Most people are happy to hang a painting inside their home. Hundreds of locals in Las Palmitas, a poor neighborhood in central Mexico, have turned their homes into one giant, multicolored mural. For 14 months, artists from a local youth group got together with community members and painted the front of 209 homes. They used around 20,000 liters of paint. When viewed from a distance, the mural looks like a giant swirling rainbow on the side of a hill. Before the mural was painted, the town had many problems with crime and graffiti. It was not safe to walk on the streets after dark because of gangs. After the mural was completed, however, the locals started to take more pride in their homes and community. Rubbish on the streets is now a thing of the past, and crime has dropped dramatically. In fact, some of the gang members that participated in the art project have given up crime and taken up art to make a living. The project has been so successful that there are plans to brighten up another poor neighborhood not far from Las Palmitas.
magnificent a. 宏偉的，壯麗的 The view of this city at night is magnificent. 這個城市的夜景非常壯觀。
neighborhood n. 社區；街坊 Recently, many coffee shops have popped up in my neighborhood. 最近我住的社區突然冒出許多咖啡店。
community n. 社區 We hope to build a school that will serve the community on a long-term basis. 我們希望蓋一所可以長期服務社區的學校。
take pride in... 以……為榮／傲 Lucy took pride in never being late. 露西以自己從不遲到為榮。
dramatically adv. 顯著／重大地 Since Pete moved to the countryside, his mood has improved dramatically. 彼特自從搬到鄉下後，他的心情有了顯著地改善。
participate in... 參與…… participate vi. 參與，參加 Sam can't participate in the speech contest because he has a sore throat. 山姆因為喉嚨痛，所以無法參加演講比賽。
take up... 開始從事…… After my father retired, he took up cooking as a hobby. 我父親退休後，他開始把烹飪當作嗜好。
make a living 謀生 Frank makes a living by shining shoes. 法蘭克以擦鞋為生。
mural n. 壁畫
swirling a. 漩渦（狀）的
graffiti n. 塗鴉
rubbish n. 垃圾
字首 multi- 的用法 本文 "...have turned their homes into one giant, multicolored mural." 中的 multicolored 為形容詞，表『多種顏色的』，其字首 multi- 表『多於一的，多的』之意，常見的字有 multifunctional（多功能的）和 multimedia（多媒體的）。例：
Multicolored glass makes the front window look very pretty. （彩色玻璃使前窗看起來十分美麗。）
The multifunctional remote control works on the TV, stereo, and garage door. （這個多功能的遙控器能使用在電視、音響和車庫門上。）
The small publishing company has evolved into a multimedia enterprise over the years. （這家小出版社多年來已經發展成一家多媒體的企業。）
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