节目资讯
刊物:空中英语教室
日期:2013-10-04
难易度:High
关键字:artwork, toddler, aptitude, sensation, old master, pound
Well, today we're learning about Kieron Williamson, and he is the art world's
youngest star.
That's right.
Of course most parents like to display their children's artwork on the
refrigerator or other places at home,
but this young star has had his artwork displayed in professional galleries
since he was 6 years old.
So many would call him a child prodigy.
He is from Norfolk, England, which is about 160 miles... or kilometers northeast
of London.
And of course, he started drawing at a very young age.
He saw some boats and some scenery while they were on a family vacation in 2008,
and he asked for a sketch pad.
Well, let's see how this story continues.
(Music).
Kieron Williamson: The Art World's Youngest Star.
His initial drawings could've been done by any young child,
but after the family returned home, Kieron continued drawing and began to
display an aptitude for art.
When he started asking about the process of putting a painting together,
Kieron's parents realized he needed professional instruction.
Soon after, he began taking lessons, and his progress amazed everyone as the
young boy produced impressive landscapes and watercolors.
In 2009, when the 6-year-old had the chance to exhibit his work in a gallery, he
sold 19 paintings for 14,000 pounds, becoming a global sensation!
Wow! He is a very successful 6-year-old.
Well, going back to the beginning of this section of the reading:
His initial drawings could have been done by any young child,
but after the family returned home, Kieron continued drawing and began to
display an aptitude for art.
So he asked his parents for a sketch pad, and they gave him one.
And his drawings really weren't that special at first, right, Gabe?
That's right.
We're... we read here that any young child could have drawn the way that he did
then.
But that didn't happen when he got home.
Things began to change.
He continued to draw and sketch, and he developed an aptitude for art.
Well, let's take a look at our word there from the Word Bank: aptitude.
An aptitude is your ability to do something.
So how could you use that word?
Well, if you have an aptitude for something, that means that you are naturally
good at it.
Maybe you have an aptitude for languages.
As we discussed earlier today, many people say that I have an aptitude for
language.
Do you have an aptitude for English?
Or maybe you're like my sister - she has an aptitude for math.
Ooh, she has an aptitude for math.
I don't have an aptitude for math.
Maybe you have a musical aptitude.
You can learn music pretty quickly.
You can do it very well.
So what do you have an aptitude for?
Of course, Kieron Williamson displayed an aptitude for art.
And we continue reading here:
When he started asking about the process of putting a painting together,
Kieron's parents realized he needed professional instruction.
So maybe a lot of kids might ask their parents how to do something.
They would be able to respond in an OK way.
But Kieron was a little better than most children at art.
That's right.
Oh, this kind of reminds me of my brother who had an aptitude for electronics at
a young age and asked my mother how a computer worked.
Really?
He didn't... and what did your mom do?
How did she respond?
Well, let's see, she explained to him because she was pretty good with
computers.
And then he continued to learn by taking things apart like VCRs.
Nice! I'm sure your mom loved that.
Well, as long as he could fix them again in the future, I'm sure that's good.
And of course you might have an aptitude for something like that as well.
Well, we read on here:
Soon after, he began taking lessons, and his progress amazed everyone as the
young boy produced impressive landscapes and watercolors.
OK, so he was taking lessons from professional instructors.
And of course, he was impressing everybody.
It would be very impressive.
And we find out something amazing.
In 2009, when the 6-year-old had the chance to exhibit his work in a gallery (he
was 6), he sold 19 paintings for 14,000 pounds, becoming a global sensation!
Wow!
OK. That is definitely quite a young age to start selling your paintings like
this.
He got 14,000 pounds!
That's quite a bit of money.
Now of course he had a chance to exhibit his work in galleries.
You see that word "exhibit." We've talked about that word before.
But usually we use it as a noun, or we talked about it as a noun before.
You have an art exhibit.
Here you see it as a verb.
He's exhibiting his work in a gallery.
That's right.
And we have a word from our Word Bank at the end of that sentence: sensation.
If something is a sensation, then it gets popular very quickly, and it's very
big, lots of people are talking about it.
All right.
So maybe someone is a singing sensation.
That means they have a wonderful voice.
Everyone loves to hear their voice.
Or maybe someone is a... a surfing sensation, someone who surfs really well.
Everyone is talking about that person.
That's right.
Well, I know who can cause a sensation.
Who?
Michelle!
All right.
Let's go to the Language Lab.
OK.
(Chinese).
OK. Now get ready to learn more from our teachers.
Today we've learned about Kieron Williamson and how he displayed his art in a
gallery and sold his paintings when he was only 6 years old, becoming a global
sensation.
Now being that young, how can he avoid becoming too caught up in this fame,
Gabe?
Well, that's a good question.
You know, a lot of kids they become famous early on, and then they end up
getting carried away with that and making bad decisions with their life.
I think it's important to have a good community around you, good role models,
good people as examples for you on how to have a balanced life.
I think that is a very good idea.
And he can stay involved in normal activities for children.
Well, we have more to learn about Kieron Williamson.
So we will see you again tomorrow on Studio Classroom.
See you then.
Oh, I... I added Liz from the Grammar Gym right here...