Graffiti: Artistic or Annoying 涂鸦：究竟是艺术还是惹人厌？
Is graffiti art or just a destructive nuisance?
涂鸦究竟是艺术，还是破坏市容？
May 22
Graffiti can be found in every major city around the world. To some, it's a complex art form, but to others, graffiti is an eyesore. What makes this unique form of urban expression so controversial?
Conversation
Beth: I love living in this city, but it's becoming less and less appealing with all the graffiti popping up everywhere. As I drove home today, I noticed it on everything from buildings to buses.
Adam: I really like some of it. I enjoy seeing the work of graffiti artists around town and consider their form of creative expression an art.
Beth: Art? You can't be serious. Graffiti is destructive, costing cities millions of dollars each year in cleanup costs. In fact, in 2006 graffiti removal in Los Angeles County alone cost $28 million.
Adam: In my opinion, that's $28 million spent needlessly. Think about the color and life that graffiti can bring to rundown neighborhoods, turning unattractive buildings into public works of art.
Beth: That may be true, but not all graffiti is artistic; some is messy and offensive. It can also have an adverse effect on neighborhoods by causing lost revenue for property owners and making businesses hesitant to invest.

    全球各大城市都看得到涂鸦。对有些人来说，涂鸦是一种复杂的艺术形式，但在其他人眼中看来，它却很碍眼。这种独特的都会艺术表现为何会如此有争议性？
会话
    贝丝：我喜欢住在这个城市里，可是到处都有的涂鸦，却让市容愈来愈丑陋。今天开车回家时，我注意到，从建筑物到公车上，到处都是涂鸦的痕迹。
    亚当：我倒是很喜欢其中一些涂鸦。我很喜欢看到涂鸦艺术家的作品出现在大街小巷，而且把这种充满创意的艺术表现视为艺术。
    贝丝：艺术？你一定在开玩笑。涂鸦破坏市容，市府当局每年得花高达数百万美元的经费来清理。事实上，在二００六年，洛杉矶郡光是清除涂鸦就花了两千八百万美元。
    亚当：我认为，这两千八百万完全是不必要的花费。想想看，涂鸦可以为老旧市区增添多少色彩和活力，它们能把原本不起眼的建筑物摇身一变为公共艺术。
    贝丝：你说的或许有道理，但也不是所有涂鸦都很有艺术美，像有些涂鸦就看起来很凌乱、令人反感，而这也可能连带使房价下跌，害不动产业主收入减少，并使得一些企业对投资裹足不前，而为社区带来负面效果。

graffiti (n) 涂鸦
eyesore (n) 碍眼的事物；难看的东西
The old building is such an eyesore that many people want it torn down.
controversial (adj) 有争议的
Dr. Grey participated in a controversial study about human genes.
needlessly (adv) 不必要地；无用地
Joe needlessly brought his umbrella to work on a sunny day.
adverse (adj) 不利的；有害的
Betty cannot drink milk or eat cheese without having an adverse reaction.

Teaching Topic: Downtown vs. the Inner City 教学主题： Inner City 有別于 Downtown
downtown：都市中最繁荣，热闹的地方
inner city：大都市，市中心的贫民区
ghetto是像黑人，波多黎各人都少数民族住的区，Chinatown唐人街并不能称为ghetto，因为现在在美国许多的Chinatown都已经成为观光景点，而ghetto比较像贫民区
urban decay是所谓的都市衰退，这是一个城市逐渐变得失修，荒废的过程，这往往是人口迁移，高失业率，犯罪率所导致的现象

---Welcome to the Chat Room! We’re happy to have Vickie in the Chat Room today. Hi, Vickie!
Vickie: Hi, Ken! Hi, everyone! It’s great to be back. And today I believe we’re going to be talking about graffiti?
---Yes, we are. But there’re something else related to graffiti I’d like to chat about. Adam says in the lesson, “Think about the color and life that graffiti can bring to rundown neighborhoods.” Now what are rundown neighborhoods?
Vickie: Well, rundown neighborhoods are often found in the inner city where poverty and crime rates are high.
---So the inner city is not the same as downtown?
Vickie: No, not at all. When we talk about downtown, we’re referring to the central business district of a city that usually contains entertainment and shopping areas. But the inner city, while it is in the central area, is the poor parts of a city.
---I see. downtown和inner city都是大都市的市中心，但两者完全不同，downtown是都市中最繁荣，热闹的地方，你可以在downtown购物，观赏电影，戏剧，参与不同的艺文活动，inner city是大都市，市中心的贫民区，这里的街道是比较脏乱的，犯罪率也比其他的地方高。OK. What about a ghetto, what is that?
Vickie: Well, a ghetto is the part of a city, especially a rundown and densely populated part of a city where members of minority group live.
---Oh, you mean like Chinatown?
Vickie: Well, not really. People who live in ghettos are mostly under economic or social pressure. Many Chinatowns in recent times have become more middleclass and are tourist attractions.
---I see. ghetto是像黑人，波多黎各人都少数民族住的区，Chinatown唐人街并不能称为ghetto，因为现在在美国许多的Chinatown都已经成为观光景点，而ghetto比较像贫民区。So how does an inner city neighborhood get rundown?
Vickie: Well, there’re a lot of different causes, such as people moving away into the suburbs, unemployment, crime etc. And this process of becoming rundown is called urban decay.
---urban decay是所谓的都市衰退，这是一个城市逐渐变得失修，荒废的过程，这往往是人口迁移，高失业率，犯罪率所导致的现象
Vickie: Let’s go to Michelle now for today’s Language Tips.

eyesore (n) 礙眼的事物；難看的東西
The people in the neighborhood consider the new community center an eyesore.
社区里的居民觉得那栋新的活动中心盖得很丑。
The new curtains the boss picked are really an eyesore.
老板挑的新窗帘真的蛮刺眼的。

controversial (adj) 有爭議的
The development of genetic engineering is a controversial issue.
基因工程的发展是个具有争议性的议题。
The controversial news report stirred up all sorts of reaction in the public.
这篇具有争议性的新闻报道在大众中激起各式各样的反应。

adverse (adj) 不利的；有害的
There haven't been any adverse side-effects of this medicine to date.
到目前为止这个药物并没有任何有害的副作用。
The divorce of this movie star caused an adverse impact on his popularity.
这位电影明星的离婚对他受欢迎的程度有负面的影响。

May 23
Adam: Be that as it may, I recently read about some property owners in New York that gave artists permission to paint graffiti on their buildings. Those building owners see graffiti as a way to enhance the appearance of their neighborhood.
Beth: But those artists are doing commissioned work. There's a big difference between that and those who intentionally break the law. I've also heard that a lot of graffiti is gang-related, which gives people a good reason to be wary of places displaying it.
Adam: Actually, only about 10 percent of graffiti is gangrelated. Also, most of the graffiti artists who are paid for their art started out doing graffiti illegally. I think the presence of some ugly graffiti is a small price to pay for the beauty that other graffiti adds.
Beth: You might be right. But in my opinion, art belongs in museums and galleries, not on buildings, subway trains or street signs.
Adam: At least you acknowledge that some graffiti is artistic! I guess we just disagree on the value of graffiti. Either way, graffiti will inevitably be part of urban life for years to come.

    亚当：尽管如此，我最近读到有些纽约屋主允许艺术家在建筑物上涂鸦，这些屋主把涂鸦视为一种美化街坊的方式。
    贝丝：但那些艺术家是接受委托创作，这跟刻意违法的随意涂鸦者大不相同。我也听过，有很多涂鸦其实和帮派有关，难怪大家不太敢接近有涂鸦的地方。
    亚当：事实上，只有约百分之十的涂鸦跟帮派有关。而且，大部分接受付费委托的涂鸦艺术家都是从违法的涂鸦起家。看在好看的涂鸦能美化市容的份上，我们就算容忍一些难看的涂鸦应该也没什麽大不了的。
    贝丝：你说的或许也对，可是我还是认为，艺术品应该摆在博物馆和画廊里展示，而不是在建筑物、地铁列车或路标上出现。
    亚当：至少你也承认有些涂鸦很有艺术美！我想我们就只是对涂鸦的价值意见不同罢了。无论如何，涂鸦未来一定会成为都会生活的一部分。

be that as it may (idiom) 即便如此；尽管如此
Alex's car is very old. Be that as it may, he still plans to drive across the country.
enhance (v) 提高；提升
Gina wants to enhance the lives of her friends and family.
intentionally (adv) 蓄意地；故意地
That boy intentionally broke one of his sister's favorite toys.
inevitably (adv) 不可避免地；必然地
Tom thinks that humans will inevitably stop using oil as their main source of energy.

Grammar Tip
I think the presence of some ugly graffiti is a small price to pay for the beauty that other graffiti adds.
a small price to pay for something指的就是为某事付上小小的代价。
Jenny thinks that working as a nanny is a small price to pay for being able to live in Swizerland.
Theresa feels that paying a garbage tax is a small price to pay for a cleaner neighborhood.
Jack thinks that the extra $100 for the traveler's medical insurance is a small price to pay for his family's peace of mind.
Brandy thought that living in the small one-bedroom apartment was a small price to pay for being close to where she worked.

Hi there, friends! I hope you’re all doing well today. My name is Liz and it’s time for Grammar on the Go. Our article today is about graffiti, so here I am, downtown, and it didn’t take me too long to find some graffiti. So what do you think about the graffiti behind me? Hmm…Well, anyhow, here’s the Grammar Tip sentence for today. I think the presence of some ugly graffiti is a small price to pay for the beauty that other graffiti adds. Notice the phrase, “a small price to pay”. It’s an expression that means worth enduring, so today’s sentence just means that…the presence of some ugly graffiti is worth enduring for the beauty that other graffiti adds. Use this expression, “a small price to pay” when you want to describe how something unpleasant is worth doing or enduring because of a greater good. For example, Jack thinks that the extra $100 for the traveler’s medical insurance is a small price to pay for his family’s peace of mind. Or Brandy thought that living in the small one-bedroom apartment was a small price to pay for being close to where she worked.Well, friends, if you like to see more example sentences, you’ll find them in today’s Grammar Tip in your Studio Classroom magazine. That’s all for today. Thanks for joining. This is Liz with Grammar on the Go, signing off. Good-bye!

Teaching Topic: A Small Price to Pay 教学主题：小的价钱？
price：价钱；代价
pay the price

---Welcome to the Chat Room. I'm Ken.
---And I'm Vickie. And today we have more discussion about graffiti.
---Yes, we do. Vickie, our lesson says: The presence of some ugly graffiti is a small price to pay for the beauty that other graffiti adds. A small price to pay? I didn't notice any dollar amount in the article.
---We need to be careful, Ken. When we talk about a price, it doesn't always mean the amount of money you have to pay for an item. A price can also refer to the cost which something is obtained.
---So it's not always a number.
---No. We might say the price of success is hard work.
---I see. So getting back to the sentence, if ugly graffiti is a small price to pay, then it is something we don't necessarily like. But the ugly graffiti still exists.
---Exactly. We might say the ugly graffiti is a necessary evil.
---A necessary evil?
---That's right. A necessary evil refers to something that you don't like, but you know it must exist. For example, a lot of people think taxes are a necessary evil.
---Oh, I see. price除了表示价钱之外，也是代价的意思，课文中说The presence of some ugly graffiti is a small price to pay for the beauty that other graffiti adds意思就是我们总得容忍一些难看的涂鸦，这样才能有其他好看的涂鸦来美化市容，这些难看的涂鸦可以称之为necessary evil就是所谓的必要之恶。Can you give me another example of paying the price?
---Sure. You may pay the price for working constantly and allow your health to suffer.
---所以pay the price用在许多不同的地方，一直努力赚钱直到最后你所付出的代价price也许就是你的健康。
---And now let's go to Michelle for some Language Tips, which are absolutely free.

be that as it may (idiom) 即便如此；儘管如此
We might have a lot of competitors. Be that as it may, our products are still the best in the market.
我们一直有很多的竞争对手。但是即便如此，我们的产品仍然是市场上最棒的。
She might be under a lot of pressure. Be that as it may, she shouldn't have lost her temper.
她或许承受了很大的压力，然而她不应该动怒。

enhance (v) 提高；提升
Genuine praise from parents proves to enhance children's learning.
父母们真诚的赞美证明能促进孩子们的学习。
Receiving this award enhanced the school's reputaion.
得到这个奖项提升学校的校誉。

inevitably (adv) 不可避免地；必然地
The company will inevitably face bankruptcy if the bank refuses to give them a loan.
如果银行拒绝贷款给这家公司他们必然要面对破产这件事。