The Rise of Teotihuacán

1. The city of Teotihuacán, which lay about 50 kilometers northeast of modern-day Mexico City,
began its growth by 200 –100 B.C. At its height, between about A.D. 150 and 700, it probably had
a population of more than 125,000 people and covered at least 20 square kilometers. It had over
2,000 apartment complexes, a great market, a large number of industrial workshops, an
administrative center, a number of massive religious edifices, and a regular grid pattern of streets
and buildings. Clearly, much planning and central control were involved in the expansion and
ordering of this great metropolis. Moreover, the city had economic and perhaps religious contacts
with most parts of Mesoamerica (modern Central America and Mexico).
2. How did this tremendous development take place, and why did it happen in the Teotihuacán
Valley? Among the main factors are Teotihuacán's geographic location on a natural trade route to
the south and east of the Valley of Mexico, the obsidian1 resources in the Teotihuacán Valley
itself, and the valley's potential for extensive irrigation. The exact role of other factors is much
more difficult to pinpoint —for instance, Teotihuacán's religious significance as a shrine, the
historical situation in and around the Valley of Mexico toward the end of the first millennium B.C.,
the ingenuity and foresightedness of Teotihuacán's elite, and, finally, the impact of natural
disasters, such as the volcanic eruptions of the late first millennium B.C.
3. This last factor is at least circumstantially implicated in Teotihuacán's rise. Prior to 200 B.C., a
number of relatively small centers coexisted in and near the Valley of Mexico. Around this time,
the largest of these centers, Cuicuilco, was seriously affected by a volcanic eruption, with much of
its agricultural land covered by lava. With Cuicuilco eliminated as a potential rival, any one of a
number of relatively modest towns might have emerged as a leading economic and political power
in Central Mexico. The archaeological evidence clearly indicates, though, that Teotihuacán was
the center that did arise as the predominant force in the area by the first century A.D.
4. It seems likely that Teotihuacán's natural resources—along with the city elite's ability to recognize
their potential — gave the city a competitive edge over its neighbors. The valley, like many other
places in Mexican and Guatemalan highlands, was rich in obsidian. The hard volcanic stone was a
resource that had been in great demand for many years, at least since the rise of the Olmecs (a
people who flourished between 1200 and 400 B.C.), and it apparently had a secure market.
Moreover, recent research on obsidian tools found at Olmec sites has shown that some of the
obsidian obtained by the Olmecs originated near Teotihuacán. Teotihuacán obsidian must have
been recognized as a valuable commodity for many centuries before the great city arose.
5. Long-distance trade in obsidian probably gave the elite residents of Teotihuacán access to a wide
variety of exotic goods, as well as a relatively prosperous life. Such success may have attracted
immigrants to Teotihuacán. In addition, Teotihuacán's elite may have consciously attempted to
attract new inhabitants. It is also probable that as early as 200 B.C. Teotihuacán may have
achieved some religious significance and its shrine (or shrines) may have served as an additional
population magnet. Finally, the growing population was probably fed by increasing the number and
size of irrigated fields.
6. The picture of Teotihuacán that emerges is a classic picture of positive feedback among obsidian
mining and working, trade, population growth, irrigation, and religious tourism. The thriving
obsidian operation, for example, would necessitate more miners, additional manufacturers of
obsidian tools, and additional traders to carry the goods to new markets. All this led to increased
wealth, which in turn would attract more immigrants to Teotihuacán. The growing power of the
elite, who controlled the economy, would give them the means to physically coerce people to
move to Teotihuacán and serve as additions to the labor force. More irrigation works would have
to be built to feed the growing population, and this resulted in more power and wealth for the elite.
1
obsidian: a type of volcanic glasslike rock used for manufacturing tools and ceremonial objects
Social Bees
Most bees lead solitary lives. After mating, females dig or find suitable nests in soil
or wood. They begin visiting flowers, making dozens of trips for pollen and nectar.
(Think of solitary bees as single moms with families back home to feed). Sugar
from nectar provides flight fuel for their trips to and from the nest. The proteins
and amino acids in pollen are vital nutrients needed for the bees young (larvae).

Females lay eggs on masses of pollen mixed with nectar within urnshaped earthen
nest cells. The eggs hatch and the grub-like larvae devour the food placed for
them. Over a period of weeks they eat pollen, defecate, and pupate, often
spinning a silk cocoon. The new adult generation may emerge then or during the
spring or summer of the coming year.

Solitary bees use diverse building materials for their nests: leaves, mud, sand,
stones, plant resins, downy plant fibers, even abandoned snail shells. Because of
the materials they collect, solitary bees are often called carpenter bees, mason
bees, leafcutter bees, carder, or plasterer bees.

About 20% of the world’s more than 20,000 species of bees are social. They live
communally in colonies of hundreds to tens of thousands of individuals. Each
colony has one queen who is the mother of sterile daughters (the worker bees)
and a few males called drones.

The best-known social bee around the world is the honey bee (Apis mellifera).
Originally native to Europe, honey bees traveled with their human caretakers and
now are found worldwide. Another well-known group is the fuzzy and charismatic
black-and-yellow bumblebee (Bombus spp.). The sacred stingless bees (Melipona
and Trigona) kept by both the ancient and modern Maya also live as highly social
colonies, producing a surplus of honey.

Social bees don’t specialize in a particular floral color or shape -- their forte is
finding and exploiting rich sources of nectar and pollen. In fact, their efficiency
and numbers can cause problems for the solitary bees that land on flowers that
honey bees have depleted. Honey bees communicate through a waggle dance in
which scout bees return to the nest and inform other bees about the distance and
direction to a newly discovered flower patch.

1. What is this passage about?

a. honey

b. building materials used by bees

c. bees
2. What can be inferred from the passage?

a. Bees are social.

b. There are two types of bees.
c. Bees are solitary.

3. In the first paragraph, what does the word "They" refer to?

a. female social bees

b. male solitary bees
c. female solitary bees

4. In the second paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "diverse"?

a. similar
b. various
c. identical

5. In the last paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "forte"?

a. strength
b. speciality
c. weakness

6. What can be inferred about social bees?

a. They live by themselves and their larvae.

b. They do not live in colonies.
c. They have defined roles and must cooperate with each other.

7. What bee produces honey that people harvest?

a. carpenter bee
b. mason bee
c. Apis mellifera

8. How do social bees communicate?

a. by flying
b. by dancing
c. by building nests

9. What does the passage NOT imply?

a. Only social bees pollinate flowers.

b. There is competition between social and solitary bees for nectar and pollen.
c. There are more solitary bees than social bees.

10. Where does the sentence -- "Only the queen can lay eggs."-- best belong?

a. at the end of the fifth paragraph

b. at the end of the second paragraph
c. at the end of the fourth paragraph
The Culture of the 1950s
During the 1950s, a sense of uniformity pervaded American society. Conformity
was common, as young and old alike followed group norms rather than striking
out on their own. Though men and women had been forced into new employment
patterns during World War II, once the war was over, traditional roles were
reaffirmed. Men expected to be the breadwinners; women, even when they
worked, assumed their proper place was at home. Sociologist David Riesman
observed the importance of peer-group expectations in his influential book, The
Lonely Crowd. He called this new society "other-directed," and maintained that
such societies lead to stability as well as conformity. Television contributed to the
homogenizing trend by providing young and old with a shared experience
reflecting accepted social patterns.

But not all Americans conformed to such cultural norms. A number of writers,
members of the so-called "beat generation," rebelled against conventional values.
Stressing spontaneity and spirituality, they asserted intuition over reason and
Eastern mysticism over Western institutionalized religion. The "beats" went out of
their way to challenge the patterns of respectability and shock the rest of the
culture.

Their literary work displayed their sense of freedom. Jack Kerouac typed his best-
selling novel "On the Road" on a 75-meter roll of paper. Lacking accepted
punctuation and paragraph structure, the book glorified the possibilities of the free
life. Poet Allen Ginsberg gained similar notoriety for his poem "Howl," a scathing
critique of modern, mechanized civilization. When police charged that it was
obscene and seized the published version, Ginsberg won national acclaim with a
successful court challenge.

Tennessee singer Elvis Presley popularized black music in the form of rock and
roll, and shocked staid Americans with his ducktail haircut and undulating hips. In
addition, Elvis and other rock and roll singers demonstrated that there was a white
audience for black music, thus testifying to the increasing integration of American
culture. Painters like Jackson Pollock discarded easels and laid out gigantic
canvases on the floor, and then applied paint, sand and other materials in wild
splashes of color. All of these artists and authors, whatever the medium, provided
models for the wider and more deeply felt social revolution of the 1960s.

1. In the first paragraph, what is NOT the meaning of the word "pervaded"?

a. contaminated
b. spread through
c. permeated
2. In the first and second paragaphs, what is NOT the meaning of the word "norms"?

a. exceptions to standards of behavior

b. expected standards of behavior
c. expected patterns of behavior

3. What was NOT an American cultural norm during the 1950s?

a. women as breadwinners
b. men as breadwinners
c. conformity

4. What can be inferred from the third paragraph?

a. People could buy Ginsburg's poem after the court's decision.

b. Ginsburg went to jail.
c. Ginsburg's poem could not be distributed.

5. What was one effect of television?

a. It helped solidify uniformity in American society.

b. It helped challenge cultural norms.
c. It helped the rebellious writers.

6. In the third paragraph, what does the word "their" refer to?

a. writers who were beats

b. writers who supported cultural norms
c. writers who were conformists

7. In the last sentence of the third paragraph, what does the word "it" refer to?

a. the poem, "Howl"

b. the novel, "On the Road"
c. a critique

8. Where does the sentence -- "Musicians and artists rebelled as well." -- best
belong?

a. at the beginning of the last paragraph

b. at the end of the last paragraph
c. at the end of the second paragraph

9. In the last paragraph, what is the meaning of the word "staid"?

a. dignified
b. fun
c. rebellious