Lesson 3 Marco Polo

Unit 8 Adventure

■ To review relative clause■ To compare and distinguish defining and non-defining relative clauses■ To practise defining words by their usage in context■ To practise reading for specific information

ObjectivesObjectives

Part I Pre-reading

a) He was a French traveller who lived in Italy for some time.

b) He was an Italian traveller who lived in China for some time.

Have you heard about Marco Polo?Which of the following do you think is true about Marco Polo?

Answer: b

Marco Polo

Kublai Khan(忽必烈汗 )

—— the Yuan Dynasty Emperor

Marco Polo seeing Kublai Khan (马可波罗晋见忽必烈汗 )

warship (战船 ) in Marco’s time

Marco was telling stories about China in the prison.

Books talking about Marco Polo in China

Marco Polo (1254 – 1324)

was a merchant from the

Venetian Republic who

wrote The Description of

the World /Milione, which

introduced Europeans to

Central Asia and China.

He was an Italian explorer who travelled

through many parts of Asia. Marco Polo’s

father, Nicolo Polo, was a sea merchant.

In 1271, he brought Marco on a trip to

China and it took 6 years to get to China.

Marco, who spent 17 years in China, was

surprised at Chinese customs and skills

such as using coal for heating, paper

money, noodle-making and many other

things.

Marco Polo came to China during the Yuan

Dynasty Emperor, Kublai Khan.

The Description of the World

This book became famous after Marco’s

death. The book influenced Christopher

Columbus who tried to find a different trade

route between Asia and Europe. The book

also informed people about the world

beyond Europe’s borders.

Part II First-reading

Marco Polo and His Travels

1. Match the paragraphs with their main ideas.

Para.1

Para.2

Para.3

Para.4

Para.5

Para.6

a. People doubted his book.b. Amazed by the beautiful

& powerful China.c. Marco returned to Italyd. Inventions and

developments in Chinae. Kublai Khan welcomed

Marcof. Marco Polo’s early life

1) Which of the following is the CORRECT time order of the events that happened to Marco? a. He was caught in a war in Italy. b. He arrived in Beijing. c. He served in the Chinese Emperor’s court. d. He told stories about China to an author. A. bdca B. bcda C. bcad D. abcdAnswer: C

2. Choose the best answers:

2) What CANNOT be found in Europe during the time when Marco was in China?

A. Gold. B. Market. C. Trade. D. Paper money. 3) What does the word “serve” in the second

paragraph mean? A. To work or perform one’s duties. B. To offer food. C. To help a customer. D. To be suitable for a purpose.

Answers: D A

4) According to the last two paragraphs,

Marco _________.

A. wrote a book about China himself

B. made up false stories about China

C. became wealthy when he returned to

Italy

D. didn’t take part in the local war

Answers: C

Part III Second-reading

Read the passage again and answer the following questions.

1) Why did Marco and his father travel to China?

Because Marco’s father wanted to do trade with the Chinese.

2) Why was the Emperor impressed by Marco?

3) Why was Marco surprised to see people using paper money?

4) What were the black stones Marco saw people burning for fuel?

Because Marco was very clever and could already speak four languages.

Because in Europe people paid for goods with gold or silver.

They were coal.

5) How long did Marco spend in China?

6) Why was he put into prison when he went back to Italy?

7) What was the name of his book?

For 17 years.

Because a local war had broken out. During the war he was caught by the enemy.

The Description of the World.

Part IV Summary

Marco Polo was 17 years old, he travelled across Europe and Asia with 1. _________ who wanted to do 2. __________ with the Chinese. When they arrived in Beijing, the Emperor 3. _________ them. Marco, who was very clever and could speak four languages, 4. _________ the Emperor and they became friends. The Emperor sent him to do many 5. ______________.

his fathertrade

welcomed

impressed

important tasks

Marco was amazed by how beautiful and 6. _________ China was. He was very impressed by Beijing and the Emperor’s Palace, especially 7. ________________, whose walls were covered in gold and silver. There were 8. _________________ in China which didn’t exist in Europe at that time. Marco was surprised to see Chinese people using 9. __________ in the markets. He was also confused by the black stones people used to 10. ____________.

powerful

the Summer Palace

inventions and developments

paper money

burn for fuel

In 1291, Marco returned to Italy. Not long after his return, Marco was caught by the enemy in a local war and 11. ___________. He told his stories about China to another prisoner who was 12. ____________. He noted them down and wrote them into a book, which became one of the 13. ___________ books in Europe. Many people thought the stories were 14. _________ although they enjoyed reading it.

put into prison

an author

best-selling

not true

Basic

information

Name: Marco Polo

born in Italy in 1254, ( died in 1324 )

Before he got to China

Why to China: to ______ with the Chinese

How he arrived :

traveled across ________

After he got to China

What he saw and felt:

was amazed by ______

was impressed by ______

was surprised to see ______

was confused by _______What he did: served in _____

After he left China

What happened to him: ____________

Why he got famous: ________________

Part I

Part II:

Part III:

In 1291, …

….for 17 years

Part V Retell the story according to the clues:

trade

Asia and Europe

…China

BJ and the Palace

paper money

the black stones

The Description of the World

Marco Polo was born in Italy in 1254 and died at the age of 70. He travelled across Europe and Asia with his father, who wanted to trade with the Chinese. When they arrived in Beijing, the ruler, Kublai Khan, welcomed them. Because Marco, who was clever and could speak 4 languages, impressed the emperor, they became friends. Marco was amazed to find China was much developed. He was very impressed by the Summer Palace, whose walls were covered in gold and silver. Besides, it surprised Marco that people used paper money to pay for goods. He was also confused by the black stones which people used for heating. In 1291, after 17 years of service in China, Marco returned to Italy. Soon he joined a war and was caught by the enemy and put into prison. He told his stories about China to another prisoner, who was an author. The prisoner wrote them down in a book called The description of the World, which became one of the best-sellers later in Europe.

Retelling Version: