听力文摘：再给你个爱上泰国菜的理由

Have you ever wondered why some cuisines², like Indian and Thai, are so spicy³ and others, like English, are so bland⁴?

你是否也曾好奇，为何印度菜和泰国菜辛辣无比，而英国菜却近乎清淡无味？

Let's see,India and Thailand are very hot countries,while England is cold and damp.

印度和泰国气候炎热，英国则又冷又潮，这么说来，或许每一种菜肴都和当地气候有关吧？

So the answer has something to do with the climate associated with each cuisine¹?

每一种菜肴都和当地气候有关？

Yes,it sure does.

是的，当然。

The first one is spices mask spoilage⁵, and in a country with a hot climate and without refrigeration, that can come in handy.

一种解释是，辛辣香料能防腐，尤其在气候炎热又没有冰箱的国家，可备不时之需。

Some scientists suggest that the spices in hot cuisines help protect humans from certain kinds of bacteria found in food.

一些科学家推测，辛辣菜肴中的香料有助杀死食物中的某几种细菌，使人们免受其害。

In fact, the hotter the country, the more likely it is that its recipes will use the kind of spices that slow down the growth of bacteria.

事实上，所处地带越是炎热，食物的烹饪中越会使用辛辣香料来抑制细菌增长。

You mean some ingredients can slow down the growth of bacteria?

你的意思是一些原材料可以抑制细菌增长

That's right.

是这样的。

For example, onion, garlic, oregano and all spice alone all kill or inhibit⁶ up to twenty-nine different kinds food-borne bacteria.

说得对。比如说，洋葱、大蒜、牛至和多香果就能杀灭或抑制多达29种不同的食物细菌。

In fact, most spices inhibit bacteria to some extent.

实际上，辛辣香料或多或少都能抑制细菌。

And if you think about it, this makes sense.

细想一下，这是有道理的。

As plants evolved, they had to learn to fight off parasites⁷ and bacteria in order to survive.

在进化过程中，植物必须击退寄生虫和细菌才能得以生存。

That's how they got their distinctive⁸ flavoring in the first place.

辛辣香料原有的独特味道就因此而来。

1 cuisine   

n.烹调，烹饪法

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• This restaurant is renowned for its cuisine.这家餐馆以其精美的饭菜而闻名。

2 cuisines   

n.烹饪( cuisine的名词复数 )；菜肴；（通常指昂贵的饭店中的）饭菜；烹饪艺术

参考例句：

• Could you tell me the different features of these cuisines? 能不能告诉我这些不同的烹调流派各自有哪些特点？ 来自地道口语脱口SHOW 高中超越版
• Ice sculptures are used as decorations in some cuisines, especially in Asia. 冰雕在某些菜肴中被当作装饰品，尤其在亚洲。 来自互联网

3 spicy   

adj.加香料的；辛辣的，有风味的

参考例句：

• The soup tasted mildly spicy.汤尝起来略有点辣。
• Very spicy food doesn't suit her stomach.太辣的东西她吃了胃不舒服。

4 bland   

adj.淡而无味的，温和的，无刺激性的

参考例句：

• He eats bland food because of his stomach trouble.他因胃病而吃清淡的食物。
• This soup is too bland for me.这汤我喝起来偏淡。

5 spoilage   

n.（食物等）变质，损坏

参考例句：

• He was determined to track down the cause of food spoilage.他决心查出食品腐烂的原因。
• The principal methods of avoiding spoilage are the use of pure yeast strains as starters.防止啤酒变坏的主要方法是用纯酵母菌株发酵。

6 inhibit   

vt.阻止，妨碍，抑制

参考例句：

• Don't let ego and greed inhibit clear thinking and hard work.不要让自我和贪婪妨碍清晰的思维和刻苦的工作。
• They passed a law to inhibit people from parking in the street.他们通过一项法令以阻止人们在街上停车。

7 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

8 distinctive   

adj.特别的，有特色的，与众不同的

参考例句：

• She has a very distinctive way of walking.她走路的样子与别人很不相同。
• This bird has several distinctive features.这个鸟具有几种突出的特征。