For over 900 years, the Tower of London has served as a loyal __1__/ }/ Q. R; C% c9 ?! {( Z
palace and fortress. Today, it's famous for its bloody history and" U( g! @ H! o
for being the place where the Crown Jewels are kept.But it has served2 `$ p: P- H0 w6 |
for other purposes, too. It has been the royal arsenal, royal mint, __2__% A$ N6 p$ L/ d) `4 F
royal observatory or even the royal zoo. The site of the Tower was __3__
2 X* G! C( {& h O' A: X; ] originally part of the Roman city of Londinium.- V9 }3 D, n& c1 U" ]
But, in 1066, a foreigner from north west France became King William __4__5 |" ^/ s7 s0 i' f. D
of Britain, he ordered that a wooden castle built on the banks of __5__
1 E6 W3 | ?6 | the river Thames. The purpose of this fortress was to help secure
3 A* [, c& @# o3 I; F: J l* S London, the most important city in his view realm. Ten years later,: p$ Z# p) l6 n- c9 \: t
William had the fortress rebuild in stone, and created a great __6__9 K2 b% h/ Q! n
fortified palace with walls three metre thick. Today, this building __7__
8 D2 M( F1 H/ w is known as the White Tower, and it stands in the centre of a much# U+ E- y! f" S6 F7 N& V2 z
larger stone fortress, which was built during later centuries. The
9 Q, R& ]( b. _4 N B Tower now covers the area of seven hectares, and it stands near the __8__
+ U) N* a7 g: ^2 z4 W busy financial district of the capital. But, once inside the high stone
: R7 N) \: c! M, x6 L walls, it's easy to forget the modern world outside and to take a
$ S9 Y( H( [/ d$ i- L trip back through history. To help visitors explore, there are special
+ p& w! S5 `8 |7 e6 Y8 |3 i ceremonial guards, called Yeoman Warders. They are also known as
* u: v5 ]0 L0 n3 d6 L* y' }2 W- P Beefeaters, and they are the best resource of information about the __9__( ^) B' {. L1 S' p% ^9 \
Tower's history. Nearly 40 Yeoman live and work in the Tower.- x2 }9 N3 O; D% g* \
They are former soldiers who earned the privilege of serving as __10__
+ V* L( A. K% F9 e& h8 q: e Yeoman after long service. |