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Castles were brought to Britain by William the Conqueror, when he invaded England in 1066 from his homeland in France. One of the most powerful ways for William to take control of his new kingdom, which included England, Scotland and Wales, was to have castles built throughout the land. At first, he ordered the coastruction of very simple castles, called motte and bailey castles.
These early castles consisted of an earthen mound, topped by a tower built of wood. The bailey was a large area of land enclosed by a shorter fence. Inside the bailey were the main activities of the castle, such as workshops, stables and livestock, household activities, etc., while the tower on the motte was used as the lord's residence and as an observation post. Before long, the earthen castles were replaced by the stone castles, which were much sturdier, did not rot like wood, and also were much more able to withstand any attack by an invader.
From the 11th to 13th centuries the stone castles were booming. They were not just used by the king. Most castles, in fact, were granted by a king to their most loyal knights or barons who fought bravely in battle and supported their king. The king, starting with William the Conqueror, gave his loyal knights vast estates and parmission to build castles. In return, he expected these men to control their lands as the king's representative, to keep the local population from rebelling, and to force them to work and pay rent to the lord, who then passed it onto the king. These knights and baroas built castles almost everywhere in Britain, served to strike fear into the local peoples, and to symbolize their power and wealth.
By the 15th century the stone castles began declining. For the one thing, military necessity changed in Great Britain. There was less emphasis placed on defense and more on comfort Earlier stone houses were gradually modified, or abandoned completely and replaced by great houses of a richer and more relaxed style. The development of firearms and the increasing use of gunpowder, for the other one, also ended the castles* endurance.
Despite their decline, many wealthy families of the 18th and 19th centuries fed their passions by naming their newly built houses, “castle.”This ill-informed romanticism had its valuable side, which eventually led to concerted efforts to preserve and restore many ruined castles.
Even today, centuries after they were active in British history, the castles of Britain have established themselves firmly in the national and international mindset. Castles have demonstrated not only the exchanges of the majesty, power and wealth of their noble builders, but also the rise and set of British Empire.
The castles originated from________.
从第一段第一句 “Castles were brought to Britain by William the Conqueror, when he invaded England in 1066 from his homeland in France. ” 可知答案为 A。
According to the text，“motte” （Para. 1) refers to ________.
第二段第一句 “These early castles consisted of an earthen mound， ”可以看出，正确答案为 A。
From the 11th to 13th centuries, castles were booming because of the following reasons EXCEPT________.
第三段提到了原因：城堡是国王给骑士的礼物，用来防御外敌，还象征权力与财富。只有D 项没有提到。
What caused the decline of the castles?
从第四段第三句 “There was less emphasis placed on defense and more on comfort. ” 可以看出由于城堡不够舒适，所以人们就很少修建城堡了。
Which of the following is true?
最后一段提到 “the castles of Britain have established themselves firmly in the national and international mindset.” 可知正确答案为D 。