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Mosaic 1 Reading, 4/e
Brenda Wegmann
Miki Knezevic
New Challenges
Getting the Meaning of Words from Context
Choose the best definition for each word according to its context.
1
The most populous country in the Spanish-speaking world, Mexico is a popular tourist destination, offering coastal beach resorts,
pre-Columbian
ruins (from civilizations that lived in Mexico before the time of Columbus's arrival in the Americas in 1492), colonial towns, and a vibrant capital city.
Pre-Columbian
refers to the time __.
A)
before Columbus
B)
after the Spanish conquest
C)
before Mexican independence
2
Before the Spanish conquest in the early sixteenth century, many different civilizations
flourished
in Mexico, including the Olmec, Maya, Toltec, and finally the Aztec civilizations. In 1519, the Spaniard Hernán Cortés conquered the Aztec capital, Tenochtitlán, capturing Montezuma, the Aztec ruler, and toppling his empire.
Flourished
means __.
A)
failed
B)
grew well and succeeded
C)
originated and developed
3
The pollution, which is generated by car exhaust, factory emissions, and leaking residential gas tanks, leads to respiratory and eye problems among Mexico City residents. Infants
suffer
the most and on bad days fill hospital emergency rooms.
Suffer
means __.
A)
to be healthy
B)
to feel important
C)
to feel pain and sickness
4
Mexican cowboys, called
charros
, are part of
charrería
, a cultural complex of values, clothing, music, and
equestrian
sports that involve the handling of horses and bulls while on horseback.
Equestrian
means __.
A)
relating to sports
B)
relating to horses
C)
related to cowboys
5
The living also celebrate with
pan de muerto
(a special bread decorated to look like bones) and skull-shaped candies and marzipan. To outsiders, this tradition may seem strange, even
morbid
, yet to Mexicans it's their way of saying that death is a natural part of life.
Morbid
means __.
A)
unusual
B)
pleasantly surprising
C)
unnaturally interested in death
6
Despite Chiapas's reputation as dangerous, many visitors to the region comment that the state capital of San Cristóbal de las Casas is a
gem
. The city, in fact, has become a hot destination for international backpackers in search of a bohemian lifestyle.
If a city is described as a
gem
, it means it is __.
A)
beautiful
B)
dangerous
C)
bright and loud
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