【英语时差8,16】辣椒为什么那么辣？（上）

 Bite into a hot pepper and it feels a lot like you’ve taken a sip¹ of a hot drink. How can something that’s not hot in temperature produce the same reactions as something that is hot? Reactions like pain or sweating? It’s because although nerves in the skin can respond to different kinds of stimulation², such as pain, cold, and heat, they can also respond to chemicals. But chemical stimulation sends confusing signals to the brain. The chemical in chili³ peppers that makes them hot is called capsaicin. If capsaicin were to excite the pain receptors alone that might tell the brain you are being exposed to a dangerous extreme temperature. But in ways that aren’t completely understood, capsaicin stimulates⁴ both the temperature and pain receptors. That is, it simultaneously⁵ tells the brain that you are experiencing a modest increase in temperature as well as pain.

1 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

2 stimulation   

n.刺激，激励，鼓舞

参考例句：

• The playgroup provides plenty of stimulation for the children.幼儿游戏组给孩子很多启发。
• You don't get any intellectual stimulation in this job.你不能从这份工作中获得任何智力启发。

3 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

4 stimulates   

v.刺激( stimulate的第三人称单数 )；激励；使兴奋；起兴奋作用，起刺激作用，起促进作用

参考例句：

• Exercise stimulates the body. 运动促进身体健康。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Alcohol stimulates the action of the heart. 酒刺激心脏的活动。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 simultaneously   

adv.同时发生地，同时进行地

参考例句：

• The radar beam can track a number of targets almost simultaneously.雷达波几乎可以同时追着多个目标。
• The Windows allow a computer user to execute multiple programs simultaneously.Windows允许计算机用户同时运行多个程序。