Graffiti culture is dying

貴州貴陽市北師大貴陽附中 羅躍梅

涂鴉首先出現在20世紀60年代的美國，經過這么多年的發展街頭涂鴉文化已經散布到世界上的許多國家，并逐漸成為一種藝術。但由于受法律監管和新一代選擇偏好的影響，涂鴉文化正瀕臨滅絕。

題材文章詞數文化365 難度 ★★★體裁建議用時說明文7′

海詞積累

1.daredevil n.莽撞漢；蠻勇的人

2.dodge v.躲閃；避開

3.tag v.簽名涂鴉

4.reckon v.認為

London'sfastest-changing artgallery is hidden in a sunken ball court.On a sunny Sunday afternoon six or seven men,mostly in their 30s,are busy painting the walls with new designs.They put up cartoons,names written in elaborate,multi-coloured lettering and clever perspective tricks.Tins of spray paint and beer stand on the ground;ladders lean against the paintings.The atmosphere is a mix of concentration and relaxation.

Graffiti painting is traditionally adaredevilpursuit.Teenagersdodgesecurity guards to put their names on trains and buses.But over the past decade that has almost disappeared from Britain's cities.Between 2007 and 2012 the number of incidents of graffiti recorded by the British Transport Police fell by 63%.A survey by the environment ministry shows that fewer places are blighted by tags than ever.

“The most obvious reason for the decline in tagging and train-painting is better policing,”says Keegan Webb,who runs The London Vandal,a graffiti blog. “Numerous cameras mean it is harder to get away with painting illegally.And punishments are more severe.Some productive taggers such as Daniel Halpin,have been given long prison sentences.British graffiti artists who want to paint trains usually go abroad to do it these days.”

“A generational shift is apparent,too.Fewer teenagers are getting into painting walls.They prefer to play with iPads and video games,”reckonsBoyd Hill,who in effect runs the Stockwell ball courts.Those who do get involved tend to prefer street art to graffiti.Some have gone to art school and want to make money from their paintings.The Internet means that painters can win far more attention by posting pictures online than they can by breaking into a railway yard.Video games and comic books provide more inspiration than music.

Graffiti may eventually disappear.But for now the hobby is almost respectable.Mr Eine says he has lots of friends who used to paint trains.Now with wives and children,they paint abandoned warehouses at the weekend.“It has become something to do on a Sunday afternoon—a slightly healthier alternative to sitting watching the football,”he said.

——From HuffPost

Reading Check

1.How does the author begin the article?

A.By raising a question.

B.By describing a scene.

C.By giving an assumption.

D.By illustrating a typical case.

2.Which of the following has the closest meaning to the underlined word “blighted” in Para.2?

A.Remove. B.Mark.

C.Spoil. D.Present.

3.How many reasons for graffiti's dying out are referred to according to the text?

A.Two. B.Three.

C.Four. D.Five.

4.What is Mr Eine's attitude towards graffiti according to the last paragraph?

A.Neutral. B.Crazy.

C.Critical. D.Positive.

Language Study

寫作推薦

“The reason for...be（that）...” ……的原因……

The most obvious reason for the decline in tagging and train-painting is better policing.繪名和火車涂鴉風靡程度下降最主要的原因是管制更加嚴格了。

The reason for...be（that）...是一 個固 定句型，that引導的是表語從句。變化句型：The reason why...be （that）...；One important reason why/for...be （that）...。

【仿寫】中國電影在世界變得流行的一個重要原因是中國正變得越來越強大。