《英語閱讀大觀》精彩片斷

The Taj Mahal,

One of the Most Beautiful Buildings in the World

泰姬陵，世界最美麗的建筑之一

（選自《英語閱讀大觀》第一部 異域風光）

泰姬陵，是莫臥兒王朝第五代君主沙杰罕為寵姬泰姬瑪哈爾修筑的陵墓，整個建筑通體用白色大理石砌成，外形端莊華美，無懈可擊。有人說，不看泰姬陵就不算到過印度。的確，在世人眼中，泰姬陵就是印度的代名詞。無論國際政要還是普通游客，但凡來了印度，哪怕日程再忙，都要擠出時間去瞻仰一下這座舉世聞名的愛情豐碑。

 Almost everyone has read about the Taj Mahal in India. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in the world. Over three hundred years ago, Shah Jehan built the Taj Mahal as the tomb for his wife. Shah Jehan wanted his wife’s tomb perfect. He did not care about time or money. He brought together workmen from all Asia. Altogether, over 20,000 men worked on the buildings, and it took them twenty-two years to finish it.

The building rests on a platform of red sand­stone. Four thin white towers rise from the corner of the platform. A large dome rests from the center of the building. Around this large dome there are four smaller ones.

The building is made of fine white and colored marble. It has eight sides and many arches. There is an open corridor just inside the outer walls. From this corridor, the visitor looks through the marble screen to a central room. The bodies of Shah Jehan and his wife lie in a tomb below this room.

A beautiful garden surrounds the Taj Mahal. The green trees make the marble look even whiter. In front of the main entrance to the building there is a long, narrow pool. If you look in this pool, you can see all the beauty of the Taj Mahal in the reflection from the water.

Many people think the Taj Mahal is most beautiful at sunset. Then the marble picks up the color of the sunset, and the building and its reflection in the pool gleam like red jewels.

Comprehension Questions:

1. According to the passage, the Taj Mahal was ______

A. a famous cathedral.          B. a high tower.

C. a splendid grave.              D. a big monument.

2. Which of the following statements is not true according to the passage? ______

A. Shah Jehan built the Taj Mahal to keep the body of his wife.

B. It took more than 20,000 men over twenty years to complete the tomb.

C. The Taj Mahal was built in the 17^th century.

D. Only the body of Shah Jehan’s wife is kept in the tomb.

3. The building is based on ______

A. fine white and colored marble.

B. a platform of red sand­stone.

C. four thin white towers.

D. a large dome and many arches.

4. According to the last paragraph, the long, narrow pool is most probably to _____ of the building.

A. the west                         B. the east       

C. the north                        D. the south

5. Which of the following is not mentioned about the Taj Mahal? ______

A. The structure of the tomb.

B. The specific location of the tomb.

C. The purpose of building the tomb.

D. The material used to build the tomb.

(Answers: CDBAB)

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