Why do you think people in some hot countries eat very spicy（辛辣的）food? Is it because the spices make the food taste better? Is it just because their parents and grandparents and great-grandparents liked hot food，or is there any connection(联系) between spices and healthy food?
Scientists think that it is because spice plants have some important chemicals（化学物质）．These chemicals can kill bacteria（细菌）.
“Most common spices can kill 75 to 100 percent of the bacteria in food，”explains one of the scientists．The bacteria grow more easily and spoil（使…变质） food more quickly at higher temperatures．For this reason，it is more difficult to keep food from spoiling in hot climates，
Do you like your food spicy? Your answer probably tells something about the country you are from．If you like spicy food，it is possible that hundreds of years ago，when there were no fridges，people in your country started using spices to keep the food from spoiling．The traditional spicy dishes helped those people to live longer，healthier lives．Today，in a time of fridges，the spices just make the food taste better．
The chemicals in spices keep food fresh by_________．

A．making food taste better

B．making food hotter

C．preventing bacteria getting into food

D．killing bacteria in food

Food goes bad more quickly in hot climates because_______．

A．cold temperature makes bacteria

B．bacteria get used to hot food

C．high temperature helps bacteria grow faster

D．bacteria spoil food only at high temperature

According to the passage，spices are useful in an the following things except_______．

A．helping you to live longer

B．helping to keep you healthier

C．making your food taste better

D．being used as fridges