Question

【题目】阅读下面的短文，根据短文内容回答问题。

The idea that red means stop and green means go has influenced our lives in more ways than just traffic signals (信号). 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 (波长) 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】

文章主要介绍了交通信号灯使用红色、黄色和绿色的原因以及其发展过程。

【1】

根据文中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，交通标志从一开始到现在使用了红色、白色、绿色和黄色四种颜色，故答案为Four/ 4。

【2】

根据文中For example, one train mistook a bright star for a white light and something unexpected happened.可知，一列火车把一颗明亮的星星误认为是白光，结果发生了意想不到的事情。故答案为A bright star。

【3】

根据文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，最开始并不是用黄色表示前进，故答案为No, it didn’t.

【4】

根据文中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 (波长) so it can be seen somewhere farther than other colors. 早在汽车出现之前，红色就一直是表示危险的颜色。这很可能是因为它是波长最长的颜色，所以它可以在更远的地方被看到比其他颜色。可知，是因为红色的波长是最长的，能够被在更远的地方看到，故答案为Because it can be seen far away. / Because it’s the color with the longest wavelength.

【5】

根据文中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世纪，一些停车标志是黄色的，因为在光线不好的地方很难看到红色的标志。可知是在20世纪的时候，故答案为Back in the 1900s。