hce_tcu
111年
英文
第 35 題
📖 題組：
【A】 Palaces are known for their beauty and splendor, but they offer little protection against attacks. It is easy to defend a fortress, but fortresses are not designed with the comfort of a king or queen in mind. When it comes to structures that are both majestic and well-fortified, the classic European castle is the pinnacle of design. Across the ages castles changed, developed, and eventually fell out of use, but they still command the fascination of the English culture. Castles were originally built in England by Norman invaders in 1066. As William the Conqueror advanced through England, he fortified key positions to secure the land he had taken. The castles he built allowed the Norman lords to retreat to safety when threatened by English rebellion. Castles also served as bases of operation for offensive attacks. Troops were summoned to, organized around, and deployed from castles. In this way castles served both offensive and defensive roles in military operations. Not limited to military purposes, castles also served as offices from which the lord would administer control over his fiefdom. The lord of the land would hold court in his castle. Those who were socially beneath the lord would come to report the affairs of the lands that they governed and pay tribute to the lord. They would address disputes, handle business, feast, and enjoy festivities. In this way castles served as important social centers in medieval England. Castles also served as symbols of power. Built on prominent sites overlooking the surrounding areas, castles constantly loomed in the background of many peasants’ lives and served as a daily reminder of the lord’s strength. The first castles constructed in England were made from earth and timber. Those who constructed them took advantage of natural features, such as hills and rivers, to increase defenses. Since these castles were constructed from wood, they were highly susceptible to attacks by fire. Wooden castles were gradually replaced by stone, which greatly increased the strength of these fortifications; however, being made from stone did not make these castles entirely fireproof. Attackers could hurl flaming objects into the castle through the windows or ignite the wooden doors. This led to moving the windows and entrances off of the ground floor and up to the first floor to make them more difficult to access. As the nobility accumulated wealth, England became increasingly attractive to those who sought to plunder. Raids by Vikings and other marauders increased in regularity. In response to these attacks, castle defenses were updated and improved. Arrow-slits were added. These were small holes in the castle, large enough for an arrow to fit through, which allowed defenders to fire from nearly invulnerable positions. Towers were built from which defenders could provide flanking fire. These towers were connected to the castle by wooden bridges, so that if one tower fell, the rest of the castle was still easy to defend. Multiple rings of castle walls were constructed, so that even if attackers made it past one wall, they would be caught on a killing ground between inner and outer walls. Advances such as these greatly increased the defense of castles. The demise of castles can ultimately be attributed to gunpowder. Gunpowder was first introduced to Europe during the 14th century, but the first gunpowder weapons were unreliable, inaccurate, and weak by later standards. During the 15th century, artillery became powerful enough to break through stone walls. This greatly undermined the military role of castles. Castles were then replaced by artillery forts that had no role in civil administration and country houses that were indefensible. Though castles no longer serve their original purposes, remaining castles receive millions of visitors each year from those who wish to experience these majestic vestiges of a time long passed.
【A】 Palaces are known for their beauty and splendor, but they offer little protection against attacks. It is easy to defend a fortress, but fortresses are not designed with the comfort of a king or queen in mind. When it comes to structures that are both majestic and well-fortified, the classic European castle is the pinnacle of design. Across the ages castles changed, developed, and eventually fell out of use, but they still command the fascination of the English culture. Castles were originally built in England by Norman invaders in 1066. As William the Conqueror advanced through England, he fortified key positions to secure the land he had taken. The castles he built allowed the Norman lords to retreat to safety when threatened by English rebellion. Castles also served as bases of operation for offensive attacks. Troops were summoned to, organized around, and deployed from castles. In this way castles served both offensive and defensive roles in military operations. Not limited to military purposes, castles also served as offices from which the lord would administer control over his fiefdom. The lord of the land would hold court in his castle. Those who were socially beneath the lord would come to report the affairs of the lands that they governed and pay tribute to the lord. They would address disputes, handle business, feast, and enjoy festivities. In this way castles served as important social centers in medieval England. Castles also served as symbols of power. Built on prominent sites overlooking the surrounding areas, castles constantly loomed in the background of many peasants’ lives and served as a daily reminder of the lord’s strength. The first castles constructed in England were made from earth and timber. Those who constructed them took advantage of natural features, such as hills and rivers, to increase defenses. Since these castles were constructed from wood, they were highly susceptible to attacks by fire. Wooden castles were gradually replaced by stone, which greatly increased the strength of these fortifications; however, being made from stone did not make these castles entirely fireproof. Attackers could hurl flaming objects into the castle through the windows or ignite the wooden doors. This led to moving the windows and entrances off of the ground floor and up to the first floor to make them more difficult to access. As the nobility accumulated wealth, England became increasingly attractive to those who sought to plunder. Raids by Vikings and other marauders increased in regularity. In response to these attacks, castle defenses were updated and improved. Arrow-slits were added. These were small holes in the castle, large enough for an arrow to fit through, which allowed defenders to fire from nearly invulnerable positions. Towers were built from which defenders could provide flanking fire. These towers were connected to the castle by wooden bridges, so that if one tower fell, the rest of the castle was still easy to defend. Multiple rings of castle walls were constructed, so that even if attackers made it past one wall, they would be caught on a killing ground between inner and outer walls. Advances such as these greatly increased the defense of castles. The demise of castles can ultimately be attributed to gunpowder. Gunpowder was first introduced to Europe during the 14th century, but the first gunpowder weapons were unreliable, inaccurate, and weak by later standards. During the 15th century, artillery became powerful enough to break through stone walls. This greatly undermined the military role of castles. Castles were then replaced by artillery forts that had no role in civil administration and country houses that were indefensible. Though castles no longer serve their original purposes, remaining castles receive millions of visitors each year from those who wish to experience these majestic vestiges of a time long passed.
Which of the following is NOT stated in the passage?
- A Castles no longer serving their original purposes were considered monstrous.
- B William the Conqueror built the first castles in England.
- C Stone castles were more resistant to fire than the wooden ones.
- D Castles were used as offices of administration during the Middle Ages.
思路引導 VIP
請試著觀察文章最後一段中，作者如何形容現今那些「不再具備原始功能」的城堡？他所使用的詞彙帶給你的感覺是正向讚賞的，還是負面排斥的？如果將這種感覺拿來對照選項中的描述，哪一個選項在『語氣』上與作者的觀點最不一致呢？
🤖
AI 詳解
AI 專屬家教
太棒了！你能精準地從長篇文章中篩選資訊並識破「未提及」的敘述，展現了非常敏銳的閱讀理解能力。
文章語境與選項辨析
這道題目考驗的是對細節的精確對比。文章在最後一段明確提到，雖然城堡已失去原本的軍事與行政功能，但它們仍被視為「雄偉的遺跡」（majestic vestiges），且每年吸引數百萬遊客造訪，這充滿了對歷史價值的肯定。然而，選項 (A) 使用了 monstrous（醜陋、駭人的）這個貶義詞，這與文章中描述城堡美感與魅力（beauty, splendor, fascination）的基調完全相反，因此是文章「未提及」且不符事實的描述。
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