Street art can be found on buildings, sidewalks, street signs and even trash cans from Tokyo to Paris to New York City. This special kind of art can take the form of paintings, sculptures, cloth or even stickers (张贴物). Street art has become part of a global visual culture. Now, even art museums and galleries are collecting the works of street artists.
It is not easy to provide an exact history of the street art movement. This kind of art has developed in many kinds of ways in places all over the world. Also, because it is illegal to paint public and private property without permission, street artists usually work secretly. This secretive nature of street art and its countless forms make it hard to define exactly. And people have different opinions about the movement. Some think street art is a crime and destroys property. But others see this art as a rich form of non-traditional cultural expression.
Many experts say the movement began in New York City in the 1960s. Young adults would use paint in special cans to spray their “tag” on walls and train cars around the city. This tag was a name they created to identify themselves and their artwork. This colorful style of writing is also called graffiti (涂鸦). It is visually exciting and energetic. Some graffiti paintings were signs marking the territories of city gangs or illegal crime groups.
Graffiti also became a separate movement expressing the street culture of young people living in big cities. Graffiti art represented social and political rebellion (叛逆). This was art that rejected the accepted rules of culture and power. These artists could travel around areas of the city making creative paintings for everyone to see. Sometimes this street art created a conflict between artists and city officials. Graffiti artists created their images and city officials quickly painted over them.
During the 1980s, two New York painters — Keith Haring and Jean Michel began showing their work in art galleries and museums. This is when street art started to become part of the more general popular culture.
【小题1】What can we infer from the first paragraph?
| A.Street art has become popular and is accepted as a kind of culture. |
| B.Street art is very special compared with other forms of popular art. |
| C.Many people are beginning to learn street art. |
| D.Street art is better developed in big cities than in rural areas. |
| A.“TAG” was a word created by people to distinguish street artists and the other artists. |
| B.There are three reasons explaining why it is hard to define the history of street art. |
| C.The movement of street art began in the 1980s in New York City. |
| D.All the people don’t think that the street art is a rich form of cultural expression. |
| A.they caused arguments between people | B.they were ugly in someone’s eyes |
| C.they were not painted under proper guidance | D.they didn’t express traditional culture |
If you were a pilot flying a plane, and suddenly the engine failed, would you eject (弹出), or stay in? For a pilot, the choice is very difficult. If he ejects, he is wise, but the plane crashes. If he stays in the plane, he risks his life.
Recently, Chinese Air Force pilot Li Feng, 38, faced this choice during a training exercise. It was March 7 and he was flying a Jian-10 (Flghter-10) at 4,500 meters. A warning appeared on the plane’s computer screen. He realized the plane might fail at any moment.
Li Feng did a quick check of the engine and asked the base if he could return. When the fighter was 7km away from the airport, however, the engine stopped working. The plane began to fall at a speed of 25 meters a second from an altitude of 1,160 meters.
Under Air Force rules fighter pilots may eject if their aircraft loses engine power below 2,000 meters and can’t be restarted. Before Li lost contact with the control tower, the commander in the air base asked him to eject. But Li Feng insisted on having another try.
“I knew where the deadline (to abandon the aircraft) was and was prepared for the ejection, but I decided not to give up unless the fighter was totally out of control,” Li recalled during a recent television interview.
After 104 seconds, Li was able to bring the fighter to a safe landing. The plane only suffered slight damage.
“You are a hero! Congratulations!” Li’s teacher, Xu yongling wrote in a text message to him after the landing. He said Li was a cool-headed pilot and very professional.
Li’s brave and calm act not only saved the 200 million yuan aircraft but also gave him invaluable first-hand experience of dealing with an engine emergency.
For his outstanding performance, the Air Force recently awarded him a gold medal.
【小题1】When the engine stopped working, Li Feng _________.
| A.was flying a Jian-10 at 4,500 meters | B.saw a warning appeared on the plane’s computer screen |
| C.was still calm and cool-headed | D.was asked to stay in, but he ejected |
| A.pilots must restart it as soon as possible | B.pilots should repair it as soon as possible |
| C.pilots may eject for safety | D.pilots should bring it to a safe landing |
| A.Because he had no choice but to stay in the plane. | |
| B.Because the fighter was not totally out of control. | |
| C.Because he didn’t know how to eject. | D.Because he wanted to get a gold medal. |
| A.Flying the Fighter Correctly | B.When to Abandon the Aircraft |
| C.How to Deal with an Engine Emergency | D.Bring the Fighter to a safe Landing |