.. 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.
词汇：
pilgrimage n.朝圣，远游
ferry n.渡船
sultan n,苏丹（伊斯兰教国王，某些伊斯兰国家统治者的称号）
slain：slay的过去分词slay v.杀死，杀戮
unparalleled adj.无比的，空前的
finance v.给……提供资金
scatter vt. 撒播，驱散; vi.消散
consent vi.同意，赞成
注释：
1. ... with the intention of making the pilgrimage… ……打算去朝圣……
2. Little celebrated in the West,... 虽然在西方社会不怎么知名，……
3. ... seeking profitable employment with the Sultan of Delhi. ……在德里的苏丹王那里谋到了一份收入颇丰的工作。
练习：
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 • .
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.
答案与题解：
1. B根据i文的内容以及标题(The Travels of Ibn Battuta)，我们可以很快排除选项A、C和D。所以答案为 B(The adventures of Ibn Battuta)。
2. A从第一行我们知道伊本白图泰的家乡是丹吉尔，所以第五行中set off词组后提到的麦加必然是伊本白图泰要去的城市，想必他是离开家乡前往麦加。因此，对比四个选项之后,我们不难发现正确答案为A( left to go to)。
3. C在第三段第七行中,我们可以发现本题的答案：因为有在麦加的学习经历，德里的苏丹王 给伊本白图泰安排了法官的工作。因此，对比四个选项之后，我们不难发现正确答案为C (Ibn Battuta had studied in Mecca) 。
4. D选项A的意思是：在他那个时代的人看来，伊本白图泰的经历很普通。结合本文内容我们知道该选项必然是错误的，故排除A。选项B的意思是：伊本白图泰的游历故事可能是虚构的。根据本文的内容我们可以知道伊本白图泰在历史上确有其人，他的游历经历也是真实的，甚至他的游历故事还被写成了书流传后世,所以该选项不对，故排除B。选项C的意思是：伊本白图泰的游历没有马可波罗的游历重要。根据本文,我们知道伊本白图泰的经历虽然在西方社会不如马可波罗那么有名，但他的故事在阿拉伯世界是家喻户晓。文中并没有出现对比他们俩的信息,所以我们不能武断地说谁的游历就一定比另一位的重要，故排除选项C。因此，本题正确答案为D(在现今的西方世界，伊本白图泰应该会比以前更有名）。
5. D在第四段前两行中，我们会发现：最后摩洛哥的苏丹王要求游历一生的伊本白图泰回家和世人分享他的智慧。定位这条信息之后，我们再来对比四个选项就不难发现本题的正确 答案为D(摩洛哥的苏丹王要求他回家）。
参考译文
第五篇 伊本白图泰游记
“1325年6月13日，我离开了家乡丹吉尔，打算前往麦加朝圣。我告别了所有的朋友，如鸟儿离巢般，告别故土。”这便是伊本白图泰游记的序言。这份旧的手稿存放在巴黎一家图书馆里。
这Y年轻的摩洛哥人所处的年代比哥伦布的年代要早了几乎两个世纪，从他出发去麦加 算起，30年之后伊本白图泰才回到故乡，那时的他已经晋升到历史上伟大旅行家的行列。出于好奇，他游历了伊斯兰世界的各个角落，足迹遍布了 44座现代城市，总行程是马可波罗的3倍。虽然在西方社会不怎么有名，伊本白图泰在阿拉伯国家却家喻户晓。在伊本白图泰的故乡丹吉尔，有以他命名的广场、旅店、咖啡馆、渡船，甚至汉堡。
伊本白图泰以学生的身份在麦加待了几年，但对于游历的渴望很快又让他重新出发。 有一次他来到印度，在德里的苏丹王那里谋到了一份收入颇丰的工作。他写到，在去德里的路上，他的队伍在野外被80名步兵和2位马夫攻击：“我们进行了殊死搏斗……杀死 他们的一位马夫和差不多12名步兵……我和马都中了箭，但是多谢真主的恩赐，最后我活了下来……我们背着亡者的头颅前往阿布巴卡尔的城堡……并把这些头颅挂在城墙上。” 因为有在麦加的学习经历，德里的苏丹王给伊本白图泰安排了法官的工作。但是这位苏丹王脾气古怪，性情多变，所以伊本白图泰想借机逃走：当苏丹王提出要资助伊本白图泰去中国旅行时，他同意了。伊本白图泰将要乘着三艘船起航，但他还未离岸，不幸便降临了。一场突如其来的暴风雨摧毁了两艘船，吹走了财宝，许多船员和马匹都溺水而亡。他眼睁睁看着载着他的财物和奴隶的第三艘船被吹到了海上，从此便再无音讯。更糟的是，他的孩子也在这艘船上。
最后摩洛哥的苏丹王要求一生游历的伊本白图泰回家和世人分享他的智慧。幸运的是， 他同意了此事并写了本书。这本书已被翻译成了很多种语言，可以让世人了解他那无与伦比的旅行经历
