Lesson 3 Marco Polo Which of the following do you think is true about Marco Polo? A. He was a French merchant who travelled to Venice. B. He was an Italian traveller who lived in China for some time. B 1. Have you heard about Marco Polo? Venice It is said that Marco Polo was born there. The Description of the World This book became famous after Marcos death. The book influenced Christopher Columbus who tried to find a different trade route between Asia and Europe. The book also informed people about the world beyond Europes borders. Marco Polo came to China during the Yuan Dynasty Emperor, Kublai Khan. Marco Polo was an Italian explorer who travelled through many parts of Asia. His father, Nicolo polo, was a sea merchant. This is Marcos traveling map. In 1271, he brought Marco on a trip to China and it took 6 years to get to China. Marco was surprised at Chinese customs and skills such as using coal for heating, paper money, noodle-making and many other things. Read the text. Are these statements true (T) or false (F)? 1. Kublai Khan trust Marco polo very much. 2. People began using coal as fuel during the Yuan dynasty. T F 3. The Hall in the Summer Palace can contain 6,000 people having dinner together. 4. China was more developed than Europe at that time when Marco travelled to China. T T 5. It was not long before arrival in Italy a local war broke out near his town. 6. Marco Polo wrote The Description of the World before he died. F F Why did Marco and his father travel to China? Because his father was a sea merchant. He wanted to do trade with the Chinese. 2. Read the passage and answer these questions. Why was the emperor impressed with Marco? Because Marco was very clever and could already speak four languages. Why was Marco surprised to see people using paper money? Because in Europe people paid for goods with gold or silver. What were the black stones Marco saw people burning for fuel? The black stones Marco saw people burning were coal. How long did Marco spend in China? Marco stayed in China for 17 year. Why was he put into prison when he went back to Italy? Because a local war broke out. During the war he was captured by the enemy. What was the name of his book? The name of his book was The Description of the World. Correct mistakes 1. Marco Polo was son of a merchant. 2. He travelled cross Europe and Asia with his father to China. 3. Kublai Khan welcomed Marco to come to his country. the across 4. Marco was asked the question Was it all true? which he replied I have only told a half of what I saw. 5. In 1291, after 17 years of faithful service the Emperor, Marco returned to Italy. to 6. During the war, Marco was the captain of the warship but was captured by the enemy and imprisoned. 7. The Emperor impressed by him and they became friends. a was 1. in turn 2. wealthy in turn wealthy author break out stand by Read the passage again and match the words in the box with their definitions. as a result rich 3. author 4. break out 5. stand by insist that something is true start writer Language points 1. in turn(s) ; The two sisters cared for their sick mother in turn. The boys were asked in turns to see the examiner. 2. break out ( ) During the election period, a big strike broke out. A quarrel broke out suddenly at midnight with the noise of breaking something. 3. although but Although my car is very old, it still runs very well. The lights were already on although it was only five oclock. 4. stand by ; ; I still stand by what I said yesterday. I stand by my principles. 5. trade n. do trade with sb. His father wanted to do trade with the Chinese. trade v. trade with sb. Early explorers traded directly with the Indians. 6. be impressed by sb. /sth. The Emperor was impressed by him and they became friends. sth. /sb. impress sb. We interviewed a number of candidates but none of them impressed us. Grammar Presentation Relative Clauses: There are two kinds of relative clauses: defining clauses and non- defining clause. Relative Clauses: There are two kinds of relative clauses: defining clauses and non- defining clause. Defining clauses identify nouns or pronouns: they make clear which person or thing, etc, is being referred to. The girl who is playing tennis is my friend. This is the placed where I hid the key. She still remembers the time when she noticed the car was missing. Defining clauses identify nouns or pronouns: they make clear which person or thing, etc, is being referred to. The girl who is playing tennis is my friend. This is the placed where I hid the key. She still remembers the time when she noticed the car was missing. who is playing tennis where I hid the key noticed the car was missing when she Non-defining relative clauses give extra information which is not necessary to the meaning of the sentence. These clauses needs commas( ). My friend, who is playing tennis, comes from Ethiopia. The accident, which happened yesterday, has led to three deaths. Non-defining relative clauses give extra information which is not necessary to the meaning of the sentence. These clauses needs commas( ). My friend, who is playing tennis, comes from Ethiopia. The accident, which happened yesterday, has led to three deaths. who is playing tennis which happened yesterday In non-defining clauses, relative pronoun which can refer to an entire sentence. Its very difficult to give up smoking, which is why my father failed several times. In non-defining clauses, relative pronoun which can refer to an entire sentence. Its very difficult to give up smoking, which is why my father failed several times. which is why my father failed several times which = It is snowing heavily, which makes children feel excited. which = It is snowing heavily, which makes children feel excited. which = Its very difficult to give up smoking It is snowing heavily which makes children feel excited Underline the relative clauses in these sentences and decide if they are defining (D) or non-defining (ND). Translate them into Chinese. 1. Marco Polo, who was an Italian, travelled all around China. 2. He went to a city where iron was produced in huge quantities. D ND 3. The bus which was full of tourists stopped near the Leaning Tower of Pisa. 4. Melissa lent me some money, which was very generous of her. 5. The ground is covered with snow and ice, which makes driving very dangerous. ND D 6. I met the famous professor in the hotel, where the meeting was held. ND Join the sentences using a suitable relative pronoun and decide if the new sentence has a defining (D) or a non- defining (ND) clause. 2. On the silk Road they met a hunter. The hunter was selling tiger skins. On the Silk Road they met a hunter who was selling tiger skins. (D) 3. Marco finally arrived back in Venice. He was forty-one by then. Marco, who was forty-one by then, finally arrived back in Venice. (ND) 4. Kublai Kahn was a ruler. He was feared by many people. Kublai Kahn was a ruler who was feared by many people. (D) 5. Mary had never been to Beijing before. She loved the Forbidden City. Mary, who loved the Forbidden City, had never been to Beijing before. (ND) 6. Alison was the student. She wrote the project about Marco Polo. Alison was the student who wrote the project about Marco Polo. (D) 7. That is the place. Marco Polo lived there. That is the place where Marco Polo lived. (D) Grammar exercises 1. Sheila couldnt come to the party, ___ was a pity. A. what B. which C. that D. it B 2. All the passengers and suitcases ___ were still waiting on the broken-down old bus had to be transferred to another long-distance bus. A. they B. who C. that D. which C 3. This is an unpleasant subject ___ we might argue for a long while. A. in which B. with them C. about which D. with it 4. Dorothy was always speaking highly of her role in the play, ____, of course, made the others unhappy. A. who B. which C. this D. what C B Oral practice: Retell the story about Marco Polo based on the outline given in Exercise 8. Homework