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The ancient city of Chichen Itza in southern Mexico was one of the most powerful cities and one of the most powerful ancient cultures — the Maya. But today, no one lives there. It is only a group of old buildings. However, people from around the world still come to see it. People come to learn about its ancient culture, the culture of the Mayan people.
The Mayan culture began almost 3,000 years ago and grew in parts of Central America. But about 1,000 years ago a group called the Itza invaded the city and built new parts of the city based on natural wells. They named the city Chichen Itza, which means “mouth of the well of the Itza”.
The most interesting structure in Chichen Itza is the Pyramid of Kukulcan (库库尔坎金字塔), whose four sides all come together at one point at the top. Each side on the Pyramid of Kukulcan has 91 steps. And there is one more step at the top of the pyramid. The steps are as many as the days of a year. Some experts believe the Maya could have used this building to help them know when to plant crops. Each day the sun falls on a different step of the pyramid, which could be a way to follow the year.
The people of Chichen Itza especially designed one building to observe and study the movement of the stars and planets. Experts say that the observatory (天文台) is one of the most complex structures the Maya built. A set of steps went up and around the observatory tower. And there were windows in the tower. Each window had a purpose. Experts believe that a person looking through one of these windows could see particular stars on particular dates. The Maya might have believed that studying the stars could tell them the future.
Chichen Itza is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and an important part of the world’s history. Every visitor who went there always has a different view on the city. So why are you still waiting?
语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。文章对世界文化遗产之一的玛雅文化遗址Chichen Itze?奇琴伊察?进行了详细的介绍。
1．Visitors came to the city of Chichen Itza to________.
A．view its beautiful scenery
B．experience and explore the Mayan culture
C．study and observe other stars on the observatory
D．learn something about when to plant crops
解析：选B 细节理解题。根据第一段中的“People come to learn about its ancient culture, the culture of the Mayan people.”可知，游客们来到Chichen Itza是为了体验和探索玛雅文化。
2．Why did the invaders name the city “mouth of the well of the Itza”？
A．Because wells can be seen in or around the city.
B．Because it is large in size.
C．Because the city is newlybuilt.
D．Because its location is vital.
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据第二段中的“But about 1,000 years ... ‘mouth of the well of the Itza’.” 可知，入侵者给它命名为这个名字，是因为这座城市到处可以看到天然井。
3．Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A．Chichen Itza is one of the World Heritages.
B．The Pyramid of Kukulcan has 364 steps.
C．Windows in the tower predict the weather in the future.
D．The city of Chichen Itza has a long history of 3,000 years.
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据最后一段可知，Chichen Itza是世界文化遗产之一。
4．What’s the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
A．To evaluate the Mayan culture.
B．To persuade readers to pay a visit.
C．To introduce the ancient city of Chichen Itza.
D．To present the development of the Mayan construction.
解析：选B 推理判断题。本文对玛雅文化遗址进行了详细的介绍，再结合最后一段可知，作者写这篇文章的目的是推荐读者去玛雅文化遗址参观。
