爱丁堡城堡

广西 张 菊

最令苏格兰人自豪的，不是爱丁堡城堡悠久的历史和险峻的地势，而是其曾经在政治和文化上的地位。

主题语境：历史与传统 篇幅：334词 建议用时：7分钟

1Having existed for over a thousand years,Edinburgh Castle and its historic buildings date back to the 11th century.Today let's know some historical facts about it.

2Edinburgh Castle became Scotland's main royal castle in the Middle Ages, serving as the headquarters of Edinburgh.Army units were stationed there and the Crown Jewels (御宝)were stored there.It was King David Ⅰwho in 1130 first built some of the impressive buildings we see today.The chapel, a small church specially built for his mother, Queen Margaret,still stands as the oldest building in Edinburgh.

3The first to take control of the castle from the Scots was Edward Ⅰof England after a three-day siege (围困) in 1296.But then, after the king's death in 1307, the English stronghold(堡垒)weakened and Sir Thomas Randolph usurped it in 1314.His attack was a surprise under the cover of darkness.Only thirty men climbed the north high areas and reached the castle.Twenty-one years later, it was in the control of the English again, but only six years after that,Sir William Douglas,a Scottish royal member,claimed it back with a surprise attack by his men dressed as businessmen.

4David's Tower was built in 1367 by DavidⅡwho had returned to Scotland after 10 years' imprisonment in England.It was built as part of the construction of the castle site after the destruction during the Wars of Independence.It was huge for a building of the time, three stories high and functioning as the entrance to the castle.It was, therefore, the barrier between the attack and defense of any battle.

5The castle serves as a military station and is the site of the Scottish National War Memorial now.It is also host to the famous Edinburgh Military Tattoo.It is home to the Crown Jewels (the Honours of Scotland) and also the Stone of Destiny since its return to Scotland from Westminster in 1996.

Reading Check

1.What did King David Ⅰdo to Edinburgh Castle?

A.He built the first church near it.

B.He arranged for the army to stay there.

C.He protected the castle for a long time.

D.He first set up admirable buildings there.

2.What does the underlined word“usurped”in paragraph 3 mean?

A.Occupied.B.Damaged.C.Discovered.D.Constructed.

3.What can be learned about David's Tower?

A.It was built by Thomas Randolph.B.It played an important role in battles.

C.It was built in honor of Edward Ⅰ.D.It was famous for its height.

4.What's the last paragraph mainly about?

A.The facts about the castle.B.The castle's main branches.

C.The influence of the castle.D.The castle's modern role.

Language Study

Difficult sentence

Edinburgh Castle became Scotland's main royal castle in the Middle Ages, serving as the headquarters of Edinburgh.爱丁堡城堡在中世纪成为苏格兰主要的皇家城堡，也是爱丁堡的活动中心。

【点石成金】该句中，serving 为现在分词作伴随状语，它的逻辑主语为Edinburgh Castle，是整个句子的主语。