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鬥牛真的討厭紅色嗎? Do Bulls See Red When They See Red?

事實上,牛根本看不到紅色,那公牛又為何會攻擊鬥牛士呢?
#動物 #娛樂·新奇
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鬥牛真的討厭紅色嗎? Do Bulls See Red When They See Red?
究竟為什麼要用紅色斗篷呢?
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文章主講 Bruce, Angela, Wesley

In some Spanish-speaking countries, one of the more famous traditions is bullfighting. In a stadium, a lone man faces a bull inside a ring. This matador uses a large cape to attract the bull’s attention, eventually enraging it. The bull charges the sword-wielding matador, who is ready to skillfully sidestep the massive beast and wound the animal. Finally, the weakened bull makes one last charge at the matador, who then uses a smaller red cape. Do bulls become angry when they see red?

在一些西班牙語系的國家,有一項較為著名的傳統是鬥牛。在體育場裡,一名男子在競技場中獨自面對一頭公牛。這名鬥牛士用一件大斗篷引起公牛的注意,最後將牠激怒。這頭公牛朝著持劍的鬥牛士進攻,而後者已準備好巧妙地閃過這頭巨獸並將牠刺傷。最後,虛弱的公牛向鬥牛士做最後一次進攻,而鬥牛士這時則使用一件較小的紅斗篷。公牛看見紅色時會發怒嗎?

bullfighting [ ˈbʊlˌfaɪtɪŋ ] n. 鬥牛競技活動
matador [ ˈmætəˌdɔr ] n. 鬥牛士
cape [ kep ] n. 斗篷,披風
sword-wielding [ ˈsɔrˌwildɪŋ ] a. 持∕揮舞著劍的

延伸學習|其他與「顏色」有關的片語:

  • a white lie  善意的謊言
  • the pot calling the kettle black  五十步笑百步
  • out of the blue  突然間(不知怎麼地)
  • be green with envy  非常嫉妒
  • brownnose [ `brZUn:noz ] vt. 阿諛奉承,拍馬屁(此用法源自某人將臉貼在另一個人的屁股上,而鼻子沾到了糞便,使鼻子染上褐色)
    brownnoser [ `brZUn:nozK ] n. 馬屁精

鬥牛真的討厭紅色嗎? Do Bulls See Red When They See Red?

Most people have come to believe that the red-colored cape stirs anger in the beast. In fact, cattle lack the red retina receptor and thus do not have the ability to see red at all. Objects with a red hue are seen by cows and bulls as yellowish-gray, so the red used in bullfighting equipment has nothing to do with the animal’s behavior. Why, then, does a bull charge a matador?

多數人都開始相信那件紅色斗篷激怒了這頭野獸。事實上,牛缺乏可以感受紅色的視網膜光受體,因此完全不具有看見紅色的能力。紅色調的物品在牛的眼中看來是微黃的灰色,所以鬥牛道具所使用的紅色與這隻動物的行為無關。那麼,公牛又為何會攻擊鬥牛士呢?

retina [ ˈrɛtn̩ə ] n. 視網膜
hue [ hju ] n. 色調,顏色
yellowish [ ˈjɛloɪʃ ] a. 微黃的,有點黃的

鬥牛真的討厭紅色嗎? Do Bulls See Red When They See Red?

The Discovery Channel’s MythBusters series conducted an interesting experiment to try and explain why. They first placed three stationary flags colored red, blue, and white in an arena with a bull. The bull charged all three. The stationary flags were then replaced by three dummies, each with one color. Again, the bull charged all three. Finally, they used real humans, each dressed in one color. The man dressed in red stood still while the men in white or blue moved around the ring. The bull attacked the latter two, not the man dressed in red.

探索頻道的《流言終結者》系列節目做了一項有趣的實驗來試著解釋為什麼。他們首先將三支分別為紅色、藍色和白色靜止的旗子和牛同置於競技場中。那隻牛向三者進攻。接著靜止的旗子被換成三個各有一種顏色的人體模型。再次地,牛又向三者進攻。最後,他們用了各穿著一種顏色的真人。穿紅衣的男子站立不動,而穿白衣或藍衣的男子在場內四處移動。這隻公牛攻擊了後兩者,而未攻擊紅衣男子。

arena [ əˈrinə ] n. 競技場
dummy [ ˈdʌmɪ ] n. 人體模型,假人
be dressed in + 顏色  穿著某顏色的衣服

This proved that red is not a factor in why bulls charge matadors. The whipping and swirling movement of their capes most likely angers the bull. So, why use a red cape at all? The answer: the red color better disguises the bloody end of the poor beast.

這證實了紅色並非使公牛攻擊鬥牛士的因素。最有可能激怒公牛的是斗篷迅速移動及旋轉的動作。所以,究竟為什麼要用紅色斗篷呢?答案是:紅色比較好掩飾這頭可憐猛獸的血腥結局。

swirl [ swɝ ] vi. & vt. (使)旋動∕打旋(本文為現在分詞作形容詞用)

 


Quiz

1. According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
(A) Bulls are naturally born without color receptors.
(B) Like bulls, matadors are unable to see certain colors.
(C) Aggressive movements are what triggers bulls in bullfights.
(D) In Spanish, the word for “anger” is the same as the word for “bull.”

2. What seems to be the author’s opinion about bullfighting?
(A) He has no strong feelings on the matter.
(B) He values the spirit of this traditional sport.
(C) He believes bulls should be replaced with other animals.
(D) He thinks more colors should be used in matadors’ capes.

3. Which of the following best shows the organization of this passage?(素養題)
(A) Proposal → Arguments → Counter-arguments → Conclusion.
(B) Introduction → Clarification → Illustration → Conclusion.
(C) Problem → Solution → Potential difficulties → Conclusion.
(D) Definition → Comparison → Contrast → Conclusion.

答案在下方。

接著閱讀

為什麼同一瓶香水在不同人身上有不同味道? Why Perfumes’ Scents Change on Different People
溫度計知多少? How Do Different Thermometers Measure Up?
為什麼海水是鹹的? Why the Earth’s Oceans Are Salty

本篇文章取自《解析英語 110/5/6》。

Ans: (C) (A) (B)

>> 衣服髒了嗎? 洗衣服務了解一下 Stain on Your Shirt? Get a Laundry Service

單字片語整理

Words in Use
arena
[əˋrinə]
n. (比賽、競爭的) 場地,競技場
cape
[kep]
n. . 斗篷,披風;岬,海角
swirl
[swɝl]
vi. 旋轉
hue
[hju]
色調
retina
[ˋrɛtɪnə]
n. 視網膜 (複數為 retinas 或 retinae)
dummy
[ˋdʌmɪ]
n. 模型;仿製品
Practical Phrases
out of the blue
 突然地,出乎意料地

We were having dinner when Peter appeared out of the blue.

我們正在吃晚餐,此時彼得突然出現了。

be green with envy
 感到嫉妒,眼紅

Because his friend is rich, Steve is green with envy.

史蒂夫嫉妒他朋友很有錢。

a white lie
 善意的謊言
dress in...
 穿上⋯⋯

Ted prefers to dress in dark colors.
泰德喜歡穿深色的衣服。

本篇內容出自《常春藤解析/生活英語雜誌》,
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作者

Bruce E. Bagnell
Bruce E. Bagnell
常春藤解析英語雜誌資深外籍教師,中英文流利,曾為台灣大學資深教授,與賴世雄老師為多年好友。
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