Journey to Mecca: In the Footsteps of Ibn Battuta
Ibn Batutaa is considered one of the world's greatest travellers. During the 14th century, he travelled about 75,000 miles in search of knowledge and for the love of travel. To share the learning and research so highly valued by Islamic (伊斯兰教的) culture, the ruler of Morocco, Abu Inan Faris, wanted Ibn Batutaa's worldwide travels recorded and published when he returned home to Morocco after almost 30 years. Ibn Juzayy, a Moroccan Court Secretary, was appointed to write down Ibn Batutaa's experiences. His travel journal, The Rihla, documents this extraordinary achievement. It gives us a firsthand account of life in the 14th century Muslim world. The original book, handwritten in Arabic, can be viewed today at the National Library in Paris.
The early 14th century was a favorable age for a Muslim traveller. It was nearing the end of the Golden Age of Islam, one of the great explosions of scientific and cultural achievements in world history. Caravans and sea lanes created transportation and communication networks that spread across continents, including Europe, Africa and Asia. Towns and cities were regularly visited by merchants, traders, doctors, artists, craftsmen, scholars and pilgrims (朝圣者) carrying goods and ideas. All of these promoted the exchange of goods and ideas on a scale not seen previously in world history. As an educated man with professional legal skills, Ibn Battuta enjoyed kindness, companionship and offers of employment throughout the Islamic world.
Journey to Mecca describes the 5,000mile journey Ibn Batutaa made in 1325 and 1326 from his hometown Tangier, Morocco, to reach Mecca, in what is now the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to make the pilgrimage. During this dangerous and awesome 18month pilgrimage, he met many hindrances as he was attacked by robbers, troubled by thirst, and forced to go back to his route due to war along the Red Sea. Joining the legendary Damascus Caravan with thousands of pilgrims leaving for Mecca, he completed the final section of what would be his first of six journeys to Mecca.
The goal of the film, Journey to Mecca, was to tell the remarkable story of Ibn Batutaa and to promote a better understanding of Islam in the West, said the producers.
伊本·巴图塔(Ibn Batutaa)1304年出生于摩洛哥，是一位学者兼法学家。20岁那年，他起程前往麦加 (Mecca)，从此的近30年间，他一直在旅行并被认为是世界上最伟大的旅行者。他出版了自传《游记》(Rihla)，讲述自己长达120 700公里的旅程中的所见所闻。电影《麦加之旅》讲述的是十四世纪伟大的旅行者Ibn Batutaa 为了心中的渴望千里迢迢前往麦加朝圣的故事。
1．We can conclude that Abu Inan Faris probably thought Ibn Batutaa's travel experiences ________.
A．precious B．questionable
C．mysterious D．ridiculous
答案：A
解析：推理判断题。根据第一段中the ruler of Morocco, Abu Inan Faris, wanted Ibn Batutaa's worldwide travels recorded and published when he returned home to Morocco after almost 30 years.可以判断出，摩洛哥的统治者认为Ibn Batutaa 的世界环游经历是珍贵的、值得记录和出版。A.precious珍贵的；B.questionable令人质疑的；C.mysterious神秘的；D.ridiculous可笑的。故选A。
2．What can we learn about Ibn Batutaa from the text?
A．He wrote the travel journal, The Rihla, by himself.
B．He travelled all the way with the legendary Damascus Caravan during his first journey.
C．He was a very successful businessman.
D．He had to overcome varieties of difficulties while traveling.
答案：D
解析：推理判断题。根据第三段中During this dangerous and awesome 18month pilgrimage, he met many hindrances as he was attacked by robbers, troubled by thirst, and forced to go back to his route due to war along the Red Sea.可以判断出，Ibn Batutaa前往麦加朝圣途中克服了很多艰险。故选D。
3．The underlined word “hindrances” in Paragraph 3 can best be replaced by “________”．
A．tricks B．friends
C．barriers D．opportunities
答案：C
解析：词义猜测题。根据第三段中as he was attacked by robbers, troubled by thirst, and forced to go back to his route due to war along the Red Sea.可以判断出，Ibn Batutaa前往麦加朝圣途中经历了很多艰险，遇到了很多困难障碍。A.tricks诡计；B.friends朋友；C.barriers障碍；D.opportunities机会。故选C。
4．In which section of a newspaper can we possibly find this passage?
A．History. B．Travel.
C．Economy. D．Entertainment.
答案：D
解析：推理判断题。根据文章中名人介绍、电影简介可以判断出，我们能在报纸的娱乐版面找到此文章。故选D。
