Level 2 Reading 8B

Ch.16 Reading 8B

第16章 阅读8B

THE TRAVELS OF IBN BATTUTA "I left Tangier, my birthplace, the 13th of June, 1325, with the intention of making the pilgrimage [to Mecca] ... to leave all my friends both female and male, to abandon my home as birds abandon their nests." So begins an old manuscript in a library in Paris—the travel journal of Ibn Battuta. Almost two centuries before Columbus, this young Moroccan set off for Mecca, returning home three decades later. Ibn Battuta is now regarded as one of history's great travelers. Driven by curiosity, he journeyed to remote corners of the Islamic world, traveling three times as far as Marco Polo, through 44 modern countries. He is little celebrated in some parts of the world, yet his name is well known among Arabs. In his hometown of Tangier, a square, a hotel, a cafe, a ferry boat, and even a hamburger are named after him. Prior to his adventures traveling the world, Ibn Battuta studied in Mecca for several years. However, the urge to travel soon took over. He traveled to India, seeking profitable employment with the Sultan of Delhi. On the way, he described his group being attacked in the open country by 80 foot soldiers and two horsemen: "we fought ... killing one of their horsemen and about twelve of the foot soldiers ... I was hit by an arrow and my horse by another, but God in his grace preserved me." In Delhi, the sultan gave him the position of judge, based on his studies at Mecca. But the sultan had an unpredictable character, and lbn Battuta was soon looking for an opportunity to leave. When the sultan offered to finance a trip to China, Ibn Battuta agreed. He set off in three ships, but misfortune struck while he was still on shore. A sudden storm grounded and broke up two of the ships. Scattering treasure, the storm drowned many people and horses. As he watched, the third ship, with all his belongings and slaves, was carried out to sea and never heard from again. After a lifetime of adventures, Ibn Battuta was finally ordered by the Sultan of Morocco to return home to share his wisdom with the world. Fortunately, he consented and wrote a book that has been translated into numerous languages, allowing people everywhere to read about his incredible journeys.

伊本·巴图塔的游记 “我于1325年6月13日离开我的出生地丹吉尔，打算前往麦加朝圣。。。 离开我所有的男女朋友，像鸟儿抛弃巢穴一样抛弃我的家。" 巴黎一家图书馆的一份旧手稿开始了——伊本·巴图塔的旅行日记。 在哥伦布之前大约两个世纪，这位年轻的摩洛哥人出发前往麦加，三十年后返回家园。 伊本·巴图塔现在被认为是历史上伟大的旅行家之一。 在好奇心的驱使下，他前往伊斯兰世界的偏远角落，穿越44个现代国家，是马可波罗的三倍。 他在世界上的一些地方并不出名，但他的名字在阿拉伯人中却广为人知。 在他的家乡丹吉尔，一个广场、一家酒店、一家咖啡馆、一艘渡船，甚至一个汉堡都以他的名字命名。 在周游世界之前，伊本·巴图塔在麦加学习了几年。 然而，旅行的冲动很快就占据了主导地位。 他前往印度，在德里苏丹那里寻找有利可图的工作。 途中，他描述了他的团队在开阔地带遭到80名步兵和两名骑兵的袭击： “我们战斗了……杀死了他们的一名骑兵和约十二名步兵。。。 我被箭射中，我的马被另一只箭射中，但上帝在他的恩典中保护了我。” 在德里，苏丹根据他在麦加的学习，给了他法官的职位。 但苏丹性格难以捉摸，巴图塔很快就在寻找离开的机会。 当苏丹提出资助一次中国之行时，伊本·巴图塔同意了。 他乘三艘船出发，但不幸的是，他还在岸上。 一场突如其来的风暴使两艘船只搁浅并断裂。 风暴冲走了财宝，淹死了许多人和马。 就在他看着的时候，第三艘船，连同他的所有财物和奴隶，被带到了海上，再也没有消息了。 经过一生的冒险，伊本·巴图塔终于被摩洛哥苏丹下令回国，与世界分享他的智慧。 幸运的是，他同意了，并写了一本被翻译成多种语言的书， 让世界各地的人们都能读到他令人难以置信的旅程。

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