The Reading / Listening - The Colour Blue - Level 1

Everyone has a favourite colour. We usually like it all our lives. A new study from the BBC found that the most common favourite colour is blue. It also found that people change the colours they like as they get older. Experiences in life also change the way people feel about colour. Many people like darker colours as they get older. The BBC said dark yellowish-brown was the world's least liked colour.

The BBC found that blue has been a favourite colour since the 1800s. Most people's experiences of blue are positive. Many colours in nature are blue, especially the sea and sky. A blue sky makes people happy. A negative association with blue is in the English language. In English, people say they are "feeling blue". This means they feel sad. Sport sometimes helps people choose a favourite colour. Many people like the colour of their favourite team.

Try the same news story at these levels:

    The Colour Blue - Level 0 The Colour Blue - Level 2   or  The Colour Blue - Level 3

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20220601-what-your-favourite-colour-says-about-you
  • https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a40207932/why-blue-is-probably-your-favorite-color/
  • https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/blue-is-probably-your-favorite-color-heres-why-according-to-science/ar-AAY9c7t


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. Everyone has a
  2. We usually like it
  3. A new study
  4. the most
  5. people change the
  6. experiences
  7. change the way people feel
  8. dark yellowish-
  1. in life
  2. from the BBC
  3. colours they like
  4. about colour
  5. all our lives
  6. common
  7. brown
  8. favourite colour

Paragraph 2

  1. a favourite colour since
  2. people's experiences of blue
  3. a negative
  4. the English
  5. This means they
  6. Sport sometimes helps
  7. Many people
  8. their favourite
  1. feel sad
  2. like the colour
  3. language
  4. team
  5. the 1800s
  6. association with blue
  7. people choose
  8. are positive

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

Everyone has a favourite colour. We usually (1) __________________ our lives. A new study from the BBC found that (2) ___________________ favourite colour is blue. It also found that people change the colours they like (3) ___________________ older. Experiences in life also change the way (4) ___________________ colour. Many people like darker colours as they get older. The BBC said (5) ___________________ was the world's (6) ___________________.

The BBC found that blue has (7) ___________________ colour since the 1800s. Most people's experiences of (8) ___________________. Many colours in nature are blue, especially the sea and sky. A blue sky (9) ___________________. A negative association with blue is in (10) ___________________. In English, people say they are "feeling blue". This means (11) ___________________. Sport sometimes helps people choose a favourite colour. Many people like (12) ___________________ their favourite team.

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

Everyonehasafavouritecolour.Weusuallylikeitallourlives.Anewstudy
fromtheBBCfoundthatthemostcommonfavouritecolourisblue.Italsof
oundthatpeoplechangethecolourstheylikeastheygetolder.Experienc
esinlifealsochangethewaypeoplefeelaboutcolour.Manypeoplelikeda
rkercoloursastheygetolder.TheBBCsaiddarkyellowish-brownwasth
eworld'sleastlikedcolour.TheBBCfoundthatbluehasbeenafavouritec
oloursincethe1800s.Mostpeople'sexperiencesofbluearepositive.Ma
nycoloursinnatureareblue,especiallytheseaandsky.Ablueskymakes
peoplehappy.AnegativeassociationwithblueisintheEnglishlanguage.
InEnglish,peoplesaytheyare"feelingblue".Thismeanstheyfeelsad.S
portsometimeshelpspeoplechooseafavouritecolour.Manypeoplelike
thecolouroftheirfavouriteteam.

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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