2006年VOA标准英语-New York School Children Pay Tribute to Ne

By Gini Sikes
New York
02 February 2006

New York City school children are celebrating Black History Month with an exhibit of portraits of Nelson Mandela at the landmark¹ Rockefeller Center. The show's centerpiece is a portrait of the former South African president by British artist Harold Riley. Mandela sat for the painting with the understanding that all proceeds would go toward children's art education in South Africa. Some New York kids benefited as well.

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Hip² hop³ impresario⁴ Russell Simmons and city officials unveiled the paintings of Nelson Mandela, but the real stars were the children. A total of 15 students, ranging in age from 5 to 18, were chosen from 200 entries to display their portraits. Quentin Williamston, 10, explained why South Africa's national hero inspired him.

"Back then in Africa, it was racist⁵, and he tried to fight for his rights. So he got locked up. And he came out, and he turned out [to become] the president of South Africa," he said.

Quentin's painting depicts⁶ Mandela with hands folded, as though in prayer, against an orange background with blue dots.

"My motto is being different from everybody else, so I decided⁷ to add a lot of good things to it. Special things. Like the dots -- like first this was a mistake, but then I turned it into art," he added.

The only work by an adult on display is that of British portrait artist Harold Riley. Mandela agreed to be painted on the condition that the profits from the sale of the portrait go to a children's art charity.  Riley said that while posing, Mandela spoke⁸ of his love of children, along with football. The brilliantly colored canvas shows Mandela in an armchair, gazing out on an African landscape. Riley described his work's symbolism.

"The sunset is the time of life of Mr. Mandela," he explained.  "There is a pathway that crosses the landscape, then there is a gate, which closes the road symbolizing⁹ his imprisonment¹⁰. It's reopened at the bottom of the picture. And finally there are books, for he was a learned man, and he sits in his favorite chair."

The portrait sold for one million dollars at an auction¹¹ the evening before the show opened. Mr. Riley also donated a sketch¹² that Mr. Mandela signed to the winners of the children's art competition, five students from a Brooklyn elementary school. The school's principal, Linda Nelson, could not conceal¹³ her pride.

"Even as I look at Harold Riley's painting compared to our children's painting, he's a wonderful artist, but as he has him in a pensive¹⁴ position, so have the children," she said.  "You again see the pondering, the thinking and the listening. Each one seems to have captured that."

A few students portrayed¹⁵ other black heroes. Akeda Riley, 9, of the Harlem Day Charter School, painted Rosa Parks, a woman often credited with spurring the U.S. civil rights movement.  She depicted¹⁶ the African-American heroine wearing a red and blue polka dot dress and a smile showing one gold tooth.

"I painted her as how I would imagine Rosa Parks as if I saw her," she explained.  "I chose Rosa Parks, because she was arrested for nothing when she has a right to do whatever she wants, which was she had just sat on a bus."
 
For Jasmine Reed, 8, someone very close to home is her hero.

"My picture is the picture of my mother because she's really my hero because she's the one who puts food on my table and the clothes on my body so I just wanted to show her that I appreciate her."

A definition of hero that Nelson Mandela might well agree with.

1 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

2 hip   

n.臀部，髋；屋脊

参考例句：

• The thigh bone is connected to the hip bone.股骨连着髋骨。
• The new coats blouse gracefully above the hip line.新外套在臀围线上优美地打着褶皱。

3 hop   

n.单脚跳，跳跃；vi.单脚跳，跳跃；着手做某事；vt.跳跃，跃过

参考例句：

• The children had a competition to see who could hop the fastest.孩子们举行比赛，看谁单足跳跃最快。
• How long can you hop on your right foot?你用右脚能跳多远？

4 impresario   

n.歌剧团的经理人；乐团指挥

参考例句：

• The impresario will present an expanded series of concerts next season.下个季节将举办一次大型的系列音乐会。
• The impresario had buttoned his astrakhan coat.乐团经理扣好了羔皮外套。

5 racist   

n.种族主义者，种族主义分子

参考例句：

• a series of racist attacks 一连串的种族袭击行为
• His speech presented racist ideas under the guise of nationalism. 他的讲话以民族主义为幌子宣扬种族主义思想。

6 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

7 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 symbolizing   

v.象征，作为…的象征( symbolize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• This symbol later evolved into a common hieroglyphic symbolizing victory. 这幕场景后来逐渐演化为象征胜利的普通象形文字。 来自时文部分
• Mooncakes reunion, is symbolizing the Mid-Autumn festival will feed. 月饼象征着团圆，是中秋佳节必食之品。 来自互联网

10 imprisonment   

n.关押，监禁，坐牢

参考例句：

• His sentence was commuted from death to life imprisonment.他的判决由死刑减为无期徒刑。
• He was sentenced to one year's imprisonment for committing bigamy.他因为犯重婚罪被判入狱一年。

11 auction   

n.拍卖；拍卖会；vt.拍卖

参考例句：

• They've put the contents of their house up for auction.他们把房子里的东西全都拿去拍卖了。
• They bought a new minibus with the proceeds from the auction.他们用拍卖得来的钱买了一辆新面包车。

12 sketch   

n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述

参考例句：

• My sister often goes into the country to sketch. 我姐姐常到乡间去写生。
• I will send you a slight sketch of the house.我将给你寄去房屋的草图。

13 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。

14 pensive   

a.沉思的,哀思的,忧沉的

参考例句：

• He looked suddenly sombre,pensive.他突然看起来很阴郁，一副忧虑的样子。
• He became so pensive that she didn't like to break into his thought.他陷入沉思之中,她不想打断他的思路。

15 portrayed   

v.画像( portray的过去式和过去分词 )；描述；描绘；描画

参考例句：

• Throughout the trial, he portrayed himself as the victim. 在审讯过程中，他始终把自己说成是受害者。
• The author portrayed his father as a vicious drunkard. 作者把他父亲描绘成一个可恶的酒鬼。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

16 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。