妙手画尽纽约客

蒋建平

难词探意

1. sketch /sket?/ n. 草图;速写;素描  v. 画速写

2. quirky /?kw?ki/ adj. 怪异的

3. laminated /?l?m?ne?t?d/ adj. 由透明塑料薄膜覆盖的

Artist and illustrator Jason Polan， who was working on an ambitious project to draw everyone in New York， died of cancer at 37 on Monday， his family confirmed to The New York Times.

In 2008， Polan started “Every person in New York” in the form of a blog， stating， “I am trying to draw every person in New York. I will be drawing people every day and posting as frequently as I can. It is possible that I will draw you without you knowing it. I draw in subway stations， museums， restaurants and on street corners. I try not to be in the way when I am drawing or be too noticeable.”

The last sketch on the blog is titled “Man at Taco Bell” and dated December 16， 2019. The drawings were made quickly and sometimes affected by whether the subject was moving or had suddenly left. Polan was open to sketching someone upon request. In that case， he would ask people to inform him of the details of which street corner or public place they would be standing at for a duration of just two minutes.

“You may or may not see me drawing you during this time. If I do draw you， you will see yourself， or rather， a drawing that hopefully somewhat resembles you， on this blog that evening，” he explained on the blog.

“I know Im going to fail. I wont draw everybody， but I enjoy trying，” he said in a 2011 interview. At that time， he had drawn 11，000 people， and by 2015， when he released a book with selected sketches from the project， he had reached 30，000. Most of them were regular New Yorkers， although Polan did draw a few famous people， including Judd Apatow， Zadie Smith， Joan Didion， Sofia Coppola and Anthony Bourdain.

Polans other projects were beautifully quirky. Shortly after moving to New York from his native Michigan， he started drawing every artwork of one of his favorite museums， the Museum of Modern Art， hoping to get a job there.

Also notable was the Taco Bell Drawing Club， which he started in 2005 as a weekly meeting open to anyone who wanted to join him in drawing at the Taco Bell restaurant in Manhattans Union Square， where he would personally make laminated membership cards for every member.

Fill in each blank with only one word or with the word given in a proper form.

Jason Polan was 1.               artist and illustrator. Most of the 2.               （character） in his drawings were regular New Yorkers，who were usually sketched before they realized that. In 2008， Polan started “Every person in New York” in the form of a blog，drawing people every day and posting as frequently as 3.              . By 2011， he 4.               （draw） 11，000 people， and by 2015 30，000. His last sketch， “Man at Taco Bell”， 5.               （finish） on December 16， 2019. Polan was willing 6.               （sketch） someone upon request if he was informed some details of their meeting. His works also included his favorite museum， the Museum of Modern Art， 7.               he hoped to get a job. He was also famous for the Taco Bell Drawing Club， which he started in 2005 8.               （attract） anyone who wanted to join him in drawing at the Taco Bell restaurant. Jason Polan was a 9.               （determine） artist and enthusiastic 10.               his career. He was also considerate.

Difficult sentence

Also notable was the Taco Bell Drawing Club， which he started in 2005 as a weekly meeting open to anyone who wanted to join him in drawing at the Taco Bell restaurant in Manhattans Union Square， where he would personally make laminated membership cards for every member.

【翻譯】

【点石成金】本句是一个复合句，主句部分是Also notable was the Taco Bell Drawing Club，该句为倒装形式，将表语notable提前以作强调。which引导的是一个非限制性定语从句，修饰先行词the Taco Bell Drawing Club。who引导的定语从句修饰先行词anyone。where引导的是一个非限制性定语从句，修饰先行词the Taco Bell restaurant，先行词the Taco Bell restaurant与where引导的定语从句被介词短语in Manhattans Union Square所分割。