A (2020泰安市6月高考全真模拟题)
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 why bother to visit one royal building in the United Kingdom—Buckingham Palace and another in the same country—Windsor Castle？It turns out that 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 intended as defensive seats.Say you're a king who has taken a particular area over.Now you have to hold it.So you build a 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 the 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 for the surrounding lands
●gatehouses 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 displayed，along 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.
【语篇解读】 本文是一篇应用文。主要介绍了城堡和宫殿的不同之处。
1．Which of the following 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.
B [考查细节理解。根据The Case for Castles部分的“protective low walls for archers to shoot with cover”可知，用来射击的防御性低墙是城堡的特点之一。]
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.
D [考查细节理解。根据The Place for Palaces部分的“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 displayed”可知，最初建立宫殿是为了炫耀战争的胜利。]
3．What is the main purpose of the text?
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.
B [考查写作目的。根据第二段最后一句“It turns out that there is a difference，and you can find it pretty plainly in these two popular buildings”以及下文中对城堡和宫殿的特点的介绍可知，本文是为了对比城堡和宫殿。]
