UNIT 15 Practice 3
Reading Passage 1 Graffiti
Graffiti - Art or Crime?
A
People love to make their mark, and graffiti such as initials or drawings written or spray-painted onto subways, walls or footpaths is a universal phenomenon. It has existed since ancient times, and one of the oldest pieces of still-existing graffiti is an advertiment for a
我和妈brothel in the ancient town of Ephesus, in Greece. There are many types of graffiti, and also a variety of views about it. Some e it as an art form, some u it as a form of protest against authority, others regard it as needless and destructive vandalism, and it is often en as the precursor of gang-related crime in a neighbourhood.
B
The heyday of graffiti was in New York City in the 1970s. At that time, there was little money for the policing of graffiti, and artists targeted the subways and subway cars in particular. Graffiti became so popular at this time that artists wanted to identify their own particular work. They began to create distinctive stylid signatures and thus the art of tagging was born. Sales of spray paint incread significantly at this time, as more and more street artists began to explore this new medium of expression, and graffiti became bigger and more elaborate. Artists were competing to cover the whole city of New York with their work, and finally the Metro Transit Authority began to battle with graffiti artists, locking gates and removing pictures from subway trains. At the same time, graffiti began
making its way into art galleries, as the established art world began to recogni it as a legitimate modern art form.
C
By the 80s, graffiti culture in New York was beginning to decline. It was becoming associated with the loc drug scene, and legal penalties for vandalism became more vere at this time. In particular, the MTA hugely incread its anti-graffiti budget, and it became much harder for artists to create elaborate pieces on subway cars, so graffiti was restricted to the streets, where it has stayed until today. By mid-1986, the 'war on graffiti' was being won, and there were fewer graffiti artists in New York. In the 90s, under mayor Rudolph Guiliani, the anti-tagging task force t out to eradicate graffiti vandals by banning sales of spray paint to under 18s and by hugely increasing fines for the offence.
D
Of cour, graffiti is not only a North American phenomenon, and there are thriving cultur
es throughout the world, especially in Brazil where graffiti is endemic. Some people say that the huge gap between rich and poor in the country has fuelled the growth of graffiti as a form of anonymous political protest against economic injustice. It is also becoming more common in various countries in the Middle East, probably also as a protest by people who feel marginalid or represd by existing political regimes. In general, cities around the world have problems with graffiti artists, who are often en by the establishment as mindless, drug-fuelled vandals.
E
This is particularly the ca with tagging, as one common u of tags is as turf markers for gangs, who u them to mark out territory in a neighbourhood. Tagging is en as the first sign of gang activity in an area and, conquently, many cities ek to stamp it out to prevent the growth of crime and lawlessness. Common methods for fighting graffiti include banning sales of spray paint the creation of online tagging databas, fines, and eve imprisonment, but the taggers continue, eing an arrest as a badge of honour rather
than as a deterrent. At the same time, graffiti has become a recognid art form with commercial us by companies such as Sony and even ultraconrvative IBM, which was recently fined to pay for the cleanup of a graffiti-bad advertising campaign.
F
So is graffiti a form of mindless, criminal vandalism. or is it a vibrant and exciting modern art form? As with so many phenomena of modern life, this is all in the eye of the obrver.
大学摄影Multiple Choice
Choo the appropriate letters A, B, C or D.
1. Graffiti includes
A drawings on walls.
B initials on footpaths.
C drawings and initials on subways.
D all of the above.
2. According to the reading passage,
A graffiti was common in ancient Greece.
B one of the oldest known examples of graffiti is in Ephesus.
C graffiti has only existed in the last hundred years.
D all of the above.
3. The 'heyday' of graffiti means
A the time it was the most popular.
B the time there was the least graffiti.
C the way graffiti artists talked to each other.
冉冬阳D all of the above.
4 ‘Tagging’ refers to
A graffiti done with spray paint.
赤足丝袜B graffiti on subway cars and walls.
C personal stylid signatures.
D all of the above. 幼儿园生活活动有哪些
5. To say graffiti became a 'legitimate modern art form' meant
A it was often sold for large sums of money.
B it was not removed, like other graffiti was.
C some people considered it a valid style of art.
D all of the above.
Identification of Information
Do the following statements agree with the information in the reading passage?
Write:
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information in the text
FALSE 海埂公园 if the statement contradicts the information in the text
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
仙人掌的习性6. ____ More and more graffiti artists were creating graffiti in New York in the 1980s. 7. _____ During the 1980s, the fines for graffiti became a lot higher.
8.__满城___ During the 1980s, many graffiti artists were imprisoned becau of their graffiti activities.
9. ______The MTA spent a lot more money on graffiti, removal.
10._____Becau of this, very detailed graffiti appeared on the subways.
