Do you like spicy food?

    What's your opinion on spicy food? Some people cannot handle even the smallest amount of chili-red pepper-in their dinner while others can't get enough of it.

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

I suspect that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention, and especially if it's given from the heart. When people are talking, there's no need to do anything but listen to them. Just take them Just listen to what they're saying and care about it. Most times caring about it is even more important than understanding it. Most of us don't value ourselves or our love enough to know this. It has taken me a long time to believe in the power of the simply saying "I'm so sorry" when someone is in pain, and meaning it.

    One of my patients told me that when she tried to tell her story, people often interrupted to tell her that they had once had something just like that happen to them. Eventually she stopped talking to most people. She was just too lonely. We connect through listening. When we interrupt what someone is saying to let them know that we understand, we move the focus of attention to ourselves. When we listen, they know that we care. Many people with cancer can talk about the relief of having someone just listen.

    I have ever learned to respond to someone crying by just listening. In the old days I used to reach for the tissues(纸巾), until I realized that passing a person a tissue may be just another way to shut them down, to take them out of their experience of sadness and grief. Now I just listen. When they have cried all they need to cry, they find me there with them.

    NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive(再体验)these experiences in nightmares.

    Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce, or possibly erase(抹去), the effect of painful memories.

    In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing(释放)chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.

    The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, while others support it.

    Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.

    "Some memories can ruin people's lives. They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor at Harvard Medical School. "This could reduce lot of that suffering."

    But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity(特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.

    " All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out," said Rebecca Dresser, a medical expert.

    You don't have to be a superhero to help the environment. Even small, simple actions can add up to big change. People around the world will celebrate Earth Day on April 22. But anyone – including kids – can work to help the earth at any time. TFK (Time for Kids) talked to a few kids about how they are protecting the planet. Let them inspire you!

    Mari, 10, lives in Flint, Michigan, where people have been without clean drinking water since 2014. That is when the water became polluted with lead（铅）. Children in Flint have suffered from health problems due to lead poisoning. Mari has worked hard to spread awareness of Flint's water crisis by organizing fundraisers and other events.

    At age 3, Ryan went with his dad to recycling center near his home, in Orange County, California. The next day, Ryan began collecting recyclables from neighbors. Soon, Ryan's Recycling Company was born. “Recycling keeps bottles and cans out of the ocean,” Ryan, now 8, told TFK, “so animals don't get sick from them and die.” So far, Ryan has helped customers recycle 320,000 bottles and cans. He has also donated nearly $6,000 to the Pacific Marine Mammal Center.

    Joris, 11, has always loved cheetahs. When he learned that the big cats might disappear in his lifetime, he set out to help protect them. Joris began raising money. So far, Joris has raised more than $14,000. The money goes to a wildlife sanctuary（避难所）in Namibia, a country in Africa. This helps prevent the animals from being killed. Jorin has spent three summers volunteering at the sanctuary.

    As Canadians we may have a love-hate relationship with snow.We love the opportunities it provides: skiing,snow-boarding,cross-country and snowshoeing（雪鞋健行）.There are the advantages of creating snowmen.The beauty of the snow seems to blanket our community after a fresh snow.However,you may hear  icy roads,getting stuck in snow banks,temperature dropping;roofs collapsing（倒塌）from the weight of snow go in the hate category.

    To find joy with winter I have tried various activities to get me out and playing in it.My new favorite for the past 10 years is snowshoeing.The sport becomes popular because it only requires you to lift your knees up higher, which provides a greater exercise benefit.

    According to the Canadian Icons website,snowshoes have been a common form of transport in this country for hundreds of years thanks to the creativity of the native people.The oldest snowshoes were made by the Ojibwa people.With the snowshoes our deep snow walking would be possible.The snowshoes allowed them to float on top of the deep snow by having the weight of the walker distributed across the surface.The snowshoes allowed people to go across the top of the globe from Central Asia to Canada.

    This past New Year's Eve day my oldest son and I went snowshoeing as a great way to end the year by getting to the mountain top.We enjoyed a snack at the top and our dog Indiana rounded out our party.My son took several photos along the way of the amazing views to send them to his new city friends.We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful part of this amazing country.

    Snowshoeing is a great activity to combine your exercise with visiting with friends and families.Wear layers, bring water and snacks and go play in the snow.And your friends will share his enthusiastic story with you.

    When you live in total messiness—cookies in your pants draws, and some old New Yorkers or apple seeds in your bed—it's hard to know where to look for when you lose your keys. The other day, after two weeks of searching, I found my keys in the refrigerator. I can't say I was surprised. But I was surprised when I was diagnosed with ADHD(多动症), when I was a junior at Yale.

    According to a new study, 11% of school-age children have received an ADHD diagnosis, a 16% increase since 2007. And rising diagnoses mean rising treatments—drugs like Adderall are more accessible than ever. However, the consequences of misuse and abuse of these drugs are dangerous.

    Yet also harmful are the consequences of ADHD undiagnosed, an all-too-common story for women like me, who have symptoms, like disorganization and forgetfulness, which look different from those typically expressed in males.

    Dr. Ellen, author of Understanding Girls with ADHD, has found around 4 million females with ADHD are not diagnosed. "The main reason is that the diagnostic criteria were developed based on those hyperactive（过度活跃）young boys taken to clinics, making it difficult for girls to be diagnosed unless they behave like hyperactive boys." Ellen says.

    Besides, the idea that young women actually have ADHD often causes skepticism. As a top student, I didn't believe my diagnosis at first. My friends were also confused, and rather certain my doctor was misguided.

    "Often, if girls are smart or in supportive homes, symptoms are masked," Dr.Ellen says. "Girls will hide their inability to meet social expectations. They see their trouble organizing, and concentrating as character flaws(缺陷)."

    These years, I am both embarrassed and exhausted by my struggles to keep track of objects, but drug has helped it and made it more bearable.