As early as the mid-18th century, some people began raising doubts about Marco Polo’s travels. They pointed to seemingly obvious omissions in his descriptions of the Far East. In 1995,historian Frances Wood argued in her book “Did Marco Polo Go to China?” that the famous explorer from Venice never made it pass the Black Sea. She noted that his travel journal “ The travels of Marco Polo” left out the Great Wall of China, chopsticks and tea drinking among other details. Furthermore, Chinese documents from Polo’s day make no mention of the explorer and his men.

Wood and other scholars have argued that Marco Polo based his tales of China on information collected from fellow trades who had actually been there. Last year, a team of Italian researchers became the latest skeptics to challenge Polo’s accounts. They said that archaeological evidence didn’t support his description of Kublai Khan’s Japanese invasions.

Now, however, research by Hans Ulrich Vogel of Germany’s Tubingen University might help prove Marco Polo was true. In a new book “ Marco Polo Was in China”, the professor of Chinese history counters the arguments most frequently made by skeptics. He tries to prove that Marco Polo spoke the truth. He suggests, for example, that Polo didn’t included the Great Wall in his book because it only achieved its great importance under the Ming Dynasty, several hundred years later. Vogel further explains that Chinese records from the 13th and 14th centuries routinely avoided setting down visits from Westerners.

Historians before him have touched on these issues while defending Marco Polo’s honor. But Vogel also relies on another evidence: the explorer’s very detailed descriptions of currency and salt production in the Yuan Dynasty. According to Vogel, Polo documented these aspects of Mongol Chinese culture in greater detail than any other of his time. This is a hint that the Venetian relied on his own powers of observation.

Will we ever know whether Marco Polo traveled to China? Perhaps not, but the consequences of his real of fictional journey are still felt across the globe. One reader of “The travels of Marco Polo” was Christopher Columbus, who stepped upon the New World while following in his Venetian idol’s footsteps.

1.France Wood doubted Marco Polo’s travel’s to China because his description__________.

A. missed some important culture of China.

B. covered so much about trader’s life.

C. was full of obvious mistakes.

D. seemed less detailed.

2.Vogel’s trust on Marco Polo is based on _______.

a. the Great Wall didn’t gain its importance then

b. records in Yuan Dynasty mentioned Polo

c. Polo’s mention of the currency and salt.

d. Polo’s other works are believable

e. Polo recorded what he saw in great detail

A. a, b, d B. a, c, d C. a, e D. b, c

3.Which of the following shows the structure of the text?

根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项,选项中有两项为多余选项。(选 E 涂AB, 选 F 涂CD,选G涂AC)

Your Teen Is Falling Asleep in Class

Teens have a busy morning schedule as they need to wake up and get moving very early in order to catch a bus and get to school by the required time. This means teens need to get their rest the night before or they will be too tired to learn anything at school. 1.

When a teen falls asleep in class, two things happen: he/she misses what is being taught and he/she loses the respect of the teacher. He/She may also receive a consequence (后果) from the school, depending on the classroom discipline (纪律) policy. 2.

To prevent your teen from being sleepy in class, try these three tips:

*Set a time for “lights out” on school nights. This is never be any later than 10 p.m. and preferably 9 p.m. 3. Soft music can be on and used to help calm your teen.

*Help your teen develop a night?time routine that involves activities that slow them down for the end of the day. 4. Turning off the computer and disconnecting from friends and the excitement of the day an hour before bedtime will also help your teen relax.

* 5. This will reinforce (增强) what it feels like to be rested and capable of achieving what he/she wants.

A. What's worse, they may even fall asleep in class.

B. Taking a bath and reading are two activities that work well.

C. Set a good example and show him/her your love for learning.

D. Point out the positives after your teen has had a good night's rest.

E. “Lights out” means the computer, television, lights and cell phone should be off.

F. All of these things affect your teen's academic success and can be avoided.

G. While your teen keeps his/her goals in line with your expectations, he/she may have his/her own goals.

I climbed Kilimanjaro with Lava Expeditions (探险队) during the rainy season.

I flew to Nairobi in Kenya and spent several days there. At my hotel in Nairobi I met the rest of the group with whom I would spend the next week. We all travelled on the bus together for a 6-hour journey into Tanzania and then Arusha, a quiet town.

After we arrived at our hotel in Arusha, we had dinner and a few drinks. Then we were introduced to more members including Taddeus Minja, the main guide, who was very experienced — climbing Kilimanjaro runs through the generations (代) of his family.

The next day the Lava Expeditions members checked if we had the correct and enough clothing for our expedition on Kilimanjaro. Only one person needed to bring more clothes.

After that we set off, walking in the rain through the beauty of the rainforest, all the way to the first camp. I was happy the next few days as the view was so wonderful and changed every day. I suffered a little during the trip and I felt so tired. But the members of Lava Expeditions provided me with lots of encouragement, which was one of the best memories. Finally we reached the top of Kilimanjaro in bright blue skies.

I felt excited about climbing Kilimanjaro and the feeling didn’t change during my trip. Lava Expeditions looked after me so well that I was deeply thankful for their help.

1. What do we know about Taddeus Minja according to the passage?

A. He organized the journey.

B. He was the leader of Lava Expeditions.

C. He was the manager of a hotel in Arusha.

D. He had much knowledge about climbing mountains.

2.How did Lava Expeditions help the author while climbing Kilimanjaro?

A. By carrying bags for him.

B. By offering food to him.

C. By encouraging him.

D. By teaching him climbing skills.

3.What did the author think of his climbing Kilimanjaro?

A. Tiring and disappointing.

B. Tiring but happy.

C. Dangerous but exciting.

D. Dangerous and tiring.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?

A. To tell readers about Lava Expeditions.

B. To give readers advice on climbing Kilimanjaro.

C. To encourage more people to climb Kilimanjaro.

D. To share his experience of climbing Kilimanjaro.

B

We might think we know which colours do what.The idea that red wakes us up or blue calms us down is deeply rooted in Western culture.But do they really change our behaviour in the ways that we assume?

When it comes to scientific research, the results are mixed and at times contested.Some studies have found that people do better on cognitive tasks when faced with red rather than blue or green; others show the opposite.The idea is that if you repeatedly have a particular experience surrounded by a certain colour, then you eventually begin to associate that colour with the way you were feeling or behaving.A school career spent reading your teacher’s red writing circling your mistakes forever makes you link red with danger.Blue meanwhile is more likely to be associated with calmer situations like marvelling at a big blue expanse of sky.

Of course there will always be exceptions --- the comment from the teacher saying “well done” is also written in red.It is true that people do make different associations with different colours, but whether this translates into behaving in a certain way or succeeding at a particular task is a different question.

In 2009 researchers tried to clarify the situation.They sat their participants at computer screens colored blue, red or “neutral” and tested them on various tasks.With a red screen people did better on tasks requiring attention to detail, but when the screen was blue they did better on creative tasks.In practice this might be tricky.In a classroom you might want to think creatively some of the time and pay attention to detail at others.

However, when another team tried to repeat the study with a larger group of people in 2014, the effect of color disappeared.The initial study consisted of just 69 people.In this new, bigger study, of 263 volunteers, background color made no difference.

So colors might well have an effect, but so far those effects have been difficult to demonstrate consistently and sometimes don’t seem to exist at all.

1.What’s the major function of the first paragraph?

A.To present a widely held view

B.To raise a question of behavior change

C.To introduce the theme of the passage

D.To summarize the whole passage

2.The author mentions the exception in Paragraph 3 in order to show _____.

A.there are exceptions to every rule

B.people tend to associate colors with behaviors

C.colors don’t necessarily mean particular behaviors

D.colors do matter to those who desire success

3.It can be concluded from the results of the studies in 2009 and 2014 that _____.

A.the research findings are practical in indoor decoration

B.solid evidence is inadequate to prove how colors affect us

C.a larger study may help confirm colors’ effects on our behaviors

D.walls should be painted different colors depending on different tasks

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