What’s your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of chili peppers in their dinner while others can’t get enough of them.

Scientists have long been puzzled by why some people love the 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 chilies is related to childhood experiences, and that cultural influences affect our taste too. But the latest study has found that a person’s love of spicy food may be linked to his or her personality (性格) 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 personality with intake of chili peppers,” said Professor John E. 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 taste. It is, in fact, a burning feeling 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 their personality, for example, whether they like new experiences or tend to avoid risks. They were then given a glass of water with capsaicin (辣椒素), 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 why some people can withstand (耐受) 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, but that you actually learn to like the burning feeling,” Hayes explained.

In 1940, four teenage boys and their dog were walking through the woodland close to Lascaux when their dog suddenly disappeared. The boys searched all around. They came to a cave and looked into the cave 【小题1】 could see nothing.

A few days later, the boys returned to the cave. They could hardly believe 【小题2】 (they) eyes. In the weak lamplight, the boys saw red horses and cows, and black bulls and deer covering the walls of the cave, which looked so 【小题3】 (frighten) that the boys escaped in fear. Little did the boys know that they had made one of the most important 【小题4】 (discover) of that century.

The famous Lascaux Cave is made up of a large hole and 【小题5】 series of connecting caves, with a natural water system. The paintings there are an especially important find because they are so numerous and so well protected. After a few years, the caves were opened 【小题6】 a tourist attraction, and 1,200 people per day came to the site 【小题7】 (admire) the paintings. 【小题8】 (fortunate) , a large number of visitors resulted in changes in the caves’ atmosphere, and green algae (藻类植物) began to grow around the walls. Since then, the caves 【小题9】 (close) to the public in an effort to protect the fragile paintings in this precious underground site.

Today, the caves have computer-controlled air-conditioning and are inspected daily. Scientists hope that these precautions (预防措施) can prevent any 【小题10】 (far) damage to the paintings.

   Communication is one of our most important ways of being in the world as human beings. 【小题1】 It is an art because if you practice it enough times you will master it. It is a science in that there are rules that must be followed for communication to occur. It is the communication that has changed our world. However, many of us have difficulty communicating with each other effectively. 【小题2】.

·Important contexts. For communication to occur there has to be a sender and a receiver. There needs to be someone who is speaking and someone who is listening. There has to be a context for that communication to locate the message. 【小题3】 The receiver can better understand the message behind the message, the subtext of the message and so on with the help of the context.

·【小题4】 Communication requires that barriers (障碍) be laid to rest so the sender and the receiver of the message can be in contact with each other. Barriers to communication include noises, not giving your full attention, speaking on your cellphone while the other is talking. In today’s multi-task work, it’s no wonder there are so many troubles — not only at home, but also in workplaces, places of worship, meetings, etc.

·Rewarding listening. Listening is hard work. It is difficult but with practice, listening can become as natural as eating an apple pie and an ice cream. 【小题5】 When you are not listening, the communication is not getting through. Listening does not mean being quiet and pretending you are giving your whole attention while your mind wanders to what’s for dinner or something like that.

This morning, I was jogging in the park where I caught sight of a wallet on a bench. Clear, someone had left it there by an accident. I picked it up and checked the contents. Inside them, I found some money and a card with a phone number. Believing that the owner would be worrying, I immediately tried the number. A man answers it in an anxious voice. Heard that I had his wallet, he sighed with relief and told me he would return right away. Ten minute later, the man arrived. After confirming (确认) he was the owner, I handed the wallet back him. With his thumb up, he expressed his gratitude to me repeatedly. Seeing the smile in his face, I felt happy that I was able to help.