《2024年走进重高培优测试九年级英语全一册人教版》

A
　　　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 means “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.
(　　　)1.What were traffic signals used for before traffic lights for cars?
　　　　A.Trains.　　　　　B.Boats.　　　　　C.Planes.　　　　　D.Bicycles.
(　　　)2.Which of the following colors meant “go” at first?
　　　　A.Red.　　　　　　B.Yellow.　　　　C.White.　　　　　D.Green.
(　　　)3.Why does red mean “danger”?
　　　　A.Because it's the brightest color.
　　　　B.Because it can be seen far away.
　　　　C.Because railway companies say so.
　　　　D.Because it has the shortest wavelength.
(　　　)4.Why are school buses painted yellow?
　　　　A.Because yellow is a prettier color.
　　　　B.Because yellow once meant “danger”.
　　　　C.Because yellow can be seen well in daytime.
　　　　D.Because yellow means “it's OK to go forward”.
(　　　)5.What does the text mainly tell us?
　　　　A.How important traffic lights are.
　　　　B.Which color has the longest wavelength.
　　　　C.What red, yellow and green can be used for.
　　　　D.Why traffic lights are red, yellow and green.

答案： 1.A 2.C 3.B 4.C 5.D