IV. Reading Comprehension
The word tattoo originates from Polynesia where, on islands like Tahiti and Samoa, thetribal tattoo traditionally played a significant role in the organization and interaction of the people.Ancient Maori people painted their faces with charcoal before battles. Eventually, the markingswere made permanent by tattooing so that they did not have to be reapplied before each battle.Warriors without these facial markings were referred to as ‟plain face” and were considered socialoutcasts. The Haida people, who inhabit the Queen Charlotte Islands near Canada, today still tattootheir hands and forearms with pictures of animals that signify their family name. In some jungletribes of Borneo, a tattoo is viewed as a talisman and is worn to protect a person from harm anddisease. Other indigenous cultures display bodily markings as a kind of trophy to signify success inhunting.
Today, tattooing is a common practice in many parts of the world. For some people, a tattoois simply a form of body decoration； for others, it provides a symbol of cultural or group identity.Millions of people, including 30 million in the U.S. alone, have some form of tattoo on their body.However, tattooing may also have a negative image； in Japan, for example, a common perception ofpeople with tattoos is that they are associated with the Japanese mafia, or yakuza.
Many tattooists in Japan emulate classical Japanese artistic styles in their work. Throughoutthe world, in fact, tattooists are often referred to as tattoo artists, and many studio employers insistthat these artists have some kind of background or training in art before hiring them. Some tattooartists will have taken university courses in art or related subjects before seeking employment. Anartistic background and attention to detail are important for two reasons: first, as with traditionaltattooing in indigenous cultures, modern tattoos—for example, a person’s astrological symbol or animage of a family member or close friend—may have special meaning to the wearer. The tattooartist must meet the exact requirements of his or her customers in terms of artistic style andaesthetic quality. Second, because tattooing is a time consuming and often painful procedure, withresults that are permanent, it must be done well artistically and very carefully.
The stereotypical image of the tattoo parlor as a dingy backstreet shop is, in most cases, farfrom reality. A modern tattoo studio today is more likely to look like a dentist’s office, with waitingroom walls adorned with artwork. As needles are used in the tattooing process, cleanliness andhygiene are of the utmost importance. The National Tattoo Association in the U.S. has over athousand members, and promotes the image of tattooing as a profession with high quality standards.
【不叫賭俠的陳小刀】評論
紋身這個詞從何而來？(A) India 印度(B) Polynesia 波利尼西亞(C) The U.S. 美國(D) Canada 加拿大紋身這個詞起源於波利尼西亞，在塔希提島和薩摩亞等島嶼上，部落紋身傳統上在人們的組織和互動中發揮著重要作用。 古代毛利人在戰鬥前用木炭塗臉。 最終，這些標記通過紋身而永久化，這樣就不必在每次戰鬥前重新塗抹。 沒有這些面部標記的戰士被稱為“平臉”，並被視為社會棄兒。 居住在加拿大附近夏洛特皇后群島的海達人至今仍在他們的手和前臂上紋上象徵他們姓氏的動物圖案。 在婆羅洲的一些叢林部落，紋身被視為護身符，佩戴紋身可以保護人免受傷害和疾病。 其他土著文化將身體標記展示為一種戰利品，以像徵狩獵的成功。 如今，紋身在世界許多地方都很常見。 對於某些人來說，紋身只是一種身體裝飾形式；對於另一些人來說，它提供了文化或群體身份的象徵。 數百萬人（僅在美國就有 3000 萬人）身上有某種形式的紋身。 然而，紋身也可能帶來負面形象；例如，在日本，人們對紋身的人的普遍看法是他們與日本黑手黨或黑幫有聯繫。 日本的許多紋身師在他們的作品中模仿日本古典藝術風格。 事實上，在世界各地，紋身師通常被稱為紋身藝術家，許多工作室雇主堅持認為這些藝術家在僱用他們之前具有某種藝術背景或培訓。 一些紋身藝術家在尋找工作之前會學習藝術或相關學科的大學課程。 藝術背景和對細節的關注很重要，原因有兩個：首先，與土著文化中的傳統紋身一樣，現代紋身——例如一個人的占星符號或家庭成員或親密朋友的圖像——可能對佩戴者有特殊的意義。 紋身藝術家必須在藝術風格和審美品質方面滿足客戶的確切要求。 其次，由於紋身是一個耗時且常常痛苦的過程，而且效果是永久性的，因此必須非常藝術且非常小心地完成。 在大多數情況下，人們對紋身店的刻板印像是一家骯髒的後街小店，但這與現實相去甚遠。 如今的現代紋身工作室更像是牙醫辦公室，候診室的牆壁上裝飾著藝術品。 由於紋身過程中需要使用針，因此清潔和衛生至關重要。 美國國家紋身協會擁有一千多名會員，並以高品質標準宣傳紋身行業的形象。