A
If you hear the word“Castle” or the word“palace”，you may picture the same kind of building for both：large，made of stones，probably with a tower. And，of course，you're not entirely wrong，as those are features of both palaces and castles.
So then hay bother to visit one royal building in the United Kingdom Buckingham Palace and another the same country Windsor Castle?It turns out there is a difference，and you
can find it pretty plainly in these two popular buildings.
The Case for Castles
Castles were residences for royalty.But they were also intend as defensive seats. Say you're a king who has taken a particular area over.Now you have to hold it. castle and staff it with soldiers to defend your conquered territory and ensure it remains part of your kingdom.
Castles were built throughout Europe and the Middle East primarily for protection of the king and his people.Some common features of castles include：
●thick walls and heavy gates to keep invaders out
●protective low walls for archers to shoot with cover
●high towers for keeping a lookout over the surrounding
●gate houses for admitting allies instead of allowing enemies into the castle
The Place for Palaces
Palaces， on the contrary， had no defensive purposes.They were first meant for showing off the great victory of the war.Palaces were where the spoils(战利品) of war might be displayedalong with grand architecture,massive banquet halls,golden table settings and maybe even hundreds of luxuriously decorated rooms.
While kings certainly took up residence in palaces as well as castles,nonmilitary royals might also have lived in (or still live in)palaces. Ministers could live in castles to show the power of their riches rather than their nonexistent military power. The term comes from Palatine Hill in Rome.
1. Which of the flowing is one feature of castles?
A. Low towers surrounding castles.
B. Defensive low walls for shooting.
C. Gatehouses allowing enemies into the castle.
D. Thick walls and heavy gates to lock invaders in.
2. Why were palaces first built?
A. To accommodate ordinary soldiers.
B. To defend the king's conquered territory.
C. To show off the art of royal painting
D. To display huge success of the war.
3. What is the main purpose of the next?
A. To list the reasons for kings living in palaces.
B. To make a comparison between castles and palaces.
C. To talk about The value of castles in modern times.
D. To show palaces are more popular than castles.
【答案】1. B 2. D 3. B
【解析】
【分析】本文是一篇说明文。文章主要通过对比介绍了城堡和宫殿的不同。
【1题详解】
细节理解题。根据The Case for Castles部分中的“protective low walls for archers to shoot with cover”可知，用于射击的防御性低墙是城堡的特征之一。故选B。
【2题详解】
细节理解题。根据The Place for Palaces部分中的“They were first meant for showing off the great victory of the war.”可知，宫殿最初被建是为了炫耀战争的伟大胜利。 故选D。
【3题详解】
推理判断题。本文在第二段“It turns out there is a difference, and you can find it pretty plainly in these two popular buildings.”就说明了城堡和宫殿是有区别的。然后分别用两部分The Case for Castles和The Place for Palaces 详细地介绍了城堡和宫殿的特点。所以可知，本段的写作目的就是为了对城堡和宫殿做一个对比。故选B。
