A
Say you are a 17th century construction (建筑) worker who's worked long and hard to build a splendid tower for the dead wife of your emperor (皇帝)．
Now say that the emperor orders you to cut off your fingertips so you can never build another one. Yes, that is the Taj Mahal, one of the most famous buildings in the world. And the tale (传说) behind the construction is just as impressive (印象深刻的) as the building itself.
First, there's the emperor of northern India, Shah Jehan, also called the King of the World. In 1612, Shah Jehan married Mumtaz Mahal. Madly in love, they had 14 children over the next 20 years. But then sadness came. As Mumtaz was about to give birth to child Number 14, she said she had heard her unborn baby cry out. It was a sign of death. And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial (纪念物) to celebrate their love.
When the heartbroken Jehan appeared eight days after his wife's death, his people were shocked to see that his coalblack hair had turned snowwhite.
Putting away his sadness, Jehan ordered his wife's dying wish be carried out (执行). More than 20,000 workers labored nearly 22 years to complete the construction. In 1653, Jehan placed Mumtaz's remains in the center under the building.
And then, son Number five, Aurangzeb, murdered his brothers and took over the power from his aging father. Jehan lived the rest of his days — eight years, to be exact — imprisoned not far from the Taj Mahal. Jehan was only allowed to climb onto the top of his prison to see the timeless treasure from a distance (从远处). But never again would he be allowed to visit it — until he was buried next to his wife.
Today 25,000 people visit the Taj Mahal each day. Though the reason for building the tower was a strange, sad story, those who see its breathtaking beauty are reminded (使想起) of the happiness that inspired (激发……的灵感) its construction.
语篇解读：世界上最著名的建筑之一——泰姬陵，背后的传说与建筑本身同样令人印象深刻。
1．The first two paragraphs were written to show that ________.
A．the Taj Mahal is an unusual historic building
B．ancient Indian emperors were cruel
C．construction workers led a hard life in ancient India
D．India has some of the most famous buildings in the world
解析：选A 推理判断题。由前两段内容可推知作者是想表明泰姬陵是一座不同寻常的历史性建筑。故选A。
2．The Taj Mahal was first built as ________.
A．a prison
B．a gift to Mumtaz
C．a memorial building
D．a tourist attraction (景点)
解析：选C 细节理解题。由第三段最后一句“And as Mumtaz lay dying, she asked Jehan to build a lasting memorial to celebrate their love.”可知，答案为C。
3．The underlined word “happiness” in the last sentence refers to ________.
A．the married happiness of the emperor and his wife
B．the great pleasure Jehan once found in exercising his power
C．the happiness Jehan felt on completing the Taj Mahal
D．the pleasure tourists experience when visiting the Taj Mahal
解析：选A 词义理解题。因为Mumtaz Mahal在去世前要求她丈夫建一座永久性的建筑以纪念他们的爱情，所以参观泰姬陵的游客们会得到提醒，不要忘了他们的爱情。故选A。
