Text One

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 343.

Read the text again and say what colours and shades are mentioned in it.

Read Text One below quickly and decide what the main idea of the text is. Don't worry about new words.

Put these words into three categories. Then add three more words to each group.

In pairs, discuss the following questions. Give reasons for your answers.

UNIT 1. COLOURS IN INTERIOR

1. What are the most popular colours that young people usually wear?

2. What colours would you never wear?

3. Would you decorate a room in the colours you prefer on your clothes?

4. What colours would you most associate with happiness?

5. What colours are suitable for decorating a living room?

1. Colours in different cultures and countries.

2. Colours in the European history.

3. The most popular colours in the world.

We live surrounded by colours, shades and light. Each tone influences our mood, each colour has a meaning. There are days you wear black and days you add colour to your life and wear a pair of scarlet jeans or a mysterious charcoal evening dress. You can choose the colours for your wardrobe and change them as often as you like, but you cannot change the colours of a room so easily.

Red is the colour of love in Europe and America: a red rose, a red box of chocolates on Valentine's Day, a red heart. You can also find this colour in national flags. That is because in ancient times flags were usually used on the battlefield and red gave the signal for battle. Red means good luck in China, where it is also a wedding colour.

Green is the colour of nature. You find it everywhere: in trees, grass and even some fruits. In ancient times green was the colour of victory. In Ireland, this is still the colour of good luck.

Blue is the most common colour used in interior decoration and the most favourite colour of more than half of the world's people, with 42 per cent of males and 30 per cent of females citing blue as their top colour choice. It is the colour least disliked by most cultures. It is also the colour of safety. This shouldn't be a surprise: as you know blue is also the colour for police uniforms.

Purple is a royal colour as it was the colour of kings in most European countries. In ancient times purple was difficult to get - the colour was extracted from Purpura snails. It is often the colour of mystery. This is also the colour of inspiration, so if you are an artist, a room with purple accents will stimulate your mind. It also helps kids develop imagination.

Yellow and orange are extremely warm colours. People usually associate them with the sun and tropical fruits (oranges, bananas and lemons). However, yellow is a symbol of jealousy and let's not forget that some time ago, in Spain, executioners wore yellow. In the early Christian church orange was a symbol for glory to God. Yellow and orange are the least favourite colours worldwide. Orange is also increasingly disliked by both men and women as they age.

When you start decorating a room it is very important to consider the meanings of colours and choose the right ones.

5. In pairs, answer the questions without looking at the text:

1. What colour is usually chosen for decorating in Chinese style?

2. What did green symbolize in ancient times?

3. What colour brings good luck in Ireland?

4. What colour is often used to decorate children's rooms?

5. What colour is a favourite for most people in the world?

6. Match the words with the same meaning:

7. Look at the words in bold in the text above and match them with the definitions: