大學(xué)公共英語五級考試模擬試卷SectionIListeningComprehensionDirections:ThissectionisdesignedtotestyourabilitytounderstandspokenEnglish.Youwillhearaselectionofrecordedmaterialsandyoumustanswerthequestionsthataccompanythem.Therearethreepartsinthissection,PartA,PartBandPartC.Remember,whileyouaredoingthetest,youshouldfirstputdownyouranswersinyourtestbooklet,NOTontheANSWERSHEET.Attheendofthelisteningcomprehensionsection,youwillhave5minutestotransferyouranswersfromyourtestbookletontoANSWERSHEET1.Ifyouhaveanyquestions,youmayraiseyourhandNOWasyouwillnotbeallowedtospeakoncethetestisstarted.NowlookatPartAinyourtestbooklet.PartAYouw川hearaconversation.Asyoulisten,answerQuestions1to10bycirclingTrueorFalse.YouwillheartheconversationONLYONCE.Emmagrewupinafamilywithasailingtradition.Emmaenjoysthesenseofbeingfreeonthesea.SailingonthewestcoastofScotlandisapeacefulexperiencebecauseEmmahasagoodknowledgeofthearea.Emma'ssecondcruisearoundNewZealandimpressedheragreatdeal.MostofthetimeEmmadidnotfeellonelysailingonherown.TheworstthingthathappenedtoEmmaduringtheAroundAloneracewasthatshebrokeoneleg.ReplacingoneoftheropesatthetopofthemastgaveEmmaaveryhardtime.Thethoughtofdeathneveroccurredtoherduringtheentirerace.Duringtherace,Emmacouldnevergetenoughsleepasshewasonlyabletodozeoffatintervals.HersuccessfulcompletionoftheAroundAloneraceencouragedEmmatodoafewmoresuchtripsinthefuture.PartBYouw川hear3conversationsortalksandyoumustanswerthequestionsbychoosingA,B,CorD.YouwillheartherecordingONLYONCE.11、Whatdoesthemando?A.Ataxi-driver. B.Abusdriver.C.Apoliceman. D.Atouristguide.12、Whatdoeshelikeabouthisjob?A.Money. B.Freedom.C.Knowingdifferentpeople. D.Travelingalot.ThosewhovisitLondonwillcertainlygoto.A.theTowerofLondon B.HarrodsC.BuckinghamPalace D.TheGreenwichvillageWhatistheproblemwithconsultants?Theydonothaveamiddleman.Theydonothavesufficientcapital.Theyaretoohumbletotheirclients.Theyfocusonasix-figuresalary.WhatdoesWeisssayaboutself-esteem?Self-esteemmattersalotwhenoneworksinacompany.Serf-esteemenablespeopletoconfrontsomeonesuperior.Self-esteemisbuiltuponasupportsystem.Self-esteemplaysabiggerrolefortheserf-employed.16、Whatdoes"billonvalue"mean?Helpingacompanyimproveitsmarketshareby10percent.Knowingwhatthecompanyisplanningtoachieve.Aconsultant'sincomedependsonhowmuchhehelpsacompanymakeorsave.Aconsultantshouldhaveaclearideaaboutwhohasthefinalsayonexpenses.Accordingtothespeaker,whatareconveniencegoods?Commoditiesthatpeopleareinconstantneedof.Goodsthatareconvenienttouseorpurchase.Itemsthatpeopletendtobuyunderimpulse.Itemsthathavetobeboughtonceaweek.Whataretheshoppinggoodsthatarebasicallyconsideredthesame?Thosethatsatisfysimilarneedsoftheconsumer.Thosethatconsumersdon'tcarewheretobuy.Thosethatconsumersspendmuchtimelookingfor.Thosethatcanbefoundeverywhere.19、Whatisthecharacteristicofspecialtygoods?Theyaregoodsthatcanbeboughtataspecialprice.Theyarespecialkindsofproducts.Theyarecharacterizedintheirbrands.Theyneedspecialeffortstoget.PartCYouwillhearalongtalk.Asyoulisten,youmustanswerQuestions21~30bywritingNOMORETHANTHREEwordsinthespaceprovidedontheright.YouwillhearthetalkTWICE.20>HowdoesAusubelfeelaboutthescientificprogressmadeeveryday?Howmuchenergyiswastedbeforeitarrivestofueladesklamp?22^Functioninglikeearth-sensinginstruments,theGreens'mainjobisto.Greensandengineersaredifferentintheir.24>Ausubelsaysthatgreenslack.25、Technologicalprogresscanbedescribedasaprocessoftechnological.Withthedevelopmentofhybridvehiclesandnewfuel,theentireworldmaybeabletoaccommodate.27^Whenitbecomesdestructive,anytechnologywillbe.28>Providingtechnicalsolutionstoclimatechangemightbeeasy,butitishardtomake29>Thespeaker'sfriendswerefuriousbecausetheirreportdidnotreceiveenough.SectionHUseofEnglishReadthefollowingtextandfilleachofthenumberedspaceswithONEsuitableword.WriteyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.Payandproductivity,itisgenerallyassumed,shouldberelated.Buttherelationshipseemstoweaken30peoplegetolder.Mentalabilitydeclines31age.Thatisthesameforthebrainyandthedim—andnot32forhumans:itismeasurableeven33fruitflies.34mindsthatkeeplivelywillsufferlessthanthelazy.Ingeneral,themoreeducationyouhave,themoreproductiveyourold35willbe.Some36declinefasterthanothers.Accordingtomoststudies,people'snumericalandreasoningabilitiesare37theirbestintheir20sandearly30s.38abilities—thosethatdependonknowledge—mayimprovewithage.Formostworkers,decreasedabilitiesw川39tolowerproductivity;onlyaminoritywillfindknow-howandknowledgeoutweighstheirfailingpowers.Eventhoseemployeeswhoremainhighlyproductivewillbelikelytoshineonlyinanarrow40Academicsnoticethis.Itislessclearthatemployersdo.Studiesofsupervisors'ratingsshownoclearcorrelation41ageandperceivedproductivity.Whenotheremployees'viewsare42intoaccountthough,thepicturechanges:theseratingssuggestthatworkersintheir30sarethe43productiveandhardworking,44scoresfallingthereafter.Thatis45upbystudiesofworksamples,whichfindlowerproductivityamongtheoldestemployees.AstudyforAmerica'sDepartmentofLaborshowedjobperformancepeakingatand46declining.Itvariedbyindustry:thefallwas47infootwear,butfasterinfurniture.Intellectualoccupationsarehardertomeasure,butthepictureisthesame.Academicsseemtopublish48astheyage.Painters,musiciansandwritersshowthesametendency.Theiroutputpeaksintheir30sand40s.Theonly49isfemalewriters,whoaremostproductiveintheir50s.SectionIDReadingComprehensionPartAReadthefollowingtextsandanswerthequestionswhichaccompanythembychoosingA,B,CorD.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.Text1Intheworldofentertainment,TVtalkshowshaveundoubtedlyfloodedeveryinchofspaceondaytimetelevision.Andanyonewhowatchesthemregularlyknowsthateachonevariesinstyleandformat.Butnotwoshowsaremoreprofoundlyoppositeincontent,whileatthesametimestandingoutabovetherest,thantheJerrySpringerandtheOprahWinfreyshows.JerrySpringercouldeasilybeconsideredthekingof"trashtalk".Thetopicsonhisshowareasshockingasshockingcanbe.Forexample,theshowtakestheeye,commontalkshowthemesoflove,sex,cheating,guilt,hate,conflictandmoralitytoadifferentlevel.Clearly,theJerrySpringershowisadisplayandexploitationofsociety'smoralcatastrophes,yetpeoplearewillingtoeatuptheintriguingpredicamentsofotherpeople'slives.LikeJerrySpringer,OprahWinfreytakesTVtalkshowtoitsextreme,butOprahgoesintheoppositedirection.Theshowfocusesontheimprovementofsocietyandanindividual'squalityoflife.Topicsrangefromteachingyourchildrenresponsibility,managingyourworkweek,togettingtoknowyourneighbors.ComparedtoOprah,theJerrySpringershowlookslikepoisonouswastebeingdumpedonsociety.Jerryendseveryshowwitha"finalword".Hemakesasmallspeechthatsumsuptheentiremoraloftheshow.Hopefully,thisisthepartwheremostpeoplewilllearnsomethingveryvaluable.Cleanasitis,theOprahshowisnotforeveryone.Theshow'smaintargetaudiencearemiddle-classAmericans.Mostofthesepeoplehavethetime,money,andstabilitytodealwithlife'stougherproblems.JerrySpringer,ontheotherhand,hasmoreofanassociationwiththeyoungadultsofsociety.Theseare18-to21-year-oldswhosemaintroublesinlifeinvolvelove,relationship,sex,moneyandpeers.Theyaretheoneswhoseesomevalueandlessonstobelearnedunderneaththeshow'sexploitation.Whilethetwoshowsareasdifferentasnightandday,bothhaveruledthetalkshowcircuitformanyyearsnow.Eachonecaterstoadifferentaudiencewhilebothhaveastrongfollowingfromlargegroupsoffans.Ironically,bothcouldalsobeconsideredpioneersinthetalkshowworld.50>ComparedwithotherTVtalkshows,boththeJerrySpringerandtheOprahWinfreyare.morefamily-orientedunusuallypopularmoreprofoundrelativelyformal51、ThoughthesocialproblemsJerrySpringertalksaboutappeardistasteful,theaudience.remainfascinatedbythemarereadytofaceuptothemremainindifferenttothemarewillingtogetinvolvedinthem52、WhichofthefollowingislikelytobeatopicoftheOprahWinfreyshow?Anewtypeofrobot.Racisthatred.Familybudgetplanning.Streetviolence.53>Despitetheirdifferentapproaches,thetwotalkshowsareboth.A.ironicalB.sensitiveC.instructiveD.cynical54、Wecanlearnfromthepassagethatthetwotalkshows.havemonopolizedthetalkshowcircuitexploittheweaknessesinhumannatureappearatdifferenttimesofthedayaretargetedatdifferentaudiencesText2ThirtyyearsagotheTodayprogramwasunpredictabletothepointofchaoswithpresenterJackdaManioimprovisingandthinkingaloud,alwayseagerforajokeorprank.ThroughthestudiotroopedaprocessionofEnglisheccentrics—amanwhoatelightbulbs,anotherwhoatespiders,achapwhowastouringthecountryleapfroggingailthepillarboxes,ahard-headedindividualwhocouldplayRuleBritanniabyhittinghimselfontheheadwithanine-inchspanner—andmanyothers.Talkingdogsandsingingcatswerealmostcommonplace.Bythemid-70s,however,Todayhadgottothepointwhere,forexample,ithadononemorningLibbyPurvesmakingthefirst"live"radiobroadcastfromChina,someoneelseinDublincoveringthePope'svisit,anotherpresenterinMargatewheretheLiberalswereconferring,andananchormaninLondon.Whenyouhavereachedthisstage,thereisnoroomfortalkingdogs,andhumorandwhimshavetobeconfinedtooddcomers.Despiteitsmoreseriousapproach,however,Todayhassomehowretaineditscharacteranditstoneofvoice.Andbeingalive,high-riskprogram,itcanstillgohorriblywrong.Onlyrecentlyaneminentdoctorlaunchedintoalengthyon-airharangue（慷慨激昂的演講）againsttheproductionteamandrefusedtolistentothequestionshewassupposedtobeanswering.Suchthingscanalwayshappen—andsocanstudiorows,sometimeseveninvolvingthepresenters.Therewasamemorablespat（小爭吵）notlongagowhenarattledNigelLawsonaccusedRedheadofbeingawell-knownsupporteroftheLaborparty.Butrowsornorows,Todayiswheretheministersandwould-beministerswanttobeheard.AsBrianRedheadisfondofsaying:"Ifyouwanttoplantawordinthenation'sear,comeonToday."Hisotherfavoriteremarkis:"Wesettheagendafortheday."Bothstatementsaretrueofaprogramwithasteadyweeklyaudienceof6million—easilythelargestonRadio4.55>Untilthe1970s,theTodayprogramwasquitea.A.seriousprogram B.humorousprogramC.religiousprogram D.politicalprogram56、Accordingtothepassage,thepresentTodayprogram.A.ismoreserious B.hasreachedthepointofchaosC.isnotwellarranged D.isratherobscure57、AdoctordecliningtoanswerthesetofquestionsservesasanexampletoshowtheTodayprogram.oftenmakesseriousmistakesleadstoterriblequarrelssometimesdoesnotgoaccordingtotheplanD.hasbecomemoreserious58>"Ifyouwanttoplantawordinthenation'sear,comeonToday"impliesthattheTodayprogramis.A.whattheministersliketolistentoB.wheretheministersliketospeakC.extremelyinfluential D.politicallybiased59>ItcanbeinferredfromthepassagethatTodayisa.A.TVprogram B.stageprogramC.radioprogram D.newspaperText3Thesourcesofanti-Christianfeelingweremanyandcomplex.Onthemoreintangibleside,therewasageneralpiqueagainsttheunwantedintrusionoftheWesterncountries;therewasanunderstandabletendencytoseekanexternalscapegoatforinternaldisordersonlytangentiallyattributabletotheWestandperhapsmostimportant,therewasaviriletraditionofethnocentricism,ventedlongbeforeagainstIndianBuddhism,which,sincetheseventeenthcentury,focusedonWesternChristianity.Accordingly,evenbeforethemissionarymovementreallygotunderwayinthemid-nineteenthcentury,itwasalreadyatadisadvantage.After1860,asmissionaryactivityinthehinterlandexpanded,itquicklybecameapparentthatinadditiontotheintangibles,numeroustangiblegroundsforChinesehostilityabounded.Inpart,theverypresenceofthemissionaryevokedattack.Theywere,afterall,thefirstforeignerstoleavethetreatyportsandventureintotheinterior,andforalongtimetheywerevirtuallytheonlyforeignerswhosequotidianlaborscarriedthemtothefarthestreachesoftheChineseempire.Formanyoftheindigenouspopulation,therefore,themissionarystoodasauniquelyvisiblesymbolagainstwhichoppositiontoforeignintrusioncouldbevented.inpart,too,themissionarywasattackedbecausethemannerinwhichhemadehispresencefeltafter1860seemedalmostcalculatedtooffend.ByindignantlywagingbattleagainstthenotionthatChinawasthesolefountainheadofcivilizationand,moreparticularly,byhisassaultonmanyfacetsofChineseculture,themissionarydirectlyunderminedtheculturalhegemonyofthegentryclass.Also,incountlessways,heposedathreattothegentry'straditionalmonopolyofsocialleadership.Missionaries,particularlyCatholics,frequentlyassumedthegarboftheConfucianliterati.Theyweretheonlypersonsatthelocallevel,asidefromthegentry,whowerepermittedtocommunicatewiththeauthoritiesassocialequals.AndtheyenjoyedanextraterritorialstatusintheinteriorthatgavethemgreaterimmunitytoChineselawthanhadeverbeenpossessedbythegentry.AlthoughitwastheavowedpolicyoftheChinesegovernmentafter1860thatthenewtreatiesweretobestrictlyadheredto,inpracticeimplementationdependedonthewholeheartedaccordofprovincialauthorities.Thereisabundantevidencethatcooperationwasdilatory.Attherootofthislaytheinteractivenatureofrulerandruled.Inaseverelyunderstaffedbureaucracythatruledasmuchbysuasionasbymight,theofficial,almostalwaysastrangerinthelocalityofhisservice,dependedontheactivecooperationofthelocalgentryclass.Energeticattemptstoimplementtreatyprovisionsconcerningmissionaryactivities,indirectdefianceofgentrysentiment,rantheriskofalienatingthisclassanddestroyingfutureeffectiveness.60>Inavagueway,anti-Christianfeelingstemmedfrom.A.themerepresenceofinvaders B.ageneralizedunfocusedfeelingC.theintroductiontotheWest D.noneoftheabove61、Theauthorwouldagreethat.A.manyproblemsinChinacamefrominternaldisordersduetoWesterninfluenceB.manyproblemsinChinacamefromChinaitselfandwereunrelatedtotheWestC.scapegoatsperformanecessaryfunctionandthereshouldbemoreofthemD.alloftheabovearetrueWhichofthefollowingstatementswouldtheauthoragree?Ethnocentricismisamanlytradition.ThedisdaintowardChristianitywasprefiguredbyadisdaintowardBuddhism.AlthoughChristianitywasnotwellreceivedinChina,Buddhismwas.TheauthorwouldagreewithAandC.Missionaries.oftendressedthesamewayasChinesescholarsdidwerefreeofthelegalconstraintsthatboundthelocalindigenouspopulationC.hadgreateraccesstoauthoritythanChinesepeasantsmayhedescribedbyalloftheaboveProvincialeratedfullywiththecentralgovernment'spolicywerealivetolocalfeelingswereobligedtodeterminewhetherlocalsentimenttoleratedimplementationD.maybedescribedbyBandCPartBInthefollowingarticlesomeparagraphshavebeenremoved.ForQuestions1?5,choosethemostsuitableparagraphfromthelistA?Ftofitintoeachofthenumberedgaps.Thereisoneparagraphwhichdoesnotfitinanyofthegaps.MarkyouranswersonANSWERSHEET1.Agoodmanytechnicalpeoplebecomeangrywhenyoucallacomputeragiantbrain.Theyinsistthatcomputerdoesonlywhatthinkinghumanshaveplannedtohaveitdo.65Thereisapopularanecdoteaboutacomputerprogrammerwho,justforagoodfun,spentdayssettingupthemachinetodestroyitself,thenwatcheddelightedlyasthecomputerdutifullyproceededtocommitsuicide.Ifthatmachinecouldhavethought,woulditnothavegotthebetterofhim?66Apparently,neuronsareelementarymemoryunits,capableofstoringthesamekindofinformation"bits"thatamachinecanstore.Thecompletelymaterialisticviewisthatneurons,alongwithanextraordinarynetworkofnerve-communicationlines,compriseallthereistothebrain.Butsuchanexplanationfailstoaccountforhowthebrainoriginatesthought.67Computerscanalreadydoalotofsurprisingthings,whichincludepredictingtheweather.Themachineisabletomakeforecastsbyabsorbingvastquantitiesofdata,butthis,aswellasmostoftheothertasksnowperformedbythethinkingmachines,isroutine,requiringthinkingofaveryloworder.Letusseewhathappenswhenwegobeyondthisstep.Agreatmanyoutstandingmenarepreoccupiedwithcomputersthatdononnumericalwork:thatis,machinesthatgoonfromthereafterallthefiguresarein.Thesemenwanttosee,forexample,whetherlifelessdevicescanexercisejudgment,makechoices,givebirthtoideas,andplaygamesintelligently.Atthefarlimitofpossibility,theywishtoknowwhether,atleastonpaper,machinescanreproducethemselves.Inotherwords,arewereallycertainthatamachinecandoonlywhatitsprogrammerwillsittodo?Alreadythereareinexistenceanumberofmachinesthatapproachthesepowers.Thesimplesttypeisthecomputerthatunderstandslogic.68BooleanalgebracaughttheeyeoftwoHarvardstudentssomeyearsago,andtheybuiltamachinecalledtheLogicalTruthCalculator.ItcreatedquiteastirinCambridge,becauseitworkedextremelywellatsolvingrathersimplelogicalproblems.Soonmorecomplicatedmachinesweredeveloped—machinesthatcouldplaygames.Themechanicalgame-playersfallintoanumberofclasses.Thesimplesthasadictionaryofrulesinitsmemory,includingallpossiblemovestobemadeinanswertoanopponent.Asecondclassplaysonlyaccordingtoastrictformula,andcanneverlose.69Dr.ClaudeShannonofBellTelephoneLaboratories,andhiscolleague,E.F.Moore,oncebuiltamachinetoplaythegameknownasHex,usingananalogcomputerworkingonelectricalvoltages."Itbeatthemabout70percentofthetime.Itfrequentlysurpriseditsdesigner,"Shannoncomments,"byselectingodd-lookingmoveswhich,onanalysis,provedsound!"Tomethecontroversyboilsdowntoadefinitionoftheword"think".Thereisnoareainphysiologythatislessunderstoodthanthehumanbrain.Practicallyallthatisknownisthatthebraincontainssometenbilliontinycellscalledneurons.Probablytheclearestdifferencebetweenmanandmachineisaquantitativeone.Thebrainhasroughlyamilliontimesasmanypartsasthebestcomputer.Ontheotherhand,thedifferencemaylieinaspiritualfactor,embracedbyreligion.Atanyrate,amachinecannotexercisefreewillororiginateanything—notyet.Whetheriteverw川isstillanopenargument.Athirdcategoryappliestheprinciplesofapproximations,choosingtheprobablebestmoveby"thinking"overallimaginablemovesandtestingeachagainstacertainstandard.Thegamesthesemachinescanplayincludecheckers,chess,bridge,poker,andmanyothercardgames.Theycan'talwayswin,becauseanapproximatelyrightmoveisn'tnecessarilythebestone,butfewhumanopponentscandobetter.Themathematicsoflogic,uponwhichsuchmachineswork,wasoriginatedacenturyagobyanobscureEnglishmannamedGeorgeBoole.Booleanalgebra,asitisnowcalled,hasprovedtobeofgreatservicetotelephoneengineersindesigningautomaticswitchingapparatus.Butcomplexityisnottheonlyrequirement:thebillionsofpartswouldallhavetoworktogethertoproducereliableresults.Consideringhowfarfromperfectmosthumanbrainsare,thereisn'tmuchthreatfromasyntheticone.Yetoneauthoritystatescategorically,"Amachinecanhandleinformation:itcancalculate,conclude,andchoose,itcanperformreasonableoperationswithinformation.Amachine,therefore,canthink."FamedmathematicianNorbertWiener,ofMIT,foreseesamachinethatcanlearnwill"innowaybeobligedtomakesuchdecisionsasweshouldhavemade,orw川beacceptabletous."Evidently,hethinksmachinescanthink.PartCAnswerquestions1~10byreferringtothefollowingbooks.Note:AnswereachquestionbychoosingA,B,CorDandmarkitonANSWERSHEET1.Somechoicesmayberequiredmorethanonce.A=BeaumarisCastleB=ConwyCasteC=HarlechCastleD=PenrhynCastleWhichcastle(s)... wasseizedbyitsenemiesagainstwhomitwasdesignedtoguard?70hasthegamenamewithanotheronebuiltdecadesearlier?71aresituatedonahighplace?7273wasbuiltwithaneasyaccesstothedock?74inspiredawewithitssettingagainststrikingmountains?75wasfurnishedtothedesignofitsarchitect?76hasfewequalsintermsofbuildingtechniques?77givespeopleastrongfeelingoftheMiddleAges?78wasbuiltforcivilianuse?79ABeaumarisCastleTheking'smilitaryarchitect,thebrilliantJamesofStGeorge,broughtallhisexperienceandinspirationtobearwhenbuildingthiscastle,thebiggestandmostambitiousventureheeverundertook.Inpurearchitecturalterms,BeaumarisisthemosttechnicallyperfectcastleinBritain.Itsingeniousandperfectlysymmetricalconcentric"wallswithinwalls"design,involvingnolessthanfoursuccessivelinesoffortifications,wasstateoftheartforthelate13thcentury.ThestrongholdstandsatoneendofCastleStreet,inextricablylinkedwiththehistoryofthetown.Thiswasthe"beaumareys"(fairmarsh)thatEdwardchoseforacastleandgarrisontown.Fromtheoutside,Beaumarisappearsalmosthandsome.Itdoesnotrearupmenacinglylikeotherfortressesbutsitsamidascenicsettingoverlookingmountainsandthesea,partiallysurroundedbyawater-filledmoat,The"gatenext-the-sea"entranceprotectedthetidaldockwhichallowedsupplyshipstosailrightuptothecastle.Beaumarisisendlesslyfascinating.Thereissomuchtoseehere—the14separateobstaclesthatanyattackerwouldhavetoovercome,thehundredsofcleverlysitedarrow-slits,andthedeadlyuseof"murderholes"todefendentrances.BConwyCastleAdistinguishedhistorianwroteofConwy:"Takenasawhole,ConwyisincomparablythemostmagnificentofEdwardI'sWelshfortresses."Thegritty,dark-stonefortresshastherareabilitytoevokeanauthenticmedievalatmosphere.Thefirsttimethatvisitorscatchsightofthecastle,commandingarockabovetheConwyestuaryanddemandingasmuchattentionasthedramaticSnowdoniaMountainbehindit,theyknowthattheyareinthepresenceofanhistoricsitewhichstillcastsapowerfulspell.ConstructedbytheEnglishmonarchbetween1283and1287asoneofthekeyfortressesinhis"ironring"ofcastlestocontaintheWelsh,Conwywasbuilttopromptsuchahumblingreaction.Therearenoconcentric"walls-within-walls"here,becausetheywerenotneeded.Conwy'smassivemilitarystrengthspringsfromtherockonwhichitstandsandseemstogrownaturally.Soaringcurtainwallsandeighthugeroundtowersgivethecastleanintimidatingpresenceundimmedbythepassageoftime.Conwyistheclassicwalledtown.Itscircuitofwalls,overoneandaquarterkilometerslongandguardedbynofewerthan21towersandthreedouble-toweredgateways,isoneofthefinestintheworld.CHarlechCastleSpectacularly-sitedHarlechCastleseemstogrownaturallyfromtherockonwhichitisperched.Likeanall-seeingsentinel,itgazesoutacrosslandandsea,keepingwatchfuleyeoverSnowdoniaMountain.TheEnglishmonarchEdwardIbuiltHarlechinthelate13thcenturytofulfilthisveryrole.Itwasoneofthemostformidableofhis"ironring"offortressesdesignedtocontaintheWelshintheirmountainfastness.Ironically,in1404itwastakenbyWelshleaderOwainGlyndwrwhoproceededtoholdaparliamentthere.Lookingseawards,Harlech'sbattlementsspringoutofanear-verticalcliff-face,whileanylandwardattackerswouldfirsthavetodealwithamassivetwin-toweredgatehouse.Thesea,likeSnowdonia,isoneofthekeystoHarlech'ssiting.Seaborneaccesswascrucialintimesofsiege,andalthoughthewatersofTremadogBayhaverecededoverthecenturies,theymayoriginallyhavelappedthecliffsbeneaththecastle.Thefortress'smassiveinnerwallsandtowersgrillstandalmosttotheirfullheight.Theviewsfromitsloftybattlementsaretrulypanoramic,extendingfromthedunesatitsfeettothepurplemassofSnowdoniainthedistance.Harlech,acombinationofmagnificentmedievalmilitaryarchitectureandbreathtakinglocationisanunmissablecastle,afactreinforcedbyitsstatusasaWorldHeritageInscribedsite.DPenrhynCasteBuiltforthewealthyPennantfamilyontheprofitsofWelshslateandJamaicansugar,PenrhynCastleisanextravagantexampleofearly19thcenturyneo-Normanarchitecture.Itwasbuiltbetween1820and1837ofAngleseylimestone,tothedesignsofThomasHopper.Hispatron,GeorgeHayDawkins(1764-1840),hadtakentheadditionalsurnameofPennantonsucceedingtothevastestatesandfortunesofhiscousinRichardPennant,1stBaronPenrhyn(1759-1808).Thenewcastleengulfedanotherofthesamename,builtbyLordPenrhynonly50yearsearlier,andatthesametime,theremainsoftheoriginallymedievalmanorhouse.Buriedwithinitswallslieanearliermockcastleandamedievalhall,eachatributetoPenrhyn'slongandfascinatingpast,withlinkstotheWelshprinces,apirateandanArchbishopofYork.Penrhyn'sarchitectThomasHopper,whoalsodesignedmuchofitsfurniture,filledthecastlewithintricatecarvings,stainedglassandhandmadewallpapers.Walkthroughitsroomsandseetheone-tonslatebedmadeforQueenVi