One person chooses a bright red car, but another prefers a dark green. One family paints the living room a sunny yellow, but another family uses pure white. One child wants a bright orange ball, but another wants a light blue one. Psychologists and businessmen think these differences are important.
In general, people talk about two groups of colors: warm colors and cool colors. Researchers think that there are also two groups of people: people who prefer warm colors and people who prefer cool colors.
The warm colors are red, orange, and yellow. Where there are warm colors and a lot of light, people usually want to be active. People think that red, for example, is exciting. Sociable people, those who like to be with others, like red. The cool colors are green, blue, and violet. These colors, unlike warm colors, are relaxing. Where there are cool colors, people are usually quiet. People who like to spend time alone often prefer blue.
Red may be exciting, but one researcher says that time seems to pass more slowly in a room with warm colors than in a room with cool colors. He suggests that a warm color, such as read or orange, is a good color for a living room or restaurant. People who are relaxing or eating do not want time to pass quickly. Cool colors are better for offices or factories if the people who are working there want time to pass quickly.
Researchers do not know why people think some colors are warm and other colors are cool. However, almost everyone agrees that red, orange, and yellow are warm and that green, blue, and violet are cool. Perhaps warm colors remind people of warm days and the cool colors remind them of cool days. Because in the north the sum is low during winter, the sunlight appears quite blue. Because the sun is higher during summer, the hot summer sunlight appears yellow.
People associate colors with different objects, feelings, and holidays. Red, for example, is the color of fire, heat, blood, and life. People say red is an exciting and active color. They associate red with a strong feeling like anger. Red is used for signs of danger, such as STOP signs and fire engines. The holiday which is associated with red is Valentine's Day. On February 14, Americans send red hearts to people they love.
Orange is the bright, warm color of leaves in autumn. People say orange is a lively, energetic color. [此处开始无录音]They associate orange with happiness. They holidays which are associated with orange are Halloween in October and Thanksgiving Day in November. One October 31 many Americans put large orange pumpkins in their windows for Halloween.
Yellow is the color of sunlight. People say it is a cheerful and lively color. [无录音结束]They associate yellow, too, with happiness. Because it is bright, it is used for signs of caution.
Green is the cool color of grass in spring. People say it is a refreshing and relaxing color. Machines in factories are usually painted light green.
Blue is the color of the sky, water, and ice. Police and Navy uniforms are blue. When people are sad, they say "I feel blue." They associate blue with feelings like unhappiness and fear.
Violet, or purple, is the deep, soft color of darkness or shadows. People consider violet a dignified color. They associate it with loneliness. On Easter Sunday people decorate baskets with purple ribbons.
White is the color of snow. People describe white as a pure, clean color. They associate white with a bright clean feeling. Doctors and nurses normally wear white uniforms. On the other hand, black is the color of night. People wear black clothes at serious or formal ceremonies.
Businessmen know that people choose products by color. Businessmen want to manufacture products which are the colors people will buy. Fox example, an automobile manufacturer needs to know how many cars to paint red, how many green, and how many black. Good businessmen know that young people prefer different colors than old people do and men prefer different colors than women do.
Young children react to the color of an object before they react to its shape. They prefer the warm colors - red, yellow, and orange. When people grow older, they begin to react more to the shape of an object than to its color. The favorite color of adults of all countries is blue. Their second favorite color is red, and their third is green.
On the whole, women prefer brighter colors than men do. Almost everyone likes red, but women like yellow and green more than men do. Pink is usually considered a feminine color. Blue is usually considered a masculine color. As a result, people dress baby girls in pink and baby boys in blue. However, it is dangerous to generalize because taste changes. For example, years ago businessmen wore only white shirts; today they wear many different colors, including pink.
If two objects are the same except for color, they will look different. Color can make an object look nearer than a blue object. For example, red letters on a blue sign look as though they are in front of the sign. Bright objects look larger than dark objects. However, they are actually the same size. Large or fat people who want to look smaller or slimmer wear dark clothes. When they wear dark clothes, they look smaller and slimmer than they are.
In conclusion, color is very important to people. Warm and cool colors affect how people feel. People choose products by color. Moreover, color affects how an object looks. It is even possible that your favorite color tells a lot about you.
一个人选择鲜红色的小轿车，而另一个人则宁可要墨绿色的。一户人家把客厅粉刷成金黄色，而另一户人家则使用纯白色。一个孩子要鲜橙色的球，而另一个孩子则要浅蓝色的。心理家和商人们认为这些差别是很重要的。
总的来说，人们谈论的是两大类颜色：暖色和冷色。研究人员认为世人也有两大类：喜欢暖色的人和喜欢冷色的人。
红、橙、黄是暖色。凡有暖色并有充足光线的地方，人们通常想要积极活动。例如，人们认为红色会使人心潮激动。喜欢社交的人，喜欢和他人在于起的人都喜欢红色。绿、蓝、紫都是冷色。冷色与暖色不同，会使人心情轻松。凡是在冷色的环境里，人们通常都很安静。凡是喜欢一个人自己独自度过时光的人都喜欢蓝色。
红色会令人激动兴奋，不过某一位研究人员说，人在暖色房间里似乎会觉得比在冷色的房间时间过得慢。这位研究人员认为，红、橙之类的暖色适用于客厅和饭店。凡是消闲或进餐的人都不希望时间过得很快。如果人们在办公室或工厂上班，都希望时间过得很快，那么把环境弄成冷色就比较好。
研究人员现在还都不知道，为什么人们认为有些颜色是暖的，而另外一些颜色是冷的。但是几乎人人都承认红、橙、黄是暖色，而绿、蓝、紫是冷色。也许暖色能使人们想起温暖的日子，而冷色使人想起冷的日子。因为在北方冬季太阳低，使人觉得似乎阳光有点发蓝，而在炎热的夏季令人觉得阳光似乎是黄色的。
人们把不同的颜色和不同的事物、不同的感觉、不同的节日联系在一起。例如，红色是火、热、血和生命的颜色。人们说红色是令人激动和积极活动的颜色。人们把红色同愤怒这种强烈的感情联系在一起，红色被用作危险的樗，例如，停止的标志、救火车的标志。跟红色联系在一起的节日是瓦伦泰情人节。在每年2月14日，美国人都给他们所爱的人纷纷寄送红心。
橙色是秋季叶子的鲜暖色。人们说橙色是充满生命活动的积极向上的颜色。人们把橙色和幸福快乐联系在一起。与橙色有联系的两个节日是10月份的万圣节和11月份的感恩节。在10月31日很多美国人把大橙色的南瓜灯摆在窗户上来欢度万圣节。
黄色是阳光的颜色。人们说黄色是一种欢快的充满了生机的颜色。人们也把黄色和幸福快乐联系在一起。因为黄色鲜艳，黄色也被用作黄牌警告的标志。
绿色是冷色，是春季草坪的颜色。人们说，绿色使人觉得大地回春万象更新，是使人心旷神怡的颜色。各工厂的机器大多数都被油漆成嫩绿色。
蓝色是蓝天、碧水和晶冰的颜色。警察和海军的制服都是蓝色。当人们心情悲伤时，人们会说"I feel blue"（我觉得心情很混丧）。人们把不愉快和恐惧之类的感觉同蓝色联系在一起。
紫罗兰色，或者叫紫色，是阴暗处的暗淡而又轻柔的颜色。人们认为紫罗兰是一种高贵庄严的颜色。人们把柴油色与孤家寡人惟我独尊联系在一起。在复活节的礼拜日，人们用紫色的丝带来装饰盛蛋的筐篮。
白色是雪的颜色。人们把白色说成是纯洁干净的颜色。人们把白色同明快纯洁的感觉联系在一起。与此相反，黑色是黑夜的颜色。人们在庄严的正式的仪式上都穿黑色服装。
商人们都懂得人们是按颜色来选购商品的。厂商们都想要生产出人们愿意去购买的颜色的产品。例如，汽车生产厂商需要知道有多少汽车要喷成红色，多少喷成绿色，多少喷成黑色。有经验的商人们都知道年青人跟老年人比较起来，年青人更喜欢多种多样的不同颜色。男人跟女人比，男人更喜欢多种不同的颜色。
幼小的儿童对一件物品的颜色先作出反应之后，才会对物品的形状作出反应。幼小的儿童喜欢暖色--红、黄、橙。当人的年龄增长之后，人们就会对物品的形状的反应多于对物品的颜色的反应。所有的国家的成年人最喜欢的颜色是蓝色，第二种喜欢的颜色是红色，第三种喜欢的颜色是绿色。
整个说来，妇女比男人更喜欢鲜艳的颜色。几乎大家都喜欢红色。但是，女人和男人比起来，女人更喜欢黄色和绿色。粉红色通常被认为是女性的专用颜色。蓝色通常被认为是男性的颜色。因此，人们总是给女婴穿戴粉红色，而给男婴穿戴蓝色的。但是，一律都这样办可就危险了，因为人的举爱好会变的。例如，几年前搞事业的人士只穿白衬衫，可是如今他们却穿着五颜六色的衬衫，甚至还穿粉红色的衬衫。
如果两件东西除了颜色不同而外都相同，那么这两件东西看起来就不同。颜色能使物品看起来好像较近或较远，较大或较小。一件红色的东西看起来总是比一件蓝色的东西近一些。例如，一块蓝底的招牌上面的红色字体看起来就好像红字是在招牌的前面似的。颜色鲜艳的物品看上去就比色调发暗的物品好像大一些似的，但实际上他们的大小是一样的。大个子或肥胖的人，如果想要让人看起来瘦小点儿，苗条点儿就应穿暗色的衣服。如果这些大个子胖人要穿上黑衣服，那么他们看起来就要比他们实际上瘦小一些、苗条一些。
由此可以得出结论，颜色对人们是很重要的。暖色和冷色都会影响到人的感觉。人们是根据颜色不挑选产品的，更重要的是，颜色影响到一个物体的外观，甚至可以根据你所喜欢的颜色就能了解到有关你本人的许多情况。
