C
Cancun is a seaside town in Mexico, where most tourists come here to enjoy the beach, water sports and night life. In fact, it is so modern and Americanized that you might think you were in southern California or Florida.
But just a short two-hour hike from the town lie the ruins of the city of Chichen-Itza, one of the capitals of the lost Maya(玛雅)civilization. The center of the ruins of this city is the pyramid of El Castillo. The ancient Mayan religious people climbed this pyramid during festival to honor the Sun god. Tourists today climb it to view the architectural achievements of Chichen-Itza and to prove their fearlessness of heights and steep (陡峭的)climbs. There is a sign in Spanish, admonishing visitors “It’s dangerous to go up.” I gladly ignored it and started my climb.
The climbing was tough. The steps were higher than one might normally take., but the climb was not fearful at all. From the top of the pyramid, I had a wonderful view of the ruins of this Mayan city. What was most striking to me was that just beyond the ruins of splendid structures, gardens, temples and what looks like a modern sports stadium, you could only see forests for miles and miles. It was almost as if some race had mysteriously come out of nowhere, built it up and then suddenly disappeared from the planet, leaving only stones in its space.
The only remains on the top of the pyramid were the Temple of Kukulcan. During the festivals to worship the Sun god, only the high ranks would have the right to enter this temple.
After shooting a few pictures, I realized it was time to go down. Only then did I discover that what people fear about the climb is not the trip going up, but the way going down. I saw a few brave souls who were walking down as if they were in their own house. Looking down at the steepness of the pyramid, I desperately feared this great height. My first desire was to joke with a few people, “Where is the elevator(电梯)?” I figured that a civilization that was this advanced would have had the foresight(预见) to construct an elevator. Lacking such modern equipment, I had to use the chain provided by the Mexican tourist authorities and climb down on all fours.
My climb was complete eventually. I quickly got on the bus back to my comfortable hotel. Leaving the ruined city, I was still wondering what possibly happened long ago. But a few hours later, I was back in the modern world drinking cocktails on the beach, bathing in the sunshine before boarding the plane and waiting for my trip back home to the US, where all the modern things such as elevators are available!
57. Why did the writer pay a visit to the ruined city of Chichen-Itza?
A. He wanted to climb the pyramid of EL Castillo and know about the Mayan civilization.
B. He would got to the Temple of Kukulcan to attend a religious festival to honor the Sun god.
C. He thought the city of Chichen-Itza was quite different from the modern town of Cancun.
D. He was attracted by the ruined ancient buildings there and wanted to take some photos.
58. The underlined word “admonishing” in Paragraph 2 probably means “___________”.
A. urging          B. forcing          C. warning         D. frightening
59. Which of the following best shows climbing the pyramid of EL Castillo is a difficult task?
A. The steps are very high and it is much more scaring to climb to the top.
B. The climbing calls for courage and patience, and also takes a long time.
C. When tourist climb up to the top, there is no elevator to take them down.
D. The pyramid is high and steep, and climbing down is much more fearful.
60. From the last paragraph, we can infer that the writer ______________.
A. had a bad impression of the visit and decided to leave as soon as possible.
B. thought modernization could offer people comforts and conveniences.
C. got tired of the modern life and tried a different one in his own way.
D. enjoyed himself in the climb though it was very tiring and dangerous.

It’s not the first movie to show the end of the world. But in the latest box office hit 2012 it is neither aliens nor a killer disease that threaten the human race, but climate change.
Some say the film lacks good dialogue and its science is questionable, others believe German director Roland Emmerich makes up for these flaws in special effects. An earthquake destroys the White House and Yellow stone  National Park ends up in flames.
Emmerich borrows from the old Mayan(玛雅人的) story which says, that the world will end in 2012.He is being criticized for fuelling Internet rumors(传闻) about doomsday(世界末日)
“There is no factual basis for these claims,’’ NASA said on its website. “Credible(可信赖的) scientists worldwide know of no threat connected with 2012,’’ it insisted. “After all, our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, ” they added.
According to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, it was first thought that the disaster would happen in May 2003. When the world continued, supporters picked the last day of the Mayan calendar.
“Every culture has a myth(传说) of destruction(毁灭), just as they have a myth of creation. These myths |of destruction tend to surface(重新出现) during times of crisis(危机), ” Michael A. Ryan, an assistant profess of history,speaking to Purdue University News. Ryan studies apocalyptic(像世界末日的) themes from the Middle Ages at the US university. “Today’s current economic climate is a state of crisis for many people who are worried whether they can afford to feed themselves,”he added.
【小题1】What led to the end of the world according to the film 2012?

A.Aliens.B.The human race.C.Climate change.D.A killer disease.
【小题2】What does the underlined word “fuelling’’ in the third paragraph refer to?
A.Making sth. stronger..B.Putting gas into a car.
C.Producing power or heat.D.Burning
【小题3】Which of the following statements about the film 2012 is TRUE according to the text?
A.A big fire destroys Yellow-stone National Park.
B.All scientists in the world know of no threat connected with 2012.
C. The old Mayan story says that the world will end in
D.Every culture has a myth of destruction rather than creation
【小题4】Why do the rumors about doomsday come about now and then?
A.Because during times of crisis, people tend to worry about their future.
B.Because aliens often threaten the human race.
C.Because killer diseases happen at times.
D. Because the old Mayan story says that the world will

It’s not the first movie to show the end of the world. But in the latest box office hit 2012 it is neither aliens nor a killer disease that threaten the human race, but climate change.

     Some say the film lacks good dialogue and its science is questionable, others believe German director Roland Emmerich makes up for these flaws in special effects. An earthquake destroys the White House and Yellow stone  National Park ends up in flames.

     Emmerich borrows from the old Mayan(玛雅人的) story which says, that the world will end in 2012.He is being criticized for fuelling Internet rumors(传闻) about doomsday(世界末日)

     “There is no factual basis for these claims,’’ NASA said on its website. “Credible(可信赖的) scientists worldwide know of no threat connected with 2012,’’ it insisted. “After all, our planet has been getting along just fine for more than 4 billion years, ” they added.

According to the UK’s Daily Telegraph, it was first thought that the disaster would happen in May 2003. When the world continued, supporters picked the last day of the Mayan calendar.

     “Every culture has a myth(传说) of destruction(毁灭), just as they have a myth of creation. These myths |of destruction tend to surface(重新出现) during times of crisis(危机), ” Michael A. Ryan, an assistant profess of history,speaking to Purdue University News. Ryan studies apocalyptic(像世界末日的) themes from the Middle Ages at the US university. “Today’s current economic climate is a state of crisis for many people who are worried whether they can afford to feed themselves,”he added.

1.What led to the end of the world according to the film 2012?

   A. Aliens.  B. The human race.  C.Climate change. D.A killer disease.

2.What does the underlined word “fuelling’’ in the third paragraph refer to?

   A. Making sth. stronger..    B. Putting gas into a car.

   C. Producing power or heat.  D.Burning

3.Which of the following statements about the film 2012 is TRUE according to the text?

   A.A big fire destroys Yellow-stone National Park.

   B.All scientists in the world know of no threat connected with 2012.

   C.  The old Mayan story says that the world will end in

D.Every culture has a myth of destruction rather than creation

4.Why do the rumors about doomsday come about now and then?

   A.Because during times of crisis, people tend to worry about their future.

   B.Because aliens often threaten the human race.

   C.Because killer diseases happen at times.

   D.  Because the old Mayan story says that the world will

 

C

Cancun is a seaside town in Mexico, where most tourists come here to enjoy the beach, water sports and night life. In fact, it is so modern and Americanized that you might think you were in southern California or Florida.

But just a short two-hour hike from the town lie the ruins of the city of Chichen-Itza, one of the capitals of the lost Maya(玛雅)civilization. The center of the ruins of this city is the pyramid of El Castillo. The ancient Mayan religious people climbed this pyramid during festival to honor the Sun god. Tourists today climb it to view the architectural achievements of Chichen-Itza and to prove their fearlessness of heights and steep (陡峭的)climbs. There is a sign in Spanish, admonishing visitors “It’s dangerous to go up.” I gladly ignored it and started my climb.

The climbing was tough. The steps were higher than one might normally take., but the climb was not fearful at all. From the top of the pyramid, I had a wonderful view of the ruins of this Mayan city. What was most striking to me was that just beyond the ruins of splendid structures, gardens, temples and what looks like a modern sports stadium, you could only see forests for miles and miles. It was almost as if some race had mysteriously come out of nowhere, built it up and then suddenly disappeared from the planet, leaving only stones in its space.

The only remains on the top of the pyramid were the Temple of Kukulcan. During the festivals to worship the Sun god, only the high ranks would have the right to enter this temple.

After shooting a few pictures, I realized it was time to go down. Only then did I discover that what people fear about the climb is not the trip going up, but the way going down. I saw a few brave souls who were walking down as if they were in their own house. Looking down at the steepness of the pyramid, I desperately feared this great height. My first desire was to joke with a few people, “Where is the elevator(电梯)?” I figured that a civilization that was this advanced would have had the foresight(预见) to construct an elevator. Lacking such modern equipment, I had to use the chain provided by the Mexican tourist authorities and climb down on all fours.

My climb was complete eventually. I quickly got on the bus back to my comfortable hotel. Leaving the ruined city, I was still wondering what possibly happened long ago. But a few hours later, I was back in the modern world drinking cocktails on the beach, bathing in the sunshine before boarding the plane and waiting for my trip back home to the US, where all the modern things such as elevators are available!

57. Why did the writer pay a visit to the ruined city of Chichen-Itza?

A. He wanted to climb the pyramid of EL Castillo and know about the Mayan civilization.

B. He would got to the Temple of Kukulcan to attend a religious festival to honor the Sun god.

C. He thought the city of Chichen-Itza was quite different from the modern town of Cancun.

D. He was attracted by the ruined ancient buildings there and wanted to take some photos.

58. The underlined word “admonishing” in Paragraph 2 probably means “___________”.

   A. urging          B. forcing          C. warning         D. frightening

59. Which of the following best shows climbing the pyramid of EL Castillo is a difficult task?

   A. The steps are very high and it is much more scaring to climb to the top.

   B. The climbing calls for courage and patience, and also takes a long time.

   C. When tourist climb up to the top, there is no elevator to take them down.

   D. The pyramid is high and steep, and climbing down is much more fearful.

60. From the last paragraph, we can infer that the writer ______________.

   A. had a bad impression of the visit and decided to leave as soon as possible.

   B. thought modernization could offer people comforts and conveniences.

   C. got tired of the modern life and tried a different one in his own way.

   D. enjoyed himself in the climb though it was very tiring and dangerous.

In 1841, a book was published which astonished the world. It was called“Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan”. The author John Loud Stephens had just returned from a long, difficult and dangerous journey through the thick rain forest of southern Mexico and Guatemala. He had once been there with Frederick Catherwood, an architect and artist, to search for the remains of a lost civilization known as the Mayas(玛雅).Very little was known about the Mayas at that time, but Catherwood’s drawing in the book showed incredible cities with temples, pyramids and other buildings as impressive as those of their northern neighbors, the Aztecs. These cities, however, were deserted. The inhabitants(居民)had disappeared almost a thousand years before.

       Since that time, far more has been learned about this remarkable civilization. The Mayas had a highly developed system of government and of agriculture, as well as an incredibly accurate system of measuring time. They were also wonderful engineers capable of moving huge blocks stone long distances and cutting them to accurate shapes and sizes.

       And yet although the Mayas knew about the wheel, they never used it. Neither did they use metals other than copper. What is ever more surprising is that they suddenly abandoned many of their cities and built new ones in the jungle. Some time around AD900, Mayan civilization collapsed. By the year 1200, their last great capital, Chichen Itza, was deserted.

       Who were these strange people and the even stranger gods they worshipped(崇拜)? What brought about their sudden and mysterious collapse? Some writers have tried to prove that the Mayas had contact with visitors from space and even that they themselves came from another planet. Some people believe that their civilization came to an end because the Mayas never developed a proper resistance to local germs and diseases. All we really know is that when the first Europeans appeared off their coast in 1517, this great and mysterious culture was only a memory.

 

65.Stephen’s book astonished the world because        .

       A.it was the first time people heard about Mayas

       B.the Mayas were excellent builders and farmers

       C.he had experienced so may difficulties to find this lost civilization

       D.it described that the Mayas used to be an advanced civilization

66.One of the most surprising findings about Mayas was that      .

       A.they developed accurate system measuring time

       B.they knew how to build pyramids with stones

       C.they deserted their cities and moved to new ones

       D.they built cities which they never lived in

67.Mayas civilization collapsed probably in       .

       A.a thousand years before 1841                B.around AD 900

       C.any year between 1200 and 1517           D.AD1200

68.What brought about Mayan sudden collapse?

      A.Tropical germs and diseases                   B.European conquest

       C.Mysterious force from outer space         D.No one knows for sure

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