A
The city of Angkor was the capital of the Khmer Empire from the 9th to the 15th centuries. It was founded on political and religious ideas adapted from India, and the temples of Angkor were intended as a place of worship (敬拜) for the king.
Angkor Wat was built by King Suryavarman Ⅱ in the 12th century as a vast funerary (丧葬的) temple that would hold his remains, suggesting his permanent identity with Vishnu.
During its six centuries as capital, Angkor went through many changes in architectural styles and in religion. The city of Angkor changed its god from the Hindu god Shiva to the Hindu god Vishnu, and finally to the Mahayana Buddhist goddess Avalokitesvara.
By the late 13th century, the once uncontrolled pace of Angkor's architectural pursuits (追求) had begun to die down, and a more limited type of religion was on the rise under the growing influence of Theravada Buddhism.
At the same time, Angkor and the Khmer Empire were increasingly threatened and attacked by invading armies. By the 16th century, the golden age of Angkor was over and many of the great temples began to gradually disappear into the jungle.
From the 15th to 19th centuries, Theravada Buddhist monks cared for Angkor Wat, and it is thanks to them that the temple remains mostly safe and sound. Angkor Wat is one of the most important pilgrimage (朝圣) sites in Southeast Asia. Angkor Wat is the best preserved example of Khmer architecture in Cambodia and is so grand in design that some rank it among the Seven Wonders of the World. It appears on the Cambodian national flag, a very rare example of a flag including an image of a building.
语篇解读：本文是一篇说明文。介绍了柬埔寨吴哥窟的兴衰历史。
21．Angkor Wat was first built to .
A．worship the gods
B．act as a pilgrimage site
C．serve as the royal palace
D．hold the remains of a king
解析：选D 细节理解题。根据第二段可知，吴哥窟最初是为了保存国王的遗体而修建的。
22．Vishnu was the name of .
A．an Indian god
B．a temple in Cambodia
C．a king of the Khmer Empire
D．a monk in ancient Cambodia
解析：选A 细节理解题。根据第三段最后一句可知，Vishnu(毗湿奴)是一个印度神的名字。
23．What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A．Angkor Wat is widely accepted as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
B．Theravada Buddhist monks had fought against the outside invaders.
C．Angkor Wat has become a symbol of Cambodia.
D．Angkor Wat is not so important as it used to be.
解析：选C 推理判断题。根据文章最后一句可知，吴哥窟的形象出现在了柬埔寨的国旗上，可见它已经成了柬埔寨的象征。
24．What does the passage mainly tell us?
A．The history of Angkor Wat.
B．The protection of Angkor Wat.
C．The importance of Angkor Wat.
D．The position of Angkor Wat in Cambodian history.
解析：选A 主旨大意题。综合全文可知，本文主要介绍了柬埔寨吴哥窟的历史。
