题文
As a palace, the Tower of London．was a great place to live．As a prison, it, wasn’t so nice ——especially since so many prisoners lost their heads．Today tourists can explore 5the Tower in theUnited Kingdom．Here are some reasons why the Tower was and still is a cool place．
Ravens（渡鸦） are like superheroes．
Well, sort of．Legend says if the ravens that live on the Tower grounds ever leave, the Tower will fall apart．No one knows when the ravens first showed up, but Charles II took the legend so seriously that in the 1670s he gave an official order that six ravens be kept there all the time．Today
there are still always six．
You might have lived at a zoo．
In 1204, King John kept a collection of animals, including lions and elephants．about 50 years later, King Henry III received a polar bear．the bear was kept on a piece of rope so it could fish from the Thames River that flows by the Tower．
If you lived at the Tower today, your mom or dad might be in charge．
The 35 Yeoman Warders（伦敦塔卫士）and their families are among the few still allowed to live at the Tower．Established in 1509 a;? bodyguards! for the king, today they give tours and manage the day-to-day details of the Tower．They’re called "beefeaters," possibly because their job once allowed them to eat beef from the king’s; table．
You need a secret password at night．
Called the "Word," the password changes every 24 hours and is a must-have to enter the Tower
after hours．It’s written on a piece of paper and delivered to the Yeoman on duty for, the night．
You could find buried gold．
In 1662, a goldsmith（金匠） named John Barfcstead supposedly hid more than $40,000 worth of stolen gold somewhere on．the Tower grounds．Many have searched for the gold, but it has never
been found．
小题1:Charles II decided to keep six ravens in the Tower probably because ____,． ;A．he loved animals a lotB．he believed ravens helped protect the TowerC．he wanted to train the ravens to watch the prisonersD．he thought the Tower was a cool place for the ravens to live小题2:According to the passage, the Yeoman Warders ______． A．have to part from their families to work at the TowerB．are currently working as bodyguards for the kingC．sometimes serve as tour guidesD．are fond of eating beef小题3:Which of the following is TRUE about the Tower of London? A．King Henry III kept lions and elephants in it．B．It stands on the bank of the Thames River．C．Nobody is allowed to enter it at night．D．It is also used as a prison nowadays． 题型：未知 难度：其他题型
答案
小题1:B
小题1:C
小题1:B
解析
小题1:B. 细节理解题。根据第三自然段中的“Legend says if the ravens that live on the Tower grounds ever leave, the Tower will fall apart．”“Charles II took the legend so seriously that in the 1670s he gave an official order that six ravens be kept there all the time．”这两句可知答案。（查理二世担心真如传说那样，若塔内饲养的渡鸦没了，塔就会倒塌，所以他要求一直在里面饲养六只渡鸦是为了保护伦敦塔。）小题1: C. 细节理解题。根据第七自然段中的“bodyguards! for the king, today they give tours and manage the day-to-day details of the Tower．”可知现在的卫兵有时充当导游的角色向游客介绍伦敦塔的详细资料。
小题1: B. 细节理解题。根据第五自然段中的“the bear was kept on a piece of rope so it could fish from the Thames River that flows by the Tower．”可知答案。本句说泰晤士河在塔旁流过，所以该塔应伫立在泰晤士河的河岸上，因此答案B是正确的。（饲养动物的是king John不是King Henry III 所以A答案错误；晚上可以进入伦敦塔，但“You need a secret password at night．”所以C也不正确；D说现在的伦敦塔还被用作监狱显然错误。）
考点
据考高分专家说，试题“As a palace, the Tow.....”主要考查你对 [政治经济类阅读 ]考点的理解。政治经济类阅读
政治经济类文章的概念：
要做好这类阅读，平时就要注意了解国内外发生的政治经济大事，掌握一定背景知识，对这类文章的叙述特点及内容安排有一定了解，还要扩展这方面的词汇。阅读这类文章，要抓住文章的核心，即文章整体和各段主要在说什么，也要注意段落之间的逻辑关系。
如何备考政治经济类阅读理解题：
【题型说明】政治经济类阅读文章是高考常选材料之一。该类文章时代气息浓郁，语言鲜活，但熟字新义词、超纲词及专业词语多，长句、难句多。政治类文章大多数是同学们感性趣的内容，读起来倒有似曾相识的感觉，经济类文章读起来就像是雾里看花，文章看完，一头雾水。再加之这类文章的命题侧重于词义猜测、推理判断和文章主旨，同学们对这类题材是望而生畏。
【备考策略】建立心理优势。针对不同体裁的文章，我们要采取相应的阅读方法和技巧。政治类文章多采用记叙文形式，我们可采取“顺读法”，以便抓关键语句，领会文章主旨；而经济类文章则多采用说明文形式，我们则可以采取“逆读法”，先读试题，再从文章中查找有用信息。若遇到的确难读的材料。千万不用着急，因为你觉得难，其他人也一定是同感。在高考前，我们就要有这种心理准备，高考试卷肯定有一、两篇难以阅读的材料。不过，我们平时可以有意识地从报刊杂志上找一些较难的阅读材料来阅读，以培养自己迎难而上的心理素质。
【答题方法】
1、寻找主干：
根据英语中五种基本句型结构，把句子中的主语、谓语、宾语、表语等主要成分找出来，其他成分如定语、状语、补语等则易于理解。找到了句子主干，句子的意思至少明白了一半。
2、剔除从句：
在一个长句中可能会出现若干个从句，在理解时，如果把各个从句剔除出来单独理解，然后把大意拼凑起来，整个长句的意思就会明白六、七分。
3、辨别分句：
一个长句如果是由几个并列、转折、递进、对比关系的分句组成，句中往往有表示这些分句关系的连接词，只要能弄清楚分句和分句之间的逻辑关系，再把各层分句的意思加以连贯，整个长句的句意基本上能跃然脑中。
4、寻找关键词：
如果一个句子看完，一点句意的感觉也没有，下下策就是抓住句中的关键词，通过关键词大体弄懂这个长句的意思。
