2010年9月统考模拟试题大学英语A(1-20).doc

大学英语A1 一、阅读理解 1、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 construction 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 lords 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 permission to build castles. In return, he expected these men to control their lands as the kings 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 barons 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 st