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阅读理解
The Loire Valley is known as the Garden of France and the Cradle (摇篮) of the French Language．
This valley runs through the heart of French life．The Loire Valley has lots of attractions．It is famous for its rivers, stones, towns and villages, vineyards (葡萄园) castles, and of course, wines．
The Loire Valley is one of the most beautiful areas in France．With flowers growing all over the place, it is a colorful garden．It is a mild place and a great farming area．People grow plenty of grapes here and produce some of the best wines．Besides farming, the Loire Valley also has lots of animals．You may come across a badger (獾)，a marten (貂) or a skunk (臭鼬)！Then there are different kinds of birds and you can see rare dragonflies (蜻蜓) there, too．
The Loire Valley has also played an important role in the history of France．In the 9th Century, France was faced with attacks from the Vikings (北欧海盗)．The Loire Valley built many fortresses (堡垒) and remained strong when other areas did not．Later, in the 15th Century, the Loire Valley successfully resisted the English during the Hundred Years’ War．The Loire Valley has become a symbol of strength in France．
People believe that the culture and the language spoken in the Loire Valley are the most pure examples of French in the whole country．
The Loire Valley is sometimes called the Valley of the Kings because it was the popular playground for French kings and their families from the 15th to 18th centuries．French kings built chateaux (城堡)，or castles, and so did wealthy business people．
Now it has more than 1,000 historic castles．120 of them are open to the public．There is even the castle that inspired (启发) Sleeping Beauty．
Today the Loire Valley remains one of France’s most popular regions．It has more historic sights per square mile than any other places in the country except Paris．
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