Laozi lived in the 6th century BC. It is believed that he wrote the Daodejing. This book is popular in (A) ________ the East and the West, and it is still widely read today. Many people have found inspiration in this book. There are many famous sayings in the Daodejing. One of them is, "A journey of a thousand li (B) begins with a single step."
Marco Polo grew up in the city of Venice, in present day Italy In 1271, (C) 当他17岁时 ， he set off on a journey to Asia and did not go back home until 24 years later. His travels took him across Asia, along the Silk Road and throughout China. When Polo finally (D) got back to Venice, there was a war and he was captured. While he was in prison, he told the stories of his travels (E) ________ another man there. This man wrote the stories down in a book called The Travels of Marco Polo. In the book the interesting description of Asian life made Polo's travels soon become well-known in Europe. Polo also wrote about China's development. (F) His book made Europeans more and more interested in the East. It also influenced many other explorers, including Christopher Columbus.
