第9章 Lesson 9: Peppers

What comes in many colours and is high in vitamins A and C? Some people like them hot—some prefer them mild. Many people grow them in their gardens. They are peppers.

Whether green, yellow, or red, peppers add flavour to many kinds of foods. People eat them raw, pickled, or cooked. They go in salads, sauces, on sandwiches, and, of course, on pizza.

The mildest kind of pepper is the bell pepper. They are sometimes called sweet peppers, but they are not sweet like sugar. They are simply less spicy than other types of peppers. Bell peppers are about the size of an apple and are the most common pepper found in gardens and on grocery store shelves.

"Chili pepper" is a general name for spicy peppers that come in many sizes and are red, yellow, or green. These hot peppers are usually long and skinny. Chili peppers don't actually burn your mouth, but they can cause pain. Chili peppers, whether fresh or dried, add an almost fiery zing to foods. Dishes from Mexico, India, and Africa sometimes include the hottest kinds of chili peppers. Some people don't like to eat chili peppers because they may cause your eyes to water, your nose to run, and your ears to feel warm.

Whatever their colour or flavour, peppers add variety and spice to many foods.

I. Word List

mild: not hot

raw: not cooked

spicy: very hot

variety: many different types

II. What's the word? Find words in the reading that have the same meaning as these words.

1. gentle, not strong, not spicy: m _ _ _

2. taste: f _ _ _ _ _ _

3. usual: c _ _ _ _ _

4. new, not old: f _ _ _ _

5. not the same, different: v _ _ _ _ _ _

III. Synonyms are words that have the same or similar meanings. Circle the two synonyms in each row.

1. fresh

hot

spicy

green

2. raw

mild

uncooked

salad

3. red

cooked

sweet

sugary

IV. Fill in the chart about peppers.

Bell Peppers

Size: _____________________ Shape: _____________________

Colour: ___________________ Flavour: ___________________

Chili Peppers

Size: _____________________ Shape: _____________________

Colour: ___________________ Flavour: ___________________