Zheng He made seven heroic voyages to Asia and Africa between 1405 and 1433, which predated the Westerners’ Voyages of Discovery by almost a century .

Despite Zheng He’s remarkable maritime feats , with larger and matchless fleets until World War I , he is relatively unknown worldwide compared with his Western counterparts like Columbus and Vasco da Gama . Why ?

Sadly , much of the official Chinese records of these voyages were destroyed after his death , by order of his powerful enemies at Court . They were opposed to his expeditions , both on economic and other grounds .

Further , the Ming History made only little mention of his exploits . Most surprisingly , not even his date of death and burial place were recorded . Therefore , his final resting place is still a matter of conjecture .So he became only a legend and folk hero in his life time .

However , hardly any Chinese works on him have been translated into foreign languages . Ironically , it was due to a handful of famous Western researchers like Needham, Zlevathes and , most recently , Menzies that the world is now more familiar with his greatness .

Zhen He’s rightful place in Chinese history has been confirmed by none other than Deng Xiaoping in 1984 , when he addressed the nation’s People’s Congress in Beijing : “…The Ming dynasty , under Yongle Emperor , did wisely pursue an open-door policy resulting in Zheng He’s famous maritime expeditions overseas . However , after Yongle’s death, China deserted this policy resulting in foreign intervention and China’s final humiliation during the 19th century . The open-door policy is therefore the way forward for China.”

Following a more realistic overall appraise by scholars East and West of Zheng He’s achievements , his standing as one of the greatest maritime explorers of all time has at last been firmly recognized worldwide .

56．Which statement is TRUE according to the passage ?

      A．No one knew Zheng He’s maritime achievements in history until World War I .

       B．The Westerners’ Voyages of Discovery fell behind China until 1433 .

       C．No other fleets in the world could be compared with those of China in size for almost over 500 years in history .

       D．Columbus was born in a western country, so he was more famous than Zheng He in the world .

57．From the passage , we can suppose        .

       A．Zheng He had been to Africa for seven times from 1405 to 1433 .

       B．Columbus and Vasco da Gama were relatively unknown in China compared with Zheng He .

       C．the Ming government didn’t know about Zheng He, so they made only little mention of Zheng He’s exploits .

       D．some government officials in the Ming dynasty were strongly against Zheng He’s voyages to Asia and Africa .

58．What’s the meaning of the underlined word “conjecture”?

       A．mistake              B．guess                 C．coincidence        D．imagination

59．Zheng He’s success in his maritime expeditions overseas mainly resulted from        .

      A．his braveness and perseverance                        B．Yongle Emperor’s open-door policy

       C．his strong curiosity to know about Africa         D．the support from his friends and family

Zheng He made seven heroic voyages to Asia and Africa between 1405 and 1433, which predated the Westerners' Voyages of Discovery by almost a century.

    Despite Zheng He's remarkable maritime feats, with larger and matchless fleets until World War I, he is relatively unknown worldwide compared with his Western counterparts like Columbus and Vasco da Gama. Why?

    Sadly, much of the official Chinese records of these voyages were destroyed after his death, by order of his powerful enemies at Court. They were opposed to his expeditions, both on economic and other grounds.

    Further, the Ming History made only little mention of his exploits. Most surprisingly, not even his date of death and burial place were recorded. Therefore, his final resting place is still a matter of conjecture. So he became only a legend and folk hero in his life time.

    However, hardly any Chinese works on him have been translated into foreign languages. Ironically, it was due to a handful of famous Western researchers like Needham, ZLevathes and, most recently, Menzies that the world is now more familiar with his greatness.

    Zheng He's rightful place in Chinese history has been confirmed by none other than Deng Xiaoping in 1984, when he addressed the nation's People's Congress in Beijing: "... The Ming dynasty, under Yongle Emperor, did wisely pursue an open-door policy resulting in Zheng He's famous maritime expeditions overseas. However, after Yongle's death, China deserted this policy resulting in foreign intervention and China's final humiliation during the 19^th century. The open-door policy is therefore the way forward for China."

    Following a more realistic overall appraise by scholars East and West of Zheng He's achievements, his standing as one of the greatest maritime explorers of all time has at last been firmly recognized worldwide.

1. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

    A. No one knew Zheng He's maritime achievements in history until World War I.

    B. The Westerners' Voyages of Discovery fell behind China until 1433.

    C. No other fleets in the world could be compared with those of China in size for almost over 500 years in history.

    D. Columbus was born in a western country, so he was more famous than Zheng He in the world.

2. From the passage, we can suppose __________.

   A. Zheng He had been to Africa for seven times from 1405 to 1433.

   B. Columbus and Vasco da Gama were relatively unknown in China compared with Zheng

He.

   C. the Ming government didn't know about Zheng He, so they made only little mention of

Zheng H's exploits.

   D. some government officials in the Ming dynasty were strongly against Zheng He's voyages

to Asia and Africa.

3. What’s the meaning of the underlined word "conjecture"?

    A. mistake        B. guess           C. coincidence                D. imagination

4. Zheng He's success in his maritime expeditions overseas mainly resulted from______.

    A. his braveness and perseverance                      B. Yongle Emperor's open-door policy

    C. his strong curiosity to know about Africa     D. the support from his friends and family