Gateway B2 Units 910 Gateway online

Culture A world of colours

1 SPEAKING Look at the colours. Which one do you like the most and the least? What do these colours symbolise for you?

2 READING Read the peoples opinions about the colours and what they mean in their culture. Match the facts (17)
with the different colours.
1 In one country, it can bring bad luck if you wear this colour.
2 It symbolises death in Japan.
3 In most countries it is a positive colour.
4 In one country it is popular with both sexes.
5 Not surprisingly, it is associated with nature in many countries.
6 It is a colour with very strong associations both positive and negative.
7 It is a very popular colour for clothes.

John (New Zealand)

In most countries, black is the colour of mourning and death, so
its a colour thats never very popular with people. Some people
like to wear black clothes because its elegant but thats about it.
The problem is that black is our national colour. Our famous rugby
team are called the All Blacks, so thats also important for us.

Megumi (Japan)
Its amazing that most cultures associate pink with femininity.
In Japan, its popular with both men and women. Youll also see
buildings made of pink bricks here, something you dont see in other
countries at all. In most countries, mourning is associated with black
but in Japan the colour that symbolises death is a white flower. White
is normally associated with peace and purity but not in Japan.

Renata (Germany)
It seems unusual that a happy colour like yellow should mean
something negative but thats what it means in Germany. It
represents envy. I asked some friends about this colour and it
seems that in other European countries, yellow usually stands
for happiness and hope. But a Spanish friend told me that its an
unlucky colour in Spain, especially if you wear it.

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 Gateway B2 Units 910 Gateway online

Nkoyo (Nigeria)
For the Yoruba people, one of the largest ethnic groups in
Africa, blue is the most positive colour of all. It doesnt seem to
have negative associations in any country. Its normal that we
associate blue with calmness because it is the colour of the sky
and the sea.

Tale (Egypt)
The fact is that green, in many countries, stands for nature. But it
can also refer to the military because, of course, soldiers often wear
green uniforms. But for us here in Egypt, green is our national
colour. It is particularly special for me because my name Tale
means green! Its also positive because it stands for fertility and
the spring.

Shing (China)
Red means many things in many cultures and everybody feels
strongly about it. Here, it symbolises fire, happiness, celebration,
good luck and long life. The problem is that it means something
different in Europe and North America, where people associate it
with passion, love and romance and even danger. Brides wear red
wedding dresses in China, not white ones, and its also the colour
of our national flag.

3 READING Work with a partner. Find six nominal clauses with that one in each text. What is the function of these clauses?

4 SPEAKING Look at the expressions that include colours. What do you think they mean? Do you use similar expressions in
your language?
1 The news came out of the blue. I didnt expect it at all.
2 He is still very green, he needs to get a bit more experience.
3 Im in the red again, how am I going to pay the rent this month?
4 I didnt think the comedy was very funny. It was too black for me.
5 Suddenly his face turned really yellow. I thought he was going to be sick.
6 There are blue-collar and white-collar workers. The former do the physical work and the latter...

OVER TO YOU!

5 PROJECT Research a colour which has an important or symbolic meaning in your, or another, country. Write a
paragraph to describe the role of this colour within the culture. Use the paragraphs in 2 to help you.









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 Gateway B2 Units 910 Gateway online
Culture A world of colours

Teachers Notes
Key
Activity Matching for comprehension Identifying
structures Writing about colour. 1 Students own answers
Language Nominal clauses with that Metaphors 2 1 yellow
with colour. 2 white
3 blue
To use: After Students Book unit 9 in class, as self-
4 pink
study or as a homework activity.
5 green
Preparation: Make one copy of the worksheet for each 6 red
student. 7 black
3 The problem is that black is our national colour.
Procedure Its amazing that most cultures associate pink with
This worksheet can be given as homework or be done femininity.
in pairs in class. It seems unusual that a happy colour like yellow should...
Its normal that we associate blue with...
1 Give a worksheet to each student. Ask the students
The fact is that green in many countries stands for
to look at the six colours. Elicit any ideas before the
nature.
students read the texts. You might like to elicit simple
The problem is that it means something different...
relationships: that red can be associated with love, black
with death etc in western cultures but indicate that this 4 1 to come out of the blue to come suddenly
is not always the case in other cultures. 2 to be green to be innocent or inexperienced
2 If you feel it necessary, pre-teach some vocabulary 3 to be in the red to have no money in your bank
items related to positive and negative associations account
4 black comedy/humour humour which relates to
before learners read the rest of the article: envy, danger,
sad or unpleasant things
death, mourning (negative) and fertility, purity, happiness,
5 yellow complexion pale or unwell
calmness, passion (positive). Then ask the students to read
6 blue-collar workers are the manual labourers and
the six texts carefully and complete the comprehension white-collar workers work in the office and are
exercise. Students can check answers first in pairs and usually better-paid
then as a whole class.
5 Students own answers
3 Next, ask the students to identify the clauses. If
necessary, give the first example as a prompt to remind
the class of nominal clauses.
4 Ask the students to look at the colour expressions.
Supplement the task with others if you feel the class
are enjoying it or focus on one particular colour such
as green. Green can mean envious, inexperienced or
environmentally-friendly depending on the context.
Collocations include green party, green salad, green
card, green space etc.
5 You could suggest the colour green for any students
who are finding this exercise difficult. Green often has
similar meanings in other languages.

This page has been downloaded from Gateway Online: www.gateway-online.net

Written by Ben Goldstein. Copyright Macmillan Publishers Limited 2011.
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