Zheng He (1371-1435), or Cheng Ho, is arguably(可论证地) China’s most famous navigator. Starting from the beginning of the 15th Century, he traveled to the West seven times. In 28 years, he traveled more than 50,000km and visited over 30 countries, including Singapore. Zheng He died in the tenth year of the reign(统治) of the Ming emperor Xuande (1435) and was buried in the southern suburbs of Bull’s Head Hill (Niushou) in Nanjing.

In 1985, during the 580th anniversary(周年纪念) of Zheng He’s voyage, his tomb(坟墓) was rebuilt. The new tomb was built on the site of the original tomb in Nanjing and reconstructed according to the customs of Islamic teachings, as Zheng He was a Muslim.

At the entrance to the tomb is a Ming-style building, which was a memorial hall. Inside are paintings of the man himself and his navigation maps. To get to the tomb, there are newly laid stone platforms and steps. The stairway consists of 28 stone steps that are divided into four sections with each section having seven steps. This represents Zheng He’s seven journeys to the West. The Arabic words which mean “Allah (God) is great” are written on top of the tomb.

Zheng He built many wooden ships, some of which are the largest in history, in Nanjing. Three of the shipyards still exist today.

56. Zheng He’s tomb was rebuilt ________.

A. because he was a Muslim           B. following the Islamic customs

C. to celebrate Zheng’s 580th birthday   D. beside the original one

57. You can see _____ at Zheng He’s tomb.

A. a Ming-style hall in the tomb            B. ZhengHe’s portraits and his maps for his voyage

C. Arabic-style buildings and materials      D. four flights of 28 stone steps

58. The passage mainly tells us ______.

A. how ZhengHe built his ships             B. something about his tomb

C. that ZhengHe was a Muslim navigator      D. about ZhengHe, his voyages and his tomb

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

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