Transcript The Hidden Meaning of Colors 南海一中

The Hidden
Meaning
of Colors
南海一中
梁超颖
Objectives
1.To learn the hidden meaning of different
colors;
2.To practice reading strategies for prediction;
3.To practice defining words by their usage in
context;
4.To learn how to describe our favorite colors;
5.To compare different hidden meaning of
colors in different cultures.
Before you start
What is your favorite color?
Is there a color you never wear? What is it?
Do you like wearing bright colors (pink,
yellow, red, bright blue, and so on)? When?
Where?
Do you like wearing dark colors (black,
brown, gray, dark blue, and so on)? When?
Where?
Can you guess what they mean?
He’d been feeling blue all week.
A. happy
B. free
C. sad
The future looks pretty black, I’m afraid.
A. hopeful
B. hopeless
C. unsure
The students are still green.
A. excited
B. young
C. creative
Suppose there are some candies, which
are of different colors, on the table.
Which one would you like to have first?
A. white
B. yellow
C. pink
D. black
E. green
white: purity
yellow: excitement and desire
pink: love
black: power
green: creativity
Do you know?
_____ and _____
White
red are the two colors
which are considered lucky in Japan.
In Japanese weddings, for guests,
men shouldn’t wear _____
black ties; while
ladies shouldn’t wear _____
white dresses.
Read the story
In the Red
My name is Ed. I manage a college bookstore. Once a year, students can
bring their old textbooks to the bookstore. We buy the used books from the
students. Later, we sell them again for a very low price.
This year I asked my student aide, Jim, to help me. Jim sat at a table and took
the students’ books. The students had to sign their names on a form. Then they
took the form to the cashier. The cashier gave them money.
Most of the students signed the forms and got their money. But some
students just stood at the table. They looked upset. They didn’t sign the forms.
Jim was puzzled. He asked me what was wrong.
Can you guess?
Work in groups. Answer these questions.
• Why the students didn’t sign the forms?
• Didn’t they want the money?
• Can you think of an explanation?
Key words
Jim red pens Korean Buddhists culture
write a name die
Let’s find out
The Explanation
Jim put some pens on the table for the students to use. They were
red pens. Some of the students were Korean Buddhists. These students
were upset. In their culture, they write a person’s name in red when the
person dies. These students did not want to sign their names in red.
Signing their names in red was like asking for death.
Ed explained the students’ problem to Jim. Immediately, Jim
removed the red pens. He put blue pens on the table. The students
were relieved. They signed their names in blue and got their money.
Vocabulary
Please find these words in the story. Guess their meanings
from the context. Then match them with the correct definitions.
manage
student aide
cashier
Buddhist
remove
be relieved
direct the business of
a college student who has a
part-time job in the college
a person whose job is to receive
or pay out money
people who believe in the
teachings of Buddha
take sth. away from one place to
another
feel better
Story Retelling
Work with your partner. Student A retells Ed’s
story. Student B retells the explanation.
Student A: Ed. bookstore, students, textbooks, buy, sell, low
price, student aide, sat, took, sign, names, form, cashier, money,
upset, puzzled
Student B: Jim, pens, Korean Buddhists, upset, culture,
write, name, red, die, removed, blue pens, relieved
Would you like to tell us what
your favorite color is?
And why do you like it?
Our Own Stories
Example
Red has always been my favorite color, and I
think it will continue to be so.
I have several reasons for this preference. First
of all, red is vivid（生动的） and energetic…
Another reason is that it is the color of
courage…
In my eyes, red is a noble color…So I like red.
confidence, intelligence, purity, goodness,
peace, hope, joy, energy, passion, danger,
love, excitement, creativity, death,
elegance, mystery, youth
Some colors have special meanings in the
United States. Wedding dresses are white because
white means goodness and purity. Babies and
children also wear white at special times. Black
makes people think about death. People wear black
clothing to funerals.
Culture Capsule
Colors can have more than one meaning.
In the United States, a day when good things
happen is a “red-letter day.” Red roses mean
love. But teachers use red pens to show
mistakes on students’ papers. And when a
business is “in the red,” it is losing money.
Culture Exchange
What do different colors mean in the
countries you know about? Work in groups and
share what you know, then complete the form.
Color
White
Black
Red
_________
Meaning in
USA
Meaning in
China
Follow Up
A reporter from New York Times wants to interview
you on the hidden meaning of colors in your culture.
And he has prepared some questions to ask you:
1. Which color is considered the luckiest?
2. What color do people wear at festivals? To
weddings? To funerals?
3. Are there any Chinese sayings related to
colors?
Assignment
Answer these questions and rewrite it
in a way of a composition.