Marco Polo was an explorer and merchant whose account （描述) of his travels in Asia was the primary source for the European image of the far East until the late 19th century. Marco’s father,Niccolo, and

Marco Polo was an explorer and merchant whose account (描述) of his travels in Asia was the primary source for the European image of the far East until the late 19th century. Marco’s father,Niccolo, and his uncle Maffeo had traveled to China (1260-1269) as merchants. When they left Venice (威尼斯) to return to china, they were accompanied (陪伴) by 17-year-old Marco.

Traveling across central Asia, in 1275 the Polos arrived in Shangdu, the summer capital of Kublai Khan (忽必烈汗), Marco soon became a favorite of the Khan and for 17 years lived in china in his service.Toward the end of this time the Polos increasingly desired to return home, but the Khan was unwilling to let them go.

In 1292, however, he consented and allowed them to sail to Persia (波斯) on a mission, and they were finally able to reach Venice in 1295.Shortly thereafter Marco was captured (俘虏)in a battle and put into prison for a short time. In prison he dictated an account of his experiences to Rustichello, a well-known writer. Then the book The Travels of Marco Polo came out.The book was full of details but people were shocked and did not believe the stories in the book. Later on lots of reports by other travelers to china developed western interest in Far Eastern trade and influenced people like Christopher Columbus.

1. The Polos in Paragraph 2 refers to ___________.

A. Marco Polo himself

B. Marco Polo and his wife

C. Marco Polo and his father

D. Marco Polo, his father and his uncle

2. The word consented in Paragraph 3 probably means ___________.

A. argued

B. agreed

C. desired

D. discussed

3. Finally the Polos could leave for home because ________________.

A. they fooled the king into believing they would return.

B. they took the king with them to have business trips together.

C. they promised to complete a task for the king.

D. they captured the king in a battle and put him in prison.

4. What is said about the book The Travels of Marco Polo？

A. Marco Polo told his story to Rustichello who actually wrote the book.

B. People did not understand the book because of the different language.

C. People believed the details described in the book and became interested in China.

D. The book directly influenced the Western travelers like Christopher Columbus.

5. What is the main idea of this passage？

A. To compare people's lives in the east and the west.

B. To review Marco Polo's book The Travels of Marco Polo.

C. To show the Polos loved travelling around the world.

D. To introduce how Marco Polo inspired western people to travel to the Far East.