I’ve just come back from a week’s stay with my mum in the UK. And as she’s been a bit under the weather, we spent our afternoons watching TV, chatting, and drinking cuppas. Then, last Wednesday, a programme about what this amazing woman was doing to her hometown just caught all my attention, and I thought, “Oooh just the thing I’m going to get my students speaking about during the next couple of classes where we’ll be talking about buildings, neighborhoods, and DIY.”

So, just to start off, I’m not going to give you any clues and I’m going to ask you to look at the photo of this lady called Trish and try to guess the type of ‘mischief’ she is going to get up to. Afterwards, slide the presentation to see the picture below. Did you get it right? Do you realize what she has done? What’s your opinion?

Now a little bit of idle chit-chat as a warm-up

How can art and colour transform neglected areas of a city?

What impact do you think dreary buildings have on the community?

NEXT UP!!!

Now, before diving into a listening activity, you’re going to have to learn some new words, phrasal verbs and collocations. Have a look at the wordcloud below and check their meaning on the best possible allay you can find for language learning, meaning a dictionary.

This is getting more and more interesting, isn’t it? Once you think you know the words you can take the quiz.

lines of things placed next to each other

rows

1/13

a woman who rents out property to tenants

landlady

2/13

places where people do not have access to basic needs like food, housing, or education

deprived areas

3/13

relating to beauty or the appreciation of beauty

aesthetic

4/13

streets that are next to each other or connected

adjoining streets

5/13

a range of colours used by an artist in their work

palette

6/13

places that have not been taken care of and are in poor condition

neglected areas

7/13

creative pieces such as paintings, drawings, or sculptures

artwork

8/13

What does 'seeking out' mean?

looking for or searching for something.

9/13

What's a template?

a pattern or guide used to create something similar

10/13

What does the expression 'to have your eye on something' mean?

to be interested in something

11/13

If a place is run down it's ...

in very bad condition

12/13

What's the word for houses that are joined together in a row, sharing side walls with their neighbours?

terraced houses

13/13

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Now for the listening activity!

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Created by blogdeserena

B2 Listening Trisha's Gloucester

You're going to watch a short video about how an amazing lady changed the her whole community using two really powerful weapons: optimism and plenty of paint.

Listen and choose the  correct option according to what you hear.

 

Activity by Serena

And if you liked the activity, please don't let my dear friend Peter Pan  be the only person to let me know.

What is the speaker's primary occupation mentioned in the video transcript?

artist

architect

decorator

For how long has the speaker been transforming neglected areas of the city into colourful spaces?

since she moved there in 2018

12 years

four years

Which street did the speaker first transform in 2018?

Saint Mark Street

Nettleton Road

Rainbow Road

What was the key reason behind the speaker's efforts to improve the aesthetics of the city?

To increase property values

To attract more tourists

To enhance the living environment for residents

How many adjoining streets did the speaker want to transform in the city centre?

2 streets

3 streets

5 streets

What is the speaker's ultimate goal in transforming these run-down areas of the city?

To make a profit

To win an award for urban regeneration

To improve the environment for the people living there

Your score is

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