Between 9,000 and 4,000 years ago, most of Mexico was inhabited mainly by hunter-foragers who lived in small bands that moved with the seasons toexploitcactusfruits, deer herds, nuts, and the hundreds of other plant and animalspeciesin their range, depending on theseason. Since these bands were small in size and never stayed in one place for asufficientperiod of time to have much long-term effect on the plant and animal populations on which they subsisted, the hunter-foragers’overallimpacton their environment was low. A few groupsalongthe margins of the lake in theValleyof Mexico may have beensedentaryvillagers, as were some groupsalongthe coasts, and their role in thedomesticationof plants and animals and the eventualspreadofagricultureis unclear. Some researchers suggest, however, that by about 4,000 years ago,maizecob size had become large enough that people over large areas of the Mexican highlands couldsubsistmainly onmaize.

The recent re-dating of some of thesupposedlyearliestdomesticatedmaizein Mesoamerica (AncientMexico) to about 3500 B.C. raises the possibility thatinitialagricultureevolved out of intensified foraging by groups of people who wererelativelysedentary, perhaps living all or most of the year in one or a few places, and that they were perhapsevenin theprocessof developing social differences (socialhierarchy) that increased the intensity of their foraging. Howevermaizewasdomesticated, and by whom,maizeappears to have reachedsufficientproductivitytopermitthe village-farming way of life soon after about 2000 B.C., and agricultural communities appeared at about this time in many different areas.

From the hot, wet coastal lowlands to thearidTehuacanValley, the earliest villages were quitesimilarin size and contents. Almost all houses were built using the wattle-and-daubmethod—sticks branches, and cane were woven in-and-out betweenverticalwall poles, then covered with a mudplaster, which was dried by the hot sun. Houses, which were seldom larger than four by six meters, featuredthatchedroofs and tampedclayfloors on which fine sand wasscattered.

Most of the earliest farming communities were tiny hamlets—villages of ten to twelve houses that were home to about fifty to sixty people—but some communities were larger. Most houses that have been excavated have yielded the same remains, mainly grinding stones,storagepits, pieces of largeceramicstoragejars, bones of cottontail rabbits, carbonizedmaizefragments, and broken pieces ofceramiccharcoalbraziers. Inaddition, ovens, middens, and graves are verycommon. While theproportionof plant and animal foodsvariedsomewhat, all villages probably grewmaize, beans,squash, peppers, and some other crops, and hunted deer and rabbits. Each village, or each extended family, may have had a specialist who didpressureflaking of stone (to make tools), leather-working, or asimilarcraft, andindividualvillages may have concentrated on specialties like salt production, feather-weaving, shell-working, and grinding stonemanufacture.

As inMesopotamia, China, and elsewhere, the background to the origins ofcomplexsociety in Mesoamerica was a greatscatterofrelativelysimple agricultural villages in which themechanicsof producing areliable, expandable foodsupplyhad been mastered. An earlyradicalbreakwith the simple village farming tradition of Mesoamerica occurred in the sweltering lowlands of the SouthGulfCoastof Mexico. Here, beginning at about 1000 B.C., people builtmassiveclaypyramids and platforms, lived in small town groups of hundreds oreventhousands, intensively farmed avarietyofecologicalzones, and produced what is one of the world’s most valued examples of stonesculpture.

These people are known to us as theOlmec, a name derived from anancientAmerican word for rubber—doubtless areferenceto the rubber trees that grow in this area—but a name they themselves probably did not use. Some scholars have considered the possibility that theOlmecculturewas the mothercultureof all latercomplexsocieties in Mesoamerica and that theOlmecwere directlyresponsiblefor transforming their neighbors bymilitary,political,religious, oreconomicmeans intocomplexsocieties. Other scholars, however, have argued convincingly that theOlmecrepresentonly one of several largelyindependentcases of theevolutionof socialcomplexityin Mesoamerica.

Questions:
question_stem: According to paragraph 1, which of the following developments occurred in Mexico between 9,000 and 4,000 years ago'?
choices: tag: A
text: Sedentary villages gradually disappeared, except along the coast and along lakeshores.

tag: B
text: Agriculture spread steadily as more and more plants and animals were domesticated.

tag: C
text: Hunter-foragers living on the coasts moved to the highlands.

tag: D
text: Maize emerged as the dominant food plant.
answer_key: D
explanation: 题干提问“在9000到4000年间，墨西哥有了什么发展”。
定位第1段最后一句 by about 4,000 years ago, maize cob size had become large enough that people over large areas of the Mexican highlands could subsist mainly on maize. 
即 maize cob size become large 为一种 development，could subsist mainly on maize 理解为以玉米 maize 为生，对应选项 D。
故选 D。

question_stem: Which of the sentences below best expresses the essential information in the highlighted sentence in the passage? Incorrect choices change the meaning in important ways or leave out essential information.
choices: tag: A
text: These small bands never stayed in one place long enough to get the most out of the plants and animals on which they lived.

tag: B
text: To keep their impact on the environment low, these small bands never stayed anywhere for very long.

tag: C
text: These bands were small and moved frequently, so they had relatively little impact on their environment.

tag: D
text: Because these bands were small and did not settle anywhere, there is never enough evidence of the effect they had on their environment.
answer_key: C
explanation: 原文高亮句主干为 the hunter-foragers’ overall impact on their environment was low；
由 since 带出原因，考查因果逻辑，原因（1）these bands were small in size，原因（2）never stayed in one place for a sufficient period of time，直接结果是没有带来 long-term effect on the plant and animal populations，进而的核心结果为 the hunter-foragers’ overall impact on their environment was low。
故选 C。

question_stem: Paragraph 2 supports the idea that the development of social differences would have had which of the following effects?
choices: tag: A
text: A quickening of the transition to early agriculture

tag: B
text: A slowing down of the change to sedentary life

tag: C
text: Less contact among foraging groups

tag: D
text: Conflict within foraging groups
answer_key: A
explanation: 题干提问“社会的差异性发展会有什么影响”。
由 social difference 定位第2段第1句 social differences (social hierarchy) that increased the intensity of their foraging，由 intensity of their foraging 前半句的 initial agriculture evolved out of intensified foraging，
即 social differences --> foraging intensity --> initial agriculture，对应选项 A。
故选 A。

question_stem: Paragraph 3 supports which of the following statements about the earliest houses?
choices: tag: A
text: They were adapted to the particular climate in which they were built.

tag: B
text: They used a variety of construction methods but not of building materials.

tag: C
text: They varied in size according to how many people lived in them.

tag: D
text: They did not differ significantly from one another.
answer_key: D
explanation: 题干提问“由第3段可得知与最早的房屋有关的的哪个陈述”。
由 earliest houses 定位第3段第1-2句 the earliest villages were quite similar in size and contents. Almost all houses were built using the wattle-and-daub method，
即早期房屋的建筑规模、包含物、建筑方法没有差别，对应选项 D。
故选 D。

question_stem: According to paragraph 4, the contents of the excavated houses are mainly related to
choices: tag: A
text: the making and shipping of tools

tag: B
text: the storage and preparation of food

tag: C
text: the production of crafts using natural materials like feathers and shells

tag: D
text: the trade goods that the village specialized in producing
answer_key: B
explanation: 题干提问“出土的房子的内含物主要是关于”。
根据 excavated houses 定位第4段第2-3句 Most houses that have been excavated have yielded the same remains, mainly grinding stones, storage pits, pieces of large ceramic storage jars, bones of cottontail rabbits, carbonized maize fragments, and broken pieces of ceramic charcoal braziers. In addition, ovens, middens, and graves are very common. 
即出土的房屋的内含物主要是与食物有关的容器和备品，对应选项 B。
故选 B。

question_stem: In paragraph 5, why does the author mention the conditions in which complex society developed in Mesopotamia, China, and elsewhere?
choices: tag: A
text: To identify models that guided the author in studying the development of village farming in Mesoamerica

tag: B
text: To contrast the sudden emergence of complex societies in Mesoamerica with their very gradual growth in other parts of the world

tag: C
text: To emphasize that complex societies emerged in Mesoamerica in the same circumstances as complex societies did elsewhere in the world

tag: D
text: To suggest that highly successful food production was limited to a very few places until about 1000 B.C.
answer_key: C
explanation: 题干提问“作者为什么提及在美索不达米亚、中国等地发展的复杂社会”。
定位第5段第1句 As in Mesopotamia, China, and elsewhere, the background to the origins of complex society in Mesoamerica was a great scatter of relatively simple agricultural villages in which the mechanics of producing a reliable, expandable food supply had been mastered. 
由 As 引出的高亮句为类比关系，为了解释说明 the background to the origins of complex society in Mesoamerica，对应选项 C。
故选 C。

question_stem: The word “expandable”in the passage is closest in meaning to
choices: tag: A
text: capable of being enlarged

tag: B
text: easily accessible

tag: C
text: highly varied

tag: D
text: larger-than-necessary
answer_key: A
explanation: expandable adj.“可扩大的，可放大的”，与 capable of being enlarged 同义。
故选 A。

question_stem: Which of the following does the author imply in paragraph 6 is the most important scholarly controversy about Olmec society?
choices: tag: A
text: What name the Olmec themselves used for their society

tag: B
text: How the Olmec managed to remain independent

tag: C
text: Whether or not all complex Mexican societies were derived from the Olmec

tag: D
text: Whether the Olmec used religion or military power to transform their neighbors
answer_key: C
explanation: 题干提问“根据第6段可推出奥尔梅克社会最重要的学术争论”。
由 scholarly controversy 定位第6段第2-3句，根据 Some scholars... Other scholars, however... 可得出是两方学者间的争论，对应题干 scholarly controversy；
Some scholars：奥尔梅克文化是后来中美洲所有复杂社会的母文化；Other scholars：奥尔梅克仅代表了中美洲社会复杂性演变的几个主要独立的案例之一。
综上可归纳出 Olmec 是否为所有复杂社会的源头，对应选项 C。
故选 C。