Nervoussuspects(嫌疑犯)lockedupinBritain'snewestpolicestationmayfeelrelievedbyapleasantyellowcoloronthedoor.Iftheyareclosetoconfessing（供认，坦白）acrimetheblueonthewallmighttipthebalance.

Question

Nervous suspects (嫌疑犯) locked up in Britain's newest police station may feel relieved by a pleasant yellow color on the door. If they are close to confessing（供认，坦白） a crime the blue on the wall might tip the balance.

    Gwent Police have abandoned colors such as grays and browns of the 20th-century police cell (牢房) and have used color psychology（心理学） to decorate them.

    Ystrad Mynach station which recently opened at a cost of ￡5 million has four cells with glass doors for prisoners who suffer from claustrophobia(幽闭恐怖症). Designers have painted the frames yellow which researchers say is a calming color. Other cells contain a royal blue line because psychologists believe that the color is likely to encourage truthfulness.

    The station has 31 cells including 12 with a “live scan” system for drunken or disturbed prisoners which detects the rise and fall of their chest. An alarm alerts（报警） officers if a prisoner's breathing stops and carries on ringing until the door is opened.

    Designers and psychologists have worked for years on color. Blue is said to suggest trust efficiency duty logic coolness thinking and calm. It also suggests coldness and unfriendliness. It is thought that strong blues will stimulate clear thought and lighter soft colors will calm the mind and aid concentration.

    Yellow is linked with confidence self-respect and friendliness. Get the color wrong and it could cause fear depression and anxiety but the right yellow can lift spirits and self-respect.

    Ingrid Collins a psychologist who specializes in the effects of color said that color was an “energy force”. She said: “Blue does enhance communication but I am not sure it would enhance truthful communication.”

    Yellow she said affected the mind. Red on the other hand should never be considered because it could increase aggression（攻击性）. Mrs. Collins praised the designers for using colors in the cells. Gwent is not the first British force to experiment with color to calm down or persuade prisoners to co-operate. In the 1990s Strathclyde Police used pink in cells based on research carried out by the US Navy.

49. The expression “tip the balance” in paragraph 1 probably indicates that the blue might _____.

A. let suspects keep their balance     B. help suspects to confess their crimes

C. make suspects cold and unfriendly in law court  D. enable suspects to change their attitudes to colors

50. Which of the following colors should NOT be used in cells according to the passage?

A. Pink.       B. Yellow       C. Blue.      D. Red.

51. Which of the following helps alert officers if someone stops breathing?

A. Scanning equipment. B. Royal blue lines. C. Glass doors.     D. Yellow frames.

52. The passage is mainly concerned with _____.

A. the relationship between colors and psychology 

B. a comparison of different functions of colors

C. the use of colors in cells to affect criminals’ psychology

D. scientific ways to help criminals reform themselves in prison

Answer 1

【小题1】 B

【小题2】 D

【小题3】 A

【小题4】 C