文章大意:本文是一篇记叙文。文章通过叙述Peterson与无家可归者Matt Faris的相遇以及后续创立Faces of Santa Ana组织的故事,展示了Peterson如何通过绘画帮助那些生活困难的人,并改变了人们对待无家可归者的态度。
It all started with a simple question: “Can I paint your portrait?”
One day in the summer of 2015, Peterson was relaxing in his living room, reading the book Love Does, about the power of love in action, when his quiet was disturbed by a homeless man outside his apartment. Inspired by the book’s compassionate message, Peterson made a decision; He was going to go outside and introduce himself.
In that first conversation, Peterson learned that the man’s name was Matt Faris. He’d moved to Southern California from Kentucky to pursue a career in music, but he soon fell on hard times and ended up living on the street for more than a decade. “I saw beauty on the face of a man who hadn’t shaved in probably a year, because his story, the life inside of him, inspired me,” Peterson recalled. Therefore, Peterson asked if he could paint Faris’s portrait. Faris agreed.
Peterson’s connection with Faris led him to form Faces of Santa Ana, a nonprofit organization focused on befriending and painting portraits of members of the community who are unhoused. Peterson sells the paintings for money, splitting the proceeds and putting half into a “love account” for his model. He then helps people use the money to get back on their feet.
Many of Peterson’s new friends use the donations to secure immediate necessities — medical care, hotel rooms, food. Faris used the funds from his portrait to record an album, fulfilling his musical dreams. Another subject, Kimberly Sondoval, had never been able to financially support her daughter. She asked, “Can I use the money to pay my daughter’s rent?” When the check was delivered, “They both wept in my arms,” Peterson recalls.
Peterson has painted 41 of these portraits himself. But there’s more to the finished products than the money they bring to someone who’s down and out. He’s discovered that the buyers tend to connect to the story of the person in the painting, finding similarities and often friendship with someone they might have otherwise overlooked or stereotyped.
“People often tell me, ‘I was the one that would cross the street, but I see homeless people differently now,’” Peterson says. “I didn’t know that would happen.”
4. What made Peterson start a conversation?
A.The curiosity about strangers. | B.The touching story of Matt Faris. |
C.The disturbance by a homeless man. | D.The sympathetic message in Love Does. |
5. What do we know about Faces of Santa Ana?
A.It pays the homeless salaries. |
B.It is an official nonprofit organization. |
C.It tries to restore the lives of Peterson’s models. |
D.It spends all the money on helping the unhoused. |
6. After buying a portrait, a buyer might view the homeless as ________.
A.lazy and poor | B.odd but inspiring |
C.disturbing and untidy | D.pitiful but respectable |
7. Which of the following is the best title of this text?
A.Art with Purpose: Love Account Matters |
B.Hope in Paintings: Help Knows No Race |
C.Faces of Compassion: Painting a New Perspective |
D.Encounter with Strangers: Embracing New Friends |