Little remains of the original Potala Palace built in the seventh century, as a place of meditation by King Songtsen Gampo on the occasion of his marriage to Princess Wencheng of the Tang Court. Standing atop the Red Hill in Lhasa, the current structure dates from the 17th century; it was rebuilt by the 5th Dalai Lama and became the Winter Palace for Dalai Lamas from that time. The 13-storey building of 1,000 rooms can be seen from many miles away.
The Potala is divided into two sections—an outer section, the White Palace, and an inner section, the Red Palace, the latter containing the temples and reliquary (遗骨) tombs of the Dalai Lamas. The entire building is a structure of stone and timber. At a height of 117 metres, the Potala was the world’s tallest building until 20th-century architects designed cityscapes of new buildings that far surpassed the Potala in height—but not in its architectural majesty (威严).
There are small palaces within grand palaces. The Potala stands so high that it looks like a magnificent castle in the heavens. The statues of King Songtsen Gampo and Princess Wencheng are the worship. Among the eight tomb pagodas (塔) of the Dalai Lamas, the tomb of the fifth Dalai Lama is the most extravagant (奢侈的), standing 14 metres high. Eleven thousand ounces of gold were used in the gold plating, and the designs and decorations are all inlaid with diamonds and pearls as well as turquoise (绿宝石), agate (玛瑙), and coral stones.
14. The best title for this passage is “________”.
A.The Potala Palace—a Treasure House | B.The Highest Architecture in the World |
C.The Red Hill of Lhasa | D.The Most Expensive Palace in the World |
15. The original Potala Palace of the seventh century ________.
A.has been well protected for visitors |
B.can be seen by visitors nowadays |
C.doesn't exist today |
D.was well conserved by Princess Wencheng of the Tang Court |
16. The Potala Palace is mainly built out of ________.
A.mud and stone | B.concrete and timber |
C.stone and timber | D.steel and concrete |
17. From this passage we infer that the tomb of the fifth Dalai Lama is the most extravagant because ________.
A.King Songtsen Gampo was buried in it |
B.Princess Wencheng of the Tang Court was buried in it |
C.the Potala was rebuilt by him |
D.he collected the most treasure during his rule |