听播客学英语 159 Banksy

 　　In the podcast “In Disgrace”, I used the word “graffiti”. Do you know what it means? It is an Italian word, which has come into English. It means “things which are written” generally on an outside wall, or on some other public surface such as the side of a bus or a train. Graffiti became a big problem in British cities when shops started to sell aerosol¹ cans of spray paint. With spray paint, it is quick and easy to cover a whole wall with a picture or writing. Many people say that graffiti make our towns and cities look ugly and uncared for. If there are lots of graffiti, it encourages other sorts of anti-social behaviour, such as litter, fly-posting, abandoning old cars and drinking alcohol in the street. Many local authorities spend a lot of money removing graffiti, and most people probably think that they are right to do so. But are all graffiti bad?

　　Let me introduce you to the controversial British graffiti artist, Banksy. We are not certain what his real name is – maybe he is called Robert Banks, probably he lives in Bristol in the south west of England, and people say that he is around 30 years old. He has painted some very famous graffiti in some very famous places. I have put a few examples on the website, and I hope you can see them on your iPod screens as well. Most of Banksy’s art is political and subversive². That means, it is intended to annoy governments and powerful people and to undermine them. Sometimes, his art makes people think differently about the world; very often it makes them smile.

　　Banksy has for example, painted pictures on the concrete wall that the Israeli government is building between Israeli and Palestinian areas. These pictures look as if they are gaps in the wall, through which you can see beautiful things on the other side. Banksy has smuggled³ fake pictures into art galleries and museums and stuck them on the wall alongside the real exhibits. One of these was a piece of rock, carved like a caveman painting, but showing a person pushing a supermarket trolley⁴. Last year in America, he painted an elephant – yes, a real live elephant, so that it looked as if it was covered in wallpaper. You remember the podcast about the elephant in the room? Banksy’s elephant was a real elephant in the room – he was trying to tell people that global poverty was the big, important subject that no-one wants to talk about. At about the same time, Banksy smuggled an inflatable dummy⁵ dressed as a Guantanamo Bay detainee into Disneyland in California. My favourite however is this – in London there is a famous statue of the ancient British Queen, Boadicea, and her chariot – Banksy put a wheel clamp on the chariot, so that it looked as if as if it was illegally parked.

　　Why is Banksy in the news at present? Well, Transport for London, which is the organisation⁶ responsible for buses and underground trains in London, has recently painted over a famous Banksy graffiti near Old Street tube station. It shows a scene from Quentin Tarantino’s film Pulp⁷ Fiction, with Samuel L Jackson and John Travolta. Only, instead of guns, they are carrying bananas. Transport for London said that they had to take a tough line on graffiti because they create an atmosphere of social decay. What do you think?

　　Incidentally, if you are interested in modern art, you may like to visit the BBC or Guardian⁸ websites after 11.30 tonight (British time). You will be able to download and print an artwork called “Planed” by the artists Gilbert and George. But hurry – “Planed” will be available for only 48 hours.

1 aerosol   

n.悬浮尘粒，气溶胶，烟雾剂，喷雾器

参考例句：

• They sprayed aerosol insect repellent into the faces of police.他们将喷雾驱虫剂喷在了警察的脸上。
• Aerosol particles affect visibility,climate,and our health and quality of life.气溶胶对大气能见度、气候变化以及人类健康等有重要影响。

2 subversive   

adj.颠覆性的，破坏性的；n.破坏份子，危险份子

参考例句：

• She was seen as a potentially subversive within the party.她被看成党内潜在的颠覆分子。
• The police is investigating subversive group in the student organization.警方正调查学生组织中的搞颠覆阴谋的集团。

3 smuggled   

水货

参考例句：

• The customs officer confiscated the smuggled goods. 海关官员没收了走私品。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Those smuggled goods have been detained by the port office. 那些走私货物被港务局扣押了。 来自互联网

4 trolley   

n.手推车，台车；无轨电车；有轨电车

参考例句：

• The waiter had brought the sweet trolley.侍者已经推来了甜食推车。
• In a library,books are moved on a trolley.在图书馆，书籍是放在台车上搬动的。

5 dummy   

n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头

参考例句：

• The police suspect that the device is not a real bomb but a dummy.警方怀疑那个装置不是真炸弹，只是一个假货。
• The boys played soldier with dummy swords made of wood.男孩们用木头做的假木剑玩打仗游戏。

6 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

7 pulp   

n.果肉，纸浆；v.化成纸浆，除去...果肉，制成纸浆

参考例句：

• The pulp of this watermelon is too spongy.这西瓜瓤儿太肉了。
• The company manufactures pulp and paper products.这个公司制造纸浆和纸产品。

8 guardian   

n.监护人；守卫者，保护者

参考例句：

• The form must be signed by the child's parents or guardian. 这张表格须由孩子的家长或监护人签字。
• The press is a guardian of the public weal. 报刊是公共福利的卫护者。