Aztecs 远古的回响 -- Aztecs帝国 6

As precious as jade¹ is how the Aztecs describe their capital---Tenochtitlan. The Great Pyramid or the Templo Mayor as it's known honored the two most significant Gods for the Aztecs---- Tlaloc, the god of rain and water and Huitzilopochtli ---the warrior² god associated with the Sun. The bodies of sacrificial victims were flung down onto this stone, eleven feet in diameter which depicts³ the Moon Goddess, cut into pieces by the warrior god of the Sun. It was discovered in 1978 by electrical workers laying cables. This led to the excavations⁴ that uncovered the Great Pyramid.

Archaeologists have uncovered several layers of construction, all from the 200 years of Aztec rule which started at the beginning of 14th century. The pyramid was rebuilt seven times and modified at least five. Each new level rose above and sealed off the previous one. They were building upon success.

Despite their choice of a place to settle, the Aztecs flourished. Crowds between 25 and 60 thousand people gathered daily at Tlatelolco -- site of the biggest market supplying the Aztec metropolis⁵.

Here you could buy anything from cactus⁶ to live animals. We share many of the foods which flourished in Aztec times, avocados, squash, beans, chili⁷es and corn, ground into flour to make tortillas as important a diet staple⁹ then as they are today. All this abundance was the product of their own ingenuity¹⁰, but the Aztecs gave credit to their gods and made offerings accordingly. Hoping to uncover more about the offerings, in 1990 scientists began to analyze¹¹ soil samples from the Great Pyramid. Analysis is still in progress, but some extraordinary results are beginning to emerge.

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metropolis: n. 首都
avocado: n. [植]鳄梨
squash: n. 南瓜
chili: n. 红辣椒
grind: v. 磨(碎)

1 jade   

n.玉石；碧玉；翡翠

参考例句：

• The statue was carved out of jade.这座塑像是玉雕的。
• He presented us with a couple of jade lions.他送给我们一对玉狮子。

2 warrior   

n.勇士，武士，斗士

参考例句：

• The young man is a bold warrior.这个年轻人是个很英勇的武士。
• A true warrior values glory and honor above life.一个真正的勇士珍视荣誉胜过生命。

3 depicts   

描绘，描画( depict的第三人称单数 )； 描述

参考例句：

• The book vividly depicts French society of the 1930s. 这本书生动地描绘了20 世纪30 年代的法国社会。
• He depicts the sordid and vulgar sides of life exclusively. 他只描写人生肮脏和庸俗的一面。

4 excavations   

n.挖掘( excavation的名词复数 )；开凿；开凿的洞穴（或山路等）；（发掘出来的）古迹

参考例句：

• The excavations are open to the public. 发掘现场对公众开放。
• This year's excavations may reveal ancient artifacts. 今年的挖掘可能会发现史前古器物。 来自辞典例句

5 metropolis   

n.首府；大城市

参考例句：

• Shanghai is a metropolis in China.上海是中国的大都市。
• He was dazzled by the gaiety and splendour of the metropolis.大都市的花花世界使他感到眼花缭乱。

6 cactus   

n.仙人掌

参考例句：

• It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers.这是这棵仙人掌第一年开花。
• The giant cactus is the vegetable skycraper.高大的仙人掌是植物界巨人。

7 chili   

n.辣椒

参考例句：

• He helped himself to another two small spoonfuls of chili oil.他自己下手又加了两小勺辣椒油。
• It has chocolate,chili,and other spices.有巧克力粉，辣椒，和其他的调味品。

8 chilies   

n.红辣椒( chili的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Some people like to harvest the plants, when the chilies are green. 一些人喜欢在辣椒长成绿色的时候就采摘。 来自互联网
• Sprinkle with scallions and sliced chilies and served hot. 洒上葱粒、辣椒丝，趁热上桌。 来自互联网

9 staple   

n.主要产物，常用品，主要要素，原料，订书钉，钩环；adj.主要的，重要的；vt.分类

参考例句：

• Tea is the staple crop here.本地产品以茶叶为大宗。
• Potatoes are the staple of their diet.土豆是他们的主要食品。

10 ingenuity   

n.别出心裁；善于发明创造

参考例句：

• The boy showed ingenuity in making toys.那个小男孩做玩具很有创造力。
• I admire your ingenuity and perseverance.我钦佩你的别出心裁和毅力。

11 analyze   

vt.分析，解析 (=analyse)

参考例句：

• We should analyze the cause and effect of this event.我们应该分析这场事变的因果。
• The teacher tried to analyze the cause of our failure.老师设法分析我们失败的原因。