2015年ESL之商务英语 21 Distinctive Facial Features

Distinctive¹ Facial Features 

Mona: How is the portrait coming along? 

Leonardo: I’m done with the sketches³ and I’m ready to start on the painting. 

Mona: This commission is quite a godsend for a new artist. If you do a good job with this portrait, you may get other commissions. 

Leonardo: It’s all the same to me. I paint them as I see them. 

Mona: Well, I hope not exactly as you see them. A portrait has to be flattering, doesn’t it? 

Leonardo: You mean I should downplay bulging⁴ eyes, hooked noses, and double chins? No way. That’s what makes each face distinctive. 

Mona: Maybe that isn’t the best way to think about it. Everybody has an image of themselves in their mind’s eye. You would just be capturing that image. 

Leonardo: I’m an artist, not a psychologist. If they have squinty⁵ eyes, ears that stick out, a weak chin, or thin lips, that’s what I’m going to paint. 

Mona: But this sketch² shows a really prominent forehead and a receding⁶ hairline. Maybe you could just… 

Leonardo: No! I have to be true to my art. I’m not compromising. 

Mona: [sigh] I was just hoping you could finally make enough money to move off of my couch! 

Script by Dr. Lucy Tse 

1 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。

2 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。

3 sketches   

n.草图( sketch的名词复数 )；素描；速写；梗概

参考例句：

• The artist is making sketches for his next painting. 画家正为他的下一幅作品画素描。
• You have to admit that these sketches are true to life. 你得承认这些素描很逼真。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 bulging   

膨胀； 凸出（部）； 打气； 折皱

参考例句：

• Her pockets were bulging with presents. 她的口袋里装满了礼物。
• Conscious of the bulging red folder, Nim told her,"Ask if it's important." 尼姆想到那个鼓鼓囊囊的红色文件夹便告诉她：“问问是不是重要的事。”

5 squinty   

斜视眼的，斗鸡眼的

参考例句：

• He looked with squinty eyes. 他眼睛斜视。
• Her eyes were squinty andflaring, as though about to dispense tissues through the nose. 她被触怒了，七窍生烟，仿佛真的要从鼻子下分发纸巾一般。

6 receding   

v.逐渐远离( recede的现在分词 )；向后倾斜；自原处后退或避开别人的注视；尤指问题

参考例句：

• Desperately he struck out after the receding lights of the yacht. 游艇的灯光渐去渐远，他拼命划水追赶。 来自辞典例句
• Sounds produced by vehicles receding from us seem lower-pitched than usual. 渐渐远离我们的运载工具发出的声似乎比平常的音调低。 来自辞典例句