【正文】 lorers. Match them with their achievements. Write the correct letters in the blanks. (P 2) voyages across the Atlantic opened up the New World — the American continents — to Europe. ______ travels to the west of China helped open up Central Asia to China. ______ went on seven trips to the Western Seas. __ 4. He travelled to China and wrote a book about his travels. _______ d c a b Look at the title and the picture and predict the main content of the article. The voyages of Zheng He his family his voyages his life his achievements what we can learn from him his death was Zheng He? was Zheng He born? did Zheng He go on his trips? effects did his trips have on China and the world? Tick (√) the possible answers. a. They set up trade routes between China and other countries. b. They encouraged the exchange of cultures and technologies. c. They made the relationships between countries stronger. A famous Chinese explorer. In Yunnan. From 1405 to 1433. √ √ √ Look at the title and the first sentence of each paragraph of the article on page 3. Th n answer the questions below. (P 2) Now listen to the article and tell the meanings of the following numbers. 1371 1405 1433 25,000 7 1371: Zheng He was born in that year. 1405: Zheng He set off on/started his first voyage in that year. 1433: Zheng He died during his last voyage in that year. 25,000: The treasure ships were big enough to carry 25,000 people. 7: Zheng He went on seven voyages throughout his life. Read and finish the following tasks. Zheng He was a great explorer. reasons His ___________________ ________ before Christopher Columbus first ______________________ _____________________ first voyage was nearly a century His travels were __________ ________________________ _________ that they are still studied today. set sail on his journey of discovery to America. so important Task 1: Read Para. 1 and fill in the blanks. word鏈接 Year of birth Place of birth Career Order from the emperor Tasks of his voyages 1371 Yunnan a trusted official of the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to visit and explore the lands outside China ?to develop relations with foreign countries ?to set up trade routes with foreign countries Task 2: Read Para. 2amp。 ? helped ______________ of the countries and regions he travelled to. valuable goods many things that were the development like gold, silver and silk seen in China for the first time In groups, discuss the following questions. (P 5) is Zheng He called a “pioneer”? were Zheng He’s voyages so important in history? D3 1. Because Zheng He’s first voyage was nearly a century befor