An artist transforming a city by painting its houses different colors has revealed her latest street of 63 “rainbow” homes. Tash Frootko has been painting houses in Gloucester since 2018-giving a makeover to entire streets and squares.
Locals say it has created a better atmosphere-and has even seen house values rise by up to 30 per cent. Now Tash, 44, has revealed her biggest project yet with 63 houses on Hopewell Street painted in bold and vivid colors.
It is Tash’s fifth transformation in the city and is her largest project to date. The property developer, who has lived in Gloucester for the past two decades, said: “It shows what an individual with a vision can achieve-I started these transformations as there was such a negative morale(士气)about the appearance of the city. The response from the community, its schools and visitors to the street has been overwhelmingly positive.”
“I will continue to work completely voluntarily so that every penny of funding goes towards making the area shine.” The new home makeovers have also been accompanied by a huge flower painting by street artist Sophie Mess, paintings by Stuart Doust and a special door installation and rainbow staircase.
Residents of the newly transformed street have shared their thoughts on the “remarkable” regeneration. Rob Wilks, who has lived on the street for 63 years, said: “The tireless work she does behind the scenes to fix the streets issues is admirable. She has brought love, fun, color and laughter to the street.”
Tash’s project began in 2018 with painting the houses on a small street to “refresh” local areas with creativity. Now, she is set on transforming entire parts of the city and transforming them into huge “outdoor art galleries”.
1. What does the underlined word “makeover” in paragraph 1 mean?| A．Comment. | B．Description. |
| C．Improvement. | D．Demonstration. |
| A．To practice her artistic skills. | B．To inspire residents to live green. |
| C．To beautify the looks of the city. | D．To call on the public to pursue dreams. |
| A．House values are increased. | B．More volunteers are involved in it. |
| C．The number of houses has decreased. | D．The community has become an art centre. |
| A．Projects Launched to Attract Visitors | B．Pleasures Brought to Gloucester City |
| C．Taking a Pride in the City’s Development | D．Transforming Cities by Painting Houses |
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【推荐1】 Here are some of the coolest robots in the world.
Pleo
Pleo is one of the most good-looking robots on the market. The robot is designed to learn from its experiences, and the environment it is kept in. Pleo has become especially popular among children, as it could be used for both entertainment and educational purposes. It exhibits lively behavior like eating and sleeping. It can now be bought at a price of $469.
BigDog
BigDog is the most advanced rough land robot on earth. Designed to serve military (军事的) uses, the machine is around 3 feet long, 2.5 feet tall, and weighs 240 pounds. The robot can move on rough land at a speed of four miles per hour, and is able to carry up to 340 pounds of weight.
I-Sobot
An Amazing human-like robot, I-Sobot is one of the smallest human-like robots, with a height of just 6.5 inches and a weight of 12 ounces. It costs $300. It has become the most-produced robot in the world. This small robot can walk, play the air guitar, and perform about 200 moves. This robot can be controlled by either a remote control or voice commands.
Schaft
Schaft is an award-winning robot by Google. It looks like a man. Schaft can perform several tasks on its own, and is able to get through disaster areas and work with any tools and materials at hand. With the strength of 10 average people, Schaft is able to lift and clear heavy things. It weighs 209 pounds. It is able to move at a speed of 2km / h.
KeepOn
KeepOn is a small robot which can perform simple and natural interaction. Developed in 2015, KeepOn is an interactive toy designed to help children with autism(自闭症) in their social development, and costs anywhere from $40 to $100.
1. What makes Pleo different from the other four robots mentioned in the text?| A．Being very cheap for customers. | B．Having a very special appearance. |
| C．Having the ability to learn new things. | D．Being able to be played with all the time. |
| A．Pleo | B．BigDog | C．I-Sobot | D．KeepOn |
| A．It can move fast. | B．It is difficult to control. |
| C．It is expensive to produce. | D．It has been very popular. |
| A．Entertainment | B．Interacting with children |
| C．Educational purposes | D．Performing rescue tasks |
| A．Children who want to win an award. |
| B．Old and lonely people who need much help. |
| C．Parents with a child who cannot interact well. |
| D．Parents who want their children to learn new things. |
【推荐2】Iceland is a northern European country with amazing natural beauty and oceans around. There are a number of volcanoes (火山). It has a short summer which lasts from June to August. The long winter starts from September and ends next May.
Summer in Iceland is a golden season for tourists. Every year, people from all over the world come here to see the beautiful sights and enjoy the exciting whale-seeing.
In winter, when people in Iceland finish their daily work, they will have different special activities to spend the long dark night. Skating, riding snow motorbikes and having parties can really make an exciting night. After all the fun, a hot bath must be the first choice to relax. There are also story-telling activities for children, which can teach them to be strong and kind. The most popular stories are about Christmas in Iceland.
Because of a long cold winter, Iceland has a short growing season. The food problem was always a headache for Iceland in the past. It had to buy most of its food from other countries, Later, when farmers learned to use lights and underground heat to grow crops (庄稼) all year round in the greenhouse, things changed a lot.
Living in such a nice environment, most people in Iceland live a happy life. According to a survey about happiness made each year in Europe, Iceland is always among the top 3.
1. What does the underlined word “It” refer to (指代) in Paragraph 1?| A．The ocean. | B．Natural beauty. | C．Iceland. | D．The volcano. |
| A．What is the first choice to relax after the fun. |
| B．How people in Iceland finish their daily work. |
| C．What stories are the most popular in Iceland. |
| D．How people in Iceland spend the long dark night. |
| A．Because there are oceans around. |
| B．Because there is a long hot summer. |
| C．Because there is a long cold winter. |
| D．Because there are a number of volcanoes. |
| A．Iceland, a Poor Country |
| B．Food Problems in Iceland |
| C．Colorful Activities in Iceland |
| D．Iceland, an Amazing Country |
【推荐3】There are a number of animals that give off light in some way-including several kinds of insects and fish. Some kinds of mushrooms give off light, too. But most plants don’t give out light. Now, scientists are working to change that.
When a living thing gives off light, it’s called bioluminescence (生物发光). Fireflies are a well-known example of bioluminescence. Though less well-known, many mushrooms are also bioluminescent. These bioluminescent creatures light up thanks to the chemicals called luciferins (荧光素)inside their bodies. Luciferins cause a chemical reaction that can give off light.
Plants don’t naturally have luciferins, so there are no naturally bioluminescent plants. But that hasn’t stopped scientists from trying to create them. In the past, scientists have created plants that made less bright by adding DNA from shining objects. Scientists have also created plants that can give off light by adding luciferins to plants. But it only works as long as the chemicals last. In 2017, a team was able to cause a plant to give off light for about four hours.
Now, researchers at a Russian company have come up with a new method of creating shining plants. By adding certain parts of the DNA from shining mushrooms to ordinary tobacco plants, the researchers were able to create plants that could make their own luciferins. The scientists reported that the light was about 10 times brighter than in earlier shining plants.
The researchers believe that shining plants could help scientists learn more about the way plants work. For example, the moving patterns or waves of light in the plants may show activities in plants that normally can’t be seen. The shining also helps reveal how plants may be affected by things around them. For example, the plants gave off much more light strongly when a ripe banana skin was nearby. But the researchers don’t think the plants will just be used for science. They think many people may want shining plants for their beauty. So they are working with a company to develop shining plants for sale.
1. What phenomenon does the author describe in paragraph 1?| A．Most animals hate giving off light. |
| B．Many plants give off light through scientists’ efforts. |
| C．Animals give off light to protect themselves. |
| D．It’s hard to find plants that give out light. |
| A．It gives off lots of heat to warm itself. |
| B．It has chemical reactions inside its body. |
| C．It lacks energy due to chemical reactions. |
| D．It informs other fireflies of the danger. |
| A．By showing numbers. | B．By making a comparison. |
| C．By providing examples. | D．By making a summary. |
| A．Human development results in less shining plants |
| B．Scientists manage to create shining plants |
| C．People’s lifestyles are reflected in shining plants |
| D．Geography determines the types of shining plants |
【推荐1】It was a Sunday. I was helping my, brother move from a teaching job. We were in the middle of nowhere in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan when my truck — just died without any warning. Neither of us knew very much about trucks. Soon, a man from the house we broke down in front of came out, took one look at the engine and said, “The timing belt doesn’t work.”
We inquired about the closest garage and realized that it would be an expensive repair. This man, though, took a look at the situation — two broke kids in their early 20s just trying to get by in life and he said, “Well, it’s Sunday. Nothing’s gonna be open. I was once a repairman. Let’s push the truck down to my driveway and see what we can do.”
So that was exactly what we did. He made some calls to get the needed parts. While the truck got fixed, this man’s son, a kid of about 9 or 10, was hanging around. There were no kids nearby his age, and he was eager for any kind of interaction, even with two guys in their 20s. He said, “Want to see my treehouse?”, pointing to the woods out back. My brother and I looked at each other, shrugged, and replied, “Sure.”
We ended up spending two hours with this kid, helping him build his treehouse. When we were done, we went back to the house and the truck was all fixed. My brother and I had maybe $60 in cash on us and tried to pay the man but he refused, “No, You don’t need to pay me. The next time you see someone in need of help and you have the means, I want you to repay this favor. Plus, you kept my son occupied for several hours, which I truly appreciate.”
And that is one of the rules of life I live by, taught to me by a generous man in the middle of nowhere who helped me out when I was in a time of need.
1. What happened to the brothers?| A．They were out of jobs. | B．They lost their way home. |
| C．They were trapped in the truck. | D．They experienced vehicle failure. |
| A．To make extra money. | B．To find company for his son. |
| C．To show his repair skills. | D．To pull them out of dilemma. |
| A．Fixing trucks for free. | B．Paying kindness forward. |
| C．Spending time with children. | D．Meeting people in need of help. |
| A．Skillful and diligent. | B．Considerate and strict. |
| C．Warmhearted and caring. | D．Devoted and humorous. |
【推荐2】It was in my first year of work as a doctor. My mouth was dry, my hands shaking and my voice trembling. The only thing that kept me focused was the thought that things were so much worse for the family I was talking to.
A woman in her early twenties had been brought in after a road traffic accident. She had suffered multiple injuries and had been rushed up to hospital. The doctors had been unable to save her life and she died on the table. Ashen-faced, the consultant (会诊医生) told the woman’s family the news. “Tom, I think it would be nice if it came from you.” my consultant said.
I stared blankly. “What?” I asked.
“About organ donation (器官捐献).” he replied. Surely this would be the last thing they’d want to talk about. It felt worse to be considering this kind of conversation while they were being engulfed (陷入) in sadness. But the problem with organ donations that every minute counts. The clock is ticking because the sooner organs can be transplanted (移植), the better the chance they will survive in the recipient’s (接受者) body.
I began to feel sick. I opened the door and sat opposite them, made sure that I was only going to make things worse for them. “It’s what she’d have wanted.” the mother said before I’d even finished. The father nodded. “She was always so generous.” her father added.
As my consultant and I left them, it occurred to me that I’d been wrong in thinking it would be an awkward conversation. Nothing could take away the pain of having lost their daughter. Yet this last, final act had comforted them and helped them feel that the spirit of their daughter lived on in this act of generosity. Strangely, it is one of the most heart-warming conversations I have ever had.
1. The first two paragraphs suggest ________.| A．it was hard for the author to face death |
| B．the author has worked for more than 2 years |
| C．the author witnessed the traffic accident |
| D．the bad news was not told at last |
| A．He failed to transplant the organ. |
| B．He was seriously ill at that time. |
| C．He didn’t know what to do. |
| D．He was taken to the hospital at once. |
| A．To help the author. |
| B．To follow the daughter’s will. |
| C．To show respect for the doctor. |
| D．To finish the conversation. |
| A．The recipient’s thanks. |
| B．The author’s illness. |
| C．The consultant’s help. |
| D．The donor’s kindness. |
【推荐3】Many teenagers care about helping other people. Few turn their concern into a career (事业). But that’s just what Tom Wilson did. At 12, he started volunteering. Now as the Youth Program Officer at the Connor Foundation, he leads national charity programs and helps the organization decide which projects to support.
“I learned about service by watching my parents.” Tom grew up in a town where people enjoyed helping others. His parents set an example for him with everyday acts of kindness. In 2002, Tom moved to another small town and decided to carry on volunteering. However, he found that there aren’t many choices for teenagers. So he started a nonprofit (非盈利) group, helping them lead their own service projects.
“I turned my love for service into my career.” Tom worked on his nonprofit in middle school and high school, and then one of his teachers advised him to make a career out of helping others. This led him to start a company that provided low-cost camps and educational programs for children. He learned it was possible to make a career out of helping others.
When Tom began his work, he found that some adults didn’t believe teenagers could make a change. Luckily, he was encouraged by his parents and other supportive adults. It was their support that gave Tom courage. Now he works to show teenagers that they can make positive changes. “We want teenagers to know it’s possible for them, their friends, and their generation to make a difference,” he says, and he has always believed in the power of youth to accomplish amazing and meaningful things. Tom advises that teenagers be creative as they look for new solutions to problems. He believes in the power of imagination. “Teenagers are so imaginative,” he says. “They don’t see the same difficulties as adults do.”
1. How did Tom know the value of service at an early age?| A．He joined a national charity program. |
| B．He discovered it through service projects. |
| C．He was chosen to be a Youth Program Officer. |
| D．He observed his parents’ daily acts of kindness. |
| A．He needed to enrich his volunteer experiences. |
| B．He wanted to join in the educational programs. |
| C．He hoped to offer chances for teenagers to volunteer. |
| D．He wanted to make new friends with other teenagers. |
| A．Pressure from his parents. | B．His teacher’s suggestion. |
| C．A need for low-cost camps. | D．His desire for a new career. |
| A．Teenagers should start their own careers. |
| B．Teenagers have the power to make a difference. |
| C．Adults are always supportive of youth projects. |
| D．Adults should help teenagers deal with problems. |
