They may have lived some 1,700 years ago, but the ancient Maya had an incredible knowledge of celestial bodies, which they believed influenced everything.
Now a 15-year-old boy has studied astronomical charts devised by these ancient Mexican people, as well as satellite photos, to pinpoint the location of a forgotten Mayan city. William Gadoury, from Quebec has named the "lost city" in the Yucatan jungle K'aak Chi, or Mouth of Fire.
Satellite images suggest the lost city could be among the largest built by the ancient civilisation, which thrived between 300 and 700 AD.
Wondering why the ancient people built their cities far away from rivers and in inhospitable mountains prompted the teenager to look to the sky for answers. Incredibly, the brightest of the stars matched the largest cities.
"I was really surprised and excited when I realised that the most brilliant stars of the constellations matched the largest Maya cities." He told The Journal of Montreal.
He is said to be the first to make the connection, which could lead to further finds.
It was in the 23rd constellation, containing three stars, that he found two matching cities on the map, suggesting one has not yet been re-discovered.
To investigate further, he used satellite images from the Canadian Space Agency and Google Earth to search the dense jungle for any signs of buildings.
The photographs revealed linear features that "stuck out," Daniel De Lisle, from the Canadian Space Agency told The Independent.
"There are linear features that would suggest there is something underneath that big canopy," he said. Armand La Rocque, from the University of New Brunswick believes one of the images shows network of streets leading to a large square, which may be a pyramid. "A square is not natural, it is mostly artificial and can hardly be attributed to natural phenomena," he said.
It's possible 30 buildings accompany an impressive pyramid at the site. If true, the lost city would be one of the five largest known to archaeologists, built by the Mayans.
Linking the position of stars and the location of a lost city and the use of satellite images on a tiny territory to identify the remains buried under dense vegetation, is quite exceptional.
Dr. La Rocque thinks William Gadoury's technique could lead archaeologists to pinpointing the location of more possible lost Mayan metropolises.
What is the general tone of the author in this passage?（ ）
推断题。 dogmatic“ 教条的 ” ， persuasive“ 有说服力的 ” ， impersonal“ 不带个人色彩的 ” ， ironic“ 讽刺的 ” 。文章用客观的口吻阐述了 William Gadoury发现玛雅古城的过程，并介绍了专家的观点，文中没有发表作者个人的看法，故选 C 。
It can be learned from the passage that the newly-found Maya city was （ ）.
细节题。根据第二段的第二句话 “William Gadoury ， from Quebec has named the‘lost city’ in the Yucatan jungle K'aak Chi ， or Mouth of Fire.” 可知， A 项正确。根据第三段 “Satellite images suggest the lost city could be among the largest built by the ancient civilisation ， which thrived between 300 and 700AD. ” 及第四段中的 “Wondering why the ancient people built their cities far away from rivers” 可知，玛雅古城建立于公元 300 至 700 年间，并且离河流很远， B 、 C 、 D 项均表述错误。故本题选 A 。
How does William Gadoury find the Maya city?（ ）
细节题。根据第二段的第一句话“Now a 15-year-old boy has studied astronomical charts devised by these ancient Mexican people ， as well as satellite photos ， to pinpoint the location of a forgotten Mayan city. ”可知， William Gadoury 研究了天文图表和卫星照片，故选 D 。
Which of the following is NOT TRUE about Maya?（ ）
细节题。根据第一段中的 “the ancient Maya had an incredible knowledge of celestial bodies ， which they believed influenced everything” 可知， A 、 C 项正确。根据倒数第二段 “…to identify the remains buried under dense vegetation…” 可知 D 项正确。 B 项中的 All Mayan cities 说法太绝对，故本题选 B 。
Dr. La Rocque believes that（ ）.
推断题。根据最后一段 “Dr . La Rocque thinks William Gadoury's technique could lead archaeologists to pinpointing the location of more possible lost Mayan metropolises. ” 可知， D 项正确。 A 项 near rivers 应为 far away from rivers ； B 项内容在文中说的是可能属实，并不是 Dr. La Rocque 所相信的事情；根据倒数第四段 “‘A square is not natural ， it is mostly artificial and can hardly be attributed to natural phenomena. ’he said. ” 可知， C 项错误。故本题选 D 。
The passage must probably appears in （ ）.
推断题。 A 项 “ 艺术杂志 ” ， B 项 “ 历史小说 ” ， C 项 “ 天文学论文 ” ， D 项 “ 地理杂志 ” 。文章介绍了 William Gadoury 利用天文图表和卫星照片发现了在丛林深处藏匿着一座玛雅文明的失落之城，并记述了其他专家的观点。文章最可能出现在地理杂志上，故选 D 。