benjamin could read only a little, having been a poor student.  

14.But he later said, “Those two books were my companions by day, and under my pillow at night.”  

15.While it is likely that he understood very little of the books, they were his introduction to classical paintings.  

16.The nine-year-old boy decided then that he would be an artist.

第八十九篇

本杰明·韦斯特

1.本杰明·韦斯特，美国绘画之父，在他只有六岁的时候就表现出了他的艺术天赋。

2.但在一位游客告诉他需要一把刷子之前，他并不知道刷子的存在。那时候，刷子是用骆驼毛做的。

3.附近没有骆驼。本杰明决定用猫毛代替。他从家里的猫身上割下一些毛来做刷子。

4.这把刷子用不了多久。不久，本杰明需要更多的皮毛。没过多久，这只猫开始显得衣衫褴褛。

5.他父亲说猫一定是病了。本杰明被迫承认他所做的事。

6.这只猫的命运就要好转了。那一年，本杰明的堂兄弟彭宁顿先生来拜访。

7.本杰明的画给他留下了深刻的印象。回家后，他给本杰明寄了一盒颜料和一些刷子。

8.他还寄来了一位艺术家的六幅版画。这是本杰明见过的第一幅画，也是第一批真正的颜料和画笔。

9.1747年，本杰明九岁的时候，彭宁顿先生又来拜访他。

10.他对本杰明用他的礼物所做的事情感到惊讶。他问本杰明的父母是否可以带他回费城看看。

11.在城里，彭宁顿先生给了本杰明创作油画的材料。男孩开始画山水画。

12.著名画家威廉·威廉姆斯来看他的作品。威廉姆斯对本杰明印象深刻，给了他两本关于绘画的经典书籍让他带回家。

13.这些书又长又枯燥。本杰明是个穷学生，只能读一点书。

14.但他后来说:“这两本书白天是我的伙伴，晚上是我的枕头底下。”

15.虽然他可能对这些书知之甚少，但它们是他对古典绘画的介绍。

16.从那时起，9岁的男孩决定要成为一名艺术家。