Feeling Hot! Hot! Hot!

Your mouth is burning, your eyes are watering and you're sweating ... but some people love it! Watch this video about chillies and find out why they are spicy for us, but a bird can eat them just fine.

Do the preparation task first. Then, watch the video and do the exercises. Remember you can read the tapescript at any time.

Preparation

Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a–f next to the number 1–6.

1. ….. to crush      a. a kind of vegetable with a spicy taste. It's usually red, yellow or green
2. ….. to swallow      b. a scale used to measure the spiciness of foods
3. ….. a seed      c. to want to have something to eat or drink
4. ….. a chilli      d. to break something by pressing down hard on it
5. ….. Scoville heat units      e. to send food down from your mouth into your stomach
6. ….. to fancy something      f. a part of a plant that can grow into a new plant of the same kind

1. Check your understanding: multiple choice

  Circle the correct answers.

1. What type of chilli did Adam eat?      

a. a bird’s-eye chilli     b. a tabasco pepper    c. a ghost chilli

2. What country does it originate from?      

a. Bangladesh    b. Mexico    c. Korea

3. After you eat the chilli, what happens to the taste?      

a. It gets sweeter as time goes on.    b. It gets spicier as time goes on.    c. It gets milder as time goes on.

4. Why does the chilli hate Adam but like Barry the bird?      

a. Because Adam destroys the plant’s roots, but Barry doesn’t.
b. Because Adam destroys the leaves on the plant, but Barry doesn’t.
c. Because Adam destroys the chilli seeds with his teeth, but Barry doesn’t.

5. How do chilli seeds travel?      

a. Birds eat them, fly away and the seeds pass through their body and land in a new place.
b. They are carried by the wind.
c. They stick to the bodies of insects, which fly away and leave them in a new place. 

6. How much longer will Adam continue suffering?      

a. an hour    b. two hours    c. three hours

2. Check your vocabulary: grouping – adjectives

  Write the adjectives in the correct group.

flavourless                eye-watering                mild                fiery                mouth-burning                hot                bland                peppery

words about spiciness	words about non-spiciness

3. Check your grammar: gap fill – question tags

  Complete the questions with a question tag from the box.

wouldn’t you      aren’t you      should you      shouldn’t I      isn’t it      don’t you

1. You like spicy food, _______________?
2. The chilli’s quite spicy, _______________?
3. I should have mentioned that before, _______________?
4. You’re suffering, _______________?
5. You’d like a drink, _______________?
6. You shouldn’t have eaten the chilli, _______________?

Do you like spicy food?

Is spicy food popular in your country? What’s the spiciest thing you’ve ever eaten?

Answers

Preparation
1. d 2. e 3. f 4. a 5. b 6. c

1. Check your understanding: multiple choice
1. c 2. a 3. b 4. c 5. a 6. b

2. Check your vocabulary: grouping – adjectives

words about spiciness	words about non-spiciness
mouth-burning eye-watering hot fiery peppery	flavourless mild bland

3. Check your grammar: gap fill – question tags
1. don’t you   2. isn’t it   3. shouldn’t I   4. aren’t you   5. wouldn’t you   6. should you