The Temple of Heaven

      The Temple of Heaven is situated in the southern part of the city of Beijing . It was built in 1420 ,covering an area of 273 hectares .

      The Temple was the place where the emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties worshipped heaven and prayed for good harvests . They came here twice a year , on the 15th day of the first lunar month and also in winter . After 1530 when the temple was built in the northern suburbs , only heaven was worshipped in the temple .

      The Temple of Heaven is regarded as one of the greatest architectural artists structures in the world . Some environmental artists and gardeners describe the temple as a place where people can talk to Heaven . In Beijing four imperial temples were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties . At the southern end of the city axis is the Temple of Heaven . It is the most important of the four . The other three are the Altar of Earth in the north , the Altar of Moon in the west , and the Altar of Sun in the east just behind the Beijing Friendship Store . All of them are still standing , but the Temple of Heaven is the largest group of temple buildings of its kind in China , nearly four times larger than the Forbidden City . The whole building was designed in a way that makes you close to heaven .

      In making the heaven-like structures , the designers made good use of the color , sound , figures of the circle and the square  , and changes in its height . The combination of building and garden helps to make it appear mysterious and magical . The temple's architecture has two themes . One is " On the earth " while the other is " in the heaven " . The square-shaped palace for fasting in the west of the temple appears like a " forbidden city  " in a smaller size .

      In imperial days , the Chinese people believed that the sky was in circular  shape and the earth was square . On the basis of this traditional concept , the circle was widely adopted in the design of the temple's main buildings . It is in accord with people's imagination of heaven .

      63. The Temple of Heaven was a place where the emperors  worshipped ____ .
      A. God and prayed for safety
      B. Jesus Christ and asked for mercy
      C. heaven and prayed for good harvests
      D. the Buddha and prayed for wealth

      64. The Temple of Heaven is regarded as one of the greatest _____ .
      A. monuments      B. museums    C. memorial halls    D. architectural structures

      65. In Beijing ____ imperial temples were built during the Ming and Qing dynasties
      A. three    B. four    C. no    D. a lot of

      66. The Temple of Heaven is the ____ of the four .
      A. most important    B. newest    C. smallest    D. most beautiful

      67. The Temple of Heaven is in accord with people's imagination of ____ .
      A. the earth    B. the moon    C. hell     D. heaven

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