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Traditionally, red is regarded as the symbol of China, because it is the lucky color in Chinese culture. However, what amazed most people is that red is also a favorite color in Britain.
There are red postboxes on street corners and on the sides of buildings. The British red phone box is famous all over the world. The famous double-decker bus is red. Red is the color traditionally worn by British soldiers in battle, and there is red in the UK’s Union Jack national flag. Britain even has a famous team of stunt (特技) jet planes called“The Red Arrows”.
Furthermore, British nature also features many red animals. A beloved bird is the robin (知更鸟), which has a bright red breast. At Christmas time in winter, the bird is commonly found on the greetings cards people send each other. There is also quite a rare animal called the red squirrel (松鼠). Foxes are red, and they used to be hunted by men in red clothes.
But is red considered lucky to British people? A good way to see how a culture looks at a color is to look at the way it uses it in language. The results may surprise you. Even though Britain has a lot of red on its high streets and in its countryside, red is used quite differently as a metaphor (比喻). If someone “sees red”, they are angry. When a person is “red faced”, they are out of breath. Red is also a political color: it means a left-winger (blue is the color of the political right). To be “in the red” is to be in debt (someone in credit (存款) is“in the black”).
Look hard enough and you’ll find the color red being used in all countries. For instance the“red heart”symbol is pretty universal. But whether the British realize it or not, red is everywhere in Britain. It does seem that the country is in love with the color.
1. The article is mainly about ______.
A. the metaphor of red in the English language
B. the color red in British culture
C. the history of red items in Britain
D. the preference for red animals in Britain
2. Someone saying bad words about you behind your back might make you ______.
A. see red B. red-faced C. in the red D. in the black
3. It can be inferred from the article that ______.
A. red has the same cultural images (意象) in China and Britain
B. the color red is not as popular as it was before in Britain
C. most British people are not aware of how popular the color red is in British culture
D. red has different meanings in different situations
4. The text is mainly organized by ______.
A. time order B. space order C. listing data D. giving examples
