Zheng He, the Columbus of the East, was an amazing man.
     He was born in 1371 and, 11 years later, was caught by the army of a rich young man called Zhu Di
and made to work for him. Over time the rich man saw that Zheng He was very clever and strong and they
became close friends. In 1403 Zhu Di was made the King of China and he asked Zheng He to join his new
government.
     The King wanted to learn more about the world and show other countries his power. He ordered many
new ships to be built and made Zheng He their leader. Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He led seven sea trips
to different parts of the world. He certainly travelled to India, Africa and the Middle East. A few people think
his ships may have even reached South America and Australia.
     Each trip lasted between two and four years and it is believed he sailed more than 50 000 kms during the
years of his travels. With 28 000 men and over 300 ships, such as boats for food, water and even soldiers'
horses, Zheng He led a fleet (舰队) whose size would not be equalled by Europeans for over 500 years I
     On these trips he brought with him many Chinese goods like silk and medicine to give to foreign kings or
to sell for local goods. He returned from each trip with boats filled with expensive things such as gold and
jewellery, foreign guests and strange animals like a giraffe.
     It is a pity that we may never learn everything about Zheng He' s travels. After he died in 1433, the new
king, who believed these trips were unlucky and too expensive, had them stopped and he burned almost all
the books about Zheng He's travels. It is only in the last 50 years that historians have begun to carefully study
the adventures of the great Zheng He.

1. Why did the Chinese King want Zheng He to sail to many different countries?

A. To bring new countries under the control of China.
B. To show the world how strong the King was.
C. To receive gifts from the kings of other countries.
D. To discover unusual animals.

2. What do we know about Zheng He from the passage?

A. He sailed to all seven continents.
B. Each of his trips lasted one year.
C. He died at the age of 62.
D. He was a successful businessman.

3. Which of the following did Zheng He NOT bring with him from China?

A. Medicine.
B. Gold.
C. Animals.
D. Silk.

4. What happened after Zheng He died?

A. He was forgotten for ever.
B. His ships were all burned.
C. The new king wrote a book about him.
D. Sea trips to other countries were stopped.

5. In what order did the following happen?
a. Zhu Di became the King.
b. Zheng He was caught by soldiers.
c. The books about Zheng He were all burned.
d. Foreigners were brought to China.
e. Zheng He visited India.
f. New ships were built.

A. e, b, a, f, d, c
B. b, a, e, d, c, f
C. f, a, b, d, c, e
D. b, a, f, e, d, c