Most cultures have some sort of hero who represents the best values of what its people believe in. The unusual thing about King Arthur is that legends of his heroism have persisted for several centuries and spread far beyond England, the place where they began.
The earliest stories of King Arthur represent him as a warrior who fought and subdued the invading Norsemen in the years around A D 700. This much of the Arthurian tale is probably based on fact. Whether called Arthur or not, there is a body of evidence supporting the existence of such a warrior. It is the later embellishment of the tale whose authentic city is questionable. According to these, Arthur was born in a castle in Tintagel on the stormy western coast of England and because he was the illegitimate son of King Uther Pendragon, he was spirited away by the magician Merlin and his true identity kept from him. He became king after freeing the sword Excalibur from the stone into which it was thrust. He married the beautiful Guinevere and assembled in his court all the noblest knights of the land, including Lancelot, with whom Guinevere would later be unfaithful to him. He was finally defeated in battle by his illegitimate son Mordred, and his body was spirited away to the isle of Avalon.
This romantic tale greatly appealed to the English and the French in the Middle Ages, when the code of chivalry—ideal qualities of knighthood—constituted an important part of many stories. Tales of the heroism of Galahad, Percival, Gawain, and many other of Arthur"s knights were circulated as well.
In England today, there are many sites claiming apiece of the Arthurian a legend. There is a mined castle at Tintagel. Near Glastonbury are the remains of an ancient abbey where Arthur"s and Guinevere"s bodies were supposedly
exhumed
in the 12th century. Neither of these proves that the legend is true, but they do keep its mystique alive.
单选题
According to the story, who is King Arthur"s father?
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 由文章第二段第五句话中的“he was the illegitimate son of King Uther Pendragon”可知,亚瑟王是尤瑟王的私生子。故选D。
单选题
Which of the following is NOT the knight of Arthur?
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 由文章第二段第七句话中的“He married the beautiful Guinevere”可知,Guinevere是亚瑟王的妻子,并不是他的骑士。故选A。
单选题
The writer seems to feel that the truth about Arthur is that he ______.
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 由文章第二段第三句话“whether called Arthur not, there is a body of evidence supporting the existence of such a warrior.”可知,大量证据证明是有这样一个战士存在的,不论他的名字是不是叫做亚瑟。所以,作者认为亚瑟可能是真实的。B、C、D三项都属于亚瑟王传说的一部分。故选A。
单选题
The information in the second paragraph is mostly presented in ______.