第三部分阅读理解(共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254．He was the most famous Westerner to visit Asia during the Middle Ages．He wrote a book about his travels．In his book he wrote about all the things he saw and heard．Many people read the book, but few believed what Marco Polo said．He spoke of strange people and places that nobody knew about at that time．But, he even said, “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen．”
As a young man, Marco Polo decided to travel together with his father．It took them more than three years to travel to China．He became the Chinese emperor’s (皇帝)friend．He learned the Chinese language when he traveled around and talked to many people．Before he reached the age of 30 he was made a Chinese official．After nearly 17 years in the east, Marco and his father prepared to return home．When they finally arrived in Venice, their family and friends were surprised to see them again．They had been away for almost 25 years and everybody thought that they must have died a long time ago．
56、What did Marco Polo write about in his book?
A. About Venice．                                    B. About the Chinese emperor．
C. About what he saw and heard in Asia．   D. About how he returned home．
57、What did Marco Polo learn Chinese for?
A.To become a Chinese official．       
B.To become the Chinese emperor’s friend．
C.To become a translator for his father.
D. To travel around conveniently in China．
58、Which is NOT true according to the text?
A. Marco Polo and his father had been in China for 17 years．
B. Marco Polo and his father spent nearly 5 years returning home．
C. Marco Polo’s father died on the way home．
D. Marco Polo spent more than three years traveling from Venice to China．
59、By saying “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen…”,  Marco Polo meant that_________．
A.he only saw half of the country during his stay in China        
B.there were still a lot more he couldn’t write down
C. half of the people went to China during that time
D. he wanted to write down the other half of what he saw in China

从下面方框里选择合适的词填空。

Marco Polo was an ______ explorer who traveled through many parts of Asia. He was born in Venice, Italy in 1254. His father, Nicolo Polo was a _____ merchant. He often ______ long periods at sea away from Marco. One day Nicolo ______ to bring Marco on a trip to ______. The ship ______ at ports in America, Russia, Persia and Macedonia and it ______ 6 years to get to China. Marco was greatly surprised at Chinese ______ and skills such as using ______ for heating, paper money, noodle-making and many other things.

_______, when they returned to Venice many years later, Genoa and Venice were at ______. Marco joined the Venetian troops and was caught by Genoa’s forces.______ in prison, Marco entertained _______ by telling them of his _______. One prisoner liked them _____ much that he wrote a book about Marco’s travels ______ The Description of the World. This book became _______ after Marco’s death. The book influenced Christopher Columbus, ______ tried to find a different ______ route between Asia and ______. The book also informed people about the world beyond Europe’s borders.         

Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254．He was the most famous Westerner to visit Asia during the Middle Ages．He wrote a book about his travels．In his book he wrote about all the things he saw and heard．Many people read the book, but few believed what Marco Polo said．He spoke of strange people and places that nobody knew about at that time．But, he even said, “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen．”

As a young man, Marco Polo decided to travel together with his father．It took them more than three years to travel to China．He became the Chinese emperor’s (皇帝)friend．He learned the Chinese language when he traveled around and talked to many people．Before he reached the age of 30 he was made a Chinese official．After nearly 17 years in the east, Marco and his father prepared to return home．When they finally arrived in Venice, their family and friends were surprised to see them again．They had been away for almost 25 years and everybody thought that they must have died a long time ago．

56、What did Marco Polo write about in his book?

A. About Venice．                                    B. About the Chinese emperor．

C. About what he saw and heard in Asia．   D. About how he returned home．

57、What did Marco Polo learn Chinese for?

To become a Chinese official．           

To become the Chinese emperor’s friend．

To become a translator for his father.

D. To travel around conveniently in China．

58、Which is NOT true according to the text?

A. Marco Polo and his father had been in China for 17 years．

B. Marco Polo and his father spent nearly 5 years returning home．

C. Marco Polo’s father died on the way home．

D. Marco Polo spent more than three years traveling from Venice to China．

59、By saying “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen…”,  Marco Polo meant that       ．

he only saw half of the country during his stay in China           

there were still a lot more he couldn’t write down

C. half of the people went to China during that time

D. he wanted to write down the other half of what he saw in China

Marco Polo was born in Venice in 1254．He was the most famous Westerner to visit Asia during the Middle Ages．He wrote a book about his travels．In his book he wrote about all the things he saw and heard．Many people read the book, but few believed what Marco Polo said．He spoke of strange people and places that nobody knew about at that time．But, he even said, “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen．”

As a young man, Marco Polo decided to travel together with his father．It took them more than three years to travel to China．He became the Chinese emperor’s (皇帝)friend．He learned the Chinese language when he traveled around and talked to many people．Before he reached the age of 30 he was made a Chinese official．After nearly 17 years in the east, Marco and his father prepared to return home．When they finally arrived in Venice, their family and friends were surprised to see them again．They had been away for almost 25 years and everybody thought that they must have died a long time ago．

56、What did Marco Polo write about in his book?

A. About Venice．                                    B. About the Chinese emperor．

C. About what he saw and heard in Asia．   D. About how he returned home．

57、What did Marco Polo learn Chinese for?

To become a Chinese official．           

To become the Chinese emperor’s friend．

To become a translator for his father.

D. To travel around conveniently in China．

58、Which is NOT true according to the text?

A. Marco Polo and his father had been in China for 17 years．

B. Marco Polo and his father spent nearly 5 years returning home．

C. Marco Polo’s father died on the way home．

D. Marco Polo spent more than three years traveling from Venice to China．

59、By saying “What I have written down is only half of what I have seen…”,  Marco Polo meant that       ．

he only saw half of the country during his stay in China           

there were still a lot more he couldn’t write down

C. half of the people went to China during that time

D. he wanted to write down the other half of what he saw in China

阅读下列短文, 从所给的四个选项中, 选出最佳答案。

    Marco Polo was a Venetian traveler, whose accounts of his journey across the world from Venice to China and　　 back, made one of the greatest books of all his time.Marco Polo was born either at Venice, or perhaps at Korcula, a place on an island off Dalmatian coast in 1254. His father, Niccolo Polo, and his father's brother,Matteo set out in 1261, on a long trading journey which led them to the court of Kublai, the Great Khan, who ruled over　　 China. After seven years they returned to Italy.Two years　　 passed before the brothers decided to start again on　　 their travels, and this time, they took with them Niccolo'c son Marco, then 17 years old. They traveled to Acre and from there rode overland to Hormuz on the Persian Gulf. From there they turned northward and made their way through Persia to Balkh, and Khotan. From there they passed near Lop Nor, crossed the Gobi Desert and entered China by way　　 of Suchou. At length, in 1275, after a journey lasting three years, they introduced themselves to Kublai Khan at his summer palace at　　 Shangtu.

    Marco recorded that he made rapid progress in the great Khan's favor. He studied the Mongol language and the emperor asked him to look after the travelling groups made up of foreign visitors from different parts of the world and show them around his kingdom. He became skillful (娴熟) and clever at business.Marco made careful notes of his journey, the states of the cities, the customs (风俗) of the people, and the kinds of crops and other products. After 17 years travelling in the　　 service of the Khan, Marco, together with his father　　 and uncle, returned to Venice. The journey took them 3 years and they arrived in 1295.

1. Marco Polo was born perhaps _______________.　　　　　　 ［　　］ 　　A. on an island　　　　   B. on the coast of Dalmatian 　　C. in Persian Gulf　　　　D. in Gobi Desert 2. Which of the following is true according to the article?    Marco Polo first traveled to China in about __________, arrived    at the emperor's summer palace in  _______ and left China  for Venice    in ___________.　　　　　　　　　　　　［　　］ 　　A. 1275; 1278; 1292　　  B. 1268; 1275; 1295 　　C. 1270; 1275; 1293　　  D. 1270; 1278; 1295 3. What's Marco Polo's main achievement according to the article? 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   ［　　］ 　　A. His journey to China, his careful notes of his business in 　　   China and his rapid progress in the Great Khan's favor. 　　B. His journey to and from China, his success in business in 　　   China and his account of what happened in China. 　　C. His journey to China and his account of Mongol language, 　　   Mongolian crops and the people. 　　D. His journey to and from China and his account of the Mongolian 　　   empire, its people and their customs, and its geography. 4. In this article, "rode overland" means "_____________ ".［　　］ 　　A. went to a place named 'Overland" on horseback 　　B. made a long journey across land on horseback
　　C. made a long journey without a rest
　　D. traveled to a place across a piece of land