根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
The Mayan Indians lived in Mexico for thousands of years before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s. They
had farms, beautiful palaces, and cities with many buildings. 1_____ This knowledge helped them to live a
better life than most people of that rime, because they could use it to make their life more comfortable and
rewarding.
In ancient Mexico there were many small clearings in the forest. In each clearing was a village with fields
of corn, beans, and other crops around it. To clear the land for farms, the Maya cut down trees with stone
axes. They planted seeds by digging holes in the ground with pointed sticks. 2_____
The Maya believed in many gods, including rain gods, sun gods, and corn gods. The people built large
temples to honor the Mayan gods, around which cities were built. Today, many of these ancient Mayan cities
and temples are still standing.
Although the cities were beautiful, and the people worked hard to build them, few of them lived there.
Usually, only the priests lived in the cities. The other people lived in small villages in the forests. They lived in
small huts with no windows. The walls were made of poles covered with dried mud, and the roof was made
of grass or leaves. 3_____
Measuring time was important to the Maya. 4_____ The Maya developed a system for measuring time
accurately. Mayan priests made a system to keep track of time. They made a calendar based on their study
of the sun, moon and stars. The Mayan calendar was far more accurate than the European calendars of the
time.
Around the year 800, the Maya left their villages and beautiful cities, never to return. 5_____ They may
have died from an infectious disease. They may have left because the soil could no longer grow crops.
Scientists are still trying to find the lost secrets of the Maya. They are still one of our greatest mysteries.
A. No one knows why this happened.
B. Most Maya lived a simple life close to nature.
C. The Maya were an intelligent, culturally rich people,
D. Farmers needed to know when to plant and harvest their crops.
E. They had to fight against natural disasters as common occurrences.
F. One farmer was able to grow crops producing food for several people.
G. The Mayan people knew a lot about nature and the world around them.
