《2025年学霸甘肃少年儿童出版社八年级英语下册人教版》

Ⅵ. 阅读理解
Zheng He was a famous Chinese explorer (探险家). In 1405, he set off from China on the first of seven great voyages (航海). This was nearly a century before Christopher Columbus first set sail on his journey of discovery to America. His travels were so important that they are still studied today.
Zheng He was born in Yunnan in 1371. He rose to become a trusted official of the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The emperor ordered Zheng He to visit and explore the lands outside China. His task was to develop relations and set up trade routes (贸易路线) with foreign countries. In a few years, he built a great fleet (舰队) of ships, the biggest in the world at that time. The ships were known as treasure ships. They were big enough to carry 25,000 people as well as very large numbers of goods.
From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He went on seven trips and visited Southeast Asia, the Middle East and even the east coast of Africa. It seemed that nowhere was too far for him to visit. These voyages allowed China to trade valuable goods like gold, silver and silk. At the end of each voyage, Zheng He returned with many things that were seen in China for the first time, such as a giraffe from Africa.
Besides developing trade, the voyages also encouraged the exchange of cultures and technologies. They helped the development of those countries and regions(地区).
Zheng He died in 1433 during his last voyage. However, his voyages were such a huge achievement that people still remember him as a pioneer in opening up cultural contacts (联系) between different peoples around the world.
1. Why did the emperor order Zheng He to set off on the first voyage?
A. To travel around the world with the big fleet of ships.
B. To find out whether he was a trusted official or not.
C. To look for more valuable treasures in foreign countries.
D. To make friends and start business with foreign countries.
2. What can we learn from the passage?
A. Christopher Columbus started the world's first voyage.
B. The treasure ships were made of gold, silver and silk.
C. The giraffe from Africa was first seen in China in the 1400s.
D. Zheng He reached all the lands in the world on his voyages.
3. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
A. The voyages. B. The cultures.
C. The technologies. D. The countries.
4. What's the best title for the passage?
A. The Discovery of Zheng He
B. The Voyages of Zheng He
C. The Trades Around the World
D. The Well - Known Ships

答案： 1~4 DCAB