Question

    Humans are the only animals to eat chilies, even though they sometimes cause us discomfort.CFPMany of us have had this experience: We eat something very spicy, our mouth burns, then our nose gets runny and our eyes start to water. So why exactly does this happen?

All spicy foods come from plants, and according to BBC News, these plants contain spicy items to keep animals from eating them. Eating or even just touching these plants leads to the familiar burning feeling that comes from spicy food.

When we are eating the spicy food, our nose and eyes may also feel irritated(痒痒的)and go into defense mode(模式),producing tears or mucus(黏液)to protect themselves. The more irritated our nose and eyes feel, the more tears or mucus they produce. That explains the tearing eyes, running nose and burning mouth that come from eating spicy food.

So if we know that our body will react to chilies this way, why is it that humans are the only animals to eat them? In fact, about 600 million Chinese, almost half of the national population, are chili eaters, reported website Huanqiu.

According to BBC News, the human body responds to spicy food by giving off endorphins(内啡肷)-chemicals that create a sense of happiness.

So if you're a big fan of spicy food, what can you do to reduce these symptoms(症状)?

It's widely believed that a glass of ice water is the perfect way to lighten the burning sense caused by spiciness. However, as Live Science reported, it’s been proved that water will just make you feel worse by spreading the spicy items around your mouth.

*Live Science suggested that the easiest way to put out the fire in your mouth is with dairy products, such as milk or yogurt. Dairy contains a special element named casein(酪蛋白),a type of protein which is able to dissolve the spicy component in chilies and reduce your pain immediately.

Equally effective is a spoon of sugar, according to Live Science.

So, if you're the kind of person who holds the belief" the spicier, the better", make sure to keep some dairy products in your refrigerator.

1.A lot of animals don't like chilies because they_   _if they eat or touch them.

A. produce tears or mucus B. their eyes feel happy

C. have a feeling like burning D. their noses feel irritated

2.Which of the following way is the right way of making the symptoms less serious while eating chilies according to the passage?

A. We can try a spoon of salt.

B. We can drink a bottle of ice water.

C. We should drink a large cup of warm tea.

D. We can eat some dairy products such as yogurt.

3.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Some plants contain spicy items to protect their enemies.

B. When we are eating chilies, our body creates a chemical that makes us happy.

C. Eating or even just touching spicy plants will make us burn out with anger.

D. Humans, as well as all the animals, like eating chilies very much.

4.Why did the writer write the passage with a*?

A. To show the best method to stop the burning feeling from spicy food.

B. To tell readers how good and effective dairy products are.

C. To tell readers why dairy products reduce pain.

D. To show what dairy contains.

5.Where can we probably read the passage?

A. A chemistry textbook B. novel

C. A science website D. A geography magazine

Answer

1.C

2.D

3.B

4.A

5.C

【解析】

这是一篇科普类文章，解释了为什么人类是唯一吃辣椒的动物，当吃了辛辣的食物后，会产生哪些症状，分析了产生这种症状的原因。最后介绍了减轻灼热症状的最佳方式是喝一些牛奶或酸奶之类的乳制品。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段最后的句子“Eating or even just touching these plants leads to the familiar burning feeling that comes from spicy food.”吃或只是触摸这些植物会产生一种熟悉的辛辣食物带来的灼热感。因此很多动物不喜欢辣椒，因为吃了或触摸到它们会产生灼热的感觉，答案为C。

2.根据文中句子Live Science suggested that the easiest way to put out the fire in your mouth is with dairy products, such as milk or yogurt. Dairy contains a special element named casein(酪蛋白),a type of protein which is able to dissolve the spicy component in chilies and reduce your pain immediately. 《生活科学》建议，最简单的方法是用奶制品，如牛奶或酸奶来去火。乳品含有一种酪蛋白的特殊元素，能够溶解辣椒中辛辣成分并立即减轻疼痛。因此当吃了辣椒后可以喝一些乳制品来减轻症状，答案为D。

3.判断正误题。根据“and according to BBC News, these plants contain spicy items to keep animals from eating them.” 据英国广播公司新闻报道，这些植物含有辛辣的成分，以防止动物吃掉它们。A错误；根据“According to BBC News, the human body responds to spicy food by giving off endorphins（内啡肽）-chemicals that create a sense of happiness.”据英国广播公司新闻报道，人体对辛辣食物的反应是释放内啡肽——一种能产生幸福感的化学物质。故B答案正确。根据Eating or even just touching these plants leads to the familiar burning feeling that comes from spicy food. 吃了或触摸到它们会产生灼热的感觉，不是让我们愤怒，C错误；根据课文内容可知，动物们是不喜欢吃辣椒的，故答案为B。

4.主旨大意题。根据文中句子Live Science suggested that the easiest way to put out the fire in your mouth is with dairy products, such as milk or yogurt. Dairy contains a special element named casein(酪蛋白),a type of protein which is able to dissolve the spicy component in chilies and reduce your pain immediately. 可知，这一段是介绍乳制品中含有一种酪蛋白的特殊元素，能够溶解辣椒中辛辣成分并立即减轻疼痛。因此当吃了辣椒后可以喝一些乳制品来去火，加米字号是强调阻止辛辣食物产生灼热的最佳方法是喝一乳制品些。故答案选A。

5.推理判断题。这是一篇科普类文章，解释了为什么人类是唯一吃辣椒的动物，当吃了辛辣的食物后，减轻灼热症状的最佳方式是什么。由此推断这篇文章最有可能来自科学网站，答案为C。