2017年职称英语考试阅读理解精选文章5

“1325年6月13日，我离开了家乡丹吉尔，打算前往麦加朝圣。我告别了所有的朋友，如鸟儿离巢般，告别故土。”这便是伊本白图泰游记的序言。这份旧的手稿存放在巴黎一家图书馆里。

这个年轻的摩洛哥人所处的年代比哥伦布的年代要早了几乎两个世纪，从他出发去麦加算起，30年之后伊本白图泰才回到故乡，那时的他已经晋升到历史上伟大旅行家的行列。出于好奇，他游历了伊斯兰世界的各个角落，足迹遍布了44座现代城市，总行程是马可波罗的3倍。虽然在西方社会不怎么有名，伊本白图泰在阿拉伯国家却家喻户晓。在伊本白图泰的故乡丹尼尔，有以他命名的广场、旅店、咖啡馆、渡船，甚至汉堡。

伊本白图泰以学生的身份在麦加待了几年，但对于游历的渴望很快又让他重新出发。有一次他来到印度，在德里的苏丹王那里谋到了一份收入颇丰的工作。他写到，在去德里的路上，他的队伍在野外被80名步行和2位马夫攻击：“我们进行了殊死搏斗。。。杀死了他们的一位马夫和差不多12名步行 。。。我和马都中了箭，但是多谢真主的恩赐，最后我活了下来。。。我们背着亡者的头颅前往阿布巴卡尔的城堡。。。并把这些头颅挂在城墙上。”因为有在麦加的学习经历，德里的苏丹王给伊本白图泰安排了法官的工作。但是这位苏丹王脾气古怪，性情多变，所以伊本白图泰想借机逃走：当苏丹王提出要资助伊本白图泰去中国旅行时，他同意了。伊本白图泰将要乘着三艘船起航，但他还未离岸，不幸便降临了。一声突出其来的暴风雨摧毁了两艘船，吹走了财宝，许多船员和马匹都溺水而亡。他眼睁睁看着载着他的财物和奴隶的第三艘船被吹到了海上，从此便再无音讯。更糟的是，他的孩子也在这艘船上。

最后摩洛哥的苏丹王要求一生游历的伊本白图泰回家和世人分享他的智慧。幸运的是，他同意了此事并写了本书。这本书已被翻译成了很多种语言，可以让世人了解他那无与伦比的旅行经历。

The Travels of Ibn Battuta

“I left Tangier,my birthplace,the 13th of june 1325 with the intention of making the pilgrimage[to mecce]...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 as one of history’s great travelers.Driven by curiosity,he journeyed to remote corners of the Islamic world,traveling through 44 modern countries,three times as far as Marco Polo,little celebrated in the West,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.

Ibn Battutn stayed in Mecca as a student for several years,but the urge to travel soon took over.In one adventure,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 men on foot,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... .We carried the heads of the slain to the castle of Abu Bak’har...and suspended them from the wall .”In Delhhi,the sultan gave him the position of judge,based on his prior study at Mecca.But the sultan had an unpredictable character,and Ibn Battuta looked for an opportunity to leave.When the sultan offered to finance a trip to China,he agreed.Ibn Battuta set off in three ships,but misfortune struck while he was still on the shore.A sudden storm grounded and broke up two ships,scattering treasure and drowning many people and horses.As he watched,the third ship,with all his belongings and slaves --one carrying his child--was carried out to sea and never heard from again.

After a lifetime of incredible adventures,Ibn Battuta aws 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 unparalleled journeys.

词汇：pilgrimage n. 朝圣，远游 ferry n.渡船

Slain:slay的过去分词 slay v. 杀死，杀戮

Sultan n. 苏丹(伊斯兰教国王，某些伊斯兰国家统治者的称号)职称英语考试