难以置信的旅程

江苏 孟永兵

题材：探险 体裁：记叙文 文章词数：369 建议用时：7分钟

The Polos—Marco,his father,Niccolò,and his uncle,Maffeo,had been traveling for three and a half years when they finally achieved their objective—a long⁃awaited meeting with the powerful Mongol leader Kublai Khan.The historic event took place in 1275 at Kublai Khan's luxurious summer capital in Shangdu.Kublai Khan was surpris⁃ingly informal as he greeted his tired guests:“Welcome,gentlemen!Please stand up.How was the trip?”

Marco Polo's trip had,in fact,started more than 9,000 kilometers away in Venice when he was just a teenager.On this second trip,the Polos stayed for 17 years before they returned home.It is likely that Kublai Khan considered it an honor that these Europeans had made this extremely difficult journey,and he took the opportunity to make good use of their skills and knowledge.

Marco Polo was able to learn and experience many things that were new to Europeans.In his travel journal,he wrote that Kublai Khan's palace was the greatest one he had ever seen.He admired Kublai Khan's newly⁃completed capital whose streets were so straight and so broad.

We learn from Marco Polo that Kublai Khan made use of a fast and simple message system.Horse riders spaced every 40 kilometers allowed messages to cover 500 kilometers a day.As soon as one horse had run 40 kilometers,the next horse would run the next 40 ki⁃lometers,and so on.Marco also learned the secret of asbestos（石棉）cloth,which doesn't catch fire.Paper money also took him by surprise,since it was not yet used in the West then.Homes were heated with black stones which burned like logs.Those stones were coal—unknown in most of Europe—and were so plentiful that many people had a hot bath three times a week.

Although Kublai Khan did not want his visitors to leave,the Polos finally received per⁃mission to return home in 1292.Marco continued his observations while on the ocean voy⁃age by way of Sumatra（苏门答腊岛）and India.After he returned home,Marco completed a book about his trip,full of details about his amazing cultural experiences.It was probably the single greatest contribution to geographical knowledge ever made to the West about the East.

Reading Check

Ⅰ.Choose the best answer for each question.

1.What was surprising about the Polos'meeting with Kublai Khan?

A.Kublai Khan lived in a luxurious palace.

B.Kublai Khan spoke to them in a casual way.

C.Kublai Khan didn't welcome the Polos.

D.The Polos were looked upon as Kublai Khan's close friends.

2.What did Kublai Khan use to deliver messages to his people?

A.Runners. B.The Polos.

C.Horse riders. D.Pigeons.

3.What can be inferred from paragraph 4?

A.The West had more inventions than the East.

B.The West had forgotten the technologies used in the East.

C.The East was ahead of the West in some areas of technology.

D.The East had much richer natural resources than the West.

4.What is the text mainly about?

A.Why Marco Polo's travels are important.

B.Marco Polo's relationship with his father.

C.How Marco Polo was able to reach China.

D.Comparisons between the East and the West.

Ⅱ.Sort the following events in time order according to the text.

A.Marco Polo wrote a book.

B.Niccolò,Maffeo,and Marco Polo got the permission to return home.

C.Niccolò,Maffeo,and Marco Polo visited India and Sumatra.

D.Niccolò,Maffeo,and Marco Polo met Kublai Khan.

E.Niccolò,Maffeo,and Marco Polo started their journey and left Venice.

Language Study

Complete the following blanks by using the correct words in the brackets.

After surviving the dangers of the ocean 1.________(voyage/masterpiece),Marco Polo reached his home city of Venice.But more troubles awaited him there.At that time,cities in Italy were often at war with each other.During the fighting between Venice and a neigh⁃boring city,Marco Polo was put in prison.There,he met Rustichello,a writer of fairy tales.Polo wanted to create a(n) 2.________(journal/objective) of his travels,and he asked the writer for help.Rustichello agreed to 3.________(undertake/observe) the task.Because of this book,many people began to 3.________(take/admire) Polo's deeds.Today,Marco Polo is 5.________(blamed/considered) by many to be one of the greatest explorers that ever lived.