Mexico

美音、自然拼读、分级阅读与词汇复习

Table of Contents Where Is It?

内容表在哪里?

............................... 4 People.................................... 6 Land..................................... 8 History.................................. 10 Landmarks.............................. 12 Conclusion............................... 14 Glossary................................. 16 Where Is It?

页:1 4 人. . 6 地. 8 历史. 10 地标。 12 结论。 14 词汇表. 16号在哪里?

Mexico, a country in the southern part of North America, lies between the United States and Central America. In the north, it shares a border with the United States. In the south, it shares borders with Guatemala and Belize. Mexico also includes some islands. These lie along the western and eastern coasts. Mexico is three times as large as the state of Texas in the United States. To the west of Mexico lies the Pacific Ocean, and to its east lies the Gulf of Mexico. The Gulf of California is between the main land mass of Mexico and the long fingerlike area that juts from its northwest coast, called the Baja Peninsula.

墨西哥是北美南部的一个国家,位于美国和中美洲之间. 在北部,它与美国接壤. 南部与危地马拉和伯利兹接壤。 墨西哥还包括一些岛屿。 这些分布于西部和东部沿海. 墨西哥是美国德克萨斯州的三倍. 墨西哥以西为太平洋,以东为墨西哥湾. 加利福尼亚湾地处墨西哥主要地块和从它的西北海岸接起的长指状地块之间,称为下半岛.

Mexico City, one of the oldest cities in North America, is the capital of Mexico. Home to more than nineteen million people, the city sits in a basin surrounded by mountains. Long ago, the land that the city sits on was a lake bed later drained to build the city. Mexico City’s modern and historic structures make it an interesting combination of old and new. The center of the city contains hundreds of buildings that date as far back as the 1500s. The city also includes floating gardens, which are artificial islands that ancient people used to grow crops such as corn and beans. Mexico City also contains beautiful parks, including Alameda Park, the city’s oldest. Now surrounded by modern hotels, skyscrapers, and museums, Alameda Park was created in 1592. Chapultepec Park, the city’s largest park, contains fountains, museums, a zoo, and lakes. People The indigenous people of Mexico were groups of American Indians. In 1519, Spanish explorers arrived in Mexico, and it soon became a Spanish colony. As a result, about two thirds of Mexico’s people are descended from both American Indian and European ancestors, and are called mestizos. However, groups of American Indians still make up about one sixth of Mexico’s population. Today, Mexico has a population of more than 120 million people. Most Mexicans speak Spanish, and, in fact, more people speak Spanish in Mexico than any other country. Some people speak American Indian languages. More than three fourths of the population lives in cities. Mexico’s people have a long and rich artistic history. The ancient peoples created stunning works of art that decorated their temples and other buildings. Modern artists have also continued the traditions in painting, sculpture, and architecture. One of the most well-known Mexican art forms is the mural. The center of Mexico City contains the Metropolitan Cathedral.

墨西哥城是北美最古老的城市之一,是墨西哥的首都. 家乡有1900多万人,城市坐落于被山所包围的盆地. 很久以前,这座城市坐落的土地是后来被排干来建造城市的湖床. 墨西哥城的现代和历史结构使它成为了新旧的有趣组合. 市中心有上百座建筑可以追溯到1500年代. 该市还包含浮花花园,是古人用来种植玉米和豆类等作物的人工岛屿. 墨西哥城还包含美丽的公园,包括该市最古老的阿拉梅达公园. 现在被现代酒店,摩天大楼和博物馆所包围,亚拉梅达公园创建于1592年. 该市最大的公园查普尔特佩克公园包含喷泉,博物馆,动物园和湖泊. 人员 墨西哥土著人民是美国印第安人群体。 1519年,西班牙探险家抵达了墨西哥,并很快成为了西班牙殖民地. 因此,约三分之二的墨西哥人都是由美国印第安人和欧洲祖先所生,并被称作mestizos. 不过,美国印第安人群体仍然占墨西哥人口的六分之一左右. 今天,墨西哥的人口已超过1.2亿. 大多数墨西哥人讲西班牙语,事实上,墨西哥人讲西班牙语的人数比任何其他国家都多. 有些人会说美国印第安语言. 超过四分之三的人口居住在城市. 墨西哥人民有着悠久而丰富的艺术历史. 古代人民创造了令人惊叹的艺术品,装饰了他们的庙宇和其他建筑。 现代艺术家也延续了绘画,雕塑,和建筑方面的传统. 墨西哥最出名的艺术形式之一是壁画. 墨西哥城中心有大都会大教堂.

Construction began on the building in the late 1500s.

1500年代后期开始建筑.

An ancient Aztec statue of a god stands in the middle of a museum in Mexico City.

一座古老的阿兹特克神像矗立在墨西哥城的博物馆中间.

Ancient peoples of Mexico also created beautiful jewelry made of gemstones and precious metals, and the tradition of jewelry making has continued into modern times. Mexico is the world’s leading producer of silver, and many of today’s jewelry artisans work with this precious metal. Sports have also had a long—and serious— history in Mexico. One group of American Indians took the lives of those that lost a ceremonial game. Modern matadors and participants in rodeos put their lives on the line when they enter the ring. Soccer is another popular sport in Mexico. Although it poses much less danger, Mexicans take it very seriously. Land Mexico is a country of geographic contrasts, with mountains and canyons, deserts and rainforests, mainland and islands. Mountain ranges occupy the western, eastern, and southern regions of the country. Because Mexico sits at the edge of an unstable area called the Ring of Fire, some of its mountains are volcanoes. In fact, the highest mountain in the country is a volcano 5,700 meters (18,701 ft.) high. The earthquakes that happen around the Ring of Fire can cause terrible disasters. More than nine thousand people lost their lives in the Mexico City earthquake of September 1985, and volcanoes erupted in the 1980s and 1990s. Silver from Mexican mines is used to make jewelry.

墨西哥的古代民族也创造了由宝石和贵金属所制作的美丽珠宝,而珠宝制作的传统也延续到现代. 墨西哥是全球银矿的主要生产国, 体育在墨西哥也有悠久而严肃的历史。 一群美国印第安人夺走了那些失去一个仪式游戏的人的生命. 现代的马塔多尔人和参加克多斯的参与者在入围时将自己的生命置于一线. 足球是墨西哥又一受欢迎的运动. 虽然它带来的危险要小得多,但墨西哥人非常认真地对待. 墨西哥陆地是一个地理相差悬殊的国家,有山地和峡谷,沙漠和雨林,大陆和岛屿. 山脉占据了该国西部、东部和南部地区。 由于墨西哥坐落在一个被称为"火环"的不稳定地段的边缘上,因此其部分山脉为火山. 事实上,该国最高的山峰是一座5700米(18,701英尺)高的火山. 围绕"火环"发生的地震可造成可怕的灾难. 1985年9月墨西哥城地震中有9000多人死亡,1980年代和1990年代火山爆发. 墨西哥矿场出产的银币被用来做珠宝.

Do You Know?

你知道吗?

Bullfighting is still a popular sport in Mexico.

斗牛仍然是墨西哥流行的运动.

In fact, the largest bullfighting stadium in the world is found in Mexico City.

事实上,世界上最大的斗牛场是在墨西哥城.

From November through April, crowds of as many as sixty thousand people gather in that stadium to watch matadors pit their skills against bulls.

从11月到4月,多达6万人聚集在该体育场,观看马塔多尔将自己的技能同公牛作对.

In opposition to Mexico’s mountains, its canyons and gorges cut deeply into Earth’s crust. Northern Mexico’s Copper Canyon, known for being larger than the Grand Canyon, is 1,400 meters (4,600 ft.) deep in places. The Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts stretch across the northern part of Mexico. The Sonoran Desert has more types of native vegetation than any other North American desert—about two thousand different species. Larger than the state of California, the Chihuahuan Desert is the largest desert in North America. The northern part of Mexico may be dry, but the southeastern part is wet. The area’s rainforests contain thousands of species of animals and plants. Past the eastern coast of the mainland lie Cozumel and Isla Mujeres (EES-lah moo-HAIR-es), two islands known for the brightly colored tropical fish that live in the surrounding ocean waters. Two peninsulas, the Baja and the Yucatán, jut into the oceans on either side of Mexico. The Yucatán Peninsula is made of limestone that in some places has dissolved away over thousands of years to create caves filled with water known as cenotes (sih-NOH-teez). History The earliest people in what is now Mexico were American Indians. Several groups, such as the Maya and the Aztec, developed advanced civilizations with great cities, beautiful works of art, and an accurate calendar that told when to plant crops. About 700 years ago, the Aztec people arrived in central Mexico and established their capital city, Tenochtitlan (tay-nohch-teet-LAHN), on an island in Lake Texcoco. Aqueducts, or waterways, brought water into the city, and canals linked all parts of it. By 1519, the Aztec had built a huge empire of five to six million people. The Aztec thought that because life was the most precious thing people had, it was the most meaningful gift for their gods. As a result, they sacrificed people to their gods. Experts think they may have sacrificed thousands of people every year. In 1519, the Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes arrived in Tenochtitlan, and within two years, enemies of the Aztec had joined with the Spaniards to conquer the Aztec. In 1521, Mexico became a Spanish colony. The Maya developed an accurate calendar.

其峡谷和峡谷深入地壳, 墨西哥北部的铜峡以比"大峡谷"更大而出名,有1400米(4600英尺)深的地方. 索诺兰和奇瓦万沙漠横跨了墨西哥北部. 索诺兰沙漠的原生植被种类比任何其他北美沙漠都多——大约两千个不同的物种. 相较于加利福尼亚州,奇瓦文沙漠是北美最大的沙漠. 墨西哥北部可能干燥,但东南部为湿润. 该地区的雨林有上千种动植物. 大陆东海岸有Cozumel和Isla Mujers(EES-lah moo-HAIR-es)两个岛屿,它们以生活在周围海水中的明亮有色热带鱼类而出名。 两个半岛,巴哈和尤卡坦,墨西哥两边的Jot入海. 尤卡坦半岛由石灰岩所形成,在有些地方,石灰岩已经溶解了上千年,以形成被水所填满的洞穴,被称作"ce"(sih-NOH-teez). 历史 现在墨西哥最早的人是美国印第安人。 玛雅人和阿兹特克人等多组人发展出先进的文明,拥有大城市,美丽的艺术作品,以及准确的日历,说明种植作物的时间. 大约700年前,阿兹特克人到达了墨西哥中部并建立了他们的首都特诺克蒂特兰(英语:Tay-nohch-teet-LAHN),位于特克斯科克湖的一个岛屿上. 水道,或称水道,将水运入城中,而运河将城中各处相接. 到1519年,阿兹特克人已经建立了一个由五至六百万人组成的庞大帝国. 阿兹特克人认为,因为生命是人们拥有的最珍贵的东西,所以是对其神灵最有意义的礼物. 因此,他们把人献给自己的神. 专家认为他们每年可能牺牲了上千人. 1519年,西班牙探险家赫南·科尔特斯抵达特诺克蒂特兰,在两年内,阿兹特克人的敌人同西班牙人一起征服了阿兹特克人. 1521年,墨西哥成为西班牙殖民地. 玛雅人制定了准确的日历.

When the conquistadores (kohn-kees-tah- DOH-res), which means “conquerors” in Spanish, came to Mexico in the 1500s, they brought with them the diseases of smallpox and measles. The native people had never been exposed to these diseases, and the results were devastating. Scientists think that about twenty million people were living in Mexico at the time of the Spanish conquest. By 1600, barely one million remained. For the next few hundred years, the Spanish ruled Mexico. In 1821, the country won its independence from Spain after years of war. However, freedom did not mean that all Mexican people were fairly treated. Most people were farmers, yet farmers owned almost none of the country’s land. Almost all farmers were poor and uneducated, and they had few rights. Beginning with the Mexican Revolution (1910–1920), life started to improve for Mexico’s poor. Today, Mexico is a democracy, and although the lives of many people have improved, the country is still generally divided into two main social classes, the rich and the poor. Landmarks Mexico is a favorite place to travel for tourists from all over the world. Visiting its ancient ruins is one way to step back into the country’s history. Chichén Itzá (chee-CHEN eet-SAH), the best- known Mayan ruin, is located in southeastern Mexico. Chichén Itzá was built at the site of two large cenotes, where religious offerings, including precious gems, metals, and even people, were thrown to honor the Mayan god of rain. The Maya began building the city around the ad 500s, and when it was complete, it included an observatory for studying the stars and planets, a ball court, temples, and a pyramid today called El Castillo.

1500年代,西班牙语中“征服者”的意思是征服者(kohn-kees-tah-DOH-res)来到墨西哥时,他们带来了天花和麻疹等疾病。 原住民从未接触过这些疾病,其结果是毁灭性的。 科学家们认为,在西班牙征服时,约有2000万人生活在墨西哥. 到1600年,仅剩一百万。 在接下来的几百年中,西班牙人统治了墨西哥. 1821年,该国在多年战争后从西班牙获得独立. 然而,自由并不意味着所有墨西哥人都受到公平待遇。 大多数人是农民,但农民几乎没有拥有国家的土地。 几乎所有农民都是穷人,没有受过教育,他们几乎没有权利。 从墨西哥革命(1910–1920)开始,墨西哥穷人的生活开始改善。 今天,墨西哥是一个民主国家,虽然许多人的生活有所改善,但该国仍然普遍被分为两大社会阶层,即富人和穷人. 墨西哥地标是世界各地游客最喜爱出行的地方. 访问其古迹是回到国家历史的一个途径。 奇钦伊特萨 (chee-CHEN eet-SAH),最出名的玛雅人废墟,位于墨西哥东南部. Chichén Itzá建于两座大型地标的遗址上,被扔出宗教祭品,包括珍贵的宝石,金属,甚至人们来纪念玛雅雨神. 玛雅人开始在广告500年代左右建造城市,建成后包括了研究恒星和行星的天文台,一个球场,神庙,以及今天一个叫"埃尔·卡斯蒂略"的金字塔.

El Castillo, or the Castle, is 24 meters (79 ft.) tall, and each of its four sides contains ninety-one steps. Added together, the number of steps totals 364—the number of days Earth takes to orbit the Sun. By the time the Spanish arrived in Mexico, the Maya had left Chichén Itzá. The jungle covered it for the next three hundred years. In the 1800s, people found the city and began to study it. El Castillo is also known as the Pyramid of Kukulkán.

埃尔·卡斯蒂略(El Castillo)或城堡高24米(79英尺),其四面各有91个台阶. 加起来,步数总共为364个——地球为绕太阳运行所花的天数. 到了西班牙人到达墨西哥时,玛雅人已经离开了奇琴·伊特萨. 后三百年丛林所盖. 1800年代,人们发现了这座城市并开始研究. 埃尔卡斯蒂略又被称作库库尔坎平地.

Kukulkán is a Mayan snake god.

库库尔坎是玛雅蛇神.

Leaders of the Mexican Revolution Pancho Villa (left) and Emiliano Zapata (right of Villa).

墨西哥革命领袖潘乔·比利亚(左)和艾米利亚诺·萨帕塔(比利亚右).

The Mayan ruins at Palenque (pah-LEN-keh) overlook the surrounding jungle from a mountain forest that provides a home for wildlife such as toucans and monkeys. Palenque contains remarkable architecture, sculpture, wall carvings, tombs of ancient rulers, and even a water system. Writings and symbols carved on tombs and buildings helped scientists understand the history of the city. The ruins of Teotihuacan (tay-oh-tee-wah- KAHN) are located near Mexico City. Scientists are not sure where the people of Teotihuacan lived before they built the city. However, scientists do know that it was one of the largest in the world at the time it was built. Teotihuacan has two main pyramids. The larger is the Pyramid of the Sun; the smaller is the Pyramid of the Moon. The city also includes great temples, palaces, and even apartment complexes. From studying the site, scientists know that like the Aztec and Maya, the people who built Teotihuacan sacrificed people to their gods. Conclusion From its native civilizations, to the Spanish conquest, to revolution and democracy, Mexico is a country with a rich history. Its artistic traditions and ancient ruins tell the long and fascinating story. The country is also one of geographic contrasts. Desert and rainforest, mountain and canyon—all are found in this amazing land. The Pyramid of the Sun is the most noticeable feature of Teotihuacan.

Palenque (pah-LEN-keh) 的玛雅人废墟忽略了周围的丛林, 帕伦克包含出众的建筑,雕塑,墙上雕刻,古代统治者的坟墓,甚至一个水系. 墓道和建筑上刻有的文字和符号帮助了科学家们了解了这座城市的历史. 特奥蒂瓦坎的废墟(tay-oh-tee-wah-KAHN)位于墨西哥城附近. 科学家不确定特奥蒂瓦坎人在建城前住在哪里. 然而,科学家们确实知道它是建成时世界上最大的一个. 特奥蒂瓦坎有两大金字塔. 较大的是太阳金字塔;较小的是月球金字塔. 该市还包含有宏伟的神庙,宫殿,甚至公寓建筑群. 科学家们从研究这个网站得知,像阿兹特克人和玛雅人一样,建造特奥蒂瓦坎的人将人献给他们的神. 从本土文明到西班牙征服,到革命和民主,墨西哥是一个历史悠久的国家。 它的艺术传统和古老的废墟讲述了漫长而迷人的故事. 该国也是地理对比之一。 沙漠、雨林、山地、峡谷, 太阳金字塔是特奥蒂瓦坎最显著的特征.

Folk dancing is a popular pastime in Mexico.

民间舞蹈是墨西哥流行的消遣.

The styles differ from region to region.

各地区的风格不同.

Population: 120,286,655 Land: 1,964,375 sq km (758,450 sq.

人口:120,286,655人 地:1,964,375平方公里(758,450平方公里).

mi.)

(中文(简体) ).