What’s your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of chili(辣椒) in their dinner while others can’t get enough of it.
Scientists have long been puzzled by why some people love chili and others loathe it. Plenty of research has been done on the subject, dating back to as far as the 1970s. Previous results showed that a love of chili is related to childhood experiences, and cultural influences affect our taste buds, too. But the latest study has found that a person’s love of spicy food may be linked to his or her personality more than anything else, CBC News reported.
“We have always assumed that liking drives intake---we eat what we like and we like what we eat. But no one has actually directly bothered to connect these personality traits with intake of chili peppers,” said Professor John Hayes from Pennsylvania State University, who led the study.
But before you look at the study, you should first know that “spicy” is not a taste, unlike sour, sweet, bitter and salty. It is, in fact, a burning sensation that you feel on the surface of your tongue. This got scientists thinking that maybe a love of spicy food is brought about by people’s longing for thrill, something they usually get from watching action movies or riding a roller coaster.
In the study, 97 participants, both male and female, were asked to fill out questionnaires about certain traits of their personality, for example. Whether they like new experiences or tend to avoid risks. They were then given cups of water with capsaicin(辣椒素), the plant chemical that makes chili burn, mixed into them.
By comparing the answers to questionnaires and what participants said they felt about the spicy water. Researchers found that those who most tended to enjoy action movies or take risks were about six times more likely to enjoy the spicy water.
Interestingly, we used to believe that the reason some people can withstand spicy food is that their tongue have become less sensitive to it. However, this latest study has found otherwise. It’s not that it doesn’t burn as badly, it’s that you actually learn to like the burn,” Hayes explained.
1.What’s the meaning of the underlined word “loathe” in the second paragraph?
A. dislike B. fear
C. put up with D. adapt to
2.What did Professor John Hayes and his team discover from their study?
A. what we eat actually helps to develop our personalities.
B. Males are more likely to enjoy spicy food than females.
C. Those trying to avoid risks tend to be less interested in spicy food.
D. People are wrong to treat spicy as a kind of taste rather than a feeling.
3.Why do some people like spicy food according to the recent study?
A. Because their taste buds have become less sensitive.
B. Because they love the burning sensation.
C. Because they want to challenge themselves.
D. Because the more they try spicy food, the less it burns.
4.What’s the main idea of the passage?
A. What he or she likes to eat mainly decides on his or her personality.
B. That a person enjoys spicy food depends largely on the personality.
C. His or her childhood experiences decide on his or her personality.
D. His or her cultural background decides on his or her personality.
Peter loved to shop used articles（物品）. Almost a month ago, he bought popular word game that used little pieces of wood with different letters on them. As he was purchasing it, the salesgirl said, “Uh, look, the game box hasn’t even been opened yet. That might be worth some money. ”
Peter examined the box, and, sure enough, it was completely covered in factory-sealed plastic. And he saw a date of 1973 on the back of the box.
“You should put that up for auction (拍卖) on the Internet, and see what happens.”the salesgirl said.
“Yes, you’re right. People like something rare.” Peter agreed, “I can’t imagine there being very many unopened boxes of this game still around 40 years later.”
“Don’t forget to tell me if you sell it.” the salesgirl smiled.
“No problem.” Peter said.
After he got home, Peter went online to several auction websites looking for his game. But he couldn’t find it. Then he typed in the name of the word game and hit Search. The search result was 543 websites containing information about the changes of the game. Over the years, the game had been produced using letters in different sizes and game boards in different colors. He also found some lists of game fans looking for various versions of the game. Peter emailed some of them, telling them what he had.
Two weeks later, Peter went back to the shop.
“Hello. Do you still remember the unopened word game?”
The salesgirl looked at him for a second, then recognized him and said, “Oh, hi!”
“I’ve got something for you,” Peter said. “I sold the game and made $1,000. Thank you for your suggestion.” He handed her three $ 100 bills.
“Wow!” the salesgirl cried out. “Thank you, I never expected it.”
1.Which of the following best describes Peter’s word game?
A. It was made around 40 years ago.
B. It had game boards in different sizes.
C. It was kept in a plastic bag with a seal.
D. It had little pieces of wood in different colors.
2.What did the salesgirl probably think of Peter’s word game?
A. Old and handy.
B. Rare and valuable.
C. Classic and attractive.
D. Colorful and interesting
3.What happened at the end of the story?
A. Peter gave the girl $300 as a reward.
B. The salesgirl became Peter’s friend.
C. Peter returned the word game for $ 1,000.
D. The salesgirl felt confused to see Peter again.
4.What is the main theme of the story?
A. It’s important to keep a promise.
B. It’s great to share in other people’s happiness.
C. We should be grateful for the help from others.
D. Something rare is worth a large amount of money.
In England, people often talk about the weather because they can experience (经历) four seasons in one day. In the morning the weather is warm just like in spring. An hour later black clouds come and then it rains hard. The weather gets a little cold. In the late afternoon the sky will be sunny, the sun will begin to shine, and it will be summer at this time of a day.
In England, people can also have summer in winter, or have winter in summer. So in winter they can swim sometimes, and in summer sometimes they should take warm clothes.
When you go to England, you will see that some English people usually take an umbrella (伞)or a raincoat with them in the sunny morning, but you should not laugh at them.
If you don't take an umbrella or a raincoat, you will regret (后悔) later in the day.
1.Why do people in England often talk about the weather?
A. Because they may have four seasons in one day
B. Because they often have very good weather
C. Because the weather is warm just like in spring
D. Because the sky is sunny all day
2.From the story we know that when _________come, there is a heavy rain.
A. sunshine and snow B. black clouds
C. summer and winter D. spring and autumn
3."People can also have summer in winter." Means "it is sometimes too ______in winter."
A. warm B. cool C. cold D. rainy
4.In the sunny morning some English people usually take a raincoat or an umbrella with them because ____.
A. their friends ask them to do so
B. it often rains in England
C. they are going to sell them
D. they are their favorite things
书面表达
如今越来越多的家长花巨资送孩子出国学习，某英文报社就这一问题做了调查，并开辟专栏讨论。请你根据所给提示，以“On Teenagers Studying Abroad”为题用英语写一篇短文。
1、38%的人赞成这种做法：①孩子可以接受良好的教育：学好外语将来发展的机会更多
②开阔眼界，学会独立生活
2、62%的人不赞成这种做法：①花钱太多
②孩子太小无法照顾自己：安全问题令人担忧
3、你的看法（赞成与否）并给出至少一条理由
注意：1、文章的开头已给出，不计入总词数；可根据内容适当发挥；
2、字数120左右
On Teenagers Studying Abroad
Nowadays more and more people are sending their children abroad for further study.
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短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(
)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线(＼)划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I couldn’t believe my ears when I heard my name calling. I was chosen to play the leading role in the play，that was my dream. As a shy and thin girl，I used to be quite afraid of speaking in the public. But my parents and teachers always encourage me to do so. Now I have changed great. In class，I am often the first one to stand up and answer questions even if I may take some mistakes. No pains，no gains. Now I am always brave enough overcome the difficulty in my heart and have changed in a lively girl. So my experience shows that we should not be afraid of losing face but only in this way can we make progresses.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不多于3个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Not everyone enjoys 1. （speak）in front of a group. However, with the right preparations ，you'll do just fine. One of the most important2. (part) of giving a speech is the introduction. The audience might be 3. (boring) if you don't arouse their attention right away. There are many ways in 4. you can get your audience's attention.
First, you could ask a question, such5. "how many of you believe in aliens?" Second, you could tell a story about something you read in a convincing book. Then third, you could make your audience 6. (surprise) by telling them some shocking statistics. 7. (Final), you can produce curiosity by doing something strange that will make them wonder what8. (happen) next. And then, you'll need to tell the audience why you're able to talk about this 9. (particularly) topic. Last 10. not least, end the introduction with a preview of the main points.
