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Windsor

Прочитайте текст и выполните задания А15–А21. В каждом задании обведите цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.

Windsor is a town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England. It is widely known as the site of Windsor Castle, one of the official residences of the British Royal Family.

Windsor Castle is the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world. William the Conqueror chose the site, high above the river Thames and on the edge of a Saxon hunting ground. It was a day's march from the Tower of London and intended to guard the western approaches to the capital.

One of the most remarkable attractions of Windsor is St George's Chapel. It was begun by Edward IV and is dedicated to the patron saint of England. Many Royal weddings have been celebrated in St George's Chapel, most recently that of Prince Edward and Miss Sophie Rhys-Jones in June 1999. Funerals such as those of Princess Margaret and Princess Alice, Duchess of Gloucester, have also taken place there.

After a period of neglect during the 18th century, George IV decided to make the alterations. The buildings were refashioned in the Gothic style. One of George IV's most remarkable additions was the Waterloo Chamber, which was created in the 1820s to commemorate the defeat of Napoleon at the battle of Waterloo in 1815.

Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were devoted to Windsor, where they spent much of their time. It was during the reign of Queen Victoria that, in 1845, the State Apartments were first opened to the public.

The twentieth-century history of the Castle is dominated by the major fire that started on 20 November 1992. It began in the Private Chapel, when a spotlight came into contact with a curtain. It took 15 hours and one-and-a-half million gallons of water to put out the blaze. Nine principal rooms and over 100 other rooms over an area of 9,000 square metres were damaged or destroyed by the fire, approximately one-fifth of the Castle area. The next five years were spent restoring Windsor Castle to its former glory.

Windsor Castle is often used by The Queen to host State Visits from overseas monarchs and presidents. Foreign Heads of State enter the Castle in horse-drawn carriages through the George IV Gateway into the quadrangle in the Upper Ward, where a military guard of honour is drawn up.

Windsor Castle is also a busy visitor attraction. Many parts of the Castle are open to the public. When The Queen is in official residence, Changing the Guard provides a colourful spectacle in the quadrangle.

A15 The Castle was built in order to…

1)      organize hunting.

2)      set up a royal residence.

3)      guard London.

4)      show power.

A16 St. George is…

1)      a protector of England.

2)      King of England.

3)      an architect who designed the Chapel.

4)      the first Duke of Edinburgh.

A17 1815 was the year when…

1)      the battle of Waterloo ended.

2)      Napoleon conquered England.

3)      the Waterloo Chamber was added to the Castle.

4)      the Castle looked very old-fashioned.

A18 It was George IV who decided to…

1)      decorate some of the halls.

2)      neglect the castle.

3)      make changes.

4)      defeat Napoleon.

A19 Queen Victoria made the Castle…

1)      even more pompous.

2)      open for the common people.

3)      unpopular with tourists.

4)      famous all over the world.

A20 The fire left about four-fifth of the Castle area…

1)      destroyed.

2)      restored

3)      ruined.

4)      undamaged.

A21 When the Queen is in Windsor,

1)      celebrities pay her visits.

2)      spectacular ceremonies are held.

3)      she rides a horse.

4)      special colourful festivals take place.

5)