1. Ancient People of Middle and South America
Between 300 and 1500 A.D., three groups of people in Middle and South America
rose to power. The groups all had large populations and highly developed societies.
While they were alike in some ways, each developed its own unique culture.
The Mayas. From about 300 to 900 A.D., the Mayas formed a great culture in Middle
America. They made their living by farming, mostly by growing corn.
Religion was the strongest force in the lives of the Mayas. They worshiped things in
nature such as spirits of the Sun, and animals. They built huge stone pyramids. The
Mayan priests were very interested in measuring time. They studied the movement of
the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets, and thus, they formed an accurate, 365-day calendar.
The priests set up a system of numbers based on twenty with the place value of zero.
The Mayas also had a system of writing in which small pictures stood for words.
The Aztecs. During the next few hundreds years, another society rose to power.
Its culture included large cities with many people and a well-ordered government. Most
Aztecs lived by farming. Aztec artisans - skilled workers made pottery and wove cloth.
They made jewelry from gold, silver, and jade.
Religion was a very important part of Aztec life. The people had many gods, and
one of the most powerful was the war and the Sun god. The Aztecs believed that they
had to make human sacrifices to this god so that the Sun would rise each morning.
Thousands of people each year were put to death for that reason.
The Aztecs fought many wars to expand their empire and to get captives for the
sacrifices.
The Incas. Sometime after 1200, another great empire was formed. The Incas lived
in the Andes Mountains of South America. The heart of the Inca Empire was in the
mountains of Peru. Inca farmers grew many kinds of crops, among them grains and
potatoes. They also raised llamas for meat and wool. The Incas also worshiped the
Sun, and they believed that their ruler was a direct descendant of the Sun, a living god.
I. Ask several questions to the text and use them as a plan to retell it.
II. Match the words and phrases in English and Russian.
1. To rise to power а. Своя собственная уникальная культура
2. For this reason b. Хорошо организованный
3. Well-ordered с. Человеческая жертва
4. To worship sth. or sb. d. По этой причине
5. To expand the empire е. Поклоняться чему-то или кому-то
6. To be alike in some ways f. Выращивать домашних животных
7. To put to death д. Прийти к власти
8. To raise domestic animals h. Предавать смерти, казнить
9. Its own unique culture i. Быть в чём-то схожим
10. Human sacrifice j. Расширять границы империи