第五篇 The Travels of Ibn Battuta

"I left Tangier, my birthplace, the 13th of June 1325 with the intention of making the pilgrimage [ to Mecca]... to leave all my friends both female and male, to abandon my home as birds abandon their nests. " So begins an old manuscript in a library in Paris-the travel journal of Ibn Battuta.

Almost two centuries before Columbus, this young Moroccan set off for Mecca, returning home three decades later as one of history's great travelers. Driven by curiosity, he journeyed to remote comers of the Islamic world, traveling through 44 modem countries, three times as far as Marco Polo. Little celebrated in the West2, his name is well known among Arabs. In his hometown of Tangier, a square, a hotel, a cafe, a ferry boat, and even a hamburger are named after him.

Ibn Battuta stayed in Mecca as a student for several years, but the urge to travel soon took over. In one adventure, he traveled to India seeking profitable employment with the Sultan of Delhi.3 On the way, he described his group being attacked in the open country by 80 men on foot, and two horsemen： "we fought ... killing one of their horsemen and about twelve of the foot soldiers ….I was hit by an arrow and my horse by another, but God in his grace preserved me .... We carried the heads of the slain to the castle of Abu Bak, har ... and suspended them from the wall. " In Delhi, the sultan gave him the position of judge, based on his prior study at Mecca. But the sultan had an unpredictable character, and Ibn Battuta looked for an opportunity to leave. When the sultan offered to finance a trip to China, he agreed. Ibn Battuta set off in three ships, but misfortune struck while he was still on the shore. A sudden storm grounded and broke up two ships, scattering treasure and drowning many people and horses. As he watched, the third ship, with all his belongings and slaves一one carrying his child-was carried out to sea and never heard from again.

After a lifetime of incredible adventures, Ibn Battuta was finally ordered by the Sultan of Morocco to return home to share his wisdom with the world. Fortunately, he consented and wrote a book that has been translated into numerous languages, allowing people everywhere to read about his unparalleled journeys.

詞匯：

pilgrimage n.朝圣，遠游

ferry n.渡船

sultan n,蘇丹（伊斯蘭教國王，某些伊斯蘭國家統治者的稱號）

slain：slay的過去分詞slay v.殺死，殺戮

unparalleled adj.無比的，空前的

finance v.給……提供資金

scatter vt. 撒播，驅散; vi.消散

consent vi.同意，贊成

注釋：

1. ... with the intention of making the pilgrimage… ……打算去朝圣……

2. Little celebrated in the West,... 雖然在西方社會不怎么知名，……

3. ... seeking profitable employment with the Sultan of Delhi. ……在德里的蘇丹王那里謀到了一份收入頗豐的工作。

練習：

1. What is the passage mainly about?

A) Visitors to Mecca.

B) The adventures of Ibn Battuta.

C) Ibn Battuta's character.

D) Asian countries of the 14th century.

2. Which of the following is closest in meaning to set off for in line 5?

A) left to go to.

B) discussed.

C) arrived at.

D) decided upon.

3. The Sultan of Delhi gave Ibn Battuta a position of judge because o .

A) the sultan needed a translator.

B) Ibn Battuta had been a judge before.

C) Ibn Battuta had studied in Mecca.

D) Ibn Battuta had traveled to many countries.

4. Which of the following would the writer of this passage most likely agree with?

A) Ibn Battuta's journeys were very common for people of that time.

B) Ibn Battuta's stories are probably not true.

C) Ibn Battuta's journey was less important than Marco Polo's.

D) Ibn Battuta should be better known in the West today.

5. Why did Ibn Battuta finally return to his home?

A) He was tired of traveling.

B) He didn't have any more money.

C) He feared the Sultan of Delhi.

D) The Sultan of Morocco asked him to return.

答案與題解：

1. B根據i文的內容以及標題(The Travels of Ibn Battuta)，我們可以很快排除選項A、C和D。所以答案為 B(The adventures of Ibn Battuta)。

2. A從第一行我們知道伊本白圖泰的家鄉是丹吉爾，所以第五行中set off詞組后提到的麥加必然是伊本白圖泰要去的城市，想必他是離開家鄉前往麥加。因此，對比四個選項之后,我們不難發現正確答案為A( left to go to)。

3. C在第三段第七行中,我們可以發現本題的答案：因為有在麥加的學習經歷，德里的蘇丹王 給伊本白圖泰安排了法官的工作。因此，對比四個選項之后，我們不難發現正確答案為C (Ibn Battuta had studied in Mecca) 。

4. D選項A的意思是：在他那個時代的人看來，伊本白圖泰的經歷很普通。結合本文內容我們知道該選項必然是錯誤的，故排除A。選項B的意思是：伊本白圖泰的游歷故事可能是虛構的。根據本文的內容我們可以知道伊本白圖泰在歷史上確有其人，他的游歷經歷也是真實的，甚至他的游歷故事還被寫成了書流傳后世,所以該選項不對，故排除B。選項C的意思是：伊本白圖泰的游歷沒有馬可波羅的游歷重要。根據本文,我們知道伊本白圖泰的經歷雖然在西方社會不如馬可波羅那么有名，但他的故事在阿拉伯世界是家喻戶曉。文中并沒有出現對比他們倆的信息,所以我們不能武斷地說誰的游歷就一定比另一位的重要，故排除選項C。因此，本題正確答案為D(在現今的西方世界，伊本白圖泰應該會比以前更有名）。

5. D在第四段前兩行中，我們會發現：最后摩洛哥的蘇丹王要求游歷一生的伊本白圖泰回家和世人分享他的智慧。定位這條信息之后，我們再來對比四個選項就不難發現本題的正確 答案為D(摩洛哥的蘇丹王要求他回家）。

參考譯文

第五篇 伊本白圖泰游記

"1325年6月13日，我離開了家鄉丹吉爾，打算前往麥加朝圣。我告別了所有的朋友，如鳥兒離巢般，告別故土。"這便是伊本白圖泰游記的序言。這份舊的手稿存放在巴黎一家圖書館里。

這Y年輕的摩洛哥人所處的年代比哥倫布的年代要早了幾乎兩個世紀，從他出發去麥加 算起，30年之后伊本白圖泰才回到故鄉，那時的他已經晉升到歷史上偉大旅行家的行列。出于好奇，他游歷了伊斯蘭世界的各個角落，足跡遍布了 44座現代城市，總行程是馬可波羅的3倍。雖然在西方社會不怎么有名，伊本白圖泰在阿拉伯國家卻家喻戶曉。在伊本白圖泰的故鄉丹吉爾，有以他命名的廣場、旅店、咖啡館、渡船，甚至漢堡。

伊本白圖泰以學生的身份在麥加待了幾年，但對于游歷的渴望很快又讓他重新出發。 有一次他來到印度，在德里的蘇丹王那里謀到了一份收入頗豐的工作。他寫到，在去德里的路上，他的隊伍在野外被80名步兵和2位馬夫攻擊："我們進行了殊死搏斗……殺死 他們的一位馬夫和差不多12名步兵……我和馬都中了箭，但是多謝真主的恩賜，最后我活了下來……我們背著亡者的頭顱前往阿布巴卡爾的城堡……并把這些頭顱掛在城墻上。" 因為有在麥加的學習經歷，德里的蘇丹王給伊本白圖泰安排了法官的工作。但是這位蘇丹王脾氣古怪，性情多變，所以伊本白圖泰想借機逃走：當蘇丹王提出要資助伊本白圖泰去中國旅行時，他同意了。伊本白圖泰將要乘著三艘船起航，但他還未離岸，不幸便降臨了。一場突如其來的暴風雨摧毀了兩艘船，吹走了財寶，許多船員和馬匹都溺水而亡。他眼睜睜看著載著他的財物和奴隸的第三艘船被吹到了海上，從此便再無音訊。更糟的是，他的孩子也在這艘船上。

最后摩洛哥的蘇丹王要求一生游歷的伊本白圖泰回家和世人分享他的智慧。幸運的是， 他同意了此事并寫了本書。這本書已被翻譯成了很多種語言，可以讓世人了解他那無與倫比的旅行經歷。

編輯推薦：

2013年職稱英語考試報名專題

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（責任編輯：vstara）

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