The city of Teotihuacán, whichlayabout 50 kilometers northeast of modern-day Mexico City, began its growth by 200-100 B.C. At its height, between about A.D. 150 and 700, it probably had apopulationof more than 125,000 people and covered atleast20squarekilometers. It had over 2,000apartmentcomplexes, a greatmarket, a large number ofindustrialworkshops, an administrative center, a number ofmassivereligiousedifices, and aregulargridpatternof streets and buildings. Clearly, much planning and central control were involved in theexpansionand ordering of this greatmetropolis. Moreover, the city hadeconomicand perhapsreligiouscontacts with most parts of Mesoamerica (modern Central America and Mexico).

How did thistremendousdevelopmenttake place, and why did it happen in the TeotihuacánValley? Among the main factors are Teotihuacán’s geographic location on a naturaltraderouteto the south and east of theValleyof Mexico, theobsidianresources in the TeotihuacánValleyitself, and thevalley’spotentialforextensiveirrigation. Theexactrole of other factors is much more difficult topinpoint―forinstance, Teotihuacán’sreligioussignificanceas ashrine, the historical situation in and around theValleyof Mexico toward the end of the firstmillenniumB.C., theingenuityand foresightedness of Teotihuacán’s elite, and, finally, theimpactof natural disasters, such as thevolcaniceruptions of the late firstmillenniumB.C.

This lastfactoris atleastcircumstantiallyimplicatedin Teotihuacán’s rise. Priorto 200 B.C., a number ofrelativelysmall centers coexisted in and near theValleyof Mexico. Around this time, the largest of these centers, Cuicuilco, was seriously affected by avolcaniceruption, with much of its agricultural land covered bylava. With Cuicuilco eliminated as apotentialrival, any one of a number ofrelativelymodesttowns might have emerged as aleadingeconomicandpoliticalpower in Central Mexico. Thearchaeologicalevidenceclearly indicates, though, that Teotihuacán was the center that did arise as thepredominantforce in the area by the firstcenturyA.D.

It seems likely that Teotihuacán’s natural resources,alongwith the city elite’sabilitytorecognizetheirpotential, gave the city acompetitiveedgeover its neighbors. Thevalley, like many other places in Mexican and Guatemalan highlands, was rich inobsidian. The hardvolcanicstone was aresourcethat had been in great demand for many years, atleastsince the rise of the Olmecs (a people who flourished between 1200 and 400 B.C.), and it apparently had asecuremarket. Moreover, recent research onobsidiantools found atOlmecsites has shown that some of theobsidianobtained by the Olmecs originated near Teotihuacán. Teotihuacánobsidianmust have been recognized as avaluablecommodityfor many centuries before the great city arose.

Long-distancetradeinobsidianprobably gave the elite residents of Teotihuacánaccessto a widevarietyofexoticgood, as well as arelativelyprosperouslife. Such success may have attracted immigrants to Teotihuacán. Inaddition, Teotihuacán’s elite may haveconsciouslyattempted toattractnew inhabitants. It is also probable that as early as 200 B.C.Teotihuacán may have achieved somereligioussignificanceand itsshrine(or shrines) may have served as anadditionalpopulationmagnet. Finally, the growingpopulationwas probably fed by increasing the number and size of irrigated fields.

The picture of Teotihuacán that emerges is aclassicpicture ofpositivefeedbackamongobsidianminingand working,trade,populationgrowth,irrigation, andreligioustourism. The thrivingobsidianoperation, for example, would necessitate more miners,additionalmanufacturers ofobsidiantools, andadditionaltraders to carry the goods to new markets. All this led to increased wealth, which in turn wouldattractmore immigrants to Teotihuacán. The growing power of the elite, who controlled theeconomy, would give them the means to physicallycoercepeople to move to Teotihuacán and serve as additions to the labor force. Moreirrigationworks would have to be built to feed the growingpopulation, and this resulted in more power and wealth for the elite.

Questions:
question_stem: The word “massive” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: ancient

tag: B
text: carefully

tag: C
text: very large

tag: D
text: carefully protected
answer_key: C
explanation: massive: 大块的，大量的。A 是古老的；B 是认真的；C 是非常大的；D 是仔细地保护。所以 C 是正确答案。对应原文：It had over 2,000 apartment complexes, a great market, a large number of industrial workshops, an administrative center, a number of massive religious edifices, and a regular grid pattern of streets and buildings.本句一直在说 T 这个地方的设施，前面的形容词 great/a large number of 等等都在说这里的设施规模很大，所以 massive 应该与这些词的意思接近，A 古老地 B 仔细地 D 保护的好的都不对。

question_stem: In paragraph 1, each of the following is mentioned as a feature of the city of Teotihuacán between A.D. 150 and 700 EXCEPT
choices: tag: A
text: regularly arranged streets

tag: B
text: several administrative centers spread across the city

tag: C
text: many manufacturing workshops

tag: D
text: apartment complexes
answer_key: B
explanation: B   EXCEPT 题，排除法。A 的 streets 定位至倒数第三句，正确，不选；B 的 administrative centers 定位至倒数第三句，原文说有一个中心，没说很多，所以 B 错，选；C 的 workshops 定位至倒数第三句，正确，不选；D 的 apartment complex 定位至倒数第三句，正确，不选。

question_stem: The word “pinpoint” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: identify precisely

tag: B
text: make an argument for

tag: C
text: describe

tag: D
text: understand
answer_key: A
explanation: pinpoint: 找到，精确地瞄准。A 是精准地识别；B 是提出论点；C 是描述；D 是理解。所以 A 的 identify precisely 正确。对应原文:The exact role of other factors is much more difficult to pinpoint—for instance, Teotihuacán’ s religious significance as a shrine, the historical situation in and around the Valley of Mexico toward the end of the first millennium B.C., the ingenuity and foresightedness of Teotihuacán’ s elite, and, finally, the impact of natural disasters, such as the volcanic eruptions of the late first millennium B.C.原文中的破折号之后给出了很多例子，之前说其他因素起到的作用很难 pinpoint，后文的例子是可能的作用，所以应该是想确定到底是哪个很难。后面的例子已经是描述了，所以难描述不对；同样，例子与理解无关，所以 understood 也不对；原文没有 argument 的意思，所以 make an argument 完全不靠谱。

question_stem: The word “ingenuity” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: ambition

tag: B
text: sincerity

tag: C
text: faith

tag: D
text: cleverness
answer_key: D
explanation: ingenuity: 心灵手巧，精巧。A 是抱负；B 是真诚；C 是信念；D 是聪明。所以 D 的 cleverness 正确。对应原文:The exact role of other factors is much more difficult to pinpoint—for instance, Teotihuacán’s religious significance as a shrine, the historical situation in and around the Valley of Mexico toward the end of the first millennium B.C., the ingenuity and foresightedness of Teotihuacán’s elite, and, finally, the impact of natural disasters, such as the volcanic eruptions of the late first millennium B.C.原文与 ingenuity 并列的词 foresightedness 的意思是先见之明，能与先见之明并列的只能是聪明了，所以 D 正确。

question_stem: Which of the following is NOT mentioned in paragraph 2 as a main factor in the development of Teotihuacán?
choices: tag: A
text: The presence of obsidian in the Teotihuacán Valley

tag: B
text: The potential for extensive irrigation of Teotihuacán Valley lands

tag: C
text: A long period of volcanic inactivity in the Teotihuacán Valley

tag: D
text: Teotihuacán’s location on a natural trade route
answer_key: C
explanation: C EXCEPT 题，排除法。A 的 obsidian 定位至第二句，正确，不选；B 的 extensive irrigation 定位至第二句，正确，不选；C 的 volcanic inactivity 原文没有对应，所以 C 错，选；D 的 trade route 定位至第二句，正确，不选。

question_stem: Which of the following can be inferred from paragraphs 2 and 3 about the Volcanic eruptions of the late first millennium B.C.
choices: tag: A
text: They were more frequent than historians once thought.

tag: B
text: They may have done more damage to Teotihuacán than to neighboring centers.

tag: C
text: They may have played a major role in the rise of Teotihuacán.

tag: D
text: They increased the need for extensive irrigation in the Teotihuacán Valley.
answer_key: C
explanation: C 以 volcanic eruptions of the late firsr millennium B.C.做关键词定位至第二段最后一句，这个是诸多 factor 当中的一个，而这些 factor 都是促进 T 城发展的，所以答案是 C。也可以排除法，A 无相关信息；第三段第三句说火山对 T 影响很大，没跟其他的比较，B 错；第二段第二句说到了 irrigation，但与问题无关，错。

question_stem: What can be inferred from paragraph 3 about Cuicuilco prior to 200 B.C?
choices: tag: A
text: It was a fairly small city until that date.

tag: B
text: It was located outside the Valley of Mexico.

tag: C
text: It emerged rapidly as an economical and political center.

tag: D
text: Its economy relied heavily on agriculture.
answer_key: D
explanation: D 以 Cuicuilco 做关键词定位至第三段第二句，说 Cui 这个地方受火山活动影响，农田被 lava 覆盖，接着一句就说 Cui 消除了，所以没有农田就没有 Cui，答案是 D。A 与原文说反，应该是大的，不是小的；B 的 outside 和原文中的 in 说反，错；C 中的 rapidly 没说，错。

question_stem: The word “predominant” in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: most aggressive

tag: B
text: most productive

tag: C
text: principal

tag: D
text: earliest
answer_key: C
explanation: C predominant: 主要的，占显著优势的。A 是最激进的；B 是多产的，物产丰富的；C 是主要的；D 是最早的。所以 C 的 principal 主要的正确。pre 表在前，dominant 意思是占优势的，所以合起来还是占优势之意。

question_stem: Which of the following allowed Teotihuacán to have “a competitive edge over its neighbors”?
choices: tag: A
text: A well-exploited and readily available commodity

tag: B
text: The presence of a highly stable elite class

tag: C
text: Knowledge derived directly from the Olmecs about the art of toolmaking

tag: D
text: Scarce natural resources in nearby areas such as those located in what are now the Guatemalan and Mexican highlands
answer_key: A
explanation: A 关键词已经划出，所在句说 natural resourc 给了这个地方 edge，然后就用大量笔墨说 obsidian 黑曜石是这里一种很主要的资源，所以答案是存在 commodity，A 正确；注意 B 项颇具干扰性，使城市有优势的不是 elite，是他们对于这种潜力的认识；C 完全没提到；D 说到了资源，但又说资源是在邻近的地方，也错。

question_stem: According to paragraph 4, what has recent research on obsidian tools found at Olmec sites shown?
choices: tag: A
text: Obsidian’s value was understood only when Teotihuacán became an important city.

tag: B
text: The residents of Teotihuacán were sophisticated toolmakers.

tag: C
text: The residents of Teotihuacán traded obsidian with the Olmecs as early as 400 B.C.

tag: D
text: Some of the obsidian used by the Olmecs came from the area around Teotihuacán.
answer_key: D
explanation: D 以 Olmec sites 和 recent research 做关键词定位至倒数第二句，表明 O 获得一些 obsidian 是产自 T 的，很明显 D 正确。

question_stem: In paragraph 6, the author discusses “The thriving obsidian operation” in order to
choices: tag: A
text: explain why manufacturing was the main industry of Teotihuacán

tag: B
text: give an example of an industry that took very little time to develop in Teotihuacán

tag: C
text: Illustrate how several factors influenced each other to make Teotihuacán a powerful and wealthy city

tag: D
text: explain how a successful industry can be a source of wealth and a source of conflict at the same time
answer_key: C
explanation: 功能目的题，往前看，前一句就是本段中心，说 T 的兴起是黑曜石开采和其他一系列因素互动的结果，所以 C 正确。A 和 B 彻底没说，D 中的 conflict 冲突没说，也不对。