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fast, do, communicate, try， move, build, visit, take |
Once upon a time, there was a king. He was famous for his kindness. His people 1 him and were proud of him. Once, the king decided to build a palace on the river bank. In a few days the palace was ready. And the minister (大臣) decided to take a final look 2 he brought the king to show the palace.
"Great! " the minister said, looking at the palace. Then 3 his eyes fell on a small old house near the palace gate. "What's this house doing here?" shouted the minister. "Sir, it 4 to an old woman，" replied a soldier.
The minister walked up to the 5 and spoke to the old lady. "I want to buy your house，" he said. "I am sorry, Sir. My house is more expensive to me than my life，" the old lady said.
The minister tried to tell the old lady that 6 house would spoil (破坏) the beauty of the new palace. But the old lady refused 7 her house to the king. The 8 was then taken to the king.
The king thought 9 a while, and then said, "Let the old lady have her house. It will only add to the beauty of the new palace. Let us not forget something that seems 10 to us may be valuable(宝贵的) to someone else. "
Marco Polo was from Venice, Italy. In 1271, at age 17, Marco went on a trip with his father and uncle to China. Today people often travel to different places around the world. But it was very hard for people from Europe to visit China then. After three and a half years, the Polos reached China in 1275.
While he was there, Marco Polo worked for Kublai Khan, the emperor(皇帝) of China. He was able to learn and experience many things that were new to Europeans. In his diary, he wrote，"Kublai Khan's palace is the greatest I've ever seen. The streets of the new capital, Daidu, are so straight and so wide. " Paper money also took him by surprise, since it was not yet in use in the West at that time. Homes were heated with "black stones…which burn like wood". Those stones were coal, and most of the Europeans knew little about it then.
After 17 years in China, Marco and his family finally returned to Venice in 1292. After he returned home, Marco completed a book about his trip, full of facts about his wonderful experiences in China.
