CHAPTER TWO Reading Page 20&21
THE MANY MEANINGS OF COLOUR
The study of colour is a fascinating mixture of scientific fact
and emotional guesswork.
Colour is basic to all of us,and affects our lives in many ways.
Swiss psychologist Max Luscher has spent over 20 years studying colours,
and has developed a colour test which helps to explain your personality.
You must choose which colours you like most.
According to Luscher,
people who choose red are energetic and adventurous,looking for excitement.
Those who prefer blue are calm and in control,and prefer a peaceful life.
Green means firmness,a dislike of change and a fear of failure.
Yellow means you are open and free,ambitious and an optimist.
It is interesting to look back in history,
and to try to guess what colours meant to the first humans.
Blue and green are common and familiar colours.
They have'safe'meanings for us.
Blue makes us think of the sky and the sea.
Green is the colour of growing plants.
But red is rare in nature.
It is the colour of blood and meat,of hunting or of injuries.
It is also the colour of fire.
The darkest nights are black,a colour often associated with fear.
It is possible to measure responses to some colours scientifically.
When we see a red light,for example,
we become more tense and our heart rate increases.
Blue,on the other hand,makes our heart rate decrease,
and lets us feel more relaxed.
In our daily life,colours are big business.
Next time you are in a supermarket,
think about the colours around you and on the products.
Food manufacturers choose the colours very carefully.
The right colours persuade us to buy more food.
Red,green,orange and yellow are regarded as the main'appetite'colours.
To select the right colours is also important for businesses.
Fast0food restaurants often use red,for two reasons.
Not only does it stimulate the appetite,
but it also makes us feel active and not relaxed,
so that after we have eaten,we want to get up quickly and leave,
thus making space for more customers.
Banks like to use more serious,restful colours such as blue,brown and green.
These persuade us to think of the bank as a safe and reliable place.
Yellow makes us think of sunshine and holidays,
and so it is often used by travel agents.
In politics,colours are also very important.
Over 80% of countries have red the colour of action in their national flags.
Blue is associated with conservative parties.
Light blue is also the colour of the United Nations and symbolizes peace.
Green has become the colour of environmental parties.
Different cultures do not always agree on their colour associations.
To see a black cat is lucky in some countries but unlucky in others.
Western brides choose to wear white on their wedding days,
but Chinese brides prefer to wear red.
Westerners wear black to a funeral;Chinese mourners wear white clothes.
Colour is a powerful tool.
It can be used to help us,to warn us,to relax us,
to control us and to make us buy things.
INTEGRATED SKILL Page 24
Selecting relevant information
SPEAKING page 32
A Pronouncing the letters c and ch
The letter c is difficult
because it can be pronounced in different ways in English.
The pronounciation usually depends on the letters after it.
A1 1.When c is before e,i or y,it is usually pronounced /s/,
especially at the beginning of a word.
city,citizen,acid;cent,cement,dance;cycle,cylinder,fancy2.However,c is pronounced / /in the endings of some words.
social,artificial,official,especially;delicious,spacious;
appreciate,associate;ancient,efficient,sufficient
3.When c does not come before e,i or y,it is normally /k/.
car,cake,calculator,camera;cotton,computer,colour,
contest;cut,cup,culture,curious;critic,clean,cry
A2 1.would certainly appreciate some coffee in a clean cup.
2.This ancient cake is not especially delicious:it's like cement!
3.Some curious critics came to the dance contest at our spacious social club.
4.Mr Lane is my associate in the Efficient Computers Company.
5.Citizens,is there sufficient culture in this cityA3 The letters ch can also be pronounced in several different ways.
Say the examples below.
1.In most words,ch is pronounced / /.
church,teacher,chin,choose,beach,each,lunch,achieve
2.In these words,ch is /k/:
character,chemistry,choir,chorus,stomach,ache,
anchor,architect,mechanic,orchestra,psychologist,technical
3.Before r,ch is /k/.
Christ,Christmas
4.In a few words,ch is / /.
chef,machine,moustache,parachute
A4.1.Choose a nice beach and we'll put down the anchor and have lunch.
2.The chef is a strange character,with a moustache and a little beard on his chin.
3.The architect has achieved some amazing technical effects.
4.If you have an ache in your stomach,don't see a psychologist.
MORE LANGUAGE INPUT Listening page 37
Listen to hear some sentences with words related to colour in them.
Listen carefully and supply the missing information.
1.Why don't you_____?That's a nice______.
2.people with very___ need to protect themselves from the sun.
3.'what colour is the material?''well,it's a sort of____colour.'
4.'What do you think of this suit?''Excellent!____really suits you.'
5.I'm looking for a ___for my bedroom sheet.
6.Is the film____or black and white?
7.Will the silk skirt ____if you wash it too often?
8.I'm afraid the colour___when I washed your new T0shirt.
9.The evening sun coloured the fields and trees______.
10.she is dressed in a ____blouse with a small flowery pattern on it.