the travels of ibn battuta...and the great fire of london, sinbad, mulan, hercules, and an...

DOMINOES

The Travels of Ibn Battuta

LEVEL ONE 400 HEADWORDS

4247726 Ibn Battuta FP.indd 1 7/7/10 15:19:31

DOMINOES

Series Editors: Bill Bowler and Sue Parminter

Illustrated by Ollie Cuthbertson

Janet Hardy-Gould has worked as a teacher of English for many years. In her free time she enjoys reading history books and modern novels, visiting other European countries, and drinking tea with her friends. She lives in the ancient town of Lewes in the south of England with her husband and their two children. She has written a number of books, including Henry VIII and his Six Wives, and King Arthur in the Oxford Bookworms series, and The Great Fire of London, Sinbad, Mulan, Hercules, and an adaptation of Sherlock Holmes: The Emerald Crown in the Dominoes series.

The Travels of Ibn Battuta

Janet Hardy-Gould


A C T I V I T I E SBEFORE READING

1 Ibn Battuta is a famous traveller. Which country did he come from?

a Morocco

d Tunisia

c Bahrain

f India

2 Which places did Ibn Battuta visit? Choose six.

a the pyramids near Cairo b the Pharos lighthouse in Alexandria

c the deserts of Australia d Adam’s Mountain in Serendib

(Sri Lanka)

e the Maldive Islands f the city of Constantinople (Istanbul)

g the city of Damascus h the Colosseum in Rome

b Egypt

e Oman


Chapter 1 - The journey begins

My uncle, Ibn Battuta, sat by the window of his house in Tangier. It was the hot time of the day and his eyes were half-open. I went into the room.

‘Uncle?’ I said quietly. He looked up at me suddenly.‘Ah, Ahmed, it’s you again,’ he smiled. ‘Yes, Uncle,’ I answered. ‘Can you tell me today about

your journeys, please? I want to travel when I’m older, too,’ I said.

‘Is that right?’ he answered. Then he looked carefully at me. ‘How old are you now?’ He could remember things from long ago easily, but things from the day before not very well.

‘I’m eleven,’ I said.‘Well, perhaps in four or five years you can begin

to travel. But it’s not easy, you know. You can see wonderful towns and cities, meet interesting people, and do exciting things. But there are bad times, too. You can get ill, meet big, hungry animals, or lose all your money.’

‘No!’ I said. My eyes were big and open.‘Yes, Ahmed,’ he answered. ‘But

listen to my stories, and perhaps you too can learn to come home alive!’ he laughed. ‘Now, where shall I begin?’

I sat down, ready to listen to him. Every time my uncle told his stories they were different, new, and interesting.

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uncle your father’s (or mother’s) brother

journey when you go far; to go far

travel to go; (plural noun) times when you go to different places

city (plural cities) a big and important town


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judge a person who says what is right and what is wrong

pilgrimage a journey to a holy town or city

holy a place, person, or thing that is near to God

donkey an animal like a little horse with long ears that makes a lot of noise

pilgrim a person who goes to a holy town or city

ruler someone who tells people what must happen in a country

other different

caravan many people on a journey in an Arab country

lighthouse this tall building by the sea stops ships having accidents

‘I was born here in Tangier,’ he began. ‘But of course, you know that,’ he smiled. ‘My father, and his father before him, were judges. So I learnt to be a judge, too. When you’re a judge, it’s easy to travel. You’re important, you see.’

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘Perhaps I can be a judge too, one day.’‘Perhaps,’ he smiled. ‘My first journey was a pilgrimage

to the holy city of Makkah. I got on a donkey and said “Goodbye” to my mother and father in Tangier when I was twenty-one. My mother cried.

‘After some days’ journey, I came to the town of Algiers. Here I met more pilgrims, and we travelled to the city of Constantine. I met the rich ruler there. He looked at my dirty old coat, smiled, and gave a beautiful new coat to me!’

‘Why?’ I asked.‘Good men help people when they need it. After some

days, I left Constantine with the other pilgrims. We never stopped moving because we were afraid. Perhaps people could take our money from us when we slept, we thought. I was soon ill, and I wanted to go to bed and die. But my friends put me on my old donkey, and hit the animal from behind to make it go quickly down the road.’

‘Did you want to come home then, Uncle?’‘Of course,’ he smiled. ‘But I journeyed to Tunis. A good

traveller doesn’t stop easily.‘I left Tunis in a caravan of pilgrims. They asked me,

“Can you be the judge in our caravan?” Of course I said, “Yes.” A caravan judge! Not bad work for a young man! When our caravan arrived in Alexandria, I was excited. I wanted to see the famous Pharos there.’

‘I know,’ I said quickly. ‘That’s a big lighthouse from long ago. Did you go up it?’


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‘No!’ he laughed. ‘The Pharos was in ruins. There wasn’t a lot to see. But not far from Alexandria I met a holy man – Burhan Al-Din. He could see into the future.

‘And what did he tell me? “You’re going to visit India and China! And on your travels you’re going to meet many old friends!” I was happy about this. “I’m going to go far!” I thought.’

‘And did you go to India and China in the end?’‘Wait and see, Ahmed!’ smiled my uncle. ‘I arrived in

Cairo eight months after I first left home. What a big city! And what a lot of people! And they never stop running here and there, day and night! And near Cairo there are the pyramids – big, old buildings from the rulers of Egypt long ago.’

‘And were they in ruins?’ I asked.‘No. Not the pyramids!’ he smiled. ‘Next, I journeyed up

the river Nile. After this we travelled on camels through the hot desert. There were lots of hungry hyenas there, and at night we needed to be very careful.’

‘Of course,’ I cried excitedly.

in ruins old and in pieces

future what is going to happen

pyramid a building with a flat bottom and four sides; these meet in a point at the top

camel this animal can live for a long time with no water

desert a place which has no water

hyena a wild animal, like a dog, that eats things which it finds


pray to speak privately to God

‘One night a big hyena came and took everything from my bag!’ he said. ‘But we soon left the desert. Then I travelled to the holy city of Jerusalem and visited the famous buildings there. Next I went to Damascus. What a beautiful city! Then I travelled to Arabia and visited Medina, and in the end I arrived in Makkah.

‘After a year and a half, it was wonderful to arrive in the city of my pilgrimage! I learnt from holy men there and prayed for three weeks.’

‘And did you come back home then?’ I asked. ‘No. Every night I thought of the holy man, Burhan

Al-Din, and of India and China. I was a true traveller now, and I didn’t want to stop!

‘So I left Makkah with the ruler of Persia’s caravan. When I was young, I heard many stories about the wonderful towns near there. But on my journey I saw something very different. Years before, the Mongols came

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fire this is red and hot, and it burns

snake a long animal with no legs

to these towns. They killed a lot of people, and I saw many houses in ruins there.

‘Perhaps the most interesting town on that journey was Wasit. A number of men with no money lived there in a big house. In the evening, they prayed and ate their dinner. Then they sat near a big fire and told stories. Suddenly some of them walked into the fire! Then they ate the fire. One man put a snake’s head in his mouth and ate it alive!’

‘And you saw all that?’ I cried.‘Yes,’ he laughed. ‘I visited many interesting towns after

that, but I never saw men eat fire and snakes again!‘Then I went to Baghdad. What a wonderful city! But I was

ill there. So I soon went back to Makkah. I learnt from holy men and prayed there for a year, and slowly I felt better.’

‘And what did you do next?’ I asked.‘I travelled by sea for the first time. It was my worst

journey!’ he said. ‘You can hear all about it tomorrow.’

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A C T I V I T I E SREADING CHECK

Choose the correct words to complete the sentences.

a Ibn Battuta is Ahmed’s father / uncle.

b Ahmed is five / eleven years old.

c Ibn Battuta comes from a family of travellers / judges.

d To begin with, Ibn Battuta journeys to the city of Makkah / Tangier.

e The ruler of Constantine gives Ibn Battuta an old donkey / a nice coat.

f Ibn Battuta learns about his future / the pyramids from Burhan Al-Din.

g In the desert, hyenas / camels take things from Ibn Battuta’s bag.

h In the town of Wasit, some of the men walk into a big fire / a lot of snakes.

WORD WORK

1 Find ten more words from Chapter 1 in the wordsquare.

P I L G R I M A G E Q

K R X F Z N C L U W S

P U J I Y R H O L Y D

Y Q U R K U B X V C Q

R J N E B I W N E L Z

A E C T R N P R A Y P

M L L W G S E S K M D

I J E C A R A V A N I

D B J C P Z L O Q H W

S V T R A V E L M S K

R L I G H T H O U S E

2 Use the words from Activity 1 to complete these sentences.

a Ibn Battuta goes on a ………………… to the ………………… city of Makkah.

b This is my ………………… Karim. He’s my father’s brother.

c One day I would like to ………………… across the desert by camel.


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A C T I V I T I E Sd A rich family once lived in that house. Nobody lives there now because it’s

………… ………… .

e When I went to Egypt, I visited the famous ………………… .

f Ships could see the tall ………………… in Alexandria from far away.

g My father and mother ………………… five times every day.

h We saw a lot of smoke in the sky because there was a big ………………… .

i In the desert, there was a long ………………… with hundreds of people on camels

in it.

GUESS WHAT

Ibn Battuta travels by ship in the next chapter. What happens? Tick one box.

Ibn Battuta …Ibn Battuta …

a finishes his journey in the sea when

the ship goes down.

b feels very ill because the ship goes

up and down a lot.

c loses his bags when the ship

suddenly hits a different ship.

d gets on the wrong ship and goes to

the wrong country.


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world where we all live; people live in lots of different countries in the world

coast the place where the land is next to the sea

sail to go by ship

wind air that moves

dangerous something that could kill you

place where something is

guide someone who shows other people where to go

clothes people wear these

Chapter 2 - From Makkah to Chagatay

I arrived at my uncle’s house early the next morning.‘So where did you go on your first sea journey, Uncle?’ I

asked.‘Listen, and learn,’ he said, and then he told me more of

his story: After my first visit to Makkah, I wanted to see more of

the world. So I travelled with friends to Jeddah on the Red Sea coast, and we sailed down to Yemen. For two days the wind was behind us, but suddenly it changed. The sea can be dangerous, Ahmed. One minute it’s beautifully quiet, and the next minute it’s dark and angry.

The wind made our little ship go up and down in the water, and I felt very ill. When we stopped at a village on the coast, my friends and I got off. We finished our journey to the city of Aden by camel.

There we heard stories about a number of famous places in East Africa. So we got on a new ship and sailed down the African coast. Happily, I wasn’t ill at all this time!

After we visited different East African places, we sailed back to South Arabia some months later. Then we wanted to visit Oman, so we took a ship there. But we got off it early because we didn’t like the sailors. This wasn’t a good thing to do. I understood that later!

My friend and I found a guide to take us on foot to Oman. I had a big bag of expensive clothes with me. So I gave it to the guide, and he carried it. But after some time, the guide suddenly ran away with my bag! I went after him and I put my knife near his face. That stopped him! You must always look big and angry with bad men, Ahmed! Never forget that!


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island a country in the sea

shell the hard outside part of a small animal

pearl a little, round, expensive stone that is found in a shellfish

way how to get from one place to a different place

mountain big hill

strange not usual

snow something cold, soft and white

The guide came back, but now I watched him day and night. He wanted to kill us, I think, and take our things. After a week of walking, we arrived in Oman. We were tired, hungry, and thirsty, but happy to be alive!

After Oman, I journeyed to the island of Bahrain. I saw young men in little ships there. Some of them weren’t any older than you, Ahmed. They stood on the ships, looked down into the sea, and then went far under the water for a very long time.

When they came up, they had shells in their hands. They quickly opened the shells with their knives. And what was in them? Wonderful pearls – the biggest and most beautiful pearls in the world! People give a lot of money for them, you know.

After Bahrain, I went back to the holy city of Makkah for a year. There I heard interesting stories about the rich ruler of India. He gave work to judges from different countries, people said. So I looked at different ways to travel to India. In the end, I went across country to Syria, and then sailed up to Anatolia. There are sometimes big caravans to India from there, you see.

I had a very nice journey across Anatolia! In every village young men took us to a house for travellers. There they gave us lots of good things to eat and drink. And when we left, all the people of the village cried and said ‘goodbye’!

I then journeyed north with some new friends. On the mountain roads, something strange happened. One afternoon there was a lot of snow, and when I looked behind me, I couldn’t find my way back to my friends.

So I went on my horse to find help. After some time, I came to a dark little house. At the door, I spoke to an old


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man, but he couldn’t understand me. So he called to a younger man. And when I saw him, I knew him! He was

an old friend from home. What good luck! He helped me to find my new friends, and we stayed the night at

his house. The holy man Burhan Al-Din was right about meeting old friends on my travels!

We then journeyed to the Black Sea, sailed across it, and travelled to the town of Al-Qiram. This was in green, open country. People called this place the Steppe. There we heard something exciting! The caravan of ruler Khan Ozbeg was only three days away! It was a big city with shops, mosques and places to eat in it. And it moved from place to place.

I was interested to meet Khan Ozbeg. He sat on a big chair with his wife, Bayalun, near

him. She had a different caravan. We travelled with his caravan, and I learnt about Bayalun

– the daughter of the ruler of Constantinople. She wanted to visit her home city, so Khan Ozbeg

asked me, ‘Can you take her there?’ I was very happy to travel with Bayalun’s caravan.After seventy-five days we arrived in

Constantinople. I stayed for a month and visited all the important places there. Then I began the long journey back to the Steppe. It was now winter – a dark and dangerous time for Steppe travellers, so I journeyed south to the country of Chagatay, and stayed with the ruler there.

My uncle stopped, and began to close his eyes.‘And did you go to India?’ I asked.‘That’s a story for tomorrow, Ahmed,’ he said.

mosque Muslim people go here to pray


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12

A C T I V I T I E S

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READING CHECK

Correct the mistakes in these sentences.

a Ibn Battuta arrives by ship in the city of Aden.

b Ibn Battuta’s guide wants to run away with his donkey.

c The old men in Bahrain find shells with pearls in them in the sea.

d After Bahrain, Ibn Battuta wants to find a way to travel to America.

e The young men in Anatolia give Ibn Battuta lots of things to wear and look at.

f Something strange happens to Ibn Battuta. He meets an old teacher from home.

g Bayalun’s caravan has shops, mosques and places to eat in it.

h Ibn Battuta travels to Constantinople with Khan Ozbeg’s daughter.

WORD WORK

1 Match the words with the pictures.

1 mountain

2 sail

3 mosque

4 island

5 wind

6 world

7 pearl

8 snow

9 coast

10 shell

11 clothes

a

b

d

e

fg

h

i

jk

c


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A C T I V I T I E S2 Use the words from Activity 1 to complete the dialogues below.

a ‘Do you like travelling by plane or by ship?’ ‘By plane. I always feel ill when I

…………….’

b ‘What’s the tallest …………… in the ……………?’ ‘Mauna Kea in Hawaii.

It’s 9,100 metres tall, but most of it is under the sea.’

c ‘Did you walk by the sea today?’ ‘Yes, and look: I found this nice, big …………… there.’

d ‘My mother gave me this big, expensive, white …………… .’ ‘Really? It’s very beautiful.’

e ‘Where’s your father going?’ ‘He’s going to pray at the …………… near our house.’

f ‘Do you have …………… in the winter in your country?’ ‘No, never. It’s always very

hot.’

g ‘Where does your uncle live?’ ‘On a little …………… in the sea.’

h ‘What do you think of my new ……………?’ ‘I like the coat, but I don’t like the shirt.’

i ‘Is the weather going to be good today?’ ‘No, there’s going to be lots of ……………

and rain.’

j ‘Do you live on the ……………?’ ‘No, I live 200 kilometres from the sea.’

GUESS WHAT

In the next chapter Ibn Battuta meets the Sultan of Delhi. Look at his picture. Tick three boxes.

The Sultan of Delhi is …

a very rich ruler.

a famous judge.

always happy and nice to people.

sometimes happy, but often

angry with people.

a good man to work for.

a dangerous man to work for.

e.


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horn some animals have one or two of these on their heads for fighting

rhinoceros a big animal with a horn on its nose

sultan a ruler in a country in North Africa or the Middle East

Chapter 3 - From Chagatay to Calicut

When I went back the next afternoon, my uncle was happy to see me.

‘Ah, Ahmed, you’re here again. Good,’ he smiled, and he began his story at once:

For my long winter journey to India the ruler of Chagatay gave me a warm coat, two horses, two camels, and lots of money. We travelled south to Samarkand – a city of beautiful buildings and wonderful gardens. From there, we journeyed to the Hindukush mountains.

Many people die in the snow in these famous mountains, so we stopped and waited for the bad weather to change. A good traveller always thinks about the weather, Ahmed. When it was better, we got up early one morning and went slowly over the cold and dangerous mountains. There was lots of snow under our feet, and we needed to put down coats for our big camels to walk on. We didn’t want them to stop in the snow and die of cold. We were all very happy when the Hindukush mountains were behind us.

After four long months, we arrived in the north of India, and there I saw something strange. We were on the road one day when a big animal came out from the trees. It had a fat body, little legs, and a very big head with a dangerous horn on it! The animal ran at my friend’s horse, and it hit the horse’s leg with its horn. The horse nearly died. I later learnt the name of that strange animal. It was a rhinoceros.

We journeyed to the city home of the Sultan of Delhi – Muhammad Tughluq. I knew a lot about this man before I arrived. He liked judges from different countries. You see, Ahmed, sultans often need people from other countries to help them.


I soon learnt more about the Sultan. It is very important to arrive in Delhi with expensive gifts for him. He then gives you back better gifts and lots of money. And in the end, you’re richer than before! So, I got thirty beautiful horses and three camels for the Sultan. Remember that, Ahmed: when you meet a new ruler, always arrive with gifts!

When we first came to Delhi, the Sultan was away. But when he heard about me, he made me one of his judges. I was now a rich and important man! I was, of course, excited to meet him when he arrived home. His house was very big, and I needed to walk through door after door to find his room. He sat there on a gold chair with soldiers all about him. He took my hand, and spoke warmly to me for some time.

The next day, I went by horse with the Sultan and his soldiers through the streets of Delhi. Lots of men on elephants came after us. They left gold money on the road behind them when they went past, and people ran here and there to find it!

gift something that you give to someone

gold expensive yellow metal

soldier a person in an army

elephant a very big animal with a long nose

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16

trouble problems

enemy (plural enemies) someone who is not your friend

fight (past fought) to hit someone again and again

tusk these are long and white; an elephant has two of them next to its mouth

The Sultan could write beautifully, and he could speak four different languages. But he was often angry, too. Every day he asked his soldiers to kill people, sometimes for very little things. I needed to be very careful.

For two years, my work went well. But then the Sultan began to have trouble with his enemies. One ruler near Delhi fought with him. And what did the Sultan do with his enemy when he found the man?

Well, Sultan Muhammad had lots of elephants, and he took some of them and put big knives on their tusks. He then put his enemy in front of the elephants. The animals played with the man. They moved their knives up and down and cut his body open. He died, of course, and it was a very bad thing for us all to watch.

I took a wife, a wonderful woman, to live with me in my house in Delhi. But then my wife’s father began to fight with the Sultan. This wasn’t good because people began to speak badly about me. Perhaps I was an enemy of the Sultan too, they said.

Then something worse happened. A famous holy man – Shaikh Shihab Al-Din – lived on a hill near Delhi. I was very interested in him, and I sometimes visited his home.

But Sultan Muhammad was very angry with Shaikh Shihab Al-Din. He asked the holy man to do many different things, but Shaikh Shihab always said ‘No’ to him. So in the end, the Sultan’s men went and killed the holy man! And when the Sultan asked about the holy man’s friends, people gave my name to him! ‘Is Sultan Muhammad going to be angry with me?’ I thought. ‘What can I do? I can’t run away from him because then his soldiers are going to come and kill me too.’


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bandit a robber who attacks travellers

rock a very big stone

I was very afraid. I stopped eating and drank only water. In the end I left Delhi and stayed with a different holy man for five months. I gave away all my expensive things and beautiful clothes, and I prayed from morning to night.

Then one day the Sultan’s soldiers came to visit me with horses and new clothes. ‘The Sultan wants to see you,’ they said. I put on my new clothes, went back to Delhi, and sat before the Sultan.

‘Ibn Battuta, you’re going to be my man in China!’ he smiled. ‘I have fifteen Chinese visitors here. Go back to China with them, and take gifts from me for their ruler.’

I couldn’t say ‘No’ to the Sultan, and of course I wanted to see China. But, very importantly, I could now leave the Sultan and stay alive! So I said ‘Yes’ at once.

I left Delhi in a big caravan with gifts for the ruler of China – lots of horses and big bags of gold. My wife and young daughter came with me, too. We had a thousand of the Sultan’s best soldiers with us. That was good because four days later we met four thousand of the Sultan’s enemies! We fought and killed them all, but I soon had more trouble.

One afternoon, I went for a walk in the mountains far from the caravan. Suddenly, forty bandits came out from behind some rocks. They wanted to take all my expensive clothes from me, and to kill me, too! Of course, I didn’t want to die, so I told them lots of good stories, and I gave them all my clothes. In the morning, I was a free man, but I had nothing to wear – only my trousers!

For days I walked in the mountains with nobody to help me. From time to time, I saw more bandits. But I went quickly behind rocks and trees, and they didn’t see me.


In the end, I was tired, cold, and hungry. One day, a good traveller found me, and he carried me to the next village. I had the best dinner in the world there, and it was wonderful to put on warm clothes, too! Two days later, I found the caravan again. My wife and young daughter were very happy to see me.

We journeyed to the town of Cambay, and carried all our beautiful gifts onto four ships. Then we

sailed south to Calicut, and put everything on three

big, Chinese ships there. I went to the mosque that afternoon and prayed for a good journey.

But before I got on the ship, something very bad happened! The weather suddenly changed, and the wind broke two of our ships

on rocks by the coast. We lost everything – the

gifts, the people, and the animals. The third ship – with

my wife and daughter on it – sailed away, and I never saw it – or them – again.

I needed to go back to the Sultan and tell him about all this. But I was afraid. When the Sultan was angry,

he often killed people.‘So did you go back to Delhi, Uncle?’ I asked.

‘You can hear about that tomorrow, Ahmed,’ he smiled.

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19


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Match the two parts of the sentences.

a Ibn Battuta journeys across the Hindukush mountains on a … 1 gifts.

b On the road, Ibn Battuta and his friends see a … 2 big camel.

c Ibn Battuta arrives in Delhi with a lot of … 3 enemies.

d The Sultan of Delhi makes Ibn Battuta a … 4 China.

e The Sultan fights and kills his … 5 clothes.

f The holy man Shaikh Shihab Al-Din says ‘No’ to the … 6 rhinoceros.

g The Sultan wants Ibn Battuta to go to … 7 rich judge.

h In the mountains, some bandits take Ibn Battuta’s … 8 Calicut.

i Ibn Battuta loses three ships in … 9 Sultan.

WORD WORK

Find words from Chapter 3 to complete the sentences.

a The rhinoceros is dangerous and it hits one of the horses with its big h _ _ _. [rhno]

b When Ibn Battuta first arrives in the city of Delhi, the S _ _ _ _ _ is away. [atusln]

c At home, the Sultan always sits on a beautiful g _ _ _ chair. [ogdl]

d Hundreds of men on big e _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ leave money on the streets of Delhi.

[lepseathn]

e The Sultan puts big knives on the t _ _ _ _ of some of his elephants. [uksts]

f Some s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ come and kill the holy man Shaikh Shihab Al-Din. [oisrdles]

g The Sultan has a lot of t _ _ _ _ _ _ because many people are against him. [rtuoleb]

h Soon after the caravan leaves Delhi, the Sultan’s men need to stop and f _ _ _ _. [ifhtg]

i The b _ _ _ _ _ _ in the mountains want to kill Ibn Battuta. [sabidtn]

j Because Ibn Battuta goes behind some r _ _ _ _ nobody can see him. [skorc]


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A C T I V I T I E SGUESS WHAT

In the next chapter Ibn Battuta visits many different places. What does he find in each place? Tick the boxes.

a In the Maldives there are …

1 big snakes.

2 beautiful shells.

3 dangerous bandits.

b On the island of Serendib he gets

some …

1 wonderful clothes.

2 gold shoes.

3 expensive pearls and red rubies.

c On the island of Java he finds …

1 a lot of people on elephants.

2 some very hungry hyenas.

3 hundreds of pilgrims.

d In China he sees …

1 dogs with long ears.

2 cats with blue-green eyes.

3 horses with little legs.

a In the Maldives there are …

1 big snakes.

2 beautiful shells.

3 dangerous bandits.

b On the island of Serendib he gets

some …

1 wonderful clothes.

2 gold shoes.

3 expensive pearls and red rubies.


alone with nobody

Chapter 4 - From the Maldives to China

My uncle didn’t answer his door at once the next day. So I waited in the street, and I thought about the Sultan of Delhi. In my head, I could see his big, angry face when he heard all about those three ships.

Just then, my uncle opened the door. ‘Ah, hello, Ahmed. Come in, and sit down!’ he said, and then he began his story again:

Of course I couldn’t go back to the Sultan. That was dangerous. I needed to leave India at once, I knew. Then I remembered the holy man Burhan Al-Din’s words about visiting China. Perhaps I could go there alone, without the Sultan’s help.

First I sailed to the Maldives. They are truly wonderful islands and there are about 2,000 of them. The

Maldives are famous for their beautiful shells. The people there don’t have gold money. For them,

shells are money.I stayed on the island of Male. I wanted only to visit the place, but the rulers there

needed a new judge. When I arrived, they brought gifts of gold and pearls

to my house. It wasn’t easy for me to leave the island

after that.

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23

footprint the hole that someone’s foot makes in soft ground when they walk

ruby (plural rubies) an expensive red stone

So I had new work to do. I was the judge on Male. At first, everything went well. I took a wife from an important family, and I did my usual work. But I soon began to have enemies. I was a rich man and people didn’t like that. So they said bad things about me.

After nine months, it was time to sail away. My wife wasn’t a good sea traveller. So I left her behind on the island. You sometimes need to leave a place quickly, Ahmed – before things go badly wrong!

I left for China, but first I sailed to the island of Serendib. When we were nine days away from it, we could see its famous mountain – Adam’s Mountain – across the sea. Many people make the pilgrimage to this holy mountain because on it you can see a footprint of Adam – the first man in our world.

I stayed with the Sultan of Serendib for three days. He loved listening to my traveller’s stories, and he gave me pearls and big rubies. Serendib is famous for its rubies, you see. The women there wear them all over their arms and legs.

The Sultan told me all about Adam’s Mountain, There are two ways to walk up to Adam’s footprint, an easy way and a dangerous way. You’re a true pilgrim only when you go the dangerous way, so of course I went up that way! It was a long journey over big rocks and between dark trees. But we arrived in the end at Adam’s footprint. It was wonderful there. You’re up in the sky, and you can see things very far away.

After that I left Serendib by ship for India. I was a happy man with lots of pearls and rubies in my bag! But soon things went wrong. One day, sudden winds took our ship


swim (past swam) to go through the water moving your arms and legs

pirate a person on a ship who takes things from other ships

onto some rocks. I was afraid because I can’t swim. The sailors took some of the women travellers away, but I stayed alone all night on the ship and prayed.

In the morning, some people found me and took me back to the coast of Serendib. I sailed away once more, but this time lots of pirates came onto our ship. They took all my pearls, rubies, and expensive clothes – and then left me on an island in only my trousers! ‘Not again!’ I thought.

I sailed back to the Maldives once more, and there I got on a ship to China.

On the journey, I stopped at a number of places and visited two islands – Sumatra and Java. Java was very interesting. Everybody there has an elephant, and people visit the shops on them!

After Java, we sailed for forty days with a good wind behind us, and arrived in China. There’s a lot to tell you about China, Ahmed. Chinese people can make many different things very well – from wonderful pictures to beautiful boxes.

China is a very nice country for travellers, and I journeyed easily from town to town. Some of their animals are

24


different from our animals, too, and that interested me. They have cats with blue-green eyes, you know. And when I stopped in one city called Fuzhou, something very interesting happened.

A judge arrived in the city, and my friends took me to meet him. We said ‘Hello’, and then this man looked at me, and I looked at him.

‘I know you!’ I cried. ‘You’re Al-Bushri and you’re from Ceuta – not far from my home town of Tangier!’

‘That’s right!’ he smiled.We laughed and talked for hours. You meet people in the

strangest places, Ahmed! The holy man Burhan Al-Din was right again about finding old friends on my journeys!

After some months in China, I was ready to begin my long journey home. So I went to look for a ship.

‘And did you come home at once?’ I asked.‘No,’ he said. ‘I stopped at cities from my earlier journeys

– Damascus, Cairo, and many more. But when I went back they were dark and different places,’ he said slowly. ‘I can tell you all about that tomorrow.’

25


26


Are these sentences true or false? Tick the boxes. True False

a Ibn Battuta goes back to see the Sultan of Delhi.

b The people in the Maldives have shells for money.

c Everybody in the Maldives likes Ibn Battuta.

d After nine months, Ibn Battuta leaves the Maldives.

e The Sultan of Serendib loves Ibn Battuta’s stories.

f Ibn Battuta walks up the easy way to Adam’s footprint.

g Ibn Battuta swims away when his ship hits some rocks.

h Some pirates take Ibn Battuta’s pearls, rubies, and clothes.

i China is a difficult place for people to travel through at this time.

j Al-Bushri and Ibn Battuta are old friends.

WORD WORK

1 Find four more words from the story in the photograph.

dpiratea

rubym

aloneas

swimcfootprintus


27

A C T I V I T I E S2 Use the words from Activity 1 in the correct form to complete the dialogues.

a

b

c

d

e

3 What are the extra letters in the photograph of the elephant? Write them in order and find the name of a famous city in the next chapter.

D _ _ _ _ _ _ _

GUESS WHAT

In the next chapter Ibn Battuta goes back to some cities from his earlier journeys. What does he find there? Tick the boxes. Yes No Perhaps

A lot of the people in these cities are now very ill.

The cities are now in ruins because of very bad weather.

Hundreds of dangerous bandits are now living in the cities.

Many of his friends from before are dead.

There is a lot of water in these places because of the winter rains.

Some people stopped a big ship last week and took a

lot of money from it.

Do you walk to school with your friends?

Does your younger brother like ……………?

Come and look at these beautiful …………… in

the shop window!

How did the detectives find the killer?

Is that true? Are there really ……………. in the

world today?

No. I usually walk …………… . My friends always

go by bicycle.

No, he’s afraid of the water, and he never goes

into the sea.

They’re a wonderful red colour. I’d love to buy them for you,

but I haven’t got the money.

They saw some of his …………… in the snow next to

the dead body.


28

news when someone tells you something new

plague a very bad illness; it can kill lots of people

Chapter 5 - To Tangier and Granada

‘So what was the trouble with those cities when you visited them again?’ I asked my uncle when I arrived the next day.

‘Let’s talk about my journey from China first,’ he answered quietly.

On my way back from China, I stopped in Sumatra again. Then I got on a big ship and sailed for forty days to India. When I arrived there, I thought about visiting the Sultan, but I was afraid. Perhaps he remembered his gifts for the ruler of China, and the time when I lost them all!

From India, I sailed to the south coast of Arabia. I then travelled through Persia to Baghdad. I journeyed across the desert and – in the end – I arrived once more in the city of Damascus. It was twenty years from the time of my last visit, but I remembered it well!

In Damascus, I heard something interesting. A teacher from Tangier now lived and worked in the city! I was excited to meet this man, and I asked him at once for news from home. My father was dead, but my mother was alive, he told me. I felt bad about my father, and suddenly, after twenty-four long years away, I began to think of going back home, and of seeing my mother.

I journeyed to Aleppo, but there I heard some bad news. The plague wasn’t far away, and many people were ill with it. At first, I travelled quickly from city to city in Syria. I wanted to stay in front of the plague, you see. But – after a time – when I arrived in new places, the plague was there before me.

So I went back to Damascus. Here I learnt the worst – at that time, lots of men, women and children died of plague there every day. Everybody came out into the streets with


their holy books and prayed for their families, but nobody could stop the plague.

The news of the plague made me think of my mother again. Was she ill, too, perhaps? So I travelled on pilgrimage to Makkah one more time, and then began my way back home through Cairo. Of course, I knew this wonderful city from years before. But it was very different now. Twenty-one thousand people died from the plague there every day.

My uncle stopped and looked out of the window.

‘Did you get ill, Uncle?’ I asked.‘No, I didn’t,’ he said slowly. ‘And I thank God

for that.’I left Cairo, travelled to Tunis, and then got on a

ship to the island of Sardinia. We didn’t stay there long. There were bandits on the island and they wanted to fight and kill us, so we left quickly.

After Sardinia, I sailed to North Africa and then travelled by donkey to Tangier. But not long before I arrived home, I heard bad news about my mother. She was dead, people in the town of Taza told me. I was very sorry to hear this.

In the end, I went to the most important city in our country – Fez – and I met our ruler, Sultan Abu Inan, there. To me, he was more wonderful than all the rulers in the world. Sometimes, Ahmed, the things in your home country are the best.

29


grave where you put someone under the ground when they are dead

kingdom a country where a king is the ruler

king the most important man in a country

After that I went back to Tangier and visited my mother’s grave. I was ill for three months, but then I heard my friends talk about trouble in the Kingdom of Granada – Al-Andalus. ‘King Alfonso of Castile is going to fight our brothers there,’ they said. ‘We must help them.’

Soon after that, we sailed to the Kingdom of Granada. But King Alfonso died of the plague before we arrived, and we didn’t need to fight. So I stayed and visited all the interesting places in that country.

Now I must tell you a story about my time there. One day, I was on the coast road to Malaga when I met twelve soldiers on horses. They asked me to journey with them because the road to Malaga was dangerous. There were enemy ships near the coast. I wanted to go with them, but in the end I stayed behind and travelled with my friends.

Later, on the road to Malaga, we found a dead horse in our way. It was one of the twelve soldiers’ horses, and I

30


soon learnt their story. Those soldiers were now in the hands of dangerous enemy sailors, but I was free. I thanked God for that, and I prayed for all of our brothers.

Then I journeyed to the famous city of Granada. In one of the beautiful gardens there I met some writers. They were interested in my traveller’s stories and one young man, Ibn Juzayy, listened carefully and began to write about my long journey. I didn’t know it at the time, but Ibn Juzayy was later a very important friend to me.

Soon after that, I left the Kingdom of Granada and sailed back to Morocco.

‘And this time you stayed at home in our country! Is that right, Uncle?’ I said.

‘Well, no,’ he smiled. ‘I didn’t. There was one more country to visit – a place of hot deserts and dangerous snakes. Come back to hear about that tomorrow morning, Ahmed.’

31


32


Choose the right words to finish the sentences.

e Ibn Battuta leaves Sardinia because …

1 there are dangerous bandits on the

island.

2 the people on the island have the

plague.

3 there is sudden bad news about his

mother.

f In Fez, Ibn Battuta meets …

1 his mother’s brother.

2 the ruler of his country.

3 some of his old friends.

g In the Kingdom of Granada, twelve

soldiers …

1 ask Ibn Battuta to travel with them.

2 want to fight and kill Ibn Battuta.

3 begin to write down Ibn Battuta’s

stories.

h Ibn Battuta talks to … in a garden in

Granada.

1 King Alfonso of Castile

2 some writers

3 some travellers

a Ibn Battuta comes back from China

on …

1 an old camel.

2 a little donkey.

3 a big ship.

b … gives Ibn Battuta news about his

parents.

1 A traveller from Aleppo

2 A teacher from Tangier

3 A pilgrim on the way to Makkah

c When Ibn Battuta hears about his

parents, he …

1 wants to go home.

2 prays at the mosque.

3 buys some beautiful gifts.

d In Damascus, people are dying

because they …

1 have nothing to eat.

2 live in the streets.

3 have the plague.


33

A C T I V I T I E SWORD WORK

1 Find words from Chapter 5 in these sentences and complete the puzzle.

a My brother told me some bad ensw. He lost his expensive new camera yesterday.

b Our country isn’t very big. It’s only a small dikogmn in the desert.

c Hundreds of years ago, many people died from the lpugae.

d The ruler of that country is a young

inkg, but he comes from an old and

famous family.

e When we visited the old city, we saw the

vrega of a traveller from long ago there.

a

b

c

d

e

2 Read the blue squares above and find the name of a dangerous animal. This animal makes a lot of trouble for one traveller in the next chapter.

GUESS WHAT

In the next chapter Ibn Battuta travels south from Morocco and then home again. Which people does he meet? Tick four boxes. Which people does he meet? Tick four boxes.

The Sultan of Delhi.

Ibn Battuta worked

for him in India.

Al-Bushri’s brother.

Ibn Battuta once met

Al-Bushri in China.

King Mansa

Sulayman – the rich

and famous king of

Mali.

The holy man

Burhan Al-Din. He

once told Ibn Battuta

about his future.

The Sultan of

Morocco – the ruler

of Ibn Battuta’s home

country.

The writer Ibn

Juzayy. Ibn Battuta

met him in Granada.


34

piece some, but not all, of something

salt this is white and it comes from the ground; we put it on things before we eat them

Chapter 6 - To Mali and back

When I arrived the next day, my uncle said, ‘Ahmed, you wanted to be a traveller before. Do you want to be a traveller now?’

‘Yes,’ I answered. ‘It’s not easy, I know. But I truly want to travel.’

‘Good,’ he said. ‘So listen carefully – because there’s more to learn.’

For my last journey, I travelled south because I wanted to visit Mali. You see, years before in Cairo, I heard many stories about the famous King of Mali – Mansa Sulayman – and all his gold.

So I left Fez and journeyed across the Atlas mountains to the town of Sijilmasa. Now, do you remember – I met a man called Al-Bushri in China? Well, in Sijilmasa I met Al-Bushri’s brother! It was strange. The two brothers were in very different places, but I met the older one and the younger one!

Then I travelled by camel with a caravan to Taghaza. It wasn’t a beautiful village, but it had some interesting buildings. The people there take big pieces of salt from the desert and make houses with them. There’s a salt mosque there too!

I stayed in a little salt house in the village. But the water there was very bad to drink, so after ten days we left and began our long and dangerous journey south across the hot desert.

At first, a friend and I left our caravan every morning to look for things to eat for our camels. But one day we heard some bad news. Ibn Ziri, a man from our caravan, walked alone into the desert with no water bottle. Later, friends


35

finger you have five of these on your hand

cut (past cut) to take off with a knife

found him dead under a tree. After that, we always stayed

with the caravan. You must never go alone into the desert, Ahmed. You can easily forget your way and die quickly in the hot sun.

There were lots of big snakes in this desert too, and one man in the caravan liked playing with them. What happened to him? A snake put its teeth into one of his fingers one morning, and he nearly died! In the end, with a knife, he cut this finger from his hand, and so he lived. Remember – playing with snakes is very dangerous!

We journeyed for many weeks to the biggest city in Mali to meet King Mansa Sulayman. But soon after we arrived, I ate something bad, and I was ill for a long time.

Usually, when you’re an important traveller, the ruler takes expensive gifts to you when you first arrive in a town. So I waited in my bed day after day for Mansa Sulayman’s men to visit me.

After some weeks, the King’s men arrived with gifts. Perhaps it was some nice clothes or some pieces of gold, I thought. But no! They gave me some old bread and meat!

When I felt better, I visited the King’s beautiful house every day. I waited for more gifts, but I got nothing. In the end, I spoke to the King. ‘I’m a world traveller. In every country rulers give me wonderful gifts when I arrive. I arrived in your city four months ago, but you do not speak to me or give me nice things. What can I say about you to other people?’


36

hippopotamus a large African animal, with thick skin, that lives in or near water

Things soon changed after that. Mansa Sulayman was now very good to me, and he gave me a house and a lot of gold. And when I left the city with a friend to visit the country, his men brought me more gold!

In the end, my friend and I came to a big river. I saw some very strange animals in the water there – horses with big fat bodies, little legs and elephants’ feet. My friend called them ‘hippopotamuses’ but they were new to me!

I travelled north to Timbuktu, but in a town near Timbuktu I was very ill once more. Then one day, I got a letter from the Sultan of Morocco. He needed me at once. ‘What does he want?’ I thought.

We travelled north for a long time, and went back over the Atlas mountains. The winter snow there made the roads very dangerous, and we journeyed slowly.

In the end, after some months, I arrived back at the Sultan’s home in Fez. ‘I have important work for you!’ he said when he saw me. ‘There’s a young writer here. His name is Ibn Juzayy, and he wants to write down all your stories. Then everybody can learn about them.’

‘Ibn Juzayy?’ I said at once. ‘I know him! I met him in Granada! A holy man once told me about meeting friends in different places. It happened before, and now it’s happening again!’

Of course, it was wonderful to speak to Ibn Juzayy again. I told him all about the exciting places, the different animals, and the interesting people from all my journeys. And now Ahmed, all these stories are in a book. I’m not going to be here always. But take this. It’s my gift to you. You can read it, and learn more about my travels when you want.


With that, my uncle put a big book into my hand. ‘Thank you, Uncle!’ I said. I took the book home with

me that afternoon. My uncle died not long after that. But I have his book – and I often read it – to this day.

37


38


1 Correct ten more mistakes in the story.

Ibn Battuta travels south across the Hindukush mountains to Sijilmasa. Here he

meets the son of a man called Al-Bushri. He once met Al-Bushri long before in

China.

He then travels to the small

village of Taghaza. The people

there make interesting buildings

from snow. But Ibn Battuta doesn’t

stay very long in Taghaza because

the water is very expensive there.

Next, Ibn Battuta journeys south

across the desert with a caravan.

One man, Ibn Ziri, leaves the

caravan without his water bottle

and sleeps alone under a tree.

Then a different man plays with

a big hyena and it puts its teeth

into his finger. The man nearly

dies, but in the end he loses

only one hand, and lives.

When Ibn Battuta arrives at last in Mali, the King’s men bring him some pearls

and some rubies. But Ibn Battuta isn’t happy about this, and he goes to speak to

the King. The King then gives him a lot of bread.

When Ibn Battuta journeys north to Timbuktu, he suddenly gets a letter from the

Sultan of Serendib. So he travels back to Fez. At the Sultan’s home, Ibn Battuta

meets Ibn Juzayy – the old writer from Granada. Ibn Juzayy writes Ibn Battuta’s

stories in a book for people to read.


39

A C T I V I T I E SWORD WORK

Write sentences with words from the snake.

a Would you like a

of this apple? It’s very good.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

b There are wonderful pictures of animals in this book. Look at that

!

…………………………………………………………………………………………

c Be careful with that knife. You don’t want to

your hand.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

d Do you need any

on your dinner? There’s some here on the table.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

e My little sister closed the door with her

in it, and she cried for half an hour.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

GUESS WHAT

What do you think happens to Ahmed after the end of the story? Tick the boxes.

Ahmed … Yes No

a learns to be a judge in Tangier.

b travels to lots of different countries in the world.

c goes to China and lives there for a long time.

d stays at home and never travels.

e tells everybody about his uncle’s wonderful book.

f writes a book about his travels.

piece

salt finger

cut hippopotamus

onderful pictures of animals in this book. Look at that

!

…………………………………………………………………

th that knife. You don’t want to

your hand.

…………………………………………………………………

any

on your dinner? There’s some here on the table.

…………………………………………………………………

er closed the door with her

ke a

of this apple? It’s very good.

in it, and she cried for half a

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


40

P R O J E C T SProject A A travel letter

1 Read the letter. Complete the table.

Dear James,

Thank you for your letter. It was good to hear your news about going to

Morocco next month. I went there last year, and I travelled across the country

for three weeks. Here are some of the best things to see and do:

I liked visiting the old cities of Fez and Marrakech. There are lots of interesting

places to see there. In Fez you must go to the old Bou Inania Madrasa, and in

Marrakech you need to visit the Koutoubia Mosque and, of course, the famous

market. You can buy things to eat there too in the evening.

One of the best things to eat in Morocco is couscous with meat or vegetables.

And don’t forget to drink the green tea with sugar. It’s very good on a hot

afternoon.

The country is famous for its beautiful cities on the coast, too. The city of

Essaouira in the west has a long beach for swimming and an interesting fort.

It’s a good place to stay for two or three days.

Don’t forget to buy some gifts for your family before you go home. You can look

for these in the markets. There are a lot of beautiful carpets and other things

for the house.

Have a wonderful time, James! Write and tell me all about it when you get home.

All the best

Hassan

MoMoMoMoMoMoMoMoMoMMororororororororooocccccccccccccccccoooooooooo

CiCiCiCiCiCiCiCiCCiCCitititititititittitititititititiieseseseeseseese t ttttoo o o ooo viviviviviivvisisisisisisisiss ttttttttt

PlPlPlPlPlPlPlPlPP acacacacaacaa esesesesesssse t t tt tttto o o oooooo seseseseseseseseeeeeeeeeeeee

WhWhWhWhWhWhWhWhatatatatatatatataaaa t t t t tttt tto o o o o ooo o eaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaeaaatttttttttttt

WhWhWhWhWhWhWhWhWhhatatatatatataatatatat t t ttt ttttto oo o oo oo o drdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrdrd ininininininnininkkkkkkkkk

WhWhWhWhWhWhWhWhWhWhWW atatatatatatatatatt t t t ttt ttt ttto o o o o oooooo bubububububububububuuuubuyyyyyyyyyyyy


41

P R O J E C T S2 Read the letter about Tunisia. Choose the best words to complete the sentences.

3 Write a letter to a friend who is going to visit Bahrain. Use the other words from exercise 2 to help you.

4 Make notes about places to visit and things to eat, drink, and buy in your country. Use your notes to write to a friend from a different country.

Dear Lucy

It was good to hear your news about visiting Tunisia. I went there earlier this year and had a wonderful time.Tunisia is a country of thirty islands / big country with a lot of things to see – I visited a number of different cities but my favourite was the capital Tunis / Manama with its wonderful old shops and markets / modern buildings. Of course, there are other things to see there. Don’t forget to visit the old city of Carthage / Bahrain fort, too. It’s a very interesting place to see.You must go to some of the wonderful restaurants. One of the best things to eat in Tunisia is machboos / tajine. It comes in squares and is very good. You can find it in most places. People usually drink mint tea / coffee with their friends.Before you go home, remember to buy some Tunisian gifts for your family. The best things to buy are the wonderful pots / pearls. They are very nice.See you soon!Karima


42

P R O J E C T SProject B Writing about a famous person

1 Read about Ibn Battuta. The words in green are not correct. Correct them.

Ibn Battuta was born in Casablanca,

Morocco in 1304. He came from an

important family of doctors and

when he was a young man he learnt

to be a doctor, too. But he wanted

to journey and to see different

places. So he left his home town in

1325 and began to travel.

Ibn Battuta journeyed for nearly

thirty years and visited many

countries. At first, he went on a

pilgrimage to Medina, and then he

made a long journey through the

Middle East. Next he went to India, and worked for the famous

Sultan of Delhi.

He sailed to the west, and he visited Japan at this time. After many

years, he went home to Morocco. But he didn’t stay there for long,

and he soon began to travel again, first to Al-Andalus, the Kingdom of

Granada, and then to Egypt in Africa.

In the end, he journeyed back to his home town. He told his travel

stories to a young teacher, Ibn Sina, and he put them in a big book called

The Rihla.

Ibn Battuta died in 1369. But all these years later people from

different countries can read his wonderful book, and through it they can

understand more about the world of his time.

Ibn Battuta


43

P R O J E C T S2 Use the words in the box to complete the text about Ibn Sina.

after / and / but / end / first / later / so / soon / then / too / when

Ibn Sina was born near Bukhara, now in Uzbekistan, in the year 980. His father

was a clever man, and young Ibn Sina was very interested in learning, ………. He

had many questions about the world when he was young, ……… his father found

some good teachers for him.

Ibn Sina was a quick student. At ………, he began to read different famous

books with his teachers, and ……… he began to learn from the holy Koran.

……… he was only ten years old, he could remember all of the Koran. Six years

………, at the age of sixteen, he began to study medicine and learn all about the

body. In two years he was not a student any more,

……… a doctor.

……… many people in Bukhara heard about

this clever young doctor. One day the King of

Bukhara, Nuh Ibn Mansur, was very ill and he

called Ibn Sina to his palace.

Ibn Sina worked quickly and made Nuh Ibn

Mansur better. The king was very pleased

and ……… this he opened his library to the

young man. For years Ibn Sina studied science

and medicine in the library, and at twenty-one he

began writing the first of his many books.

Ibn Sina worked for rulers in many different countries. Over the years, he

learnt a lot about the body, and in the ……… he wrote a very famous book about

medicine. It was called Al-Qanun fi al-Tibb.

Ibn Sina died in 1037, ……… for hundreds of years Al-Qanun was the most

important book for students of medicine from all over the world to read.

Ibn Sina


44

P R O J E C T S3 Use the information in the table

to write about Al-Battani. Use the text about Ibn Sina to help you.

Name Abu Abdullah Al-Battani

Born In Harran, now Turkey, in year 858

Father famous scientist (young Al-Battani very interested in science)

Early years young boy – had a lot of questions about stars and sun – father began to teach him astronomy at homeAl-Battani very quick student – learnt everything from his father Al-Battani went to town of Raqqa, next to Euphrates River, to study more

Important work Al-Battani studied with very clever teachers in Raqqa – in 877 carefully began to study stars and sun alone – studied for number of years – learnt something very important: Earth takes 365 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes and 24 seconds to go round sun! Al-Battani looked for new stars – wrote about 489 different stars

Famous book Al-Battani wrote famous book about sun and stars – called Kitab al-Zij

Died In 929 (Many students of astronomy all over world read, and learnt from, his book for hundreds of years)


45

G R A M M A RGRAMMAR CHECK

Going to Future: affirmative and negative

We make the going to future with the verb be + going to + infinitive without to. We use the going to future for plans, intentions and predictions.

‘On your travels you’re going to meet many old friends,’ said Burhan Al-Din.

‘I’m not going to have a quiet life,’ thought Ibn Battuta.

1 What is Ahmed going to do when he is older? Put the words in the correct order to make sentences using the going to future.

a travel / Ahmed is / to different / going to / in the world / countries

…………………………………………………………………………………………

b going to / make / He’s / Makkah / to / pilgrimage / a

…………………………………………………………………………………………

c see / in Egypt / He’s / the pyramids / going to

…………………………………………………………………………………………

d going to / across / the sea / big ship / sail / in a / He’s

…………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………

e He’s / different / many / learn / going to / languages

……………………………………………………

…………………………………………………

f a wife / going to / isn’t / He / take

…………………………………………………

…………………………………………………

g isn’t / have / going to / children / any / He

………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………

h isn’t / He / forget / his uncle’s stories / going to

…………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………

i going to / come / He’s / he’s / old man / home / when / an

…………………………………………………………………………………………


46


Linkers: so and because

We use so to link two sentences when the second sentence explains a result. We put a comma before the so clause.

We wanted to visit Oman, so we took a ship there.

(result of first part of sentence)

We use because to link two sentences when the second sentence explains a reason.

We got off the ship because we didn’t like the sailors.

(reason for first part of sentence)

Because can go at the beginning of the sentence, too. We put a comma after the because clause when it comes first in the sentence.

Because we didn’t like the sailors, we got off the ship.

(reason for second part of sentence)

2 Complete these sentences with so or because.

a Ibn Battuta didn’t want to carry his big bag …………… it had lots of things in it.

b He gave the bag to his guide, …………… the guide carried it for him.

c …………… the guide wasn’t very rich, he needed money badly.

d The clothes in Ibn Battuta’s bag were expensive, …………… the guide wanted them.

e …………… the guide ran away with the bag, Ibn Battuta ran after him.

f Ibn Battuta soon found the guide …………… the man couldn’t run fast with the bag

under his arm.

g The guide stopped running away …………… Ibn Battuta

put a knife near his face.

h Ibn Battuta spoke angrily to the guide, …………… he

gave back the bag.

i The guide came back with Ibn Battuta …………… he was

afraid of him.

j …………… Ibn Battuta didn’t want to lose his bag again, he watched the guard day

and night.

k Ibn Battuta didn’t sleep much on the way to Oman, …………… he was tired when

he arrived.

dn t run fast with the baglddn t run fast wwwwwwwwith the bag


47


Adverbs of frequency

We use adverbs of frequency to say how often something happened.

These adverbs go after the verb to be, but before other verbs.

The Sultan of Delhi was often angry.

A good traveller always thinks about the weather.

3 Choose the correct adverb of frequency from the words in brackets and put it in the correct place in each sentence.

a Visitors to Delhi arrived with nice gifts for the sultan, Muhammad Tughluq. (usually /

sometimes)

b He gave back better gifts to these visitors. (always / never)

c The Sultan of Delhi needed help from people from other countries. (never / often)

d He sat on a gold chair with his soldiers all about him. (usually / never)

e He gave money to the people of Delhi. (sometimes / never)

f Tughluq’s soldiers killed people for very little things. (always / sometimes)

g The Sultan had trouble with different enemies. (never / sometimes)

h He was very nice to his enemies. (usually / never)

i Shaikh Shihab Al-Din said ‘No’ to the Sultan. (sometimes / always)

j Ibn Battuta visited Shaikh Shihab Al-Din’s home. (never /

sometimes)

k Ibn Battuta was afraid of the Sultan. (sometimes / never)

l He said ‘Yes’ to the Sultan. (never / always)

m The Sultan killed people when he was angry. (never / often)

neversometimesoftenusuallyalways


48


Adverbs of manner

We use adverbs of manner to talk about how we do things.

Ibn Battuta left India quickly. In China, he journeyed easily from town to town.

We make adverbs from adjectives by adding –ly.

bad – badly

For adjectives that end in –y, we change y to –ily.

angry – angrily

Some adverbs are irregular.

fast – fast good – well

4 Write the adverbs of these adjectives.

a easy ……………… e interested ………………

b happy ……………… f good ………………

c beautiful ……………… g sudden ………………

d strange ……………… h bad ………………

5 Complete each sentence using an adverb from exercise 4.

a After all the islanders’ gifts, Ibn Battuta couldn’t leave Male very ……………… .

b At first, his work on Male went ………………

for him.

c Then people began to speak ………………

about him and all his money.

d The Sultan of Serendib listened ………………

to Ibn Battuta’s stories.

e Ibn Battuta left Serendib ………………, with

pearls and rubies in his bag.

f Winds ……………… took Ibn Battuta’s ship

onto some rocks.

g Chinese people can make boxes and other

things ……………… .

h ……………… Ibn Battuta met an old friend

from Ceuta when he was in China.


49


Past Simple: information questions

In Past Simple questions, most verbs take did + subject + infinitive without to.

Where did you stop on the way back from China? In Sumatra.

The verb be is different. With be we put the subject after the verb to make past questions.

Why were you afraid? Because I didn’t want to meet the Sultan of Delhi.

Different question words before did or be ask for different information – who (people), what (things), when (times), why (reasons), how (ways), where (place), how many (quantities).

6 Write Ahmed’s questions in the Past Simple. Match the questions with Ibn Battuta’s answers (1–8).

a For how many / days / you / sail / to India?

…………………………………………………………… ……………

b How many / years / earlier / you / visit / Damascus?

…………………………………………………………… ……………

c Who / you / meet / in Damascus?

…………………………………………………………… ……………

d Where / he / from?

…………………………………………………………… ……………

e What / he / tell / you?

…………………………………………………………… ……………

f When / you / say ‘Goodbye’ / to your father?

…………………………………………………………… ……………

g Why / people / in Syria / ill ?

…………………………………………………………… ……………

h How / you / travel / through Syria?

…………………………………………………………… ……………

1 Tangier. 5 A teacher.

2 Forty. 6 News from home.

3 Twenty. 7 They had the plague.

4 Quickly. 8 Twenty-four years before.


50


Modal auxiliary verbs: can, can’t and must

We use can + infinitive without to to talk about things that we are able to do or that are possible.

You can easily forget your way in the desert.

We use can’t + infinitive without to to talk about things that we are not able to do or that are not possible.

You can’t see hippopotamuses in Morocco.

We use must + infinitive without to to talk about things that we think are necessary or very important, or that are an obligation.

You must never go into the desert alone.

7 Choose the correct verb to complete each of Ibn Battuta’s sentences about Chapter 6.

a You can / must meet old friends in the strangest places.

b You can / can’t see a salt mosque in Taghaza.

c You can / must never drink bad water.

d You must / can’t go into the desert without a water bottle.

e You can’t / must stay with the caravan when you journey across the desert.

f You can’t / can always remember your way easily in the desert.

g You must / can die quickly under the hot desert sun.

h You can / must never play with dangerous snakes.

i You must / can’t eat meat when it’s old and bad.

j You can’t / must go to bed when you are ill.

k You must / can’t speak carefully when you talk to

a king.

l You must / can see lots of hippopotamuses in the

rivers of Mali.

m You must / can’t say ‘No’ to the Sultan when he

asks for you.

n You must / can’t travel quickly across mountains

in winter when it’s snowing.

o You can’t / can learn more about my travels from

my book.


51


Superlative adjectives

We add the + –est to make the superlative form of most short adjectives.

rich the richest

When adjectives finish in consonant + y, we change y to i and add –est.

hungry the hungriest

When adjectives finish in e, we add the + –st.

nice the nicest

With longer adjectives we put the most before the adjective.

interesting the most interesting

When adjectives finish in a short vowel + consonant, we double the final consonant and add the + –est.

big the biggest

Some adjectives have an irregular superlative form.

good the best

bad the worst

8 Complete Ibn Battuta’s text about his travels using the superlative form of the adjectives in brackets.

I met many rich men on my travels. But a)…………………… (rich) of them all was

the Sultan of Delhi. He was often b)…………………… (angry) man in the world, too.

I visited lots of holy places many times on pilgrimage. Of course Makkah, for me, was

c)…………………… (holy) of all. I saw many dangerous animals in different countries,

but d)……………………(dangerous) of all these was the rhinoceros, I think, and it was

e)…………………… (strange) animal, too. f)…………………… (famous) buildings

of all time are of course the pyramids, and I was very happy to see them in Egypt. I sailed

to many countries on my travels, but g)…………………… (bad) sea journey of all was

my first time on a ship – when I sailed from Jeddah to Yemen. h)……………………

(hot) times of all were when I travelled across deserts. What were i)……………………

(happy) days of my time away from home? When I lived in the Maldives with my wife,

perhaps. Of course, I have lots of good friends now, but j)…………………… (good) of

them all is Ibn Juzayy. And home is k)…………………… (nice) place in the world, I feel.


Dominoes is an enjoyable series of illustrated classic and modern stories in four carefully graded language stages – from Starter to Three – which take learners from beginner to intermediate level.

Each Domino reader includes:

a good story to read and enjoy integrated activities to develop reading skills and increase active vocabulary personalized projects to make the language and story themes more meaningful seven pages of grammar activities for consolidation.

Each Domino pack contains a reader, plus a MultiROM with:

a complete audio recording of the story, fully dramatized to bring it to life interactive activities to offer further practice in reading and language skills and to consolidate learning.

If you liked this Level Two Domino, why not read these?

You can find details and a full list of books in the Dominoes catalogue and Oxford English Language Teaching Catalogue, and on the website: www.oup.com/elt

Teachers: see www.oup.com/elt for a full range of online support, or consult your local office.

DOMINOES THE STRUCTURED APPROACH TO READING IN ENGLISH

True Heroes of SportDonatella FitzgeraldSome people in the world of sport are heroes only because they are the best at their sport. But the sportsmen and sportswomen in this book – Oscar Pistorius, Michael Phelps, Wilma Rudolph and Natalie du Toit – are all that and much more. All of them went through bad times and learned to be stronger people through sport. Because it isn’t living through good times, but living through bad times that makes you into a true hero!

Book ISBN: 978 0 19 424770 2 MultiROM Pack ISBN: 978 0 19 424734 4

Five Canterbury TalesGeoffrey ChaucerThe year is 1386 and the first flowers of spring are here. A number of pilgrims are going to Canterbury to visit the tomb of Saint Thomas Becket, and they all tell stories on the way.

Who should be the stronger in a marriage – the husband or the wife? And what happens when two men fall in love with the same woman? In these five stories from Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales we find different answers to these questions from the Knight, the Wife of Bath, the Clerk of Oxford, the Merchant, and the Franklin. This retelling is good for all ages.

Book ISBN: 978 0 19 424758 0 MultiROM Pack ISBN: 978 0 19 424722 1

CEFRCambridge Exams IELTS TOEFL iBT TOEIC

Level 3 B1 PET 4.0 57-86 550

Level 2 A2–B1 KET-PET 3.0-4.0 – –

Level 1 A1–A2 YLE Flyers/KET 3.0 – –

Starter A1 YLE Movers – – –


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