長久以來，色彩 “colours” 都是信息交流的工具。進化讓色彩對生物來說愈發重要，人類也在進化中不斷學習如何解讀不同色彩透露出的信息，甚至用色彩表達更加明確或微妙的含義。本文淺談色彩如何起到溝通的作用。
詞匯：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.
測驗與練習
一、將標題和段落配對。
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、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
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、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
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
（答案見詞匯表後）
詞匯表
evolution 進化
organism 生物，有機體
vision 視覺
distinguish 區分，辨認
propagate （動植物）散播，繁殖
pollinator 傳粉者
interpret 理解，闡釋
indication 指示，標識
unripe 未成熟的
rotten 腐爛的
precaution 預防措施
signifier 符號，象征
nutritional content 營養成分
consumer brand 消費品牌
logo 商標，圖標
packaging 包裝
value 價值
luxury 奢侈的
intense 強烈的
bold 色彩艷麗的，醒目的
brand 標記
答案
一、將標題和段落配對。
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、根據文章內容選出正確的選項。
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、用下列單詞完成對本文的總結。
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.
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