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阅读理解
Street art is a very popular form of art that is spreading quickly all over the world. You can find it on buildings, sidewalks, street signs and trash cans from Tokyo to Paris, from Moscow to Cape Town. Street art has become a global culture and even art museums and galleries are collecting the works of street artists.
Street art started out very secretly because it was illegal to paint on public and private property without permission. People often have different opinions about street art. Some think it is a crime and others think it is a very beautiful new form of culture.
Art experts claim that the street art movement began in New York in the 1960s. Young adults painted words and other images on walls and trains. This colourful style of writing became known as graffiti. Graffiti art showed that young people wanted to rebel against society. They travelled around cities to create paintings that everyone could see. In many cases, they had trouble with the police and the local government.
Street artists do their work for different reasons. Some of them do not like artists who make so much money in galleries and museums. They choose street art because it is closer to the people. Some artists try to express their political opinions in their work. They often want to protest against big firms and corporations. Others like to do things that are forbidden and hope they don't get caught. Advertising companies also use street art in their ads because it gives people the impression of youth and energy.
Today, the Internet has a big influence on street art. Artists can show their pictures to audience all over the world. Many city residents, however, say that seeing a picture on the Internet is never as good as seeing it alive. The street art movement lives with the energy and life of a big city. There, it will continue to change and grow.