Deep in the forest of southeastern Mexico, scientists found a surprise. They found an ancient pyramid. There were colorful murals (壁画）in it. A mural is a painting on a wall. Those murals are helping scientists unlock a mystery about people who lived in ancient times.
The murals are about 1,350 years old. That’s more than five times older than the United States. Scientists say the paintings belonged to the Mayas. That was a group of Native American people. They lived many years ago in what is now Mexico and Central America.
Scientists are excited about the discovery because they don’t know much about the Mayas’ daily life, explains Michael Coe, an expert on the Mayas. The paintings show how the Mayas worked, shopped and dined. One mural shows a man drinking from a bowl. Another shows a woman selling food to a crowd of people.
“Mostly we get the murals that show gods and kings, never anything about the daily life,” Coe said. “This is like walking into a Maya supermarket.” So far, scientists have found more than 30 murals in the pyramid. They are not sure why the Mayas created them. The experts hope to learn more as they continue their search.
“We never had anything like this before,” said Coe. “These are really special murals.”
Scientists learned a lot about the Mayas from the murals. The Mayas were known for more than paintings. Now the murals tell us some fun facts about the Mayan way of life.
Sweet Home
The Mayas lived in what is now Central and North America. Today the area includes parts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and Honduras.
Smart Starts
The Mayas invented a type of Maths. They also created a type of writing that used symbols or pictures. Mayas used bark (树皮)to make books.
_____
The Mayas often ate com and used it to make other foods. They grew many crops (庄稼), including beans and sweet potatoes.
Cool Clothes
Mayan men dressed themselves up with some cloth while women wore long dresses. Rich Mayas wore jewelry (珠宝).
(    )42．Which of the following is shown on one of the Mayan murals?
A．A Mayan king and his family. B．A Mayan woman selling food.
C．A crowd of people drinking water. D．A Mayan man using bark to make books.
(    )43．What can we know according to Michael Coe?
A．The murals show gods and kings.
B．The Mayas lived in a very hot area of the USA.
C．The murals show scenes of Mayan everyday life.
D．The Mayas created the murals because of a festival.
(    )44．What can be put back into the blank?
A．Rich Foods. B．Different Plants. C．Useful Crop. D．Farmland.
(    )45．Why did the writer write this passage?
A．To tell us Mayan clothes and cooking B．To tell us the daily life of the Mayas.
C．To tell us Mayan Maths and writing. D．To tell us some Mayan murals found in the forest.
E.
42．B
43．C
44．A
45．D
【解析】本篇文章难度适中，主要讲述科学家在森林深处发现了玛雅的壁画，而且这些壁画记录着玛雅人民的日常生活。
42．细节理解题。根据“The paintings show how the Mayas worked, shopped and dined. One mural shows a man drinking from a bowl. Another shows a woman selling food to a crowd of people”可知，在其中的一个壁画中，一个玛雅妇女正在卖东西，故选B。
43．细节理解题。根据“Scientists are excited about the discovery because they don't know much about the Mayas’ daily life, explains Michael Coe, an expert on the Mayas. The paintings show how the Mayas worked, shopped and dined. One mural shows a man drinking from a bowl. Another shows a woman selling food to a crowd of people”可知，这些壁画展示玛雅人民的日常生活，故选C。
44．主旨大意题。根据“The Mayas often ate com and used it to make other foods. They grew many crops (庄稼), including beans and sweet potatoes”可知，他们种植许多的庄稼，所以表示“富足的粮食”，故选A。
45．推理判断题。根据“Deep in the forest of southeastern Mexico, scientists found a surprise. They found an ancient pyramid. There were colorful murals (壁画）in it以及The murals are about 1,350 years old. That's more than five times older than the United States. Scientists say the paintings belonged to the Mayas”可知，作者写这篇文章要告诉我们在森林中发现了玛雅壁画，故选D。