E Many cities in the world are benefiting from the nocturnal (夜间活动的) activities of a group of people who call themselves guerrilla (游击队的) gardeners. Armed with trowels, spades and a van full of flowers and plants, guerrilla gardeners turn abandoned urban land into a blaze of color. In city centre locations where there was mud, weeds and empty plastic bottles, residents often wake up to find that the wasted area has been transformed overnight with brightly-colored bedding plants. In most British cities, local governments and police turn a blind eye to the exploits (开发) of the gardeners, whose activities are always carried out under cover of nightfall. And so far, there has been nothing but praise from the astonished and delighted local residents when they find their neighborhood transformed in such a striking fashion. Not only do the guerrilla gardeners beautify neglected places, they also return regularly to water the plants and weed the flower beds. They also make sure that at least some of the plants they bring are evergreens, which means that the area doesn’t look dismal (凄凉的) in the winter months. The first guerrilla gardener in London was Richard Reynolds, whose day job is at an advertising agency. Mr Reynolds, a graduate of Oxford University, began his efforts two years ago when he moved to a flat in a tower block in South London. From his balcony, he could see several empty concrete pots, placed by the local governments to contain plants but never used. He went out after midnight and filled the pots with plants, and then planted more flowers in the path leading to the entrance to the block. He then set up a website to explain his plan and called upon more gardeners to join him. Cash donations flooded in and, more importantly, volunteers rushed to be part of the campaign. Within six months, there were five hundred people in London prepared to come out at very short notice to revitalize (恢复活力) neglected parts of the urban landscape. There are now unofficial but carefully-organized groups in many cities in Britain and North America and there is also a website where would-be urban gardeners can find out the location of the next expedition. 76. According to the text, guerrilla gardeners got their names ______. A. because of the residents’ advice B. from the local governments C. for the nature of their work D. based on the local cultures 77. These guerrilla gardeners do their work ______. A. at the request of the government B. nearby their house C. often in return for others’ help D. of their own free will 78. Why do the guerrilla gardeners often return to their former working places? A. To look after these plants. B. To enjoy these beautiful flowers. C. To help plants live through winter months. D. To change the types of these plants. 79. Richard Reynolds decided to fill the pots with plants with the purpose of ______. A. making the neighborhood more beautiful B. agreeing with his own job C. advertising some products in his agency D. killing his spare time 80. It can be inferred from the text that these guerrilla gardeners ______. A. are mainly from the United Kingdom B. will later get well paid C. are still not accepted by the local people D. become more and more organized |