Unit 5 Curious and Curiouser

Lesson 4 An unusual journey

Speak and listen

1. Work in pairs. Describe the pictures. What do they have in common?
2. The earth                                 b. Blue painting

1. King Louis IX                          d. Blue jeans

2. Listen to a radio feature called “Journey into blue.”

Blue – what does the word make you think of?

According to recent surveys, most Americans and Europeans now pick blue as their favorite color, which is curious when you think that the ancient Greeks thought it was ugly.

And I think you’d agree that in general people think of blue as a cool color in both senses of the word. So how come it was once considered to be hot?

Hot and cold. Blue is a color that’s full of contradictions. The History of a Color, blue has been the color of death, optimism, heaven, depression, innocence, and even cheese. But in the prehistoric art blue doesn’t appear because a blue pigment didn’t exist.

While the Roman Empire was rising, people who wore blue were apparently considered less worthy than the richer counterparts.

King Louis IX of France started wearing blue in the 13^th century. This resulted in the color becoming increasingly associated with wealth and royalty.

There was no doubt that Picasso’s blue paintings were his most melancholic works. Could that explain why we say “feel blue” when we fall int sadness or depression?

It was in 1972 on the Apollo 17 mission that we first saw the famous “blue marble” photo of the earth that showed us how beautiful our blue planet is. I hope you’ve enjoyed this journey into blue.

3. Choose the best answer.
4. People today have a ________ positive attitude to blue than the ancient Greeks.
5. less b. more
6. There are no blues in prehistoric art because ________.
7. a blue pigment didn’t exist b. red, black, and brown were more popular
8. During the rise of the Roman Empire, blue was worn by ________.
9. dead people b. poor people
10. Thanks to King Louise IX of France, _________.
11. we use the term blue moon b. attitudes towards blue changed
12. “To have the blues” means _________.
13. to feel sad or depressed b. to sing sad music
14. The speaker uses the term “blue marble” to describe ________.
15. the meaning of the word “cool” b. Earth as seen from space

Work with words

4. Add the words to the table.

          decline        grow           lead to        rise              shrink         transform

Go up                                      Go down                                 Change     

1. Increase 1. Decrease 1. Result in
2. ____________  2. Fall                            2. Turn into
3. ____________  3. _______________      3. ______________
4. _______________      4. ______________

5. Complete the excerpts from “Journey into blue” using these words.

shrink                  decrease               grew           transform            resulted in 

1. You can’t _________ your cave with blue walls if you don’t know how to make blue

     paint.

2. Go back in time and your color options _________ to reds, blacks, and browns.
3. King Louis IX of France started wearing blue in the 13^th century. This ________ the

    color becoming increasingly associated with wealth and royalty.

4. Blue ________ popular with painters too.
5. Look back and watch Earth ________ in size – smaller and smaller.

Speak

6. Write about changes in the past year.

     Share in class.