L esson 4 A Colorful Life

red

green

blue

yellow

muiticolor

W hat is your favorite color and why do you like it so much?

R eading Selection

paragraph1 As usual, Amber woke up late again and had to run fast enough to catch the yellow school bus. Luckily, the traffic lights turned green just as she was about to cross the road, so she made it to the bus. When the bus passed the golden arches of McDonald’s, she felt a sudden desire to have a hamburger.

paragraph1 She hadn’t had breakfast that morning because the fruit salad on the blue dish which her mother had prepared for her looked far from delicious. It also occurred to Amber that she should stay on her diet. Thus, she was in a really black mood.

Paragraph 2 Perhaps you have noticed that several colors are used in the above story. In fact, colors play a more influential role in our life than we can ever imagine. Take the English language, for example. We may describe a sick person as being “a bit green

Paragraph 2.” Sometimes, we may also use symbolic meanings of colors to talk about things. For example, to describe a boring show, we can say that this show is a bit “gray.” As we can see, colors do spice up ordinary conversations.

Paragraph 3 Besides, effects of colors can be applied to many parts of our daily life. Have you ever thought about why school buses and taxis are painted yellow, and stop signs red? It is because yellow is bright enough to attract people’s attention, even in heavy traffic. As for red, it is usually used to indicate warning; as a result, most traffic signs use this color.

Paragraph 4 How colors affect appetite is another thing that most people probably do not notice. According to studies, the colors of a dining environment can influence how much we eat. Most fast-food restaurants are decorated in bright colors to increase people’s appetites. This is because bright colors are the natural colors of many foods and are able to raise people’s spirits.

Paragraph 4 Blue, in comparison with bright colors, may spoil a person’s appetite because very few foods are blue in nature. For people who are on a diet, blue dishes and bowls might help. Believe it or not, though we may not be aware of them, colors are everywhere both in our daily routine and in everyday conversations!

Paragraph 5~8 When Amber got to her classroom, her best friend, Violet, walked over to greet her. “Morning, Amber! What happened? You look a bit green,” said Violet. “Nothing... just feeling... blue,” replied Amber. “Hey! Why not come to my place tonight?” said Violet. “Guess what I just bought! A new video game! It’s red-hot.” Amber was tickled pink to have the chance to play the video game and said, “Sounds great!”