长久以来，色彩 “colours” 都是信息交流的工具。进化让色彩对生物来说愈发重要，人类也在进化中不断学习如何解读不同色彩透露出的信息，甚至用色彩表达更加明确或微妙的含义。本文浅谈色彩如何起到沟通的作用。

词汇：colours 色彩

1 Most people can see at least a million different colours, but have you ever thought why they're important? Colours often have meanings and act as signs. They're a way of communicating, even when we don't notice them.

2 The development of colours in the environment may be linked to the science of evolution. As living organisms developed a sense of vision, they were able to explore the environment around them. As vision developed and living creatures became able to distinguish colours, fruits began to use them to attract animals to propagate their seeds. Flowers developed bright colours to attract pollinators, and venomous or poisonous animals were able to use their bold shades as a warning.

3 Humans have also evolved to use these signs to interpret the world. Colour is often an indication that tells us when fruit or vegetables can be eaten, that they're not unripe or rotten. We've also developed our own colour signals to communicate. The red of a traffic light or a warning sign tells us about potential dangers or the precautions we need to take. Electrical wires use different colours to tell us how to connect them safely.

4 Colours can be used as signifiers in more complex ways. Meanings can be transferred into different contexts – food products are sometimes labelled with red, yellow or green according to their nutritional content, borrowing the colours from traffic signals. Some signs are less obvious. Consumer brands use different colours in their logos, packaging, products, and advertising to send us messages about their values. For example, luxury goods often use dark but intense colours as a mark of quality, while those aimed at children use bold, bright colours.We might only notice this if companies use the 'wrong' colours. Studies have shown that people are less likely to buy something if it's branded with an inappropriate colour.

5 Whether human-made or natural, and whether we consciously notice them or not, colours tell us a lot about the world around us.

测验与练习

一、将标题和段落配对。

Paragraph 1 ________
Paragraph 2 ________
Paragraph 3 ________
Paragraph 4 ________
Paragraph 5 ________

a. The evolution of colour
b. Complex signs
c. The importance of colours
d. Changing colours
e. Humans and colour
f. Understanding our world

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1. What does 'they' refer to in the following sentence? Most people can see at least a million colours, but have you ever thought why they are important?
a. colours
b. most people
c. signs

2. What did animals develop that allowed them to use colour?
a. seed propagation
b. a sense of vision
c. pollinators

3. When might fruit change colour?
a. when they are ready to eat
b. when they are bought
c. when they are picked

4. What do red, yellow or green labels on food tell us?
a. whether it is ripe
b. how healthy it is
c. how expensive it is

5. Which brands use intense colours?
a. children's brands
b. healthy brands
c. luxury brands

三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

As living 1) ________ evolved, they became able to 2) ________ different colours. Plants were able to attract animals to 3) ________ their seeds with brightly coloured fruit. Nowadays, we often use the colour red to tell people that they need to take 4) ________. Some signs are more subtle, the colour of a 5) ________ can tell us what a product will be like.

propagate
distinguish
signifiers
branded
logo
organisms
precautions

（答案见词汇表后）

词汇表

evolution 进化
organism 生物，有机体
vision 视觉
distinguish 区分，辨认
propagate （动植物）散播，繁殖
pollinator 传粉者
interpret 理解，阐释
indication 指示，标识
unripe 未成熟的
rotten 腐烂的
precaution 预防措施
signifier 符号，象征
nutritional content 营养成分
consumer brand 消费品牌
logo 商标，图标
packaging 包装
value 价值
luxury 奢侈的
intense 强烈的
bold 色彩艳丽的，醒目的
brand 标记

答案

一、将标题和段落配对。

Paragraph 1 c) The importance of colours
Paragraph 2 a) The evolution of colour
Paragraph 3 e) Humans and colour
Paragraph 4 b) Complex signs
Paragraph 5 f) Understanding our world

二、根据文章内容选出正确的选项。

1. a. colours. 'Most people can see at least a million colours, but have you ever thought why they are important? Colours often have meaning and act as signs.'

2. b. a sense of vision. As vision developed and living creatures become able to distinguish colours

3. a. Colour is often an indication that tells when fruit or vegetables can be eaten, that they're not unripe or rotten.

4. a. when it is ready to eat. Meanings can be transferred into different contexts - food products are sometimes labelled with red, yellow or green according to their nutritional content, borrowing the colours from traffic signals.

5. c. luxury brands. For example, luxury goods often use darker but intense colours as a mark of quality, while those aimed at children use bolder, brighter colours.

三、用下列单词完成对本文的总结。

As living organisms evolved, they became able to distinguish different colours. Plants were able to attract animals to propagate their seeds with brightly coloured fruit. Nowadays, we often use the colour red to tell people that they need to take precautions. Some signs are more subtle, the colour of a logo can tell us what a product will be like.