Over a hundred years ago people in London were surprised to see a very unusual boat come sailing up the Thames River.The boat was eighty feet long flat-bottomed,with big wooden eyes on both sides in the front and was colorfully painted at the back.
People came to know that it was a sailing boat from Fuzhou in distant China.The boat had sailed round the Cape of Good Hope(好望角) up the western coast of Africa,and finally to England.It had covered fifteen thousand miles—more than half of the distance round the world.
Although it was unexpected,the Chinese were warmly welcomed.The boat carried goods such as silk and tea as well as a number of gifts from the Emperor of China for the Queen of England.
People had always mistakenly thought of the Chinese as a people not used to sea.However,from centuries of trading and sailing in dangerous seas,the Chinese had learned how to build good boats and sailed them well.The coming of this sailing boat to London proved once again that the Chinese could sail to distant countries in the world.
小题1:The boat was considered unusual because _________.
A．it was a small wooden boat
B．it carried Chinese silk and tea
C．it had traveled fifteen thousand miles
D．it looked strange in several ways小题2:According to this article,which of the following is TRUE?
A．The distance round the earth measures less than thirty thousand miles.
B．The Chinese Emperor gave silk and tea to the English Queen as gifts.
C．The Chinese boat came to London by accident.
D．The Chinese people were not good at sailing in dangerous seas.小题3:The boat reached London by sailing _________.
A．round the southern end of Africa
B．up the west coast of England
C．through the Arctic Ocean
D．round Asia and Europe小题4:.The writer wants to prove that a long time ago the Chinese _________.
A．carried silk,tea and other goods to England
B．could reach many parts of the world by sea
C．could sail along the Thames River
D．surprised Londoners with an unusual boat
