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What’s Your Tag? 涂鸦，秀出你的style！

课文朗读

课文讲解

繁體中文譯本

It can be political or personal, inspiring or offensive. Graffiti triggers a range of emotions in different people, and it’s one of the earliest and most effective ways of spreading your message to a wide audience. Although this phenomenon is mostly associated with youth, graffiti is actually older than writing itself.

不论是政治的、个人的、激励人心的或引人反感的，涂鸦在不同人身上引发种种不同情绪；它是散播信息给广大观众的最简易、有效的方式之一。虽然涂鸦这个现象多半被认为是年轻人的文化，但事实上其历史比书写还要悠久。

Some of the earliest graffiti can be found on ancient Egyptian construction sites. Workers and craftsmen on their breaks would pass the time by doodling on the walls. But the best examples of early graffiti can be found in the Roman city of Pompeii. Although the city was destroyed suddenly by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, many of the walls with their original graffiti were left fully intact. These include everything from political statements such as “Elect Marcus Holconius Priscus” to personal insults like “Lucius Istacidius is a barbarian to me.” There are even obscene cartoons and insulting caricatures of famous figures.

最早的涂鸦有些可在古埃及的建筑遗址找到；工人和工匠休息时会在墙上乱画来打发时间。不过早期涂鸦的最佳例证是罗马的庞贝城。虽然该城因维苏威火山爆发而突遭毁灭，但许多留有其最初涂鸦的墙垣仍完好无缺。这些涂鸦包含政治性言论，像是「推选马可斯．何卡尼亚斯．普里斯克斯」，也有人身攻击，例如「对我来说，路西亚斯．伊斯特西迪亚斯是个野蛮人」，甚至还有春宫图和名人讽刺画。

Although the best-known examples of graffiti come from Ancient Rome, there is evidence this phenomenon took place all over the world. Graffiti has been found in the ruined Mayan city of Tikal, and even on the Great Wall of China!

虽然涂鸦的知名范例来自古罗马，但也有证据显示涂鸦是世界各地皆有的现象。马雅文化的提卡尔城遗迹已发现有涂鸦，甚至连中国的万里长城都有！

Preserved graffiti can be extremely valuable to archeologists and historians, since it provides a glimpse into the everyday lives of ancient civilizations. The simple scrawling of an embittered housewife can give us insight into the way a domestic Roman household functioned. Political statements and caricatures show what the popular mood might have been. There are even some Egyptian temples which were identified based on the graffiti that early visitors left on their walls.

对考古学家和历史学家来说，留存的涂鸦可能极具价值，因为它让人得以一窥古文明人类的日常生活。苦闷主妇的简单涂鸦使我们了解罗马家庭的运作方式，政治言论和讽刺画则显示了当时民众的情绪，甚至有些埃及寺庙是靠早期观光客在墙上遗留的涂鸦而获得确认。

Vocabulary

单词发音

offensive [əˋfɛnsɪv] adj. 冒犯的

trigger [ˋtrɪgɚ] v. 触发，引起

pass the time 消磨时光 to do something to keep busy while waiting

eruption [ɪˋrʌpʃən] n.（火山）爆发

intact [ɪnˋtækt] adj. 完整无缺的

insult [ɪnˋsʌlt] n. 辱骂﹐凌辱; 侮辱性的言行

obscene [əbˋsin] adj. 猥亵的；淫秽的

evidence [ˋɛvədəns] n. 证据；证词

give insight into 深入了解

insight [ˋɪn͵saɪt] n. 洞悉；深刻的理解

identify [aɪˋdɛntə͵faɪ] v. 识别; 确认

More Information

单词发音

graffiti [grə`fitɪ] n.〔在墙上﹑火车上等的〕乱涂乱抹﹐涂鸦

doodle [ˋdud!] v.（心不在焉地）乱画

Pompeii [pɑmˋpei] n. 庞贝（意大利那不勒斯附近一古城）

Vesuvius [vəˋsuvɪəs] n. 维苏威火山（意大利西南部火山）

elect [ɪˋlɛkt] v. 选举；推选

barbarian [bɑrˋbɛrɪən] n. 野蛮人，未开化的人

caricature [ˋkærɪkətʃɚ] n. 讽刺画；讽刺文

Mayan [ˋmɑjən] adj. 马雅族（人、语）的

preserve [prɪˋzɝv] v. 保存; 保护

scrawl [skrɔl] v. 乱写，乱涂，涂鸦

embittered [ɪmˋbɪtɚd] adj. 愤怒的；怨恨的

课文讲解

The evolution of graffiti into its modern, highly-stylized form took place in New York in the 1970s. Pioneering figures like TAKI 183 and Fab Five Freddy began to spread their “tag,” a personalized signature, around the city.

涂鸦在1970年代的纽约演变成现代、极具风格的形式。先驱者如TAKI 183和Fab Five Freddy开始在城市四处散播他们的「标签」，一种个人化的签名标记。

As “tagging” became more popular, graffiti artists began to develop more innovative and stylized signatures in order to stand out. One of the most popular venues for these tags was on the New York subway, where a single train could carry your message all over the city. In the 1980s, the city of New York launched a massive anti-graffiti campaign, particularly on the subways. This led to a decline in graffiti artists, but it spawned the first public debate as to whether graffiti should be considered art, an argument that persists to this day.

当「贴标签」越来越风行，涂鸦艺术家为了脱颖而出，便开始发展更创新、更具风格的签名标记。最受欢迎的贴标签地点是纽约地铁，一列车厢就能将信息载往城市各处。1980年代，纽约市发起大规模的反涂鸦运动，尤其是在地铁。这导致涂鸦艺术家人数减少，却也引发涂鸦是否为艺术的首次公共辩论，而此争论仍延续至今。

While some forms of graffiti are of dubious artistic value, there are many graffiti artists that have been accepted by the mainstream art community, holding gallery shows to sell their works. In the ultimate form of mainstream acceptance, major companies such as IBM have even hired graffiti artists to “tag” their corporate logo around the city.

虽然涂鸦的某些形式艺术价值未定，但许多涂鸦艺术家已被主流艺术界所接受，举办展览销售作品。像IBM这样的大公司甚至聘用涂鸦艺术家在各地「张贴」公司商标，可说是主流团体对涂鸦的积极认同。

Graffiti can be done for simple recognition, but it often carries a powerful emotional charge. The death of rapper Tupac Shakur was followed by a rash of street murals lamenting the tragedy. The Northern Irish city of Belfast became famous for its elaborate murals, as warring Catholics and Protestants used graffiti to express their political feelings. The Berlin Wall was also famously covered with graffiti, as impoverished East Germans struggled against the oppression the wall represented. Graffiti has evolved into a complex, international form of expression. It is a true window into the thoughts and feelings of people around the world.

涂鸦可以为了简明的识别而做，但也常带有强烈的情绪抒发。饶舌歌手吐帕．萨柯死后便有一连串哀悼此悲剧的街头涂鸦行动。北爱尔兰城市贝尔法斯特以其精致壁画闻名，因敌对的天主教徒和新教徒用涂鸦来表达其政治情感。柏林围墙也以覆满涂鸦着称，贫困的东德人藉此反抗该墙所象征的压制。涂鸦已演变为表达自我的一种复杂、国际化形式，是眺望世界各地人们思想和情感的真正窗口。

−by Michael Karanicolas

Vocabulary

单词发音

pioneering [paɪəˋnɪərɪŋ] adj. 开创的，首创的

signature [ˋsɪgnətʃɚ] n. 签名

launch [lɔntʃ] v. 发起

campaign [kæmˋpen] n. 运动，活动

decline [dɪˋklaɪn] n. 下降；减少

dubious [ˋdjubɪəs] adj. 引起怀疑的，可疑的

logo [ˋlogo] n. 标识﹐标志

lament [ləˋmɛnt] v. 哀悼，悲痛

elaborate [ɪˋlæbə͵ret] adj. 精心制作的；精巧的

oppression [əˋprɛʃən] n. 压迫，压制

More Information

单词发音

stylized [ˋstaɪlaɪzd] adj. 有风格的

tag [tæg] n. 标签

stand out 突出, 显着 to be conspicuous, distinctive, or prominent

venue [ˋvɛnju] n.（事件、行动等的）发生地

spawn [spɔn] v. 酿成

as to 关于

recognition [͵rɛkəgˋnɪʃən] n. 识别

charge [tʃɑrdʒ] n.（激情的）蕴藏

rapper [ˋræpɚ] n. 饶舌歌手

rash [ræʃ] n. 【非正式】大量的〔一下子出现的令人不快的事件﹑变化等〕an outbreak of many instances within a brief period

mural [ˋmjʊrəl] n. 壁画

warring [ˋwɔrɪŋ] adj. 交战的；相争的；敌对的

Catholic [ˋkæθəlɪk] n. 天主教徒

Protestant [ˋprɑtɪstənt] n. 新教徒

impoverished [ɪmˋpɑvərɪʃt] adj. 穷困的；赤贫的

Reading Questions

1. The word “associated” in this article is closest in meaning to _____.

A. developed

B. connected

C. purchased

D. returned

2. When modern graffiti started to become popular, how did artists make a name for themselves?

A. They began to develop creative ways to sign their names.

B. They insisted on only painting on the New York subways.

C. They began to include violent images in their works.

D. They began to produce pieces for large companies.

3. What is the purpose of this article?

A. To explain the history of graffiti in corporate advertising.

B. To inform the readers of the many dangers of graffiti.

C. To illustrate the history and development of graffiti.

D. To explain the differences between traditional art and graffiti.

4. According to the article, which of the following would be a suitable alternate title?

A. The History of Graffiti

B. The Discovery of Graffiti

C. The Technique of Graffiti

D. The Business of Graffiti

Answer