Question

【題目】閱讀下面的短文，根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容回答問題。

The idea that red means stop and green means go has influenced our lives in more ways than just traffic signals (信號). We have been taught from a young age that the color red means danger and green means it’s okay to move forward. But why were those colors chosen for traffic lights in the first place? For something we have to look at every day, why couldn’t they have been prettier colors?

Well, it’s important to know that before traffic lights for cars, there were traffic signals for trains. At first, railway companies used red to mean stop, white to mean go, and green to mean warn. As you could imagine, trains ran into a few problems with white meaning go. For example, one train mistook a bright star for a white light and something unexpected happened. Because of that, railway companies finally moved green meaning go and used yellow to mean warn. And it’s been that way ever since.

Red has always been a color that mean danger, long before cars were even around. This most likely started because it’s the color with the longest wavelength (波長) so it can be seen somewhere farther than other colors.

But, believe it or not, yellow was once used to mean stop. Back in the 1900s, some stop signs were yellow because it was too hard to see a red sign in a poorly lit area. Finally, highly reflective materials (高反射材料) were developed and red stop signs were born. Since yellow can be seen well at all times of the day, school zones, some traffic signs, and school buses continue to be printed yellow.

So next time you are impatiently waiting at a traffic light, don’t get so mad at them, they’ve certainly come a long way.

Answer the following question with no more than 8 words.

【1】How many colours have been used for traffic signals since the very beginning?

【2】What did one train mistake for a white light?

【3】Did the colour yellow mean go at first?

【4】Why does red mean danger?

【5】When were stop signs yellow?

Answer 1

【答案】

【1】Four. / 4.

【2】A bright star.

【3】No, it didn’t.

【4】Because it can be seen far away. / Because it’s the color with the longest wavelength.

【5】(Back) in the 1900s.

【解析】

文章主要介紹了交通信號燈使用紅色、黃色和綠色的原因以及其發(fā)展過程。

【1】

根據(jù)文中At first, railway companies used red to mean stop, white to mean go, and green to mean warn. … Because of that, railway companies finally moved green meaning go and used yellow to mean warn. And it’s been that way ever since.可知，交通標志從一開始到現(xiàn)在使用了紅色、白色、綠色和黃色四種顏色，故答案為Four/ 4。

【2】

根據(jù)文中For example, one train mistook a bright star for a white light and something unexpected happened.可知，一列火車把一顆明亮的星星誤認為是白光，結(jié)果發(fā)生了意想不到的事情。故答案為A bright star。

【3】

根據(jù)文At first, railway companies used red to mean stop, white to mean go, and green to mean warn.以及Because of that, railway companies finally moved green meaning go and used yellow to mean warn.可知，最開始并不是用黃色表示前進，故答案為No, it didn’t.

【4】

根據(jù)文中Red has always been a color that mean danger, long before cars were even around. This most likely started because it’s the color with the longest wavelength (波長) so it can be seen somewhere farther than other colors. 早在汽車出現(xiàn)之前，紅色就一直是表示危險的顏色。這很可能是因為它是波長最長的顏色，所以它可以在更遠的地方被看到比其他顏色�？芍�，是因為紅色的波長是最長的，能夠被在更遠的地方看到，故答案為Because it can be seen far away. / Because it’s the color with the longest wavelength.

【5】

根據(jù)文中Back in the 1900s, some stop signs were yellow because it was too hard to see a red sign in a poorly lit area. 早在20世紀，一些停車標志是黃色的，因為在光線不好的地方很難看到紅色的標志�？芍�是在20世紀的時候，故答案為Back in the 1900s。