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.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题
Do you like spicy food?
What’s your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of chili-red pepper-in their dinner while others can’t get enough of it.
Scientists have long been puzzled by why some people love chili while others loathe it. Plenty of research has been done on the subject, dating as far back 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 a glass of water with capsaicin, the plant chemical that makes a chili burn, mixed into it.
By comparing the answers to the questionnaire and what participants said they felt about the spicy water, researchers found that those who 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 tongues 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
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
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.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
BAD weather, bad food and grumpy people – that’s what some people think of first when they think about Britain. Many online commentators even joke that Britons are so grumpy precisely because it constantly rains and they are always hungry.
In fact, many believe that Britons are inherently negative, in contrast to their neighbors across the Atlantic Ocean.
“Americans are more optimistic, due to the fact that they are told they can become the next president of the United States,” Ricky Gervais, a British comedian, told online forum Big Think. “British people are told, it won’t happen to you. And they carry that. They carry that with them. We champion the underdog .”
It’s no wonder that Britons hold the reputation of having a “stiff upper lip” – being cold and not showing any emotion.
Britain’s reputation as a grumpy country may, however, simply be the result of a cultural misunderstanding. According to the BBC, British actor Michael Caine once said: “I think what is British about me is my feelings and awareness of others and their situations. English people are always known to be well-mannered and cold, but we are not cold – we don’t interfere in your situation. If we are heartbroken, we don’t scream in your face with tears – we go home and cry on our own. It’s completely to do with your comfort – we don’t intrude on your space. That’s very English.”
A BBC reader noted that the perceived coldness of British people is actually their way of dealing with hardship. Remembering the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, Stuart Colley, who lived in the capital at the time, said: “It seemed to me that most people’s response was a ‘cruel’ determination to carry on and not to ‘fall’ into an over-emotional outpouring of grief or anger – despite what many of us felt inside. Our stiff upper lip seems to be something that gives us strength as a society when we most need it.”
1.What is the author’s main purpose in writing the article?
A. To list common stereotypes about the UK.
B. To fight common misunderstandings about the UK.
C. To analyze what makes British people grumpy and negative.
D. To list some differences between Americans and British people.
2.Which of the following statements might Ricky Gervais agree with?
A. Britons like challenging the underdog more than Americans do.
B. Americans are more optimistic and realistic than British people.
C. Britons are more comfortable with life’s losers than Americans.
D. Bad weather in the UK is the main thing that makes Britons grumpy.
3.The underlined phrase “interfere in” in the second-to-last paragraph is closest in meaning to ______.
A. think about B. benefit from
C. get in the way of D. have a positive effect on
4. Why does Michael Caine think British people are not cold?
A. They can be heartbroken, and they cry too.
B. They are well-mannered and unwilling to disturb others.
C. They care a lot about what other people think of them.
D. They are taught to face hardships by themselves.
5.With the example of the terrorist attacks in London on July 7, 2005, the author intends to ____.
A. explain why British people tend to be cold
B. reveal that Britons don’t intrude on others’ space
C. present an example in which British people hide their emotions and feelings
D. show how not giving in to emotions can help one to get through a tough time
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
(题文)What are the speakers probably going to do?
A. Go on a trip. B. Buy some food. C. Wait for a taxi
高二英语短对话简单题查看答案及解析
You cannot accept an opinion ________ to you unless it is based on facts.
A. offering B. to offer
C. offered D. having offered
高二英语单项填空中等难度题查看答案及解析
1.Calculate what p______ of your income you spend on food.
2.Even slight rent increases would cause considerable h_____.
3.As the wages were low, there were few a______ for the post.
4.Scientists are hoping for a b_____ in the search for a cure for cancer.
5.Your ticket is v_____ for travel at anytime of the day.
6.Radio is an important communication _______(媒介) in many countries.
7.Team members will be selected according to strict ______.(标准)
8.I want to get a new passport but I don’t know the ______. (程序)
9.At the ______(最初的) stage of the project not everyone had access to a computer.
10. It is useful to have a ________(附近) supermarket.
高二英语单词拼写中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life.
We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day,my mother spoke to me in her gentle,loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I would walk again if I want to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her.A year I returned to school—walking on my own !
When the Great Depression(大萧条)hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel(汽车旅馆)for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly, Mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business,we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed.Fifteen years later,we had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $1billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
1.What Kemmons’mom often told him during his childhood was______
A.caring B.moving C.encouraging D.interesting
2.According to the author, who played the most role in making him walk back to school again?
A.Doctors B.Nurses C.Friends D.Mom
3.What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
A.His terrible experience in the hotel
B.His previous business success of various levels
C.His mom’s support
D.His wife’s suggestion
4.Which of the following best describles Kemmons’s mother?
A.Modest,helpful and hard—working
B.loving, supportive and strong—willed(有坚强意志的)
C.careful, helpful and beautiful
D.strict, sensitive and supportive.
5.Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
A.Self-cofidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family
B.Mom’s encouragement, clear goals. Self—confidence and hard work
C.Clear goals,mom’s encouragemen, a poor family and higher education.
D.Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own.My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old,making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen.While I was growing up,we lived a very hard life.We had little money,but my mom gave me a lot of love.Each night,she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life,“Kemmons,you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen,I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day,my mother spoke to me in her gentle,loving voice,telling me that no matter what those doctors said. I could walk again if I wanted it badly enough.She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her.A year later,I returned to school--walking on my own.
When the Great Depression(大萧条)hit,my mom lost her job.Then I left school to support the both of us.At that moment,I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business Success.But the real turning point occurred on a vocation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951.I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra$2 for each child.That was too expensive for the average American family.I told my wife that I was going to open a motel(汽车旅馆)for families that would never charge extra for children.There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly,mom was one of my strongest supporters.She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style.As in any business,we experienced a lot of challenges.But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul,I never doubted we could succeed.Fifteen years later,we had the largest hotel system in the world—Holiday Inn. In 1979,my company had 1759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situations.But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself,nothing can stop you.
1.What Kemmons' mom often told him during his childhood was________.
A.caring | B.moving | C.encouraging | D.interesting |
2.What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
A.His terrible experience in the hotel. |
B.His previous business success of various levels. |
C.His mom’s support. |
D.His wife’s suggestion. |
3..Which of the following best describes Kemmoms’ mother? 、
A.Modest,helpful,and hard-working. |
B.Loving,supportive,and strong-willed. |
C.Careful,helpful,and beautiful. |
D.Strict,sensitive and supportive. |
4.Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
A.Self-confidence,hard work,clear goals and a poor family. |
B.Mom's encouragement,clear goals,self-confidence,and hard work. |
C.Clear goals,mom’s encouragement,a poor family,and higher education. |
D.Mom's encouragement,a poor family,higher education and opportunities. |
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old, making my mom a single mother at the age of eighteen. While I was growing up, we lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she sat me on her lap and spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that no matter what those doctors said, I could walk again if I wanted to badly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school — walking on my own!
When the Great Depression (大萧条) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support the both of us. At that moment, I was determined never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point occurred on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I was dissatisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they charged an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for the average American family. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel (汽车旅馆) for families that would never charge extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Not surprisingly, mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. As in any business, we experienced a lot of challenges. But with my mother’s words deeply rooted in my soul, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world — Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income of $ 1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situation. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
1.What Kemmons’ mom often told him during his childhood was ______.
A.caring B.moving C.encouraging D.interesting
2.According to the author, who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?
A.Doctors. B.Nurses. C.Friends. D.Mom.
3.What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?
A.His terrible experience in the hotel.
B.His previous business success of various levels.
C.His mom’s support.
D.His wife’s suggestion.
4.Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?
A.Modest, helpful, and hard-working.
B.Loving, supportive and strong-willed.
C.Careful, helpful and beautiful.
D.Strict, sensitive and supportive.
5.Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?
A.Self-confidence, hard work, higher education and a poor family.
B.Mom’s encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work.
C.Clear goals, mom’s encouragement, a poor family and higher education.
D.Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and opportunities.
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析
If it really is what’s on the inside that counts, then a lot of thin people might be in trouble.
Some doctors now think that the internal(内部的) fat surrounding important organs like the heart or liver could be as dangerous as the external fat which can be noticed more easily.
“Being thin doesn’t surely mean you are not fat,” said Dr Jimmy Bell at Imperial College. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create “fat maps” showing where people store fat.
According to the result, people who keep their weight through diet rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat, even if they are slim.
Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores can have surprising levels of fat deposits inside. Of the women, as many as 45 percent of those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had too high levels of internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.
According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are actually on the edge of being fat. They eat too many fatty and sugary foods, but they are not eating enough to be fat. Scientists believe we naturally store fat around the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it elsewhere.
Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but some think it has something to do with heart disease and diabetes(糖尿病). They want to prove that internal fat damages the body’s communication systems.
The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through exercise or even by improving your diet. “If you want to be healthy, there is no shortcut. Exercise has to be an important part of your lifestyle.” Bell said.
1.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Thin people may be fat inside.
B. Internal fat is of no importance.
C. Internal fat leads to many diseases.
D. Thin people don’t have diabetes.
2.According to the passage, which of the following is WRONG?
A.Exercise can help to reduce the internal fat.
B.People can get rid of internal fat by improving diet.
C.Men are more likely to have too much internal fat.
D.People with heart disease all have internal fat.
3.From the last paragraph, we can find that ______.
A.internal fat leading to disease has been proved
B.exercise plays an important role in people’s life for keeping healthy
C.thin people usually have internal fat even if they are slim
D.it is easier to burn off internal fat than external fat
4.The underlined part in the last paragraph means ______.
A.a long road
B.a clear difference
C.an easy way
D.a short distance
高二英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析