Sunflowers

选自《The classical readings of the USA students》

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[1] Sunflowers (original title, in French: Tournesols) are the subject of two series of still life paintings by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. The earlier series executed in Paris in 1887 gives the flowers lying on the ground, while the second set executed a year later in Arles shows bouquets of sunflowers in a vase. In the artist's mind both sets were linked by the name of his friend Paul Gauguin, who acquired two of the Paris versions. About eight months later Van Gogh hoped to welcome and to impress Gauguin again with Sunflowers, now part of the painted decoration he prepared for the guestroom of his Yellow House where Gauguin was supposed to stay in Arles. After Gauguin's departure, Van Gogh imagined the two major versions as wings of the Berceuse Triptych, and finally he included them in his exhibit Bruxelles.

Words：

1. execute [ˈɛksɪˌkjut] 执行; 处死，处决; 履行; 完成;
2. bouquet [buˈkeɪ] 花束; 酒香 （复数: bouquets） Eg： Her wedding bouquet consisted of roses and ivy. 她的婚礼花篮包括玫瑰和长春藤. berceuse ['bɜsɪrz] 摇篮曲，催眠曲;

Keys:

1. （1）impress sb with sth 用...给某人留下印象，用某事（通过做某事）给某人留下深刻的印象
   He want to impress his teather with his hard work.他希望用他的努力学习感动他的老师。
   （2）impress sb for sth 因为...给某人留下印象
   比如：She was deeply impressed for his graceful behavior.她因他优雅的行为举止留下了深刻的印象。重复一下。

2. be supposed to应该，被期望;be supposed to 的用法很多哟，这里敲黑板，请大家再精准的记住他们哦。
   用法一：be supposed to...其中to是动词不定式,不是介词,后边要跟动词原形
   .当be supposed to...的主语是“人” 时,意为“应该…… “被期望……”,有一种劝告、建议、义务、责任的感觉，相当于情态动词should.如：
   Everyone is supposed to wear a seat-belt in the car.
   每个人在汽车里都应该系安全带.
   用法二：当be supposed to...的主语是“物”时,它表示“本应；本该”,表示一种“某事本应该发生而没有发生”.如：
   The train was supposed to arrive half an hour ago.火车本应在半小时之前到达.
   用法三：be supposed to后面接“have + 过去分词”时,表示“本应该做某事而没做”.如：
   He is supposed to have arrived an hour ago.他应该一小时前就到了.
   用法四：be supposed to...的否定结构为be not supposed to...,它通常是用在口语当中,意为“不被许可；不应当”.如：
   You are not supposed to smoke on the bus.你不应该在公共汽车上吸烟

[2] There are pieces of artwork drifting through galleries around the world that have become nearly synonymous with the artist’s name and techniques. The various paintings of sunflowers and Vincent Van Gogh are a perfect example of this. Not only can one make a mental connection between the artist’s name and painting but also between the artist and their influence on the development of art through these paintings. Vincent van Gogh's sunflower paintings have been duplicated many times by various artist’s(although never reaching the vivacity and intensity of Van Gogh's ) and displayed everywhere; from households to art expos.

Words：

1. synonymous [sɪˈnɑnɪməs] 同义的，类义的; 同义词的 它常见的固定用法 be synonymous with： What we expect is synonymous with what we believe or assume to be true. 我们期待的是我们相信或认为是真的东西.
2. vivacity [vɪ'væsətɪ] 活泼，快活，有生气 .Eg：Her charm resides in her vivacity. 她的魅力存在于她的活泼.
3. intensity [ɪnˈtɛnsɪti] 强烈; （感情的）强烈程度; 强度; 烈度 Eg：His intensity and the ferocity of his feelings alarmed me. 他感情之激烈和狂暴都让我惊恐。

Phrases：

drift through gallery：在美术馆展出。

Sentences：

Not only can one make a mental connection between the artists name and painting but also between the artist and their influence on the development of art through these paintings.
not only ，，，but also 不仅而且，或者not only but ，，，as well，如果它连接两个成分做主语，那谓语一般和靠近主语的保持一致。比如说，not only you but also he has to leave,不只是你，他也得离开，not only you but also he，那离的最近的是he，所以谓语动词用has
还有如果它连接两个句子，not only 后面的句子要怎样？要倒装。比如说，Not only did he speak more correctly,but he spoke more easily.发现了么？Not only后边的句子倒装了，but also后边就是正常语序就可以。
那这句not only 后边引导句子，所以出现can 句子倒转，那怎么翻译呢，这些作品不仅把艺术家的声望和画作的精神寓意联系起来，而且还怎样？还通过这些作品也对艺术圈的发展产生了很深远的影响。

[3] Upon looking at these paintings one begins to notice aspects that seem to flow from one piece to another. The colours are vibrant and express emotions typically associated with the life of sunflowers: bright yellows of the full bloom to arid browns of wilting and death; all of the stages woven through these polar opposites are presented. Perhaps this very technique is what draws one into the painting; the fulfilment of seeing all angles of the spectrum of life and in turn reaching a deeper understanding of how all living things are tied together.

Words：

1. vibrant [ˈvaɪbrənt] 振动的; 响亮的; 充满生气的
   Eg：Tom felt himself being drawn towards her vibrant personality
   汤姆感觉自己被她充满朝气的个性所吸引。

2. arid [ˈærɪd] 干旱的; 贫瘠的; 枯燥无味的
   Eg：She had given him the only joy his arid life had ever known.
   她为他枯燥无味的生活带来了从未有过的乐趣。

3. wilt [wɪlt] 枯萎; 使畏缩; 使衰弱;
   Eg:The roses wilted the day after she bought them
   她买的玫瑰第二天就凋谢了。

4. woven [ˈwoʊvn] 编排; 杜撰; （把…） 编成
   Eg:His love had been woven of sentiment rather than passion.
   他的爱是以情感而不是以情欲为其经纬的。

Phrases：

1. upon doing sth: on/upon doing sth 这个句型能转换成when引导的时间状语从句意思是 "当...时候" Eg：Upon/On arriving home,my mother started cooking. 妈妈一到家就烧饭。
2. in turn 固定搭配，意思是“依次，轮流”，比如说：We will examine each of these methods in turn.我们将按照顺序依次分析这些方法。 in turn还有反过来，转而的意思，比如：Almost all of us serve people whom we do not know，and even of whose existence we are ignorant, and we in turn constantly live on the services of other people of whom we know nothing. 大家几乎都在为别人服务，但并不认识这些人，甚至根本意识不到他们的存在，反过来，我们也常常享受别人的服务而生存下去，但对服务者一无所知。

Sentence：

“Perhaps this very technique is what draws one into the painting; the fulfillment of seeing all angles of the spectrum of life and in turn reaching a deeper understanding of how all living things are tied together.”
这一句里，这里的what引导了一个表语从句，句型是“sth is what 接从句”，翻译起来“什么是什么”，即“也许正是绘画里的技巧是画家想要展现的。”连接表语从句的连接词有：that, what, who, when, where, which, why, whether, how, whoever，whichever ，whatever等
比如：
He has become a teacher.
　　他已经成为一名教师。
He has become what he wanted to be ten years ago.
　　他已经成为了他10 年前想成为的。
His suggestion is good.
　　他的建议是好的。
His suggestion is that we should stay calm.
　　他的建议是，我们应该保持冷静。
The question is confusing.
　　这个问题令人困惑。
The question is when he can arrive at the hotel.
　　问题是，他什么时候可以到达酒店。

[4] There are many pieces within this series of paintings (each is clearly identifiable as a Van Gogh work) in which there are only minor differences that separate them. The overall layout of the painting along with positioning of the actual sunflowers usually remains the same in the similar paintings.

Words：

layout [ˈleˌaʊt] 布局，安排，规划图

Phrases：

along with 连同; 以及; 和…一起，随着; 除…以外
Eg：He came along with some friends.
他和几个朋友一道来的。

[5] Although Van Gogh's sunflower paintings are very similar in many aspects, each stands out as its own unique work of art. Van Gogh began painting sunflowers after he left Holland for France in pursuit of creating an artistic community. The firsts were created to decorate his friend Paul Gauguin's bedroom. The majority of Van Gogh's sunflowers in vases were created in Arles. Van Gogh did create some sunflower paintings prior to this time though in Paris, France around the time of 1887. This series consists of sunflowers clippings verses sunflowers in vases.

Words：

clipping [ˈklɪpɪŋ] (n.) 剪报,剪辑
(adj.)<俚>头等的,恰好的
Eg:. Come in clipping time.来的正好，来的恰好。

Phrases：

1. in pursuit of 追求，寻求
   Eg：Anyhow, our ideals and actions in pursuit of freedom won't change.
   不论如何, 我们追寻自由的理念和行动不会改变.

2. prior to 在...之前
   Eg：The duty to protect my sister is prior to all others.
   保护我的妹妹是我最重要的责任.

3. consist of 由...组成，包括
   Eg：A healthy diet should consist of wholefood.
   健康饮食应由全天然食物构成。

[6] According to BBC.co.uk: "These series of paintings were made possible by the innovations in manufactured pigments in the 19th Century. Without the vibrancy of the new colors, such as chrome yellow, Van Gogh may never have achieved the intensity of Sunflowers."

Words：

1. manufacture制造，生产; 捏造，虚构; 加工

2. pigment [ˈpɪɡmənt] n.颜料，色料
   vt.给…着色
   vi.呈现颜色
   Eg:. He makes his own paint, grinding up the pigment with a little oil.
   他就着几滴油磨了些颜料，自己制油彩。

3. vibrancy [ˈvaɪbrənsɪ] 振动; 振响; 活跃; 活力
   Eg:She was a woman with extraordinary vibrancy and extraordinary knowledge. 她是一位充满活力、博学多识的女子。

4. intensity [ɪnˈtɛnsɪti] 强烈; （感情的）强烈程度; 强度
   Eg:His intensity and the ferocity of his feelings alarmed me.
   他感情之激烈和狂暴都让我惊恐。

[7] Regardless, Van Gogh's paintings of sunflowers have altered mankind's perspective of art and life. These paintings captivate the mind and leave you astounded in their simplistic beauty. The flowing wilted steams and the burst of lovely yellow draws one’s attention around the painting, without disrupting the balance of the piece. These paintings are often duplicated but never reach the pure power of Van Gogh's.

Words：

1. regardless不顾后果地; 不管怎样，无论如何; 不惜费用地
   Eg:（1） Get the money, regardless!
   不管怎样,拿钱再说!
   （2） I protested, but she carried on regardless.
   我极力反对, 但她仍一意孤行.

2. alter 改变为什么句子当中没有用“change”？change the mankind’s of perspective of art and life. 那alter 和change都表示改变，有什么区别呢？
   （1） 用做不及物动词时,两词的意义比较接近(都表示"改变"),他们通常是可以通用的.一般情况下使用change 更好一些。.例如:His appearance has altered(changed) a deal 他的容貌变了很多
   （2）在做及物动词时,alter常意味着局部的表面的变化,change 则往往表示本质的,彻底的或者是 以新代旧的改变.例如:This coat is too big, i must have it altered(这件外衣太大,我得找人改一下)this coat is too big, i had bettter change it这件外衣太大,我还是换一件吧)
   前句表示把原来的衣服个别地方做修改,后句则是另换一件.

3. captivate [ˈkæptɪveɪt] 迷住，迷惑
   Eg: Computer games captivate children easily with their visual and sound effects.
   电脑游戏透过视觉和音效很容易让孩子们入迷.

4. astound [əˈstaʊnd] 使震惊，使大吃一惊
   Eg: His practical grasp of affairs and his energy still astound me.
   他对事物的实际掌握和他充沛的精力实在使我惊异.

[8] Little is known of Van Gogh's activities during the two years he lived with his brother Theo in Paris,1886-1888.The fact that he had painted Sunflowers already is only revealed in spring 1889, when Gauguin claimed one of the Arles versions in exchange for studies he had left behind after leaving Arles for Paris. Van Gogh was upset and replied that Gauguin had absolutely no right for this request: "I am definitely keeping my sunflowers in question. He has two of them already, let that hold him. And if he is not satisfied with the exchange he has made with me, he can take back his little Martinique canvas, and his self-portrait sent me from Brittany, at the same time giving me back both my portrait and the two sunflower canvases which he has taken to Paris. So if he ever broaches this subject again, I've told you just how matters stand."

Words：

1. reveal [rɪˈvil] 显露; 揭露
   Eg: She doesn't reveal much of her inner self.
   她不大流露她的内心自我。

2. broach [broʊtʃ] 谈起; 打开并开始用
   Eg: I thought I'd better broach the matter with my boss.
   我想我最好还是跟老板说一下这事.

Phrases：

1. little is known of 关于...知之甚少
2. in exchange for 作为交换
3. in question 考虑之中的，被谈论着的 Eg: （1） That is not the point in question. 那不是要考虑的要点. （2）The lady in question is not in office now. 所谈的那位女士现在没在办公室.

[9] None meets the descriptions supplied by Van Gogh himself in his announcement of the series in every detail: The first version differs in size, is painted on a size 20 canvas—not on a size 15 canvas as indicated—and all the others differ in the number of flowers depicted from Van Gogh's announcement. The second was evidently enlarged and the initial composition altered by insertion of the two flowers lying in the foreground, center and right. Neither the third nor the forth shows the dozen or 14 flowers indicated by the artist, but more—fifteen or sixteen. These alterations are executed wet-in-wet and therefore considered genuine rework—even the more so as they are copied to the repetitions of January 1889: There is no longer a trace of later alterations, at least in this aspect.

Words：

1. depict [dɪˈpɪkt] 描述，绘画
   Eg: The author tried to depict the splendor of the sunset.
   作家试图摹写落日的光彩

2. evidently [ˈɛvɪdəntli] 明显地，显而易见，明显地
   Eg: From childhood, he was evidently at once rebellious and precocious.
   从儿时起，他就明显地既叛逆又早熟。

3. insertion [ɪnˈsɜrʃn] 插入（物）
   Eg: Sometimes the insertion of one word can change the meaning of a whole sentence.
   有时插入一个字可以改变全句的意义.

4. foreground [ˈfɔrgraʊnd] 前景， 突出的地方，最显著的位置
   Eg: The foreground, nearest the viewer, is painted last.
   距离观者最近的前景是最后才画的。

5. genuine [ˈdʒɛnjuɪn] 真正的，坦率的，真诚的

Phrases：

wet-in-wet 湿画法
湿画法是在湿底上着色的方法，趁纸面水、色未干进行连续着色，湿时连接。重叠、点彩、沉淀等均属于这类画法。

[10] Both repetitions of the 4th version are no longer in their original state. In the Amsterdam version a strip of wood was added at the top—probably by Van Gogh himself. The Tokyo version, however, was enlarged on all sides with strips of canvas, which were added at a later time—presumably by the first owner, Emile Schuffenecker. The series is perhaps his best known and most widely reproduced. In recent years, there has been debate regarding the authenticity of one of the paintings, and it has been suggested that this version may have been the work of Emile Schuffenecher or of Paul Gauguin. Most experts, however, conclude that the work is genuine.

Words：

1. presumably [prɪˈzuməbli] 据推测; 大概; 可能; 想来
   Eg: Presumably this is where the accident happened.
   这大概就是事故现场。

2. authenticity [ˌɔθənˈtɪsətɪ]可靠性，确实性，真实性
   Eg: The film's authenticity of detail has impressed critics.
   电影在细节上的真实性给影评人士留下了深刻的印象。

3. genuine [ˈdʒɛnjuɪn] 真正的; 坦率的，真诚的
   Eg: This was a genuine mistake, but it did cause me some worry.
   这是好心办错事，可是确实让我担心了一阵子。

[11] In Januaty 1889,when Van Gogh had just finished the first repetitions of Berceuse and the Sunflowers pendants, he told his brother Theo:"I picture to myself these same canvases between those of the sunflowers, which would thus form torched or candelabra beside them, the same size, and so the whole would be composed of seven or nine canvases." A definite hint for the arrangement of the triptych is supplied by Van Gogh's sketch in a letter of July 1889.

Words：

1. pendant [ˈpɛndənt] 垂饰，坠儿
   Eg: My necklace has a heart pendant, but I don't wear it everyday.
   我的项链有一个心形的垂饰, 但我并非每天都戴他.

2. hint [hɪnt] 线索，迹象; 提示，注意事项
   Eg: She'd never received the merest hint of any communication from him.
   她从未得到他准备沟通的一丁点儿暗示

[12] Van Gogh began painting in late summer 1888 and continued into the following year. One went to decorate his friend Paul Gauguin's bedroom. The paintings show sunflowers in all stages of life, from full bloom to withering. The paintings were considered innovative for their use of the yellow spectrum, partly because newly invented pigments made new colours possible.

Words：

withering [ˈwɪðərɪŋ] 使人畏缩的，使人害羞的，使人难堪的
Eg: She gave him a withering look.
她极其蔑视地看了他一眼。

Phrases：

continued into +时间 一直持续到...时候
Eg:This hostility has continued into our own day.
这种敌对情绪延续至今.

Keys：

make sth possible ，使，，，变成可能
具体用法：
（1）make it possible by doing sth 使做某事成为可能 Machines make it possible by doing more work with less energy. 机器使人们有可能用较小的气力做较多的工作。
（2）make it possible for sb to do sth 使得某人做某事成为可能。。The food made it possible for him to survive那些食物使得他得以活下来
I can make it possible for you to enter this country.我能让你进入这个国家。

[13] In a letter to his brother Theo, Van Gogh wrote: "It's a kind of painting that rather changes in character, and takes on a richness the longer you look at it. Besides, you know, Gauguin likes them extraordinarily. He said to me among other things—'That...it's...flower.' You know that the peony is Jeannin's, the hollyhock belongs to Quost, but the sunflower is somewhat my own."

Words：

richness [ˈrɪtʃnəs] 丰富; 浓烈; 富裕; 富饶

[14] On March 31, 1987, even those without interest in art were made aware of Van Gogh's Sunflowers series when Japanese insurance magnate Yasuo Goto paid the equivalent of US $39,921,750 for Van Gogh's Still Lige: Vase with Fifteen Sunflowers at auction at Christie's London, at the time a record-setting amount for a work of art. The price was over four times the previous record of about $12 million paid for Andrea Mantegna's Adoration of the Magi in 1985. The record was broken a few months later with the purchase of another Van Gogh, Irises, by Alan Bond for $53.9 million at Sotheby's, New York on November 11,1987.

Words：

1. magnate [ˈmæɡˌnet] 富豪，权贵; 巨头; 大资本家
2. auction [ˈɔkʃn] 拍卖会

Phrases：

1. make aware of 意识到，知道
   Eg:We hope that you will not hesitate to make us aware of any shortcomings which youmay find in this plan. 
   这个计划有什么缺欠，希望大家提出来。

2. at the time 在那时， 在那段时间; 当时
   Eg: The house was unoccupied at the time of the explosion.
   爆炸发生的时候房子里没有人。

[15] While it is uncertain whether Yasuo Goto bought the painting himself or on behalf of his company, the Yasuda Fire and Marine Insurance Company of Japan, the painting currently resides at Seiji Togo Yasuda Memorial Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. After the purchase, a controversy arose whether this is a genuine Van Gogh or an Emile Schuffenecker forgery.

Words：

1. controversy [ˈkɑntrəvɜrsi] 公开辩论; 论战
   Eg:He enjoys polemics, persuasion, and controversy.
   他喜欢辩论、说服和争议。

2. forgery [ˈfɔrdʒəri] 伪造; 伪造罪; 伪造物; 伪造签字
   Eg:He was found guilty of forgery.
   他被判伪造罪名成立。

Phrases：

on behalf of 为了…的利益; 代表…
Eg: .He gave witness on behalf of an accused person.
他为被告作证.

后记：

读完这篇文章，听完今天的课程，其实Don Mclean的Vincent就能作为今天学习的总结
Starry, starry night
繁星点点的夜里
paint your palette blue and gray
画出你调色盘里的蓝与灰
look out on a summer's day
在夏日里出外探访
with eyes that know the darkness in my soul.
用你那洞悉我灵魂幽暗处的双眼
Shadows on the hills
山丘上的阴影
sketch the trees and the daffodils
描绘出树林与水仙花
catch the breeze and the winter chills
捕捉微风与冬天的冷冽
in colors on the snowy linen land.
用那雪地里亚麻般的色彩
And now I understand
如今我才明白
what you tried to say to me
你想说的是什么
and how you suffered for your sanity
当你清醒时你有多么痛苦
and how you tried to set them free.
你努力的想让它们得到解脱
They would not listen they did not know how
但人们却不理会，也不知该怎么做
perhaps they'll listen now.
也许，人们将学会倾听
flaming flowers that brightly blaze
火红的花朵灿烂的燃烧着
swirling clouds in violet haze
漩涡似的云飘在紫罗兰色的雾里
reflect in Vincent's eyes of china blue.
映照在文生湛蓝的眼瞳里
Colors changing hue
色彩变化万千
morning fields of amber grain
清晨的田园里琥珀色的农作物
weathered faces lined in pain
布满风霜的脸上罗列着痛苦
are soothed beneath the artist's loving hand.
在艺术家怜爱的手下得到抚慰
For they could not love you
因为当初他们无法爱你
but still your love was true
但你的爱依然真切
and when no hope was left in sight on that
当灿烂的星空里
starry starry night.
不存一丝希望
You took your life as lovers often do,
你像许多恋人一样，结束了自己的生命
But I could have told you Vincent
但愿我能告诉你，文森特
this world was never meant for one as beautiful as you.
这个世界根本配不上一个美丽如你的人
Starry starry night
繁星点点的夜里
portraits hung in empty halls
一幅幅的肖像悬挂在空荡荡的大厅里
Frame less heads on nameless walls
无镶框的脸倚靠在不知名的墙上
with eyes that watch the world and can't forget.
配上一双看遍世事且永不遗忘的双眼
Like the stranger that you've met
就像你曾遇见的陌生人
the ragged men in ragged clothes
那些衣衫褴褛的人们
the silver thorn of bloodyrose
也像血红的玫瑰上银色的刺
lie crushed and broken on the virgin snow.
断裂并静卧在初下的雪上
And now I think I know
我想我已明白
what you tried to say to me
你想说的是什么
and how you suffered for your sanity
当你清醒时你有多么痛苦
and how you tried to set them free.
你努力的想让它们得到解脱
They would not listen they're not listening still
但人们却不理会，现在依然如此
perhaps they never will.
也许，他们永远不会……

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