Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by travelling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South Africa. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan.
Magellan sailed from Seville in August 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the severe (凌冽的) winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel (海峡) which is now called Magellan Straits. In November 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America.
They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they didn’t see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as Philippines, men were dying of starvation. While they were in the Philippines., Magellan was killed in battle.
The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail around Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan’s expedition (探险队).
【小题1】Magellan Straits were discovered by Magellan ______.

A.in August 1519B.in October 1520
C.in November 1520D.in December 1520
【小题2】The number of the ships lost on the whole expedition was ______.
A.twoB.threeC.fourD.five
【小题3】Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
A.Dangers from rocks and stormsB.Lack of fresh food and water
C.Severe winter in PatagoniaD.The death of Magellan

The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years. The Maya were so bright that they achieved a lot. They had farms, temples and cities with many buildings. They knew much about nature and the world around them. This knowledge helped them to live a better life than most people of that time.
In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields of crops around it. The Maya planted seeds after they cleared the land. A farmer was able to grow crops that produced for several people. But not every Maya had to be a farmer. Some were builders or priests (祭司).
The Maya believed in many gods. They built large temples to honor them. Skillful workers built cities around these temples. It was difficult because they had to carry all of the building materials themselves. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities and temples are still standing.
Although the Maya worked hard to build the beautiful cities, very few of them lived in them. Usually, only the priests lived in the cities. The other people lived in small villages in the forests. Their houses were much simpler. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.
Measuring time correctly was important to the Maya, so Mayan priests made a system to keep track of time. They wrote numbers as dots ( … ) and bars ( — ). They also made a calendar (日历). The year was divided into 18 months of 20 days each with five days left over.
Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. No one knows why this happened. They may have died from a deadly disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops. The lost secrets of the Maya are still beyond the reach of modern people. They are still one of our greatest mysteries (神秘).
【小题1】The Maya lived better than most people of their times because _____.

A.they had skillful workers
B.they believed in many gods
C.they knew better about nature
D.they could measure time correctly
【小题2】It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
A.the calendar was first invented by the ancient Maya
B.the ancient Mayan cities and temples were well built
C.the ancient Mayan people led a happy life in the cities
D.the priests were not highly respected by the ancient Maya
【小题3】The underlined word “they” in the passage refers to _____.
A.the Mayan peopleB.the Mayan villages
C.the Mayan citiesD.the lost secrets of the Maya
【小题4】Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?
A.The Life of the MayaB.The Cities of the Maya
C.The Mystery of the MayaD.The Belief of the Maya

Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by traveling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South America. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan sailed from Seville in August, 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the cold winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel which is now called Magellan Strait(海峡). In November, 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America.
They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they did not see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as the Philippines, men were dying of starvation. While they were staying in the Philippines, Magellan was killed in a battle. The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail round Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville three years after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan’s expedition. However, their achievement was great. They were the first men to sail round the world.
【小题1】The purpose of Magellan’s expedition was to ________.

A.sail round the world
B.find a seaway from the Atlantic to the Pacific
C.make a voyage to Asia
D.carry men to Philippines
【小题2】The number of the ships lost on the whole expedition was ________.
A.twoB.threeC.fourD.five
【小题3】Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage concerning the expedition?
A.Lack of equipment.
B.Cold winter in Patagonia.
C.The death of Magellan.
D.Dangers from rocks and storms.
【小题4】The best title for this passage is ________.
A.The Discovery of Magellan’s Strait
B.The Discovery of the Philippines
C.The Most Dangerous Expedition
D.The First Expedition to Asia

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