A、He read about it in a cookbook. B、He grows his own herbs and spices. C、He heard about it from a friend. D、He studied it in coo

M: We are almost finished. Could you hand me the white pepper?
W: Why white pepper and not black? Aren’t they the same thing?
M: Well, they are from the same plant, but white pepper is milder. I usually prefer it, it has a more subtle flavor.
W: How? Aren’t they from the same plant?
M: Well. It depends on how ripe it is when it’s fixed. You have a lot of questions.
W: That’s because you have all the answers. Did you learn about this stuff in cooking school?
M: Yeah, we study all kinds of herbs and spices.
W: So go on. It’s interesting. How do we get black pepper ?
M: Well, the pepper corn is actually a fruit. It’s not really black or white. It turns from green to yellow to red as it ripens. For black pepper, you pick it when it’s still a little immature, and then dry it.
W: Does it darken as it dries?
M: Well, the skin turns dark as it dries.
W: Does that means white pepper is pepper without the skin?
M: Exactly. It is put to dry in the sun after the skin is warped up. It’s also matured a little longer than black pepper.
W: So they do all that just to get a milder pepper corn?
M: Right, and for special reason:some chefs like the idea of keeping their white sauces white.
W: These green pepper corns are interesting. I’ve never seen them before.
M: Green pepper has a very distinctive flavor. Some people really like it.
W: So it must be picked really young.
M: Right. It’s not sun dried. It’s either put in a liquid or a freeze drier to keep the color.
W: Well, you are quite the pepper expert, aren’t you?
M: Oh, a good chef gets to know about spices.
W: I’ll be judge of that. Let me taste. Hmm, you passed.
Questions 9 to 12 are based on the conversation you have just heard.
9. What are the speakers mainly discussing?
10. How did the man learn about pepper?
11. What happens to black pepper after it’s picked?
12. Why does the woman tell the man he "passes"?