Marco Polo was born in Italy in 1254. When he was 17, he travelled across Europe and Asia with his father, who wanted to do trade with the Chinese. Finally they arrived in Beijing. They were guests at the Emperor's Palace. Although Marco Polo was young, he was very clever and could speak some foreign languages. The Emperor was impressed by him. He asked Marco Polo to serve in his court (宫廷) and sent him to do many important tasks across the country.
Marco Polo was amazed by the beautiful China. He was impressed by Beijing and the Emperor’s Palace, especially the Summer Palace which he described as “The greatest palace that ever was...” The walls were covered with gold and silver and the hall was so large that it could easily seat 6,000 people for dinner.
There were inventions and developments in China which were not used in Europe at that time. He was puzzled (困惑的) by the black stones people used to burn to produce heat. The black stones were coal, but Marco Polo had never seen coal before!
In 1295, after 17 years of service to the Emperor, Marco Polo returned to Italy. He was then a very wealthy man. A writer wrote down the stories that Marco Polo told him in a book called The Travels of Marco Polo.
Although people enjoyed reading the book, many of them thought that Marco Polo’s stories about China were too fantastic to be true. But Marco Polo always stood by his tales. Just before he died in 1324, Marco Polo was asked the question, “Were they all true?” And this was his answer, “I have only told half of what I saw!”
1. Marco Polo and his father went to China to ____________.| A．go on a trip | B．be asked as guests | C．do business | D．study Chinese |
| A．How beautiful China was. | B．How developed China was. |
| C．How big China was. | D．How strong China was. |
| A．Marco Polo used two examples to describe Chinese developments |
| B．Only a few people didn’t believe what Marco Polo said |
| C．The Emperor forced Marco Polo to serve him |
| D．Marco Polo was 70 years old when he died |
| A．From a poster. | B．From a guide book. |
| C．From a fairy tale. | D．From a biography (人物传记). |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Here is the story of a drop in the bucket(九牛一毛).
During the Han Dynasty, there was a historian(史官) named Sima Qian. One day, the emperor(皇帝) received a message from northern China. It said that the general(将军) Li Ling had given in(投降) to the enemy. The emperor was very angry with Li Ling. But Sima Qian didn’t say a word.
The emperor asked Sima Qian what he thought about the matter. He answered, “The enemy has 80,000 soldiers, but Li has only 5,000 men. He has been fighting hard for more than ten days. Li only gave in because they had run out of food. I believe he is waiting for another chance to attack.”
When the emperor heard his words, he got even angrier. He sentenced Sima Qian to castration(宫刑). Sima Qian felt so humiliated(受辱的) that he once wanted to kill himself. But in a letter to his friend, he wrote, “If I were to die now, it would be like one of nine cows losing one hair. I don’t want to die like a nobody. I will first finish the history book that I am writing.”
Later, Sima Qian did finish the book, Records of the Grand Historian(《史记》). It became one of the most famous books ever written in China.
1. Who is Sima Qian in this passage?| A．An emperor. | B．A general. | C．A historian. | D．A soldier. |
| A．Because Li gave in to the enemy. |
| B．Because Li killed Sima Qinn. |
| C．Because Li didn’t say a word. |
| D．Because Li received a message from northern China. |
| A．Li only gave in because they were afraid of their enemy. |
| B．Li was perhaps waiting for another chance to attack. |
| C．Li has been fighting hard for more than ten weeks. |
| D．Li had more soldiers than the enemy. |
| A．Sima Qian killed himself. |
| B．Sima Qian continued his work. |
| C．Sima Qian’s friend stopped him from killing himself. |
| D．Sima Qian’s friend finished the famous books. |
| A．He is strong-minded and hard-working. |
| B．He is humorous and generous. |
| C．He is kind and helpful. |
| D．He is polite and clever. |
【推荐2】(C)
Jack London was a famous writer. He was born on January 12, 1876, in San Francisco, California. His family was so poor that Jack had to leave school to make money at an early age. As a result, he had little education as a child. He worked hard in many different jobs--- working as a paper boy, a sailor, and a miller. Though he had to work long hours at these jobs, London spent all his free time on books, especially those travel and adventure books borrowed from the library. He travelled to Japan and Korea in 1893. These trips made London decide to educate himself and change his life. He returned to school, quickly completed high school and entered the University of California. After only one term, however, London gave up his studies and travelled to Alaska in 1897 in search of gold, but he failed as a gold miner.
Though unsuccessful, the trip to Alaska provided ideas for his career as a writer. Once back in California, London decided to work as a writer. He bought a typewriter and worked up to fifteen hours a day, changing his Alaskan adventures into short stories and novels.
In 1903, he became famous all over the country after he published the popular novel The Call of the Wild. He soon became the highest paid writer in the US. During his career, he wrote more than fifty books and got more than a million dollars. Several of his novels, including The Call of the Wild (1903), The Sea Wolf (1904), The White Fang (1906), have become American most famous novels. People can always get encouragement and ideas about life from his works. To Build a Fire, for example, tells the story of a man who fought against the extreme cold to live through the Alaskan winter.
Jack London was a great writer in the history of literature. His works have been translated into different languages and are still popular all over the world. However, he was not a happy man. In poor health, he killed himself in 1916.
1. Why didn’t Jack London get much education when he was young?| A．Because he could learn from his jobs. |
| B．Because he spent all his time travelling. |
| C．Because his family couldn’t afford his schooling. |
| D．Because he could teach himself by reading books. |
| A．A miller. | B．A sailor. | C．A writer. | D．A waiter. |
| A．The trip to Alaska. |
| B．The books he read. |
| C．The university education. |
| D．The trip to Japan and Korea. |
a. He travelled to Japan and Korea.
b. He went to Alaska in search of gold.
c. He published the book the White Fang.
d. He became famous all over the country.
e. He returned to school and entered the university.
| A．a-e-b-d-c | B．a-b-e-c-d | C．e-a-b-d-c | D．e-d-c-a-b |
| A．surprising | B．humourous | C．encouraging | D．sympathetic |
【推荐3】Who is the greatest teacher in Chinese history? You may think of Confucius(孔子), September 28 was his birthday. Although he lived over 2,000 years ago, people today still remember and respect him.
Confucius lived in the Kingdom of Lu during the Spring and Autumn Period. He had a hard childhood. His father died when he was only 3, so he had to work to help his mother, but young Confucius never gave up studying. He visited many famous teachers and learned music, history, poetry and sports.
Later, he became a teacher and started the first public school in China. At that time only children from rich families could go to school, but Confucius believed everyone should go to school if they wanted to learn. He had about 3,000 students in his lifetime.
Today, people still follow Confucius’ lessons. He told us that we all have something worthy(值得) to be learned. “When I am with three people, one of them must be better than me in some areas. I choose their good qualities and follow them.” He also taught us that thinking is very important in study. “All study but no thinking makes people puzzled (困惑的). All thinking but no study makes people lazy.”
Confucius is not only a great teacher, but also a famous thinker with wise thoughts about the world and society. His most important teachings are about kindness and good manners. “A person should be strict with himself, but be kind to others.” he said.
1. Confucius learned music, history, poetry and sports __________as a child.| A．by teaching himself at home | B．with the help of his mother |
| C．by going to school | D．by visiting many famous teachers |
| A．help poor children go to school, too | B．find himself a job as a teacher |
| C．teach children at school but not at home | D．make himself the best teacher in China |
① Confucius worked to help his mother as a child.
② Confucius educated about 3,000 students in his lifetime.
③ Confucius’ father died.
④ Confucius started the first public school in Chinese history.
| A．③①④② | B．②③④① | C．③①②④ | D．④③①② |
| A．Confucius’ Teaching Methods | B．A Great Man with Hard Childhood |
| C．A Person Who Changed China | D．Confucius-- A Great Teacher and Thinker |
