Comprehension Ex.1 Decide if the writer is for or against people who draw graffiti, or whether his opinion is not clear. Ex.2 Choose the correct alternative to complete the following sentences.

1. The graffiti artists arrested recently in London were

1. put in prison.

2. fined £5,000.

3. wrongly accused.

4. found guilty.

2. The attitude of London Underground is that graffiti

1. is a kind of art, but a problem because some passengers don’t like it.

2. is something to be stopped at all costs.

3. is irritating but they have more serious problems to worry about.

4. is causing the price of tickets to go up and therefore needs to be stopped.

3. The British Transport Police

1. have killed some ‘graffers’ by accident.

2. spent a lot of time trying to catch a group of graffiti artists.

3. have recently criticized the behaviour of London Underground.

4. don’t know what to do about the problem.

4. The lawyer who defended one of the convicted graffiti artists thinks they

1. should show their work in art galleries.

2. should not have been convicted.

3. should use their abilities in different ways.

4. should be more careful when working in the Underground.

5. Dean Colman

1. has never broken the law.

2. is concerned about how little he earns from his work with graffiti.

3. would like to see graffiti taken more seriously by the art world.

4. is worried about young people taking up graffiti-spraying.

Discussion

Ex.1 Answer the following questions.

1. What is your attitude to graffiti? Do you agree that graffiti is a kind of art?

2. Do you think that graffiti artists are talented people?

3. Is graffiti a kind of hobby for some people?

4. Is everyone imaginative in the way he spends his spare time?

5. Nowadays there are a lot of new ways of spending spare time appearing. Do you think these activities will survive in the distant future? Is each new generation more creative in the way of living than the previous one?

6. Which is more important for artists: hard work or inspiration? Why?

7. Are there any techniques which can help us to develop our imagination?

Ex.2 Retell the text.

Internet Addiction

Last week, in a private rehabilitation clinic outside Edinburgh, Leo Edwards, a sixteen-year-old schoolboy, was going through severe withdrawal symptoms. His body often shook violently and uncontrollably, and at mealtimes he regularly threw cups and plates around the dining room. The boy's addiction had nothing to do with alcohol, drugs, gambling or food. His problem was ‘Net obsession' — an over-dependency on the Internet.

An international group of psychologists has recently suggested that anyone who surfs the Internet for long periods is clinically ill and needs medical treatment. According to their report, Internet addicts should be treated in the same way as alcoholics, drug addicts, compulsive gamblers and people with eating disorders.

Leo Edwards is not an isolated case. Russell Hopkins, aged fifteen, from Gateshead in north-east England, is a typical online addict. Every day after school, and after dinner until three or four in the morning, he will be found in his room surfing the Net or playing computer games. By the end of the day he will have spent more than six hours online. Understandably, his parents are extremely worried. Not only has his school work suffered, but Russell's addiction has also destroyed his social life and his spare-time interests. For instance, he has just dropped out of his school's basketball team in order to spend more time at his computer. Instead of spending next weekend having a good time out with friends, he'll be spending it indoors surfing the Internet.

Russell has recently joined an Internet online support group. It may seem ironic that many of the support groups for Internet addicts are online but at least Russell has sought help. Not everyone does. Dr Ann Hoffman, who runs an online support group, says 'People don't realise that being online for more than four hours a day amounts to addiction and that they have a serious problem. I predict that the number of people who join online support groups will have risen dramatically within three years.'

Notes

rehabilitation clinic	реабилитационная клиника
withdrawal symptoms	синдром отмены, «ломка»
gambling	азартные игры
over-dependency	чрезмерная зависимость
compulsive gambler	заядлый игрок
eating disorders	нарушение питания
to drop out of smth	выбывать, бросать